Available via license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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©Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 46-62, April 2022
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.4.3
Received Feb 28, 2022; Revised Apr 13, 2022; Accepted Apr 18, 2022
Comparative Determination of Communicative
Competence of Saudi Students of English for
Tourism and Hospitality (SSETH) to Develop
ESP Course Content
Eidhah Abdullah AbdulRaheem Al-Malki
Foreign Languages Department, Taif University, Taif, KSA
Adel Awadh Aidh Al-Harthi
Foreign Languages Department, Taif University, Taif, KSA
Choudhary Zahid Javid
*
Foreign Languages Department, Taif University, Taif, KSA
Muhammad Umar Farooq
English Language Center, Taif University, Taif, KSA
Ghazi Fahad Algethami
Foreign Languages Department, Taif University, Taif, KSA
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-
*
Corresponding author: Choudhary Zahid Javid; email: choudhary@hotmail.com
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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.
Keywords: comparative determination; tourism and hospitality;
communicative competence; ESP course content
1. Introduction
Tourism is a thriving industry which is currently promoted by various countries
to strengthen their economies and provide business opportunities to their
people. The magnitude of its scope is evident as “UN World Tourism
Organization predicts that by 2030, the number of international tourists will
increase to 1.8 billion” (Alisher, 2015, p. 58). Trickledown effect of this industry
is all encompassing. Bora (2011) highlighted the role of this industry in
promoting economy of a country and reported that “tourism has several
multiplier effects and has the potential to benefit all sections of society” (p. 13).
Several studies reported its positive role in developing the economies of many
countries worldwide (Fujita, 2020; Rahman, 2016). Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) has prioritized tourism sector in an effort to broaden the economic base
instead of mainly oil-dependent economies and the tourism sector is considered
a source of income as well as to diversify the national economy and provide
employment to their youth (Alhowaish, 2016).
Saudi Arabia set ambitious targets to promote tourism sector through national
and international partnerships and Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Arabia (n.d.)
initiated ‘the tourist investment fund’ with an enormous capital of ‘15 billion
Saudi riyals’. Saudi Vision 2030 is a futuristic map to strengthen and diversify
Saudi economy through investing in multiple mega projects. Tourism related
goals include increasing tourism industry share in national GDP from 3% to
10%, achieving target of 1.6 million jobs by adding additional one million jobs in
the tourism sector and ‘attracting 100 million local and international visits
annually by 2030’ (Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Arabia (n.d.). Serious efforts are
manifested in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Report (2017) which stated
that Saudi Arabia significantly outperformed the remaining GCC countries in
promoting five UNESCO World Heritage sites and thousands of historical sites
to attract local and international tourists. NEOM, AMAALA, Red Sea Project
and Qiddiyah are part of ambitious six giga-projects which is Saudi Arabia’s $7
trillion development plan. This plan epitomizes Saudi vision 2030 to transform
Saudi economy to show ‘the nation’s geographical wealth, cultural heritage and
hospitality, economic ambitions and aspirations for environmental conservation’
(Kane & Al-Khudair, 2021).
Prachanant (2012) stated that tourism workforce requires to interact with tourists
who speak different languages. Therefore, a properly trained workforces is
needed in the tourism industry to interact efficiently with international tourists.
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This mutual communication is supposed to be done in a language which is
commonly used as a lingua franca. English language acquired the status of a
common language for mutual communication and widely used in “international
affairs, trade and commerce, tourism and so on” (Rahman, 2016, p. 43). A
growing mass of research reported that tourism industry cannot sustain and
progress without trained and skilled tourism workforce that is proficient in
English language and communicative skills (Tanković et al., 2021; Robles, 2019;
Bury & Oka, 2017; Dhiman, 2012; Bobanovic & Grzinic, 2011; Chen et al., 2011).
2. Statement of the Problem
Bobanovic and Grznic (2011) pointed out that it is mandatory to use a common
language to maintain effective communication between tourism work force and
international tourists from around the globe. It is unavoidable to execute a
comprehensive plan to offer specialised courses of English for tourism to enable
Saudi tourism workforce efficiently communicate with their target clients (Kim
et al., 2017: Yasmin et al., 2016). Technical and vocational training corporation
(TVTC) initiated a large-scale program to equip Saudi aspirants in the field of
tourism and hospitality with technical and communicative skills. Several
technical colleges have been established in various regions of Saudi Arabia
which offer English for tourism courses to equip SSETH with the required
English language proficiency and communicative competence to meet the
challenge. Several studies revealed that English language proficiency of Saudi
students is quite low as compared to their international counterparts (Al-Malki
et al., 2022: Alrabai, 2016a; Al-Seghayer, 2014). ‘EF Education’ conducted a large-
scale investigation and English language proficiency of 2.3 million non-native
speakers from hundred countries was measured and Saudi students were placed
on 98th position as mentioned in EF EPI 2019 annual report of English
proficiency Index (Arab News, 2019). This poor English language proficiency of
Saudi students is a major hurdle in achieving ambitious tourism targets set in
Saudi vision 2030. There is an urgent need to undertake a coordinated effort
including all stake holders to devise a comprehensive plan to upgrade English
language teaching in Saudi Arabia. Colleges of tourism and hospitality situated
in various regions of Saudi Arabia are teaching general English or ready-made
English for tourism courses available in the market. These courses do not seem
to cater for the specific needs of SSETH. Tailor-made indigenous teaching
content, based on comprehensive needs analysis and current English language
proficiency of SSETH, is needed to fill this gap and address to the target needs of
SSTH efficiently (Al-Malki et al., 2022). This investigation aimed to identify
proficiency level of Saudi students studying at colleges of tourism and
hospitality situated in Taif and Madinah as no such study has been done in
Saudi Arabia to the best knowledge of the researchers.
3. Literature Review
3.1 English for Specific Purposes
Dudley-Evans (2001) stated that ESP is “a separate branch of English Language
Teaching” (p. 131) which is different from general English language courses.
General English language courses are meant to teach presumed fundamentals of
English whereas ESP courses are developed based on target situation analysis
(TSA) and present situation analysis (PSA) of the target population. ESP courses
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target the specific English language needs of the students’ academic or
professional purposes (Liu & Zhang, 2020; Al-Khatib, 2015; Johns & Price, 2014).
Johns and Price (2014) identified this approach as “a pedagogical movement in
applied linguistics” (p. 471) and it is presently a well-established and widely
used approach in English language teaching to satisfy specific needs of learners
(Anthony, 2018). Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) informed that variable
characteristics of ESP include planning English language courses for specific
disciplines, applying different pedagogical procedures than general English,
targeting university undergraduates or on-job trainees and designing them for
intermediate and advanced level students. ESP course may be grouped in
various pedagogical categories based on the target learners’ academic,
occupational or professional needs and are developed and “tailored to the
specific learning and language use needs and goals of the identified groups of
students” (Johns & Price, 2014, p. 206). An inevitable feature of all ESP courses is
to follow standard procedure of assessing needs of the target population before
developing tailor-made teaching content (Liu & Zhang, 2020; Robles, 2019).
Tailor-made teaching content facilitate EFL learners to “maintain their interest
and enjoyment in learning English” (Alqarni, 2021, p. 73).
3.2 Needs Assessment
Needs assessment (NA) is the foremost and primary component of ESP that
“distinguishes ESP from general English” (Liu & Zhang, 2020, p. 207). General
English courses target “the presumed fundamentals of the language” whereas
specialized ESP courses are developed through “a careful assessment of a
particular group’s specific language learning needs and target situation” (Johns
& Price, 2014, p. 472). A growing mass of research has offered a valuable insight
into the fact that NA is “the corner stone of ESP” (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998,
p. 122), “the key defining feature of ESP” and always “the first step for ESP”
(Dudley-Evans, 2001, p. 133). Brown (2009) stated that development of
specialized teaching content is the major target of NA which “satisfies the
language learning and teaching requirements of the students and teachers
within the context of particular institution(s) involved” (p. 269). Hutchinson and
Waters (1987) highlighted the role of ESP in English language teaching as “the
irreducible minimum” (p. 53) and it was also regarded as “a key instrument”
(West, 1994, p. 2) for any serious attempt of ESP material development. Johns
and Price-Machada (2001) concluded that “[In] every genuine ESP course, needs
assessment is obligatory, and in many programs, an ongoing needs assessment
is integral to curriculum design and evaluation” (p. 49).
TSA and PSA are critical components of NA. TSA covers “necessities, lacks and
wants, and asking questions about the target situation and participants’ attitudes
towards it” (Liu & Zhang, 2020, p. 207). TSA provides an umbrella term for
identifying various language skills and sub-skills to cope up with the target
situation. PSA or deficiency analysis “seeks to establish what learners are like at
the beginning of the course” and attempts to identify the “students’ current level
of proficiency including lacks” (Elsaid Mohammed & Nur, 2018, p. 54). This
includes the learners’ “weakness and strength in language, skills, and learning
experience” (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998, p. 125). It is further elaborated that
PSA also investigates the learners’ ability to use the target language and their
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ambitions and motivation to learn as well (Hossain, 2013; Duddley-Evans &
John, 2009). Identification of PSA is an initial step in developing tailor-made
teaching content because it “seeks to ascertain what the students are akin to at
the start of their language course, looking into their strengths and weaknesses”
(Rahman, 2015, p. 27). Noor (2019) also expressed that PSA involves
‘fundamental variables’ which should be addressed in the beginning of needs
analysis. In conclusion, PSA is the corner stone of NA and identifies the
“discrepancy between necessity and what the students have already known
concerning with the subject and related with their current skills and
performance” (Yundayani, 2018, p. 120).
4. Research Design
4.1 Methodology
This large-scale survey research employed the quantitative paradigm to identify
communicative competence of SSETH in various English language skills and
sub-skills. The researchers used a Likert-scale strongly agree to strongly
disagree questionnaire to collect data from SETS studying at College of Tourism
and Hospitality, Taif (CTHT) and College of Tourism and Hospitality, Madinah
(CTHM). Survey research was selected for this investigation because the target
population consisted of large number of students. Dörnyei (2007) suggested that
a survey is an efficient and cheap instrument to collect data from large
populations.
4.2 Research Questions
The following research questions were set for this comparative investigation:
1. What is the proficiency level of SSETH from CTHT and CTHM in various
English language skills?
2. What is the proficiency level of SSETH from CTHT and CTHM in various
English language sub-skills?
3. Are there any differences in the proficiency of SSETH from CTHT and
CTHM in various English language skills?
4. Do SSETH from CTHT and CTHM differ in their in various English
language sub-skills?
4.3 Research Hypotheses
This quantitative survey research attempted to test the following null
hypotheses:
H0 1. There does not exist any statistically significant differences in the
proficiency level of SSETH from CTHT and CTHM in various English
language skills?
H0 2. There does not exist any statistically significant differences in the
proficiency level of SSETH from CTHT and CTHM in various English
language skills?
4.4 Instrumentation
Relevant research studies were thoroughly reviewed to develop a survey
instrument to gather data (Liu & Zhang, 2020; Yundayani, 2018; Yasmin et al.,
2016; Javid & Khan, 2013; Rahim & Tazijan, 2011). The researchers constructed a
Likert-scale strongly agree to strongly disagree survey to elicit responses of the
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participants related to their perceived communicative competence in various
English language skills and sub-skills. The initial version of the survey, along
with the title, research questions and hypotheses set for the study, was sent to
three professors of applied linguistics for their feedback to achieve content
validity. The feedback was incorporated in the final version of the survey. The
final version of the questionnaire was translated into Arabic language to
generate authentic responses. It was assumed that the participants were not
proficient enough in English language to understand survey in English language
and record their responses. The translated version of the survey was
administered to 27 SSETH from CTHT to determine reliability of the survey.
Pearson correlation matrix was calculated for the data generated through the
pilot study and high Cronbach's alpha coefficient (.932) was achieved.
4.5 Participants
The participants of this survey were randomly selected SSETH studying English
for tourism and hospitality courses at CTHT and CTHM. Total number of
respondents to the survey were two hundred eighty-nine (n=289) and the details
are given below:
Table 1: Number of the participants
No
Participants
Number
1
SSETH from CTHT
184
2
SSETH from CTHM
105
3
Total
289
4.6 Ethical considerations
The researchers submitted the final English and translated versions of the survey
to Taif University ethical committee for their permission to conduct the
investigation. Permission was granted and a letter (42-137) was issued. The
researchers wrote a request letter to Taif University vice president to issue
official requests to the deans of CTHT and CTHM to facilitate the data collection
procedure. Separate letters were issued to the deans of both colleges. The
participants of the investigation were ensured that their information and data
would be kept confidential and used only for this survey.
4.7 Data Collection
The researchers uploaded the Arabic version of the questionnaire on ‘Google
Forms’ and link was shared with the participants of the study to record their
responses.
4.8 Data Analysis
Independent-sample T-test was run to calculate descriptive analyses and
comparative means. Descriptive analyses were used to determine the
communicative competence of the participants and P value was considered to
determine whether any statistically significant differences existed in the
communicative competence of SSETH from CTHT and CTHM.
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5. Results
Table 2: Current level of communicative competence in language skills?
No
Language Skills
Group
n
M
p value
1
Listening skills
CTHT
184
2.7174
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.6190
.573
2
Speaking skills
CTHT
184
2.9022
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.8381
.695
3
Reading Skills
CTHT
184
2.6304
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5238
.514
4
Writing skills
CTHT
184
2.7228
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.6476
.643
Table 2 presents descriptive analyses of the participants’ perceived proficiency
level in various English language skills and sub-skills. Speaking skills were
ranked at the top followed by writing skills. The participants reported low
competence in listening skills and reading skills which were assigned 3rd and 4th
position with medium low mean values. Furthermore, no item of this category
showed statistically significant difference in their perceived proficiency of
various English language skills; though, SSETH from CTHT reported slightly
higher mean values in all items than SSETH from CTHM. SETS assigned
comparatively higher proficiency in productive skills as compared to receptive
skills.
Table 3: Current level of communicative competence in listening sub-skills
No
Listening and
understanding..
Group
n
m
p value
1
the tourists’ personal
details.
CTHT
184
2.7391
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4952
.158
2
reservation details.
CTHT
184
2.7446
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5905
.385
3
the tourists’ demands.
CTHT
184
2.7772
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5619
.217
4
the tourists’ instructions.
CTHT
184
2.7717
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5333
.176
5
the tourists’ complaints.
CTHT
184
2.8587
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4857
.034
6
the tourists’ feedback.
CTHT
184
2.8696
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5429
.075
7
the tourists’ suggestions.
CTHT
184
2.8859
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5619
.076
8
major English language
accents.
CTHT
184
2.7446
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5429
.256
The participants assigned medium to medium low preferences to all sub-skills of
listening. The highest competence was reported for listening and understanding
to the tourists’ suggestions and feedback. Understanding the tourists’ demands
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remained the 3rd most preferred item. Slightly low mean values were recorded
for listening and understanding the tourists’ instructions. The descriptive
analyses revealed that the participants of this survey were least proficient in
understanding personal details of their clients. Comprehending major English
language accents was also allocated extremely low mean values. Similarly,
listening and recording reservation details also received low mean. The
remaining 2 items of this table received medium low preferences. Comparative
analyses generated by independent-sample T-test showed that statistically
significant differences existed in their perceived proficiency of listening and
understanding the tourists’ complaints.
Table 4: Current level of communicative competence in speaking sub-skills
No
Questionnaire items
Group
n
m
p value
1
Greeting and bidding
farewell to tourists
CTHT
184
3.1957
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
3.1524
.826
2
Apologizing &
presenting excuses
CTHT
184
3.1087
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
3.0476
.755
3
Giving directions
Helping tourists with
directions
CTHT
184
2.8859
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.7143
.324
4
Explaining social
etiquettes
CTHT
184
2.7609
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4857
.119
5
Offering help
CTHT
184
3.0163
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.7714
.175
6
Suggesting and
advising
CTHT
184
2.7717
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5143
.147
7
Guiding tourists about
tourist attractions
CTHT
184
2.7826
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5143
.126
8
Providing trip details
CTHT
184
2.7174
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4667
.148
9
Asking about tourists’
requirements
CTHT
184
2.7174
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.3714
.038
10
Asking for feedback
CTHT
184
2.5978
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.3905
.204
11
Asking for suggestions
CTHT
184
2.7174
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4476
.120
12
Describing places to
tourists
CTHT
184
2.7337
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.6190
.514
13
Interacting with
intelligible
pronunciation
CTHT
184
2.8152
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5714
.167
Comparative descriptive analyses of various speaking sub-skills generated
through independent samples T-test are presented in table 4. Medium high to
medium low mean values were assigned to these sub-skills which indicate that
the participants considered this area challenging as other English language sub-
skills. ‘Greeting and bidding farewell’ and ‘apologising and presenting excuses’
were reported the most preferred items respectively. The participants revealed
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that they had medium level of proficiency in ‘offering help’ and ‘helping tourists
with directions’. The sub-skills in which the least proficiency was reported were
asking the tourists for feedback, requirements and suggestions respectively. Both
groups saw eye to eye to each other in reporting their proficiency in speaking
sub-skills as only one item out of thirteen exhibited statistically significant
difference as calculated by the comparative analyses. The results showed that
SSETH were rather weaker in speaking sub-skills which are related to interacting
with tourists at the end of their trips.
Table 5: Current level of communicative competence in reading sub-skills
No
Reading and
understanding..
Group
n
M
p value
1
Social media messages
CTHT
184
2.8424
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5905
.161
2
tourists’ emails
CTHT
184
2.8641
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5905
.146
3
tourists’ requests and
enquiries
CTHT
184
2.8315
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5524
.127
4
tourists’ feedback
CTHT
184
2.8315
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5333
.102
5
tourists’ instructions
CTHT
184
2.8967
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5238
.044
6
advertisements
CTHT
184
2.8967
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5429
.055
7
tourist attraction web
sites
CTHT
184
2.8750
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.5429
.067
8
sign boards and notice
boards
CTHT
184
2.9402
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.6095
.078
9
Pamphlets and
booklets
CTHT
184
2.8315
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4476
.030
The results presented in table 5 showed that SSETH from CTHT reported higher
proficiency in all reading sub-skills as compared to their counterparts from
CTHM. There were only two items, i.e., reading and understanding instructions,
pamphlets and booklets which bore statistically significant differences in their
perceived proficiency. The highest mean was assigned to understanding sign
boards and notice boards followed by understanding advertisements.
Understanding tourists’ emails received the third highest mean. As far the least
preferred reading sub-skill was concerned, understanding pamphlets and
booklets was allocated the lowest mean. The next preferred items were
understanding tourists’ requests, enquiries and feedback. An interesting finding
is that the participants from CTHM allotted 2.83 to all the least preferred items
whereas SSETH from CTHM assigned medium low mean values.
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Table 6: Current level of communicative competence in writing sub-skills
No
Writing ………
Group
n
M
p value
1
social media
messages
CTHT
184
2.8641
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4952
.034
2
emails
CTHT
184
2.8315
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4095
.019
3
while listening
CTHT
184
2.7391
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.2095
.001
4
instructions
CTHT
184
2.7609
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.3524
.019
5
descriptions
CTHT
184
2.7446
p < 0.05
CTHM
105
2.2762
.005
6
answers to queries
CTHT
184
2.6576
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.3619
.080
7
Reports
CTHT
184
2.5543
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.2381
.066
8
proposals
CTHT
184
2.5380
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.2762
.113
9
power point
presentations
CTHT
184
2.6576
.
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4571
.253
10
social media
advertisements
CTHT
184
2.6413
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.4095
.176
11
trip itineraries
CTHT
184
2.6522
p > 0.05
CTHM
105
2.2952
.030
Table 6 details the results related to perceived proficiency of both groups in
writing sub-skills and the participants have assigned lower means as compared
to all other categories. Average mean score of SSETH from CTHT remained the
highest in all items of this section than their counterparts’ proficiency. An
important finding is that five items of this category bore statistically significant
differences in the perceived proficiency level of both groups in writing sub-
skills. ‘Writing social media messages’ remained at the top followed by ‘writing
emails’ and ‘instructions. The results highlighted that the participants were
extremely weak in ‘writing reports’. The other least preferred items were
‘writing while listening’ and ‘writing proposals’.
6. Discussion
The participants of this investigation reported medium to medium low
proficiency in English language skills and sub-skills with slightly higher
proficiency in productive skills as compared to the receptive skills. This seems
that frequent use of social media with their international acquaintances help
them improve their speaking and writing skills. The findings are partially in line
with Moattarian and Tahririan (2014) who investigated all stake holders and
reported that tourism management graduates in Iran had weak communicative
competence. They suggested that indigenous teaching materials should be
designed with special emphasis on enhancing communicative skills. Similar
findings have been revealed by Lin et al. (2014) as well. Several studies which
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were conducted in Saudi Arabia disclosed that Saudi EFL learners were found
weak in all English language skills which confirm the findings of this
investigation (Alrabai, 2016b; Alrashidi & Phan, 2015; Alsamadani & Ibnian,
2015; Javid et al., 2013; Alrahaili, 2013; Al-Khairy, 2013a etc.). Alhawsawi (2013)
and Rajab (2013) supported the results of this study and stated that English
language proficiency of Saudi students remained unsatisfactory even after
serious efforts by Saudi government in this regard. One possible reason of low
English proficiency level of Saudi EFL students, including the ones in the field of
tourism, is extensive use of Arabic language with their teachers and class fellows
instead of English language (Alhawsawi, 2013; Alshammari, 2011).
The results of this study revelaed medium low communicative competence of
SSETH in listening and speaking sub-skills. In line with the results of this study,
Prachanant (2012) found that employees of tourism industry faced problems in
understanding accent of their clients. Ahmad (2014) and Al-Seghayer (2014)
concluded that frequent use of audio-lingual and grammar-translation methods
is one major cause of weak listening skills. They mentioned that teachers teach
through explicit rules and discreate skills instead of providing facilitative
atmosphere in the classrooms to practice oral skills. Similar findings were
reported by several studies conducted in Saudi Arabia and reported low
proficiency in listening skills among medical undergraduates (Javid, 2018;
Aljumah, 2011). Alrabai (2015) reported that “Saudi EFL learners usually have
problems developing the productive skill of speaking” (p. 10). Rahman and
Deviyanti (2018) found a significant correlation between EFL learners’
motivation and their communicative competence. This lack of the required
competence in speaking sub-skills is for obvious reason “that Saudi EFL
students rarely speak in English with each other” (Rahman & Deviyanti, 2018, p.
220). In line with the results of this perceptive study, Alharbi (2015) stated that
Saudi EFL learners prefer to interact in Arabic language which deprive them of
the opportunities to have the required speaking practice with their teachers and
class mates inside classrooms. There is a need to emphasize on this component
in developing teaching content because tourism workforce has to constantly and
actively interact with their clients orally. Al-ma’shy (2011) concluded that
inappropriate textbooks and untrained teachers were the main reasons behind
weak speaking skills of Saudi secondary school learners. Several other studies in
different academic contexts of Saudi Arabia highlighted that Saudi EFL learners
have serious issues in speaking skills (Bawazir, 2019; Eissa, 2019; Bani Younes &
Albalawi, 2016).
The results indicate that SSETH recorded medium proficiency in reading skills
with slightly higher level of comprehension when they read short sentences or
phrases as compared to reading extended texts. Frequent use of social media
with their international contacts seems to be the reason in this regard. Both
groups exhibited weaknesses in understanding their clients’ feedback and
instructions which is an important task to maintain clients’ loyalty. All items of
this category received medium mean values of less than 3 indicating that
reading sub-skills should be given priority in developing teaching content for
SSETH.
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Like all other skills, SSETH disclosed their weakness in various writing sub-
skills as well. Al-rabai (2016b) disclosed that Saudi EFL learners face “serious
problems in their academic writing because of weaknesses with using
appropriate lexical items and grammar; organizing ideas; spelling; and using
prepositions, irregular verbs, articles, punctuation, suffixes and prefixes” (p. 11).
Alharbi and Alqefari (2021) also supported the findings of this study and
informed that Saudi EFL learners have challenges in academic writing. Similar
findings were presented by Javid et al. (2013) who investigated 194 Saudi EFL
learners from Taif University. Confirming the results of the present study, Al-
Khairy (2013b) announced that Saudi English-major learners faced problems in
writing extended paragraphs. He reported that they commit mistakes in
vocabulary, punctuation, prepositions, verbs etc. The findings of this survey also
found that the participants faced problems in writing reports, proposals and tip
itineraries. It seems that frequent use of social media enabled the participants to
achieve comparatively higher proficiency in writing short texts but had
problems in writing longer texts. Aljafen (2013) also declared that Saudi EFL
students feel anxious during the process of writing.
7. Conclusions and Recommendations
The results of this perceptive study reported medium low English language
proficiency among SSETH. It was found that their communicative competence is
low as they lack in all English language skills and sub-skills. Slightly higher
proficiency level was recorded in productive skills of writing and speaking but
the situation is rather worse in receptive skills of listening and reading. As far
oral skills were concerned, the participants perceived understanding the
tourists’ personal details and different accents as the most problematic.
Similarly, the identified problematic areas of speaking sub-skills remained
asking for tourists’ feedback, suggestions and requirements. Reading and
understanding booklets and pamphlets remained the most challenging sub-skills
followed by understanding the clients’ feedback and instructions. The
participants declared that writing proposals, reports and answering questions
posed maximum challenge. It was also revealed that the participants from CTHT
exhibited comparatively higher proficiency level as compared to their
counterparts from CTHM but the results rejected the null hypotheses as the
comparative analyses recorded statistically significant differences in very few
questionnaire items.
There is no denying of the fact that ready-made teaching content cannot fulfil
their specific needs and seems inappropriate to teach Saudi tourism workforce
who have specific needs and are much less proficient in various English
language skills and sub-skills. Therefore, development of tailor-made teaching
content is unavoidable based on the TSA and PSA. SSETH were found a mixed-
ability EFL learners and need to be handled accordingly. It is also recommended
that the students need to be divided and taught in different groups according to
their proficiency level in English language. It is also extremely important that
close coordination should be ensured among different colleges of tourism and
hospitality situated in different regions of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, NA is an
on-going process and tailor-made indigenously developed teaching content
should be periodically assessed and modified to suit the recent needs of the
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students. This is recommended that similar investigation may be conducted in
the field of science and other disciplines to identify competence in the relevant
areas.
8. Limitation and Future Studies
This investigation involved SSETH from two colleges. It is suggested that
tourism workforce presently serving in the field should also be investigated in
future studies to assess their proficiency in various English language skills and
sub-skills to develop ESP courses for them as well.
Contribution/Originality: This comparative investigation aims to determine the
communicative competence of SSETH to develop tailor-made ESP course
content. Standardized procedure was followed to identify English for tourism
and hospitality communicative competence of SSETH in various skills and sub-
skills of English language to ensure efficient and effective teaching.
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.
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