Article Gold Open Access 2022

Comparative Determination of Communicative Competence of Saudi Students of English for Tourism and Hospitality (SSETH) to Develop ESP Course Content

International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
Journal · Vol. 21 · Issue 4 · pp. 46-62
Abstract

Development of tailor-made indigenous teaching content, after assessing the target learners' needs and proficiency, is necessary to address to specific needs of specific learners, ensure optimum learning and motivation. This quantitative investigation attempted to determine the communicative competence of SSETH in English language skills to develop indigenous teaching content. A Likert-scale questionnaire was developed and administered to 289 participants to record their perceived proficiency in English language skills and sub-skills. Independent-samples T-test was run to generate descriptive statistics and determine whether any significant differences exited in their perceived proficiency level. The results revealed medium low English language proficiency by the participants. SSETH reported comparatively higher proficiency in the productive skills of writing and speaking as compared to the receptive skills of listening and writing. The cohort form College of Tourism and Hospitality, Taif (CTHT) reported slightly higher competence as compared to their counterparts from College of Tourism and Hospitality, Madinah (CTHM). Comparative results generated by Independent- samples T-test rejected the null hypotheses as no statistically significant differences were found in the perceived communicative competence of both groups. It is recommended that various stake holders should work in close coordination to develop and implement indigenous teaching content which should be periodically assessed and modified to suit the changing ESP needs of SSETH. This procedure may be followed as a model for other disciplines to develop indigenous teaching material. © 2022 Society for Research and Knowledge Management. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Communicative competence tourism and hospitality comparative determination ESP course content

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Foreign Languages, Taif University, Taif, Makkah al Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia
Taif University, Taif, Makkah al Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia
Funding & Acknowledgements
Taif University, TU
Grant: 1-441-94
Funding: This study is financially supported by Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and Deanship of Scientific Research, Taif University under the ‘Group Project Number, 1-441-94. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Acknowledgements: All researchers contributed equally to the conception, execution and report writing of this investigation.
References 10 References
1 Ahmad, Afnan Masaoud, Kumaravadivelu's framework as a basis for improving english language teaching in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities and challenges, English Language Teaching, 7, 4, pp. 96-110, (2014)
2 Alharbi, Abdullah M., The impact of teacher feedback via Google Doc in L2 learners' writing, International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20, 11, pp. 170-194, (2021)
3 Alhowaish, Abdulkarim K., Is Tourism Development a Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy in the Long Run? Evidence from GCC Countries, Sustainability (United States), 8, 7, (2016)
4 Investigating Student Experiences of Learning English as A Foreign Language in A Preparatory Programme in A Saudi University, (2013)
5 W Sci News, (2017)
6 Writing Anxiety Among Efl Saudi Students in Science Colleges and Departments at A Saudi University, (2013)
7 English Language Teaching, (2011)
8 Asian Efl Journal, (2005)
9 European Scientific Journal, (2013)
10 Ali Al-Khairy, Mohamed, Saudi English-major undergraduates' academic writing problems: A Taif university perspective, English Language Teaching, 6, 6, pp. 1-12, (2013)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
4
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers