scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions about the Importance of Communication Skills: A Case Study of EFL Learners at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz Khan ◽  
Shehla Riaz Khan ◽  
Saeed Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Speaking Skills

The graduates of Jazan University (Saudi Arabia), like anywhere else in EFL or ESL settings, require effective oral communication skills in English language for a highly competitive and expanding market economy of the country, and the worldwide too. The study was taken to evaluate the students’ perceptions about the need of speaking skills and the urgency to participate in language enhancement activities keeping in view the generally unsatisfactory position of the Saudi students in speaking English language. The sample population for this research was taken from three colleges, i.e. the first grade students from Engineering, Business and Computer Science of this university. A survey method technique was adopted in which data was obtained using a structured questionnaire about students’ responses on multiple items indicating their understanding of the importance of speaking skills, their existing level of oral communication and the need to participate in the extra coaching programs offered by the university. The quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS 17. The data shows the participants’ understanding of the importance of communication skills for social needs, personality development, attaining and survival in the job market, and their needs for attending extra language training sessions other than their normal routine courses.

scholarly journals Evaluate the English language book which developed for the first grade average in the light of verbal communication skills: تقويم كتاب اللغة الإنجليزية المطور للصف الأول متوسط في ضوء مهارات التواصل الشفهي

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Shahwan Al-Zahrani
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Verbal Communication ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Grade Average

The objective of the study was to assess the extent to which the first grade English language book reflects an average of verbal communication skills. The methodology of the study: The descriptive approach was followed by a content analysis. The researcher reviewed the relevant literature and previous studies and extracted a list of verbal communication skills and then evaluated the FULL BLAST English book for the first grade in the light of these skills. Results: The study developed a new list of oral communication skills in five areas: social interaction, information, opinions, needs, drafting. The study found deficiencies in the units of the book in general, especially the first book of the inclusion of many of the necessary skills that would be found to help complete the construction of the system of oral communication in English, in addition to the weakness of the distribution of these skills in a consistent and appropriate to the ability of students to absorb and benefit from them and showed the results The second book surpassed the first book in verbal communication skills in its four units.

Needs Analysis for Workplace English Speaking Courses for University Engineering Students in the Kwara State of Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-35
Author(s):  
Abdul-Lateef Solihu ◽  
Lilisuriani Abdul Latif
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Workplace Communication ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
World Markets ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

The globalization of world markets which has led to the hegemony of English language over other languages requires graduates from different fields of specialization to equip themselves with English communication skills to communicate effectively in local and international workplace contexts. This study was conducted to investigate the English speaking skills needed by engineering students in the Kwara states of Nigeria. A survey was carried out to compare how the respondents’ (undergraduate engineering students and industry workers in the Kwara State of Nigeria) self-rated their speaking interaction and production skills and to observe their perception of the importance of speaking interaction and production sub skills for workplace communication. The study concluded with suggestions for creating a better perception of the importance of English speaking skills among engineering students and creating a better workplace English curriculum so that students’ workplace speaking skills can be improved.

scholarly journals Constructivism and ICTs to Improve Language Skills

LETRAS ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 167-176
Author(s):  
Sonia Rodríguez Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Se examina la experiencia de los estudiantes y los profesores de dos grupos de un curso de Elocución con el uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TICs), para mejorar sus habilidades de expresión oral en inglés. Se presenta el diseño del curso y la metodología en la cual se fundamentó, así como las apreciaciones de los trabajos de estos a lumnos a la hora de mejorar las habilidades comunicativas orales por medio del enfoque constructivista. Se incluyen recomendaciones para poner en práctica esta metodología.A description is provided here of the experience of the students and teachers of two Elocution courses in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) were used to improve oral communication skills in English. Reference is made to the design of the course and the methodology it is based on, together with some insights of the assignments that students did to improve their English speaking skills through the constructivism approach. Recommendations are also provided for others interested in using this type of methodology.

scholarly journals YouTube as a Learning Tool to Improve Students’ Speaking Skills as Perceived by EFL Teachers in Secondary School

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Thamer Binmahboob
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
School Students ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Secondary Stage ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Analytical Approaches ◽  
Speaking Skills

YouTube has been shown to be a rich source for teaching speaking in EFL contexts. However, the use of YouTube is developing speaking skills is still understudied in the Saudi EFL context. The full use and awardees of YouTube resources are not well articulated by many EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia. This study attempted to examine the perceptions of English instructors of using YouTube to improve the speaking skills of the students in the secondary stage in Saudi Arabia. The English instructors’ attitudes towards YouTube and the best ways to use YouTube in the class were examined. The descriptive and analytical approaches have been applied in order to design the research. For data collection, a questionnaire has been designed to addresses the research topic. It was distributed on a sample of English language instructors (30 EFL instructors) in the secondary stage in Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the study showed that English language instructors see that YouTube is a highly beneficial instructional tool in improving the speaking skills of the secondary school students. It was found that the instructors have positive attitudes towards YouTube. They expressed that YouTube lessens the students’ anxiety and allow the students to learn faster, retain attention for a long time and motivates the students to learn the language. On the other hand, the findings showed that YouTube can be used in different ways in the class such as asking the students to comment on a particular video or to give some details, discuss, pose questions and give answers. YouTube gives a real chance for the students to interact in the class and to speak freely and get improved in pronunciation. The study recommended using YouTube as an integral instructive tool in English language classes.

scholarly journals Simultaneous versus Consecutive Movie Narration: An Attempt at Boosting L2 Oral Communication Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Sepideh Tahami ◽  
Gholam Reza Parvizi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Pair Group ◽  
Exam Preparation ◽  
The World ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Fluency in one of the most significant components of oral communication, and in the communication era, when it is essential for almost everyone to master speaking skills in foreign languages, especially English, this component needs to be put in the spotlight. Diverse steps have been taken in the world of SLA to promote learners' fluency in L2, yet there is still much to do in this arena. The present study aims at probing the effectiveness of simultaneous movie narrations as a new fluency-booster strategy. To this end, 66 students of IELTS speaking preparation classes in an institute in Tehran, Iran were selected and put into 2 groups of 33 (each group distributed in 3 classes). The homogeneity of the sample was checked by a mock IETLS test obtained from Cambridge IELTS 10 (Cambridge Local Examinations syndicate ( 2015) and through a MANOVA. The treatments contained 24 hours of training and practice on IELTS speaking strategies, offered to them in 16 sessions of 90 minutes. The first half of each session was allocated to teaching and practice on the institute’s main course book – Focusing on IELTS - Listening and Speaking Skills (Thurlow & O'Sullivan, 2011). In the second 45 minutes, learners of both groups were exposed to the same 10-minute movie extracts, and practiced their narration and speaking skills in pair-group activities. Learners of the consecutive narration group narrated the movie plot and actions with delay (consecutively) whereas those of the simultaneous narration group narrated them simultaneously as the movie was being played. The results of the statistical analysis of the posttest highlighted that simultaneous narration group learners outperformed those of the consecutive narration group in terms of oral communication skills. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications for English teachers, teacher trainers, exam preparation teachers and simultaneous interpreters’ trainer.

scholarly journals FUNCTIONS OF SPEAKING IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE & SPEAKING ANXIETY

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Hanim Rahmat ◽  
Nor Syahiza Shahabani ◽  
Irma Wahyuny Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Second Language Speakers ◽  
Speaking Skills

Plato once said “a wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something!” Often the ability to speak (or not) is used to gauge a person’s language proficiency. Speaking is one of the four language skills which includes listening, reading and writing. However, of all the four skills, the first skill that is portrayed is a person’s speaking skills. A person’s speaking skills (or lack of it) is often used by future employers to evaluate the oral communication abilities of their employees. This is because speaking has many different functions and failure to understand the varying functions may lead to anxiety among the speakers. This pilot study is done to investigate the usage of the English language in undergraduates’ interaction and transaction in their everyday lives, their speaking performances and their speaking anxiety. Data is analysed using SPSS and presented in the form of mean scores. Findings for interaction and transaction showed that English is used during formal transaction. In addition to that, the discussion on academic matters is a necessity to speak English. Next, findings for performance revealed that no matter how good or poor their achievement in this second language, speakers have to make it happen – this is one of the challenges that the speakers have to face. Lastly, the speaking anxiety may impact their (speakers) interaction with other people. Results of this study bear interesting implications towards the acquisition and learning of speaking in English among learners. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0736/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic: How has this new situation affected students’ oral communication skills?

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-41
Author(s):  
Elena Alcalde Peñalver ◽  
Jesús García Laborda
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
New Situation

Employing technology has become imperative to accelerate learning efforts and offer methods to enhance interactions between learners, and among learners and tutors. In this paper, we investigate the difficulties faced by learners in learning virtually and, specifically, in English language learning, with a focus on oral communication skills. Research questions of this study are related to the main difficulties that students face to enhance their English oral communication skills. The tools and methodologies that worked best for them for this purpose are also in focus. In the literature we present a review of pertinent studies connected with learning responses in the COVID-19 period and those specifically related to the topic of our study. The methodology used for the study was an exploratory survey research design using a questionnaire to collect the necessary data for our research. Results showed that students highlighted technical problems as some of the main challenges, as well as not feeling completely comfortable in the online learning environment due to the lack of real communication, which also had an impact in the perception of their progress. They also found group video or audio calls to be the most useful tool for communication purposes. The results of this preliminary study are relevant to educational developers and policymakers. They give an understanding of aspects to be considered to improve the efficacy of learners’ when it comes to enhancing their English communication skills, such as difficulties regarding interaction or level of satisfaction in an online learning environment.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTIVENESS OR EDUCATIONAL MOO IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM FOR ADVANCE LEARNERS

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Jatin Kapadiya
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Assistant Professor ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
College Of Engineering

Mr. Jatin Kapadiya has been working as an assistant professor in Alpha College of Engineering and Technology, Khatraj - Gandhi Nagar. He is pursuing PhD in English Literature from H N G University. He has 3years of experience in teaching. He has been teaching Communication skills, Soft skills and Personality development to UG and PG students since 4years. He has been presenting papers into various nationals as well as international conferences since his post graduation.

scholarly journals Job Satisfaction of Public Relations Practitioners at Saudi Arabia Hospitals ( A Survey Study)

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Hatem Alawnah ◽  
Abdullah Alenezy
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Level Of Experience

The aim of this study is to identify the degree of job satisfaction among practitioners of public relations in Saudi Arabia hospitals. This aim is best achieved through studying the relationship between the degree of job satisfaction and certain demographic variables, that include: gender, academic qualifications, level of experience and hospital category. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the views of top hospital administrators towards the nature of public relations in their institutions , and the obstacles facing these departments based on the views expressed by the sample population of the study. The sample consisted of (155) practitioners of public relations in private and public hospitals. The study adopts the survey method. The study concludes that salary satisfaction is the most important factor in job satisfaction, and that 91% of the practitioners of public relations are males. Also it concludes that more than half of the practitioners of public relations in Saudi Arabia hospitals have from 1 – 5 year experience, and that the third of these public relations practitioners have a salary that ranges 6000-8000 SR. It also shows that more than third of them have nothing to do with public relations in terms of their expertise and experience. 

Explaining, Cultural, Educational and Social Needs of Faculty Members of Farhangiyan University - According to the Predetermined Goals of Education’s Fundamental Transformation Document

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Batool Basiri ◽  
Ahmadreza Nasr ◽  
Seyedebrahim Mirshahjafari ◽  
Mahmood Mehrmohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Religious Teaching ◽  
The University

The present work is an applied and descriptive analysis survey method. Mixed techniques were applied. The Sample population in the qualitative section of the research consists of 19 thinkers; they were selected by purposeful sampling. The sample population was constituted by 181 faculty members of Farhangiyan Universities in six provinces. 150 of them were randomly selected. Research data was gathered by semi-structured interview and the researcher made the needed questionnaire. The most significant educational needs are:religious needs with emphasis on Islamic training and ethical, cultural and social needs which are discussed in four sub - categories:Cultural, Social, Ethical, Political. Quantitative results indicated that the need of such teachings is higher than intermediate level stated below. The most important need of faculty members in the cultural field is “being aware of the role of the university teachers about preserving, transferring, correcting and recreating culture”and their most important need as regards religious teaching is “the ability to use educational methods obtained from the Qoran and Nahjolbalaghe”( book of religious teachings).

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