LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:11 November 2014
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.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Group Discussion in an ESL Classroom:
A Socio-cultural Perspective

M. R. Vishwanathan, M.A. (English), PGDTE, M.Phil. (ELT), Ph.D. (ELT)


Abstract

The benefits of Group Discussion (GD) and its importance as a parameter for judging a potential candidate’s performance in interviews have long been recognized, and GD has been accorded a place of honour in the ‘English’ curriculum of engineering colleges.

Recruiters have in recent times used GD as a yardstick for judging a prospective candidate’s potential for a job with the company since communication skills have come to be regarded as a requirement for performing well on the job. The globalised nature of work culture implies that soft skills in general and negotiation skills in particular are insisted on by employers and communication skills are increasingly seen as a passport to fulfilling jobs in Multinational companies.

Yet the non-participation of some learners in a GD may be attributed to socio-cultural factors that need to be examined to understand the reasons for non- participation and find ways to invite better participation from the silent learners without making them feel ashamed or alienated in any way.

Keywords: GD, second language classroom, CLT, socio-cultural factors

Scene 1:

Inside campus bus: I was witness to a strange incident while travelling to college by college bus. The bus I was travelling in stopped at a place to pick up passengers en route to college and on the particular day, there were several vacant seats since several three seaters were occupied by a lone passenger. Yet those who got in, all of them boys were standing at the footboard or huddled near the driver’s area. When asked to occupy the vacant seats, they refused. Curiosity set me asking them the reason.

All the boys said in unison: “Sir, akkada ladies unnaru meaning (Sir, the seats are occupied by girls). It was evident that these boys followed the general idea of segregation practised all over India, and were simply following what they had been doing all along. None wanted to sit next to girls either from shyness or from fear of being mocked or fear of resistance from girls. The disparity in world views in major cities and other parts of the world could not have being more striking.


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


M. R. Vishwanathan, M.A. (English), PGDTE, M.Phil. (ELT), Ph.D. (ELT)
Assistant Professor (English)
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
National Institute of Technology
Warangal – 506004
Telangana
India
vishwanathanmrv@gmail.com

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