Open AccessVocabulary Facilitation on Technical Modules for ESL Learners: A Case Study of a Sri Lankan Higher Educational Institute
Author(s) -
Chathurika Senevirathna,
Shashitha Jayakody,
H Rangika Iroshani Peiris
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
world journal of english language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-0711
pISSN - 1925-0703
DOI - 10.5430/wjel.v6n4p1
Subject(s) - collocation (remote sensing) , vocabulary , computer science , facilitation , sri lanka , mathematics education , sample (material) , word (group theory) , component (thermodynamics) , linguistics , psychology , geography , philosophy , neuroscience , chemistry , physics , environmental planning , chromatography , machine learning , tanzania , thermodynamics
This study focuses on the degree of facilitation of the English language module on a technical module offered for adegree program in a higher educational institute in Sri Lanka. The sample consists of 5,855 words from one technicalmodule in the stream of Accounting and Finance and 10,554 words from one English language module prescribed forthe BBA (Special) Degree program during the first year first semester of undergraduates. The level of facilitation wasmeasured in terms of vocabulary; an essential component found in the empirical literature to acquire the technicalknowledge in tertiary education. In order to achieve the main objective, “whether or not the language modulefacilitates the technical module” the researchers utilized Academic Word List (AWL) and examined the presence ofAWL items in both modules and compared the common distribution of AWL items. The results showed 12.33%presence of AWL items in the technical module and 3.95% in the language module. 65 AWL word families wereidentified as common to both modules. The facilitation of the language module on the technical module in terms ofvocabulary is 42.20%. Interestingly, the most frequently used 10 AWL items are not common to both modules.Collocation and gap making can be suggested as appropriate vocabulary activities in order to enhance the exposureof the ESL learners to vocabulary.