• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Koshala Siriwardhana(1) Significance of Ethnicity in Developing Attitudes towards Learning English as a Second Language (with special reference to undergraduates of Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka) (1) Faculty of Management, Uva Wellassa University, Badulla, Sri Lanka. (email:[email protected]) Abstract Attitudes are important in achieving the eagerly providing their children the education from competency in any Second Language. Further, many international schools with the prime aim of improving socio-cultural factors affect the attitudes and thus the children’s English language skills. Despite of this current study aimed at discovering whether attitudes situation, many second language researchers of Sri towards learning English differ in terms of students’ Lanka have revealed that majority of Sri Lankan ethnicity. Accordingly, sixty nine undergraduates from students’ competency in English Language is not in a UvaWellassa University were selected as the study satisfactory level and this situation is commonly seen sample. As to the Kruscal Wallis test which was among rural students of distance schools. Further, employed, the results revealed that majority processes students who enter the national university system have positive attitudes and attitudes do not differ to have the competency in English in order to continue significantly in terms of ethnicity. their higher studies as now some of the Sri Lankan universities conduct their academic programs in the Keywords attitudes, English as a Second Language, medium of English. On the contrary, many of the ethnicity, undergraduates undergraduates find it difficult to study in English and proving this Senadeera (1991) identifies less Introduction competency in English as the 3rd major academic difficulty of an undergraduate. In addition, lack of Today, English has acquired its undisturbed place competency in English negatively influences Sri as the global language due to its supremacy in almost Lankan students when they are trying to obtain a all the parts of the world. Further, English language has lucrative occupation. Especially, the private sector linked the world by being the common language of actively rejects qualified graduates with lack of English trade, travel, education and many more other areas. language skills and favors English speaking but Thus, many nations are now in the process of learning sometimes less qualified students over those who are English either as a Foreign or a Second Language. from national university system (Kelegama Further, this situation is also common to Sri Lanka and ,2007).Hence, it is obvious that even though Sri having understood the dire need of competency in Lankan students are provided with opportunities to English, Sri Lankan government encourages and learn English as a Second language (ESL) some of them facilitates its young people to learn English by giving a do not possess the required skills in English. prominent place to English in time to time education reformations. Moreover, English is a compulsory Moreover, it has been found out that there are school subject in the curriculum and Sri Lankan number of factors which affect learning a Second school children have to learn English initiating from Language (L2) and according to many second language grade three. Moreover, in present it is observed that researchers attitudes play a major role in determining many parents specially who are from urban areas are the outcomes of L2 learning. In the words of Baker and [1] Proceedings of the Third International Symposium, SEUSL: 6-7 July 2013, Oluvil, Sri Lanka Jones (1998), if someone has a positive attitude for Methodology learning an L2, they may well succeed in becoming proficient in that language and also at the end of Sixty nine first year undergraduates representing language learning, a desired outcome may be there for eleven degree programs from UvaWellassa University students who have positive attitude towards that were selected as the study sample using the simple second language. Presenting a parallel view Ellis (1986) random sampling method. With the aim of collecting mentions that learners’ attitudes influence their level of primary data, basically, a semi structured questionnaire L2 proficiency and hence learners with positive was administered among the participants. Further, the attitudes, who experience success, will have these questionnaire was designed as to the Gardner’s attitudes reinforced while learners’ negative attitudes Attitude Motivational test Battery (AMTB) which may be strengthened by lack of success. On the measures learners’ attitudes towards L2 learning. contrary, he states that some learners who begin with Moreover, class room observations and semi positive attitudes but who, for one reason or other, structured interviews with students were also experience inadequate learning opportunities, fail to conducted for this purpose. Further, secondary data progress as they expected, and consequently, become were collected through research articles of Second more negative in their outlook. Thus it is evident that Language researchers, books, magazines, internet and attitudes influence the learning outcomes of an L2 and newspapers. Moreover, Kruscal Wallis test was this is also common to learning ESL. employed to find out whether attitudes differ in terms of the students’ ethnicity and graphical illustrations Further, some scholars have discovered that there were also used to analyze data. is an influence of socio cultural factors in determining attitudes.Forexample, talking more about social factors in L2 learning Ellis (1994) proposes that social factors Results and Discussion help to shape learners’ attitudes which, in turn, According to the results obtained from the study, influence learning outcomes. In addition, he says that interestingly majority of informants possessed highly these factors determine the learning opportunities positive attitudes towards learning English as a second which individual learners experience. Providing an language and it was evident from the questionnaire example, Ellis (1994) argues that learner’s socio- and interview results. economic class and ethnic back ground may affect the nature of attitudes and the extent of the input to which Further, the following graph illustrates the they are exposed. Further, Ellis (1994), in his studies composition of research sample as to the students’ has identified specific social factors which influence ethnicity. the attitudes of different groups of learners and he states these factors as the main variables which have received the most attention in L2 research. According to his findings, the main four factors which influence the attitudes are namely, age, sex, social class and ethnic identity. It is a truth that Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country and students of all the ethnic groups are provided with equal opportunities to learn English having no difference. Accordingly, Sri Lankan universities are also consisted of undergraduates from all the ethnic groups. Thus, the present study was conducted with the prime objective of ascertaining whether undergraduates’ attitudes toward learning English differ according to their ethnicity. Figure1Research sample as to its ethnicity [2] Koshala Siriwardhana Significance of Ethnicity in Developing Attitudes towards Learning English as a Second Language (with special reference to undergraduates of Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka) As the above graph illustrates, the sample a positive atmosphere to learn English together by the represented students from three main ethnic groups students. Moreover, the language teachers should give namely Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil. However, as to the the equal consideration to students of all the ethnic statistical testemployed, the attitudes towards learning groups and should provide equal opportunities to English did not differ significantly in terms of the present their talents and views without considering the ethnicity (P>0.05). On the contrary, as per the class students’ ethnicity. Furthermore, it will be important room observations, even though major differences and interesting if language teachers can take necessary were not observed it was noted that Tamil students examples while teaching representing all the ethnic have a better motivation and attitudes to learn English. groups. For instance, when taking persons’ names to For example, Tamils always voluntarily and actively write example sentences, names that represent different participated in learning activities. Moreover, when ethnic groups (e.g. Kamal, Shiva, Fathima) can be used. learners were asked to do class room speeches and These types of teaching methods will make students presentations, often Tamil students volunteered with feel that they are equal and treated in a similar way. no hesitation compared to others and it was often Consequently, it will assist all the English language noted that Tamil students sitting in the first rows of learners to develop more positive attitudes towards the class room. In addition, they were keen to be the learning English despite of their ethnicity. group leaders every time and in the group works they were more active than others. This might be a result of mind free education that they are enjoying in the Acknowledgements university after the civil war of Sri Lanka and in fact Author would like to acknowledge Dr. S.G. most of these Tamils were from North and Eastern Sivagurunathan who immensely assisted the research provinces which were disturbed by the civil war

Load more

  74

Copy Link