English Communication Skills: How Are They Taught at Schools and Universities in Oman?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate, from a student perspective, how English communication skills are taught in Oman's schools and higher education institutions. Previous research has documented the lack of communicative ability in English among school and higher education graduates in Oman (Al-Issa, 2007;Moody, 2009). However, the reasons for this weakness have never been investigated from the point of view of students themselves. Using written protocols from 58 respondents, this study embarks on such an investigation and explores student definitions of communication skills, opinions about their importance, and how they were taught in school and higher education institutions. The results reveal that these crucial skills were actually either not taught at all or taught indirectly, which helps to explain the deficit under investigation.

Motivating teachers in the developing world: Insights from research with English language teachers in Oman

“…In a government-sponsored drive in the last decade to employ more Omanis in the teaching profession, beginning teachers were recruited from private universities, some with lower entry requirements than Sultan Qaboos University, and their language competence has been questioned (Al-Balooshi, 2009). The curriculum has also come under criticism (Al-Issa, 2009) and there are concerns about school leavers' levels of communicative competence in English as they approach the job market (Al-Mahrooqi, 2012). This job market is difficult to access (Swailes et al, 2012), which can lead to frustration that can spread through the education system.…”

English communication skills for employability: the perspectives of employers in Bahrain

“…In particular, questions as to what the labour market requires and whether higher education institutions are adequately preparing students with skills that match those labour market requirements continue to be at the forefront of discussion. Unfortunately, although research has shown that Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have been "the most strategic and proactive in establishing employability agendas" nationally and institutionally (British Council, 2013, p. 6), the frequent claim from employers remains, in the Gulf region and more widely, that a disconnect exists between their expectations and their satisfaction with graduate quality (Al-Mahrooqi, 2012;McLean, 2010;Qian, 2007;Moreland, 2005). As recently as June 2015, such sentiments were further reinforced in the first Bahrain Polytechnic programmes, qualifications and courses in the Faculty of Business and the Faculty of Engineering, Visual Design, Web Media and ICT (EDICT) are developed in consultation with business, industry, professional bodies and international education and training institutions and are recognised for the quality of the work-ready graduates delivered to the market.…”

A Student Perspective on Low English Proficiency in Oman

“…To enhance students' opportunities to acquire the language, the government provided major funding for both systems, but unfortunately this too has produced only meager results. The majority of higher education entrants still need extra tuition in English (Al-Issa, 2011) and find it very difficult to secure work because the private sector, for example, often requires very good English in its prospective employees (Al-Mahrooqi, 2012a;Al-Mahrooqi & Asante, 2010). It is essential, therefore, to understand why public school graduates are poor at English, since this will reduce investment in Foundation Programs and produce higher education graduates with a level of proficiency required by the local and international job market (Altbach, 2010).…”