SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ FAMILY BACKGROUND AND THEIR ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL

Abstract

This study examines the influence of family background on grade six students’ English language speaking skill in Kandy educational zone, Kandy district. The study is designed to identify the relationship between the parents’ education level and the performance of students in English language speaking as well as to examine the relationship between the socio-economic status of the parents and the children’s performance in English language. The data was collected using observations, questionnaires and focused group discussions. This study was undertaken using random sampling method considering two grade six classes consisting of forty students from Mahamaya Girls’ College and Gothami Girls’ College, Kandy and the parents of these selected participants were given an open ended questionnaire to find their socio-economic and education background. Ten ESL teachers were also taken under two focused group discussions to examine their perceptions towards second language learner’s family background and English language speaking competency. Classroom observations were conducted once a week for a duration of two hours over a period of three months. The data were analyzed and presented through tables and bar graphs. The key findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the English speaking skill based on the parents’ education and socio-economic level. Students who had parents with higher educational and socio-economic level, performed well in their English language speaking whereas parents with low socio-economic background and less exposure to English language had low self-confidence in their ability to communicate in English, providing minimum exposure and support to their children.