Abstract:
This study aims to critically evaluate the effect of positivism as a research paradigm on studies
done by Sri Lankan scholars in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Theoretically
and pragmatically, TESL is situated under Applied Linguistics and in Sri Lanka under the
faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences. There are multiple state and private universities in
Sri Lanka where Teaching English as a Second Language is offered to undergraduates as a
Bachelor of Arts degree programme under fully-fledged Departments of English Language
Teaching (DELT). This research is a mixed method study incorporating research participants
and a meta-analyis of TESL/ELT (English Language Teaching) studies published in 2020 and
2021 in Sri Lanka. Researchers who are engaged in research in TESL and ELT were selected
as research participants and their responses were analysed against the theoretical perspectives
of Lincoln and Guba (1994), Holliday (2004) and Weideman (2012) on the impact of positivism
on research in applied linguistics. The majority of the research participants focus on qualitative
aspects in their research focusing on subjectivity and individualism. The research participants’
primary methodological and philosophical foundations are largely influenced by postpositivism.
In categorizing the previosuly published TESL studies into qualitative, quantitative
and mixed method studies, 90, 30 and 51 studies were identified respectively. The majority of
the TESL studies were done employing the qualitative and mixed method approaches.
Therefore, the analysis of interviews and the meta-analysis of previously published studies show
that the current research in Teaching English as a Second Language as a discipline in Sri Lankan
context is not significantly influenced by positivism. However, with the emergence of the
discipline of Teaching English as a Second Language as a unique discipline under fully-fledged
departments separating from English Departments, there is a possibility of TESL research being
more inclined to positivist research methods and quantitative research tools.
