TY - JOUR
T1 - Omani graduates’ English-language communication skills in the workforce
T2 - Employees’ perspectives
AU - Al-Mahrooqi, Rahma
AU - Denman, Christopher James
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Australian International Academic Centre PTY LTD. All rights reserved.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This paper reports an exploratory investigation into the importance that employed Omani school and college graduates believe English-language communication skills have for their workplaces and the difficulties they face when using these skills in a work environment. The study involved the administration of a 4-part questionnaire to 321 participants who had graduated from Omani schools and colleges and who were employed in organizations around the country. Results indicate that participants identified almost all skills and skill areas featured in the questionnaire as either vital or essential for their jobs, even though they claimed that they largely lacked the English language skills, or linguistic competencies, necessary to successfully use these in work situations. They also reported struggling with dealing with customers and colleagues from different sociocultural backgrounds in English. Implications of these findings for education and employment in Oman are discussed.
AB - This paper reports an exploratory investigation into the importance that employed Omani school and college graduates believe English-language communication skills have for their workplaces and the difficulties they face when using these skills in a work environment. The study involved the administration of a 4-part questionnaire to 321 participants who had graduated from Omani schools and colleges and who were employed in organizations around the country. Results indicate that participants identified almost all skills and skill areas featured in the questionnaire as either vital or essential for their jobs, even though they claimed that they largely lacked the English language skills, or linguistic competencies, necessary to successfully use these in work situations. They also reported struggling with dealing with customers and colleagues from different sociocultural backgrounds in English. Implications of these findings for education and employment in Oman are discussed.
KW - Communication skills
KW - Employability
KW - English
KW - Oman
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U2 - 10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.4p.172
DO - 10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.4p.172
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84969922489
SN - 2200-3592
VL - 5
SP - 172
EP - 182
JO - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature
JF - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature
IS - 4
ER -