Sequencing of grammar contents and its impact on achieving the intended learning outcomes: An analysis of English textbooks used in Sri Lankan government schools from grade 6 - 8

Abstract

The English knowledge of a majority of the school students in Sri Lanka is not up to the expected standard, this is a well-known fact. The analysis of O/L results of the 2015 English language paper by the Examinations Department shows that the percentage of students who have obtained a weak pass (W) for the O/L English paper from the school candidates is 55.44% and from the private candidates is 53.29% which is more than half of the number of candidates who have sat for the exam. Since the ordinary level paper is based on the content of the textbooks from grade 6 to 11, I intend to conduct this research study on the grammar sequencing and its effectiveness using the textbooks from grade 6 to 8. The objectives of this research can be identified as investigating the impact of sequencing of grammar lesson on the leaner's ability to use English in target language use domains accurately and effectively, and the perceptions of the teachers, students, and the content developers towards the grammar lessons in the English Textbooks from grade 6 to 8. The finding of this research study would aid in providing some useful suggestions to improve the quality of the grammar lessons in English text books. The methodology of this research study includes a mixed methods approach. A content analysis of the text books, a test paper developed for the selected three grades and interviews conducted with content developers and English teachers will be analysed. For the purpose of this research study, 10 students from each of these grades were given a test that was designed according to the competency levels given in the syllabi of these grades. The results of the test indicate that the students are somewhat capable of understanding the grammar rules and answering questions based on them, yet when it comes to speaking skills, they lack the ability to use the language accurately. This is an ongoing research study which is still on progress. Therefore the final findings of this research require the interviews conducted with teachers and content developers.