Abstract:
Resident English Camps have acquired a wide spread popularity at present owing to their
controversial challenge that they are capable of originating an orally competent individual
within their fleeting course period of one month or two months. Their assured quick progress
of the language with the change of the environment has left individuals with a doubt about its
veracity. Thus this study was focused on discovering the possible impact of the learning
environment in the camp in facilitating students’ English language acquisition to reach the
pledged apex of oral competency. In accumulating data for the study, 30 students, 4 instructors
and 5 former students from three leading Resident English Camps located in three geographical
areas, Kandy, Nittambuwa, and Kurunegala were utilized. The primary data collection sources
such as interview method, questionnaire method and observation method and the secondary
data collection sources including books, journals, the internet, abstracts, magazines, and
newspapers were effectively utilized so as to accumulate data for the study. Through the data
analysis, the researcher could discover that camp environment which is an antithesis to an
ordinary classroom environment retains the capacity to enhance students’ learning process with
its unconventional, yet properly-structured, nurturing environment. Here, students with the
need to learn the language gain confidence so as to produce and practise the language being
away from the increasingly sarcastic put down oriented the world. Evidently, the positive,
motivational camp environment has acted as a facilitator in boosting the oral competency of
the students.
