Browsing by Author "Dissanayake, D.M.M.S."

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Open Access
From Classrooms to Conversati ons: Examining the Gap in English Language Speaking Skills among Sri Lankan English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2024-12-04) Rathnayaka, R.M.J.U.; Fernando, M.A.N.N.; George, L.V.; Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.
The persistent struggle of Sri Lankan learners relati ng to spoken English profi ciency despite extensive formal instructi on conti nues to be a dominant issue in English language teaching and learning in the local context. Thus, with the objecti ve of fi nding out the underlying factors that contribute to the low competency in English language speaking skills of secondary level learners, this study was conducted based on the research questi on ‘what are the reasons that hinder the improvement in English language speaking of Sri Lankan ESL learners?’. Data collecti on included a mixed-method approach: a detailed questi onnaire was distributed, and interviews were conducted either face-to-face or online (via Zoom) with six educators and twenty-four students across the Western and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The parti cipants included eighteen Sinhala and twelve Tamil speakers. The questi onnaires were subjected to quanti tati ve analysis using cross-tabulati on and descripti ve stati sti cs. Additi onally, for the interviews conducted, content analysis was employed. Furthermore, the Cross-Validati on approach was used to support the fi ndings. The analyses reveal several criti cal barriers to improving spoken profi ciency: inadequate educati onal resources, anti quated pedagogical practi ces, limited immersion in the language, and challenges with pronunciati on leading to an inhibiti on towards speaking English. Teachers mainly highlighted a predominance of conventi onal, grammar-centric teaching methods and the reluctance to uti lize available technological tools due to concerns about misuse and damage. The student parti cipants reported that their reluctance to practi ce speaking is due to fear of making errors and being negati vely judged, compounded by an excessive focus on examinati on success. Both teachers and students were of the view that examinati on papers prioriti se recepti ve skills over producti ve ones, thereby reinforcing a cycle of rote learning and exam-oriented instructi on. This study advocates for a reformati on in nati onal examinati ons to include assessments of producti ve skills, speaking and listening, to bett er refl ect comprehensive language competence. Additi onally, it is suggested that culti vati ng a genuine passion for English within students, despite existi ng constraints, could signifi cantly enhance their language acquisiti on and learning. Educators are encouraged to adopt more innovati ve and supporti ve teaching strategies that emphasize practi cal language use and student engagement.
Open Access
Professional Identi ti es of English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers in State and Non-State Higher Educati on Insti tutes: A Comparati ve Analysis
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2024-12-04) Ekanayake, E.M.P.E.; Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.
S ince teacher professional identi ty off ers valuable insights into teaching as it is practi ced in actual classroom contexts, research on this topic has been gathering more and more att enti on over the years. However, despite its signifi cance, there have been very few studies on teacher professional identi ti es of ESL teachers from state and non-state higher educati on insti tutes. Thus, this study aims to identi fy identi ti es that consti tute the professional identi ty of ESL teachers and to compare the similariti es and diff erences of the professional identi ty of ESL teachers in the Sri Lankan higher educati on sector. In terms of the research design, the study adopted a qualitati ve approach. As such, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six ESL teachers from state and non-state universiti es, and the data was then analyzed using the method of themati c analysis. According to data, the study found three identi ti es that are common to both state and non-state university teachers: the moti vator, the friendly teacher, and the advocate of communicati ve language teaching. Moreover, the study also found teacher identi ti es that are unique to state and nonstate university ESL teachers. The identi ti es that are unique to state university teachers are promotor of value-based pedagogy, advocate of criti cal pedagogy, and ESL teacher at a state university. The facilitator, knowledge seeker, and conti nuous learner were found to be unique identi ti es of non-state university teachers. While providing insight into ESL teacher identi ty formati on and its contributory factors in the higher educati on landscape, this study recommends further research to validate and expand upon these fi ndings across diff erent contexts and larger parti cipant groups.
Embargo
A Study on the Impact of Online Monolingual and Bilingual Dictionary Use on ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences - SLIIT, 2021-03-26) Wijesuriya, K.; Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.
This experimental research comparatively analyzed the impact of online monolingual and online bilingual dictionary use in vocabulary acquisition and retention. Forty Engineering undergraduates in their first term at B1 level in proficiency were divided into two comparison groups: Online Monolingual Dictionary (OMD) and Online Bilingual Dictionary (OBD) groups. Then both groups were exposed to an unknown set of ten academic words using an online monolingual dictionary and an online bilingual dictionary (English-Sinhala/English-Tamil) respectively. After the treatment/exposure, the same vocabulary tests: pretest, immediate test and posttest, were administered in both groups to check the effectiveness of the treatments. While both classes significantly acquired and retained vocabulary under each online dictionary use, the independent sample t -test determined a statistically significant difference in the vocabulary retention of the online monolingual class over the online bilingual class at the immediate test as well as at the post test. The findings confirmed the hypothesis that online monolingual dictionary use is effective over online bilingual dictionary use in vocabulary acquisition and retention.
Embargo
The Use of Audio and Audio-visual Materials for Teaching Process Descriptions and Identification of Errors: A Study with Tertiary Level Students
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wijesuriya, K.G.; Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.
The use of multimedia as a teaching aid could motivate students in learning and improve their writing skills. The objectives of the study are to assess the impact of audio-visual and audio materials in the lesson on second language learners’ writing skills and to analyse errors in the writings. Forty Engineering undergraduates in their first term at CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) B1 level in proficiency were randomly divided into two comparison groups: Audio-visual Group and Audio Group; to teach them to write a brief description of an industrial process using Audio-visual and Audio materials. The marks of the immediate and post-tests were analysed using independent sample t-test whereas errors in their writings were categorized based on Surface Strategy Taxonomy. The findings depicted that both Audio-visual and Audio materials have contributed to writing effective process descriptions. While the mean of the Audio group was numerically higher than that of the Audio-visual group in both immediate and posttests, the independent sample t-test confirmed that the difference was not statistically significant. Neither of the modes has been demonstrated superior to the other. Moreover, error analysis based on Surface Structure Taxonomy depicted that over 50% of errors committed by students in both groups were errors of Misformation. Further, second, 29 third and the fourth frequent number of errors were found in the Omission category, Misordering Category, and Addition category respectively for both groups. Therefore, a mixture of Audio-visual and Audio materials could be recommended in writing tasks pertaining to process descriptions.