A STUDY ON PERCEPTION OF LECTURER-STUDENT INTERACTION IN ENGLISH MEDIUM SCIENCE LECTURES

Abstract: This paper, which is a part of a thesis, investigates the perception and practice of lecturers and students with regard to lecturer-student interaction in English medium science lectures of a university in Sri Lanka where English is a second language. This paper argues that dialogic lecturer-student interaction, which enables students to take a more active role in discussions compared to the use of recitation scripts (questions-answers-evaluations) developed in non-dialogic interactions, is likely to be beneficial for students ’ content (lecture comprehension) and language development. The study revealed the complexity of the perception-practice dynamic, and the multi-faceted sub-set of factors which influenced students ’ and lecturers ’ behaviour in class, and their perception of that behaviour. Students ’ lecture comprehension and classroom interaction were influenced by their language proficiency, though the students considered the lecturers ’ lecture delivery style to be more important than their own language proficiency. This study also revealed that a culturally-embedded behaviour perpetuated by senior students, known as ragging (a kind of bullying), restricted the classroom interaction of the students