Introducing mythical creatures in Grimm’s fairy tales to Sri Lanka German language learners (A case Study)

This paper examines the pitfalls of introducing mythical creatures in Grimm’s fairy tales to Sri Lankan German language learners. The research is conducted as a case study where both the teacher’s and learners’ experience during the classroom sessions are analyzed to identify which teaching materials can be used to introduce Grimm’s mythical creatures to Sri Lankan German language learners. The research sample consisted of learners who follow the German first-year special degree program at the department of modern languages, University of Kelaniya. Three classroom sessions were observed using different teaching materials to analyze how the learning process should be gradually developed. The learners’ experience of learning Grimm’s mythical characters was examined through the distribution of a questionnaire. According to the findings of the research, it was evident that the Sri Lankan learners’ perception of mythical creatures is influenced by the Sri Lankan folktales, which contain a wide variety of mythical characters from Indian mythology. Therefore, it was encountered by the researcher that the learners’ previous knowledge about mythical beings is an obstacle for the learning process. Yet the data collected from the classroom observations and questionnaires has indicated that it is possible through carefully selected visual materials such as images, documentaries, and written manuscripts of legends and myths to introduce the Grimm’s mythical fairy tale characters to Sri Lankan German language learners more effectively.