Assessing core competencies of business English students in Chinese higher vocational colleges

Abstract

Understanding the core competencies of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students is vital for designing ESP curricula and refining methodologies. This study sought to comprehensively assess the core competencies of Business English students in Chinese higher vocational colleges (HVCs). A questionnaire survey was conducted among 394 Business English students from five HVCs. The survey evaluated core competencies across gender and academic grades using a model comprisinging four primary dimensions and twelve sub-modules. The results revealed significant disparities in core competency development among Business English students, particularly across gender and academic grades within the specified competence indicator dimensions. These findings highlight the need to enhance in the core competencies of these students, indicating current deficienciess in their development. The identified disparities and areas for improvement in core competencies provide valuable insights for educators and institutions to customize teaching methodologies and improve curriculum design, better addressing the needs of Business English students in HVCs. © The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher vocational colleges esp core competency Business and language competency Business English students Cross-cultural competency

Index Keywords

Teaching adult China female human male procedures questionnaire Humans Surveys and Questionnaires Gender Article young adult Students Vocational education curriculum student language university Universities education epidemiology vocation Commerce East Asian East Asian People cultural competence commercial phenomena college

Author Affiliations

School of Foreign Languages & International Business, Guangdong Mechanical & Electrical Polytechnic, Guangzhou, China

Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Funding & Acknowledgements

Grant: ZGWYJYJJ12A083

This work was supported by 2023 The twelfth batch of \"China Foreign Language Education Fund\" (Grant No: ZGWYJYJJ12A083).

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Assessing core competencies of business English students in Chinese higher vocational colleges

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