Feasibility of Introducing Sole English Medium Instruction in Social Sciences

Abstract

English as a medium of instruction in Social Sciences has long been a subject of debate in the education system of Sri Lanka. It is extremely significant to link the University education to employment. As a direct cause for the increase in unemployment and underemployment mainly among the graduates in the Arts stream. The aim of the study was to explore the potential possibilities of implementing English as a medium of instruction in Social Sciences. The study is on qualitative and quantitative data. This study found that students are indeed generally in favour of using English exclusively in this setting, and their preference is positively related to their own English proficiency. Overall, most of the students did not show negativeattitudes towards the courses even though they generally did not think that they had ahigh level of English Language proficiency. Moreover, the respondents emphasized that, indeed the effects ofEnglish-medium instruction on the learning of subject content remain unclear; most ofthe students surveyed agreed that English instruction will help them improve their English language proficiency. The results also revealed that the Core English courses ought to concentrate on providing English for Academic Purposes rather than general purposes. Finally through this study it was observed that there is a possibility for sole English medium instruction in Social Sciences. And through such a transformation it will bloom the undergraduates’ future career.