Intention to Attend ESL Classes among University Undergraduates in Sri Lanka: A Perspective from the Theory of Planned Behavior

ABSTRACT : ESL teachers at the tertiary level need to understand what makes their students attend English classes regularly. As such, this study aims to find factors that affect the intention of undergraduates to attend English classes consistently while reading for a degree. A quantitative study was conducted from the perspective of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by Icek Ajzen (1985), to identify whether there is a relationship between Attitudes, Subjective Norms (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC): the three determiners of the TPB, and students‟ intention to attend English classes. An online questionnaire was administered among 354 first-year undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. The findings were mainly analyzed employing Minitab. The Pearson Test of Correlation Coefficient and the Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis were conducted to interpret data. The findings illustrate that there is a significant relationship between students‟ Perceived Behavioural Control of English language learning and their Intention to attend English classes. Furthermore, of the three sub-variables of the Perceived Behavioural Control, only two: External Factors and Autonomy, indicate a substantial relationship with the student‟s Intention to attend English classes. This study has implications for all educational institutions, encouraging them to provide physical facilities and the training for teachers they need in order to create a conducive environment where students can learn English. This would also provide a novel perspective on how English education should be reformed.

KEY WORDS: Attitudes, Autonomy, Intention, Perceived Behavioural Control, Subjective Norms, Theory of Planned Behaviour,