LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 17:7 July 2017
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

Language in India www.languageinindia.com is included in the UGC Approved List of Journals. Serial Number 49042.

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Developing the English Language Proficiency of
Engineering Students with Rural Background

Dr. S. Latha Venkateswari, M.A., M.Phil., M.Ed., PGDTS, Ph.D.

Abstract

English, being a global language, has become the necessary tool for engineering students to get the best placement. Having understood the need for proficiency in English, students pay attention to master the skills once they get into professional colleges. While students from urban areas and with English medium background pick up the skills quickly, students with rural background lag behind. The lack of English language exposure makes rural students inexpressive and augments their inferiority complex. As a result, they become inattentive and spoil the teaching-learning atmosphere in the classroom. When language teachers pay special attention to such students, youngsters with rural background can participate in the learning process and get good placement. The responsibility of English language teachers is more as they have to complete the syllabus on time apart from developing the English proficiency of students. Based on the real class room experience of the author, this paper analyses how to develop the language proficiency of rural students on four aspects such as Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.

Keywords: LSRW Skills, podcast, download, target students, audio files.

Introduction

Enrollment of students in engineering colleges all over Tamil Nadu has at least 50% rural youngsters. These students complete their higher secondary examination from schools which do not have even basic amenities. Such schools fail to impart language ability to students. Besides, language classes are utilized by subject teachers in schools. This deprives the students of language exposure. School curriculum tests the memory power of students rather than the application part of English language. Handicapped by this set up, rural students enter college in a fix. Unlike the school atmosphere, language teachers in engineering colleges try to make their students proficient in English language. Usage of language in English classrooms frightens such students. They do not understand the content delivery or the pronunciation of English teachers. Consequently, they behave indifferently in English language classes.

College teachers have to plan meticulously to cater to the needs of the heterogeneous group of students. Generally, in English classes, urban students tend to dominate rural students. Observing the language skill of urban students, rural students get depressed and cling on to silence. Language teachers have to work hard to change this situation. Assigning the rural students with activities related to listening, speaking, reading and writing for few months will certainly improve their standard.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. S. Latha Venkateswari, M.A., M.Phil., M.Ed., PGDTS, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English (SG)
Government College of Technology
Coimbatore – 641013
Tamilnadu
India
drlathagct@gmail.com

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