scholarly journals The Accuracy of Business English Curriculum to Students’ Communication Performance: The EFL Students’ Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Pandu Prasodjo ◽  
Sabarina Moksin ◽  
Leil Badrah Zaki

Measuring the accuracy of a private university in Batam Business English course curriculum to the present needs of workplaces in Batam from students’ perception is essential. Because 85% of the university students are working, it is compulsory to maintain the gap low between what students learned in class and what is implemented in the working field. A questionnaire consists of three dimensions (curriculum, communication performance, and motivation) distributed randomly to 60 students from a population (N=328) of the third-semester students programmed Business English course at a private university in Batam. The result suggested that the curriculum needs to add more practices, peer work, and case studies to improve students’ communication performance. Students’ perspectives in the Business English course reflected a new technical vocabulary that needed to practice in a correlated context. The curriculum content’s relevance to the workplace’s contextual needs is moderately related because not all working students used the English language in their workplace. Additional focus on internal and external motivation through group work and peer work is needed to improve students’ communication performance and confidence. Finally, the existing Business English curriculum is reasonably accurate, supporting students’ communication performance, both written and oral, at their workplace.

Author(s):  
Erda Wati Bakar

The Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) has become the standard used to describe and evaluate students’ command of a second or foreign language. It is an internationally acknowledged standard language proficiency framework which many countries have adopted such as China, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Malaysia Ministry of Education is aware and realise the need for the current English language curriculum to be validated as to reach the international standard as prescribed by the CEFR. The implementation of CEFR has begun at primary and secondary level since 2017 and now higher education institutions are urged to align their English Language Curriculum to CEFR as part of preparation in receiving students who have been taught using CEFR-aligned curriculum at schools by year 2022. This critical reflection article elucidates the meticulous processes that we have embarked on in re-aligning our English Language Curriculum to the standard and requirements of CEFR. The paper concludes with a remark that the alignment of the English curriculum at the university needs full support from the management in ensuring that all the stakeholders are fully prepared, informed and familiar with the framework.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Safrul Muluk ◽  
Habiburrahim Habiburrahim ◽  
Syarifah Dahliana ◽  
Saiful Akmal

Issues and incidents of bullying may take place, regardless of time and place, notwithstanding at Islamic education institutions. This study is aimed at finding out types of bullying and their triggering factors taking place in the university classroom; examining steps taken by lecturers to anticipate and prevent classroom bullying; and analyzing the impact of bullying on EFL students’ academic achievement. This mixed-methods study involved 546 students and 30 lecturers of the English Language Education Department at three state Islamic universities in Indonesia; Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga in Yogyakarta, and Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry in Banda Aceh. Both surveys and interviews were employed to collect the required data. The findings elucidate that physical, social, verbal, and racial are among the most common emergent bullying incidents the students experienced. Revealing the triggering factors of bullying, the data show that competition in academic and social life, differences in thoughts and appearances, lack of understanding of bullying meaning, and lack of regulation are pointed as the source of bullying. The findings also indicate that bullying influences students’ academic achievement; bullying incidents have driven their victims into four pathetic conditions: less confident, stressed, anxious, and passive. Some steps are applied by the lecturer to prevent and handle bullying; they are: providing classroom regulation, being a counselor for students, enforcing the regulation, and massive socialization.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha Alhaysony

This study sought to investigate the attitudes of Saudi EFL students towards corrective feedback (henceforth CF) on classroom oral errors. The subjects were 3200 (1223 male and 1977 female) students enrolled in an intensive English language programme in the preparatory year at the University of Ha'il. A questionnaire was the main instrument. This study seeks to extend our knowledge by examining the relationship between CF and gender, proficiency level, and students’ track. The results revealed that students generally have a positive perception of oral CF. Further, delayed CF was more favoured than immediate feedback. Of the methods of CF used by the teacher, the students preferred asking for clarification, repetition, explicit feedback, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, and recasting; the majority of them regarded no correction as a poor method. Although the students wanted all of their oral errors to be corrected, they reported wanting their serious errors to be corrected first, followed by frequent errors, individual errors, and then, less serious errors; less frequent errors was the least preferred category. Regarding the choice of correctors, students favoured teacher correction, then self-correction, and finally, classmate correction. As far as the three variables considered, the analysis of the data revealed that in sum, regardless of gender, students’ proficiency level, and track, all students had similar beliefs about CF and strongly favoured receiving frequent CF in English oral communication classes once they were made aware of the purpose, significance, and methods of CF. However, the findings of the study showed that there was a significant gender difference, with women responding to CF significantly more than men. Moreover, the results revealed that highly proficient students preferred CF more than students with a lower proficiency, although there were no significant differences for most of the items. Additionally, there were some significant differences among students with different tracks. Pedagogical implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for further research are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-110
Author(s):  
Abdurrahman M. Alfahadi

The purpose of this study was to identify the probable reasons for these spelling errors form EFL lecturer’s perspective and to tackle spelling problems. was hoped the results would suggest remedial action the lecturers and the students might take to address the problem of spelling. The findings revealed the main reasons for the spelling errors made by Saudi university students which includes the interference of Arabic when learning English, the nature of the English language itself, for instance, its irregularity and limited rules, and other contextual effects like the inadequacy of the university English language syllabus and classroom instructions in terms of teaching spelling rules. The participants in this study suggested various possible strategies to address the problem of spelling; for instance, academic intervention strategies such as ways to engage the learners and pedagogical practices that could help EFL students learn English better.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Belén Gutiérrez-Villar ◽  
Purificación Alcaide-Pulido ◽  
Mariano Carbonero-Ruz

Today, the higher education sector can be considered a market and, within it, private university education is a common marketable service in the literature on higher education management. Research on the analysis of the variables that generate the university image has been the subject of numerous investigations. Although there is no generally accepted definition, most authors approach the measurement of image through multi-factor scales, with variables relating to functional and psychological elements. This research aims to contribute to study of the most determinant variables in measuring a product’s image, assessing especially the effect of the reputation construct. This was done through measuring the image of the “private university” product as perceived by citizens of Andalusia, based on a standardized model with three dimensions—functional and affective aspects and reputation. After adapting and validating the questionnaire, a two-phase procedure is performed with double validation through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results show an adapted scale valid for measuring the image of a generic product; with presentation and discussion of a series of advantages of incorporating reputation and measuring image through models with three dimensions. This article goes deeper into the possible influence of reputation as a determinant factor in measuring image, an assumption arising from some models for measuring image, something that so far has not been sufficiently contrasted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-239
Author(s):  
Ryani Yulian ◽  
Ufi Ruhama

University students must be situated in a learning repertoire situation since conventional lecture is no longer used as the best way to engage students in active learning. Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Muhammadiyah Pontianak are required to perform business presentation simulation collectively as one of the course requirements to pass Business English subject. Therefore, this research was aimed at examining the affective factors particularly the students’ language anxiety in simulation because the success of a presentation is not only isolated in a cognitive domain but also the affective domain as well. This research employed fifty participants from second-semester students at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Muhammadiyah Pontianak as the samples. Data from questionnaires were triangulated with direct observation and in-depth interviews. The findings indicated that students experienced High Language Anxiety (61,99), a variety of attributes of anxiety in terms of psychological state, and fears of negative evaluations from lecturer and peers. It suggests outcomes to evaluate the coursebook of Business English in the university and to have a better implementation of simulation with accommodative learning materials, instructions, and activities. The students’ language anxiety analysis in business presentation simulation is to justify the applicability of business presentation activity in the classroom for long-term use.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratnawati ◽  
Didih Faridah ◽  
Syafiul Anam ◽  
Pratiwi Retnaningdyah

Academic writing is noteworthy competence to be accomplished for English as a foreign language (EFL) students to fulfill their academic needs at the university. To do so, Indonesian tertiary universities accommodate and foster this competence using academic writing course. The study, therefore, sought to look into: 1. what undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions of the importance of academic writing to their current study and future career, 2. what the students’ perceptions of the difficulties of academic writing, 3. what the students’ attitudes towards their previous and future academic writing courses. The present study investigates students’ needs emerging in academic writing during classroom practices to gain insightful and profound perspectives for forthcoming needs of the course. Data were collected through a five scaled questionnaire of need analysis distributed to thirty-four EFL students from a private university, and a focus group interview involving nine participants. Results indicate 61% (Mdifficulties=3.05) of students faced difficulties in both general skills and language problems of academic writing and a new course was expected to provide moves/steps for writing the sections in a research article. The present study then suggests that e-database resources are needed for academic papers models and references hence its efficiency and flexibility in prospective academic writing.


Author(s):  
María Enriqueta Cortés de los Ríos ◽  
María del Mar Sánchez Pérez

This article is aimed at showing the ways in which Business English teachers may be able to facilitate the use of metaphor for their students since it is a part of the lexicon which causes them the most difficulties. The inclusion of the study of metaphors in a specific English language programme can provide students with a useful tool to interpret vocabulary, improve reading skills and understand different cultural backgrounds. Our aim is to put forward a didactic proposal to be used in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmes at a Master’s course currently taught at the University of Almería, Spain, in order to develop students’ metaphorical competence within the foreign language learning process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-74
Author(s):  
Alimin Adi Waloyo ◽  
Zahrah Qurota’ Ayu Nurrohmah

In order to eliminate the spread of the Corona Virus, the students have been being required to study from homes either synchronously or asynchronously. It is commonly known asan online class. It has been being done to cut the spread of theCOVID-19 virus. This new teaching approach needs EFL students to adjust their way of learning. Also, the online class creates some challenges, such as limited interaction, low motivation, internet connection issues, etc) for EFL learners in their learning process because teachers and students have less interaction. This situation is called a silence phenomenon. Due to this was a new type of issue in EFL teaching and less investigated research, the researchers conducted the study to investigate the factors and solutions of the silencing phenomenon faced by EFL students during an online class. This study employed a case study research method.The subjects of this studywere tenstudents of English Language EducationDepartment students, 2017 academicyear at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). The researcher collected thedata through the interview technique.The interview was applied, so the researchers obtained rich and in-depth data. The finding of this studyshowed that students’active participation during online classes was very low.That low participation was caused by several aspects: individual, teacher,cultural, technological, and domestic. The students could implement various ways to minimize the students’ reticence in the online class. This research hopefully provides different views to make teachers' online classes fun and interesting, so English learning can obtain optimal outcomes.    


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