This study investigates the current teaching trends and practices in teaching oral English in rural Sinhala-medium schools in Sri Lanka and their relevance to the current theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical perspectives of second-language acquisition (SLA). The present study, which was conducted in two Sri Lankan Sinhala-medium rural schools, is a case study in which the classroom observation, interviewing of the participants, and videotaping of students' interaction were included as data collection tools. The spoken data were analyzed using the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) scheme designed by Fröhlich, Spada, and Allen, while the numerical data obtained from the structured speaking test (Cambridge Key English for Schools Test) were analyzed using independent samples t test. The findings of the study indicate that the instructional method used by English teachers does not provide the learners with adequate input of the target language to improve their oral communication skills in rural school contexts. As a result, a majority of students from rural schools in Sri Lanka demonstrate a limited or a low proficiency level in oral communication in English. Therefore, possible reasons for the lack of greater awareness towards more communicative teaching are discussed, and suggestions for promoting changes in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in rural school contexts are offered.

Most preparatory students studying at the universities of technology and applied sciences in Oman demonstrate a low proficiency in academic reading. As a result, most students stop their studies at the certificate level without pursuing a higher qualification. Given this issue, this study was conducted to promote level three preparatory students’ academic reading proficiency. This study may inspire reading instructors who teach in EFL contexts and depend on commercially produced materials to develop in-house materials appropriate for their students. The research question this study attempted to answer was whether the application of in-house materials helps tertiary-level EFL students to perform better in a standardized reading test (Cambridge Reading B2 First). The study consisted of two treatments and two comparison groups (N = 84), instructed using in-house materials (treatment groups) and the prescribed textbook (comparison groups) for one semester. At the end of the intervention, the data were analyzed using descriptive and paired-sample t-tests to determine whether the intervention affected the performance of the treatment groups in the post-test than the comparison groups. The findings indicated a statistically significant (p < .001) difference in B2 First Cambridge English Reading Test between the pre-test and the post-test for the treatment group showing a significant improvement in reading proficiency. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that in-house materials are more effective in helping English Foreign Language tertiary level students improve their reading proficiency than commercially produced textbooks in EFL programs in Omani technological education

<p>The current study investigates the effects of reading habits among foundation level students studying English in a tertiary level context in Oman. The study consisted of 70 participants and the qualitative data was collected through a survey questionnaire while the quantitative data was gathered from college-based two tests. At the end of the study, the data were analyzed quantitatively to ascertain whether there was a possible relationship between positive reading habits in English and the participants’ performance in an examination setting. The results indicated that there was a link between the participants’ positive reading habits and their test scores in an examination setting. Given the positive results that emerged through this study, researchers would like to recommend that EFL/ESL teachers should guide and encourage their students to reading as it will help learners to improve all aspects of literacy and success in achieving educational goals.</p>

This study investigates the effects of authentic materials and contextually developed role-playing activities on the oral proficiency of Thai undergraduate students. The study was conducted at Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand during the first semester (June to September) of 2010. The study consisted of four research instruments and the data were analyzed using Independent Samples t-test to determine whether the authentic materials and contextually developed role-playing activities had improved the students’ oral fluency and accuracy in the target language. The findings indicated statistically significant differences between the two groups, wherein the experimental group performed better on both fluency and accuracy than the control group. Therefore, based on the findings of the current study, it can be concluded that authentic materials and contextually developed role-playing activities involving a series of sequential events are effective in enhancing learners’ oral proficiency in programs of English as a foreign language in the context of Thailand English education.

Most preparatory students studying at the universities of technology and applied sciences in Oman demonstrate a low proficiency in academic reading. As a result, most students stop their studies at the certificate level without pursuing a higher qualification. Given this issue, this study was conducted to promote level three preparatory students’ academic reading proficiency. This study may inspire reading instructors who teach in EFL contexts and depend on commercially produced materials to develop in-house materials appropriate for their students. The research question this study attempted to answer was whether the application of in-house materials helps tertiary-level EFL students to perform better in a standardized reading test (Cambridge Reading B2 First). The study consisted of two treatments and two comparison groups (N = 84), instructed using in-house materials (treatment groups) and the prescribed textbook (comparison groups) for one semester. At the end of the intervention, the data were analyzed using descriptive and paired-sample t-tests to determine whether the intervention affected the performance of the treatment groups in the post-test than the comparison groups. The findings indicated a statistically significant (p &lt; .001) difference in B2 First Cambridge English Reading Test between the pre-test and the post-test for the treatment group showing a significant improvement in reading proficiency. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that in-house materials are more effective in helping English Foreign Language tertiary level students improve their reading proficiency than commercially produced textbooks in EFL programs in Omani technological education.