SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Sciences and Humanities [SICASH] 2024

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Author: search.filters.author.Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.End date: 2024

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    PublicationOpen 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.
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    PublicationOpen 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.