tHE ISSUE OF CHANGING THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION TO eNGLISH AT SENIOR SECONDARY LEVEL AND ITS IMPACT ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

Abstract

)id spread of English and the strong demand for English language teaching for the i have been the concern of the governments, academics and policy-makers in Sri They have taken many measures in increasing opportunities for effective learning iching of the English Language. One such decision taken by the Ministry of on was to change the medium of instruction to English language in the Senior ary level. Therefore, this study tries to investigate on the issue of changing the 1 of instruction to English at senior secondary level and its impact on the English ;e learning and teaching process to investigate the outcome of the policy decision. dy was based on two main questions i.e.; what are the reasons for changing the 1 of instruction to English at senior secondary level and what is the impact of the i English language learning and teaching process. These questions were examined neans of inspecting the available literature, by conducting an experimental design, i questionnaire administration, classroom observations, interviews and by tig the A/L General English results. The experimental design was conducted with arison group of Sinhala medium students so as to evaluate the results. The ttration of questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews were carried out ; English medium senior secondary students and teachers. All island A/L General results were analysed to arrive at conclusions and recommendations. ults of the experimental design and the A/L General English results confirmed the I impact of the English medium instruction on the English language learning and I process. These findings give positive light to the policy decision and lally the change of the medium appears to be a practical solution to the immediate f the students. However, the major issues of the system such as, the best suitable legin the new medium, to find necessary resources, to adopt the best methods are >e answered. Incorporation of content-based instruction in the English Medium could maximize the classroom interaction thus enriching the second Language tion. These issues should be answered immediately for the smooth functioning of an.