SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Science and Humanities [SICASH]

Language teaching has often been criticized as theoretical, boring, and uninteresting. To counteract this, teachers employ diverse approaches, including the use of teaching aids—tools that engage students’ auditory and visual senses. This study explores the impact of teaching aids on English language learning in secondary classrooms. It emphasizes the significance of visual aids, assesses their effectiveness, and identifies challenges in their usage. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including a questionnaire and pre-/post-test comparisons, to demonstrate how beneficial teaching aids are for student motivation, engagement, and the lesson's expected learning outcomes.

Proficiency in English is integral to higher education in Sri Lanka, facilitating academic success and global engagement. Despite extensive instruction, the students’ English language proficiency varies considerably, predominantly under motivational factors. Although prior research underscores the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in second language acquisition, a notable gap exists regarding their specific impact on university students within the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, this study attempts to address this gap by exploring the motivational determinants that affect English language learning among the undergraduates at the Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Using a quantitative approach, the data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising 27 Likert-scale items, administered to a stratified sample of 250 randomly selected students. The research instrument formulated in this way helped to measure the elements of intrinsic motivation— such as curiosity and perceived relevance—and extrinsic motivators, including academic performance and future career aspirations. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics, reliability testing, ANOVA, and independent samples t-tests. The results reveal that intrinsic motivation significantly influences the students’ engagement and proficiency in English, along with enthusiasm for the mastery of the target language and personal development. External factors, such as classroom environment and peer influence, also affect motivation to a lesser degree. Gender differences emerged,with females demonstrating higher motivation and perceived benefits. Challenges such as language anxiety and waning enthusiasm hinder participation; nonetheless, students recognize English’s role in effective communication and personal growth. The findings thus highlight the importance of fostering intrinsic motivation and supportive learning environments to enhance language acquisition among the Sri Lankan university students through pedagogical strategies aimed at sustainable language proficiency development.

SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Science and Humanities [SICASH]

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