Abstract:
The study focuses on some ideological constraints against learning English as
communication observed among Arts Faculty undergraduates at the
University of Jaffna. Under the influence of ideological constraints against
innovative English Language Teaching (ELT) strategies, the curriculum,
lesson materials, and classroom management methods used at the university,
do not seem to contribute comprehensively to the development of language
skills desired in of the 21st century undergraduates. Their challenge against
grasping the contents of the existing English as a Second Language (ESL)
curriculum can be interpreted as the result of an ideological constraint
imposed by the ESL curriculum they have followed over a period of 13 years
within the national school system, which treats English as an academic
discipline rather than a life skill needed for day-to-day communication.
Focused on this issue, the data were gathered from a sample of forty secondyear
general degree undergraduates through a questionnaire, and a one-onone
interview conducted in two phases with five randomly selected
respondents. The findings revealed that these students have been treating
English as an academic subject throughout their school life which extends for
over 13 years. Accordingly, it is perceived that the teaching methodology,
affective factors, exposure, and the recognition accorded to the English
language, altogether contribute to a constraint against learning English as a
life skill. The participants claim that it was only on entering the university
that they realised the real-life communicative relevance of English and
developed a set of goals to cultivate English language proficiency. In this
context, the research aims to develop a mechanism to dismantle the
ideological constraints, thereby enhancing the quality enhancement of their
English language learning experiences at the university with a focus on
facilitating the process of accomplishing their academic and professional
communicative goals.
