Developing A Curriculum in English Speaking for Communication Using Simulation Situations of Second-year Vocational Certificate Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Creating an English-speaking curriculum for communication through simulation situations is critical because it improves learners' practical language skills in real-world contexts, fostering confidence and fluency. Simulations provide interactive, immersive experiences in which learners can practice effective communication in a variety of authentic scenarios. Thus, the objectives of this research were: 1) to develop an English-speaking communication course using simulation for 2nd-year vocational certificate students, and 2) to study the effects of using this course on sample students.

Methodology: Simple random sampling was used to select 30 second-year vocational certificate students majoring in tourism and hospitality during the first semester of the 2019 academic year. The research instruments were divided into two categories: (1) development instruments (curriculum and English-speaking course manual for communication using simulation situations) and (2) data collection instruments (English-speaking skills tests for communication using simulation situations). The data was analyzed using the mean, percentage, and standard deviation.

Results: The results of this research were as follows: (1) The English speaking for communication curriculum consisted of eight components as follows: 1) Problems and needs analysis 2) Research Principles 3) Objectives 4) Learning outcomes 5) Structure and content 6) Learning management 7) Media and learning resources and 8) measurement and evaluation. Overall suitability of the developed program was at a high level, and overall suitability of the manual was at a high level. (2) Students who participated in the developed English speaking for communication curriculum showed statistically significant improvements in their English speaking skills compared to their performance before participation, with a significance level of 0.05.

Conclusion: The research showed that the developed English speaking for communication curriculum, which included eight key components, was extremely effective. Students who participated in the program demonstrated significant improvements in their English speaking skills, confirming the curriculum's success at the 0.05 level.