Symposia & Conferences
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Item Teacher Code Switching: Functions and Impact on Students‟ Performance and Attitudes.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Edirisinghe, E. M. H. J.; Ratwatte, H.V.Code switching (CS) or translanguaging in the ESL classroom has been viewed from different perspectives. Some scholars like Chi (2000), Brown (2001), Macaro (2001), Tang (2002), Lie and Martin (2009) have shown that the use of the L1 in the language classroom may lead to more dependence on L1 and that it may hinder progress in mastering the target language (TL). In contrast, researchers like Larsen and Freeman (2011), Makuloluwa (2013), Magid & Mugaddam (2013) and Ratwatte (2014) have argued that CS may facilitate the learning process and the teaching of the TL, as teachers can explain complex ideas more effectively in learners‟ L1. The present study investigates the effectiveness of CS in the teaching and learning of L2 grammar, the attitudes of the students towards teachers‟ CS practices in a university ESL classroom. Qualitative and quantitative data was obtained from 60 first year undergraduate students and 2 teachers of the Wayamba University. Teacher talk was recorded and transcribed. The analysis of the pre and post-test marks reveals a significant relationship between teacher‟s CS and learners‟ learning of verb tenses. The student attitude questionnaires and focus group discussions further confirm that the majority of students perceive CS as an effective teaching strategy because it enables learning in different ways. Consequently, it can be concluded that although the use of the L1 has been criticized by some scholars, a balanced and judicious use of teacher CS can be a useful strategy in classroom interaction with adult learners.Item Code Switching Problems in Bilingual Society of Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ramesh, S.In Sri Lanka, national language issue seems very influential in both cultural and political sphere; it was the major bone of argument between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. The use of English words within the society has increased amazingly. One of the reasons may be due to the extensive use of the mixed code in daily conversations by Sri Lankan bilinguals like Sinhalese and Tamils. This study explores the impact of code switching in the case of bilinguals and multilinguals who select different varieties of two or more languages to meet the requirements of different situations. The switchers use English words and expressions even when equivalents exist in Sinhala or Tamil vice versa. They feel that these English expressions come so naturally to them that their equivalents in Sinhala or Tamil might sound formal and unnatural. Nowadays most communication in a bilingual or multilingual society crosses national, linguistic and cultural boundaries and requires confidence and competence to be effective. The data presented in this paper have been collected through observation, questionnaires and analyzed descriptively. The study also includes catch phrases and slogans used in the electronic media to substantiate data gathered from an analysis.The study provides insight into the mixing strategies used by urban bilinguals. The analysis reveals that the mixed code is used dominantly in advertisements (print and electronic) where the medium of communication is Sinhala or Tamil. The methodological functions are identified (a) for translation, (b) for clarification, (c) for highlighting and (d) for efficiency. The social functions included code switching (a) for praise, (b) for encouragement, (c) for disapproval. Findings shall be discussed formally in a conference presentation. Consequently, there is a need for a valid and reliable form of code switching when problems are analyzed.Item Challenges Encountered by the Grade Six Students in learning Health and Physical Education in Bilingual Class Rooms in Selected Schools in The Western Province(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Abeysena, H.This study is a survey conducted on the ‘Challenges Encountered by The Grade Six Students in Learning Health and Physical Education in Bilingual Class Rooms in Selected Schools in The Western Province’. In this survey, the sample is the grade six BEL students, teachers (L2, BELT) of Health Science, parents and principals of the selected three schools belonging to the Maharagama Educational division and Sri Jayawardenapura zone in Sri Lanka. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used and four different questionnaires were administered among those four sample groups and formal and informal interviews were conducted during a period of three months of this research with thorough classroom observation and data collecting.Final results of this survey’s data analysis show that the majority of the BEL s uses their L1 (mainly Sinhala) for meaningful comprehension of the subject based content during their primary education in their L1.It is quite disheartening that in secondary education BEL s inability to pay their attention to English as a subject in formal curriculum is one of the causal factors for not reaching their full capacity in BE. Consequently, they are doubly challenged by the struggle they encounter with the new subject knowledge and their striving hard to improve their L2, which is English, for which they seek help from L1 more than required with over used code switching and code mixing in class rooms. In this regard, they need considerable greater amount of time to adapt to communicate and comprehend the content area. Further, the majority of the bilingual education teachers were identified as having a lack of L2 command, which again challenges the bilingual education pedagogy. Since they do not have adequate opportunities in their domestic and social environment to utilize English, plus their disappointment over this and lack of confidence in their endeavor to continue pursuing their future studies in the same BEL context, the researcher found the following. Firstly, there is a need to recommend more coordination between the English language teachers and bilingual education teachers teaching the relevant subject content. The need for more capacity building programs conducted for these teachers and teacher trainers should be carried out by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education. These programs should cover knowledge, skills, and attitudes and soft skills development along with the English language improvement for these stakeholders. The required physical and physiological resources, such as books, IT equipment and trained teachers should be provided to urban and rural areas to help and promote more avenues in bilingual education across the country. While acknowledging the usage of the L1 as a feasible tool for BEL s, to make them more competent CLIL s, the need of the day is to eliminate the misconceptions and unnecessary fear and obstacles for bilingual education. In this context, where the BEL and the education system demand both the subject knowledge and L2, it is also necessary to ensure there is adequate L2 teaching support.