Research and Development of Enrichment Curriculum to Enhance English Speaking Proficiency for Business and Work in Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: English is a business language that serves as a medium for conducting business because it conveys meaning directly and reliably, contributing to business success. However, Thailand ranked among the bottom three in Asia in the EF English Proficiency Index (2022–2024), falling short of the CEFR B2 requirement for graduates. Consequently, in 2024, the Office of the Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation Commission issued a policy mandating that higher education graduates achieve a CEFR English proficiency level of B2. This policy also addresses the need for English-language skills in the competitive ASEAN job market. This research aims to study the basic needs assessment and to develop the enrichment curriculum to enhance students' English skills for business and work in higher education.

Methodology: The research methodology comprised two phases. Phase 1 focused on studying and analyzing foundational data and essential needs for curriculum development. This phase involved two key steps: Document Analysis: Relevant documents would be analyzed using a document analysis protocol. Needs Assessment: Data on necessary needs would be gathered from various stakeholders. Qualitative Data: A semi-structured interview was conducted with two groups: administrators from higher education institutions and three English language lecturers. Quantitative Data: Questionnaire was administered to three groups of experts—curriculum development, English language teaching, and measurement/evaluation—as well as 50 higher education students currently enrolled in a basic English course and eight entrepreneurs or graduate employers. Quantitative data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. Phase 2 involved curriculum development and quality evaluation. The developed curriculum would be assessed through focus group discussions with seven experts, and analyzed using content analysis.

Results: 1) The findings of this study revealed that the basic document study: there were ten elements of curriculum, four concepts of curriculum, and eleven instructional plans, the needs assessment study which was analyzed from personal data as follows: the qualitative analysis with interview on essential needs found that the enrichment curriculum complements the core curriculum, the participants emphasized that the design of the enrichment curriculum should be stakeholder-centric, exhibit practical relevance through contextualized simulations, integrate diverse in-class and extracurricular activities, and foster opportunities for autonomous student learning, while the quantitative analysis with asking about desirable essential needs and current conditions for the enrichment curriculum revealed that the overall results of the desirable essential needs from experts was at high level, whereas the current condition was at moderate level, the indicator of Priority Needs Index (PNI _Modified) was at 0.30, the overall results of the desirable essential needs from students was at high level, whereas the current condition was at high level, the indicator of Priority Needs Index (PNI _Modified) was at 0.08, the overall results of the desirable essential needs from entrepreneurs was at high level, whereas the current condition was at moderate level, the indicator of Priority Needs Index (PNI _Modified) was at 0.34. 2) The results of developing the enrichment curriculum revealed ten elements of the curriculum: 1) Course Rationale, 2) Principles, 3) Objectives, 4) Course Description, 5) Learning Outcomes, 6) Course Time Structure, 7) Course Structure, 8) Learning Activities, 9) Learning Materials, and 10) Assessment and Evaluation. The result of the curriculum evaluation showed that this enrichment curriculum was at a high level.

Conclusion: This enrichment curriculum has ten elements as follows: 1) Course History, 2) Principles, 3) Objectives, 4) Course Description, 5) Learning Outcomes, 6) Course Duration, 7) Course Outline, 8) Learning Activities, 9) Learning Materials, and 10) Assessment and Evaluation. The main principles are as follows: 1) Improve English speaking skills by promoting knowledge of word choice, sentence structure, 2)Situation-based problem-solving 3)Learner-oriented focus to strengthen a positive attitude towards English 4) Situation-based measurement and evaluation and the instructional activities that promotes English proficiency for business and work have eleven elements as follows: 1) Instructional Approach 2) Activity 3) Timeframe 4) Learning outcome 5) Core Principle 6) Learning content 7) Learning activity 8) Task 9) Evaluation 10) Materials and equipment and 11) Learning resources.