Communicating research findings to ELT practitioners in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Whether or not ELT practitioners have access to research findings, their understanding of them and the perceived relevance to their own contexts are important debates in the language education field. This paper discusses an initiative that attempted to disseminate research findings relating to teaching/learning grammar to a group of ELT teachers in Sri Lanka. Participant feedback analysis highlights that research findings do not reach teachers in an effective manner, and they need exemplar-based training to understand them. Although research findings may be relevant to their contexts, teachers may still not be able to adapt them because of time constraints and lack of expertise. Therefore, more effort should be taken to disseminate research findings through initiatives such as incorporating them into teacher training programmes and providing examples showing how to apply those findings in practice.