Interviewed by: Saleh Abdullah
Alkhamyasi
English is the language of
business. It is a vehicle to bridge the human element in a global economy.
Regardless of the geographical area in which you are destined to work, a
mastery of English provides you with a key to success. As a gesture to equip
the Omani nationals with competency in English and make sure that the leaders of
Tomorrow are well prepared to meet the constantly changing demands of the
corporate world. “HR Fragrance” met with DR. Rahma Al-Mahroogi,
Assistant Professor, English Department, College of Arts & Social Sciences
at the Sultan Qaboos University who is the Head of the Research Team entrusted
to conduct this study to shed light on this project. Our conversation proceeded
on the following lines:
·
What is the title
of the research project?
An Investigation of the Linguistic, Communicative, and
Pragmatic Needs of Tertiary Education Students:
Bridging Tertiary Education and Employment Fields
·
Who is financing
the Project?
This project is financed by The Research Council
·
Why assessing the
students’ competency in English and why now? Does it have any link with the cry
for the comprehensive evaluation of the education system?
The study focuses on the linguistic, pragmatic, and
communicative abilities (in English) of Omani higher education
graduates. It was motivated partly by
the call for a comprehensive evaluation of the education system at all levels,
but it was mainly instigated by employers’ complaint about higher education’s
graduates’ inability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing.
·
What feedback do
you have about the graduate students from the employer side?
Much dissatisfaction has been heard from employers who
need the use of English in their organizations.
Some employers have found that they have to enroll their newly hired
graduates in private institutions to study English to be able to communicate. Some graduates face unemployment for years
due to their low proficiency in English and their inability to communicate in
it.
·
How long will
this study take? And when did you actually start?
The study will last for 3 years. It started on May 31 2011.
·
What are the
research questions and what methodology will be utilized to research this
problem?
The main research questions are:
a. What linguistic, pragmatic, and communicative skills and
competencies the job market requires of higher education graduates?
b. Are higher education graduates well equipped with these
skills?
c. What English competencies and skills are actually taught
in Omani higher education institutions?
d. Is there a difference between the perceptions of the
different stakeholders, including teachers, students, employers, and employees
of the linguistic, pragmatic, and communicative skills required by the job
market?
e. If a gap exists between the perceptions, how can it be
bridged?
f. What can be done to align English programs in higher
education institutions with job-market requirements?
As for the methodology, we are using four
questionnaires, eliciting both qualitative and quantitative data. There is a
questionnaire for higher education students, alumni, teachers, employers and
employees. We will also use interviews
and focus group discussions.
·
How many members
in your research team? Are they all from the English department?
There are seven people involved in the research: two
investigators, 3 research assistants, and two consultants.
·
Who will be
included in the sample of your research project?
Our research sample will include wide segments of Higher
education students, alumni, teachers, employers and employees.
·
Did you put forward
any recommendations so far?
We have started data collection and have written four
papers based on our theoretical and practical work in the project, but it is
too early to state any recommendations as we are not yet done with the data
collection.
·
A Last Word?
Thanks for the interest you have shown in this project.
I wish your blog initiative further progress in the days to come.
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