Effect of Language Proficiency on Academic Performance: Special Reference to the Undergraduates of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

Abstract

English language plays an important role in education, obtaining employment and even gaining power and special privileges in Sri Lanka. With the introduction of Official Languages Act of 1956, prominence given to English became a downfall. The shift towards the mother tongue in school education lead to offering degrees in Sinhala and Tamil medium in tertiary level education. However, most of the BSc and MBBS degrees continued to be conducted in the English medium. This research examines the effect of English Language proficiency of the undergraduates on their academic performances. The study was carried out in General Sir John Kothalawala Defence University (KDU) based on a self-administered questionnaire and a test paper. The sample was 50 civil Engineering undergraduates at the faculty of Engineering (FOE). The study showed that the students who have done their secondary education in English medium (20% of the target group) performed well in the test paper and believed that their medium of study during A/L was a good platform to their degree programme. The remaining (80%) have achieved low marks for the given test paper. They preferred to have participated in an English intensive course before they started academics even though they have obtained good grades at Advanced Level General English. Thus, it was proven that language proficiency is a decisive factor in academic performances especially during the 1st year. It was also found that as they progress through semesters, they become competent and comfortable with the language which lead to a positive impact in academic performances.