Browsing by Author "George, L.V."

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Open Access
ESP Needs Analysis for Nursing Students at a Sri Lankan Higher Education Institution
(School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Jayarathna, A.K.S.; Wanasooriya, W.M.K.C.; Senarathne, D.D.H.G.Y.; de Silva, B.D.S.V.U.; Jayasinghe, D.R.W.; George, L.V.; Wijesekera, H.D.
This study analyzes the effectiveness of existing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules in meeting the English language requirements of the Higher National Diploma Nursing program at a non-state Higher Education Institute (HEI) in Sri Lanka. Drawing on the Nation and Macalister’s Language Curriculum Design framework, a needs analysis was conducted. This comprised determining students’ linguistic needs, aspirations, and gaps in academic and clinical settings through a validated questionnaire, followed by interviews with two lecturers of core subjects, one English language lecturer, and twenty-eight students. The data were analyzed thematically using an inductive approach. The findings indicate that the current EAP modules are insufficient to meet the professional communication needs of nurses. A substantial proportion (65%) of students reported not using English daily, while (52%) reported low confidence, mainly in oral communication, and (57%) emphasized the need for improving medical communication. Students and lecturers emphasized the need for interactive language instruction with a nursing focus. Next, the study compared the international ESP curriculum models with the existing EAP module, supported by the findings, and observed significant content differences. The study recommends that English for Specific Purposes or English for Nursing should be integrated into nursing school curricula along with faculty development support, differentiated instruction, and authentic materials. Language instruction should be keyed to actual communication needs to promote academic achievement and professional competence at the global level.
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.