Abstract
Effective communication skills are most searched for by employers within the tourism industry. Therefore, the ways of developing them are a key issue for researchers, communication instructors and Foreign Language (FL) teachers. This research took place at a School of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Barcelona (Spain). The main purpose consisted in examining the evolution of the participants' oral communicative competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), enrolled in a 60-hour English course using learning portfolios. Samples of the learners' speech were gathered at the beginning and at the end of the academic period, and analyzed focusing on fluency, self-confidence and creativity as indicators of progress. The utilization of communication strategies (CSs) in the learners' oral production, conceptually grounded on the guidelines provided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), was one of the main objects of the study. The results show that globally the learners' fluency, self-confidence and creativity increased, and eventually most of them used more communicative strategies than at the beginning of the term.
Highlights
Communicative competence in English is a must for individuals who wish to study, work and live in today’s globalised world, where English is lingua franca
Oral communication is important in that sector, and any educational program looking for successful transfer of knowledge should address the question of how to promote the development of oral skills so that the tourism students of today can deal with customers, guests, providers and colleagues efficiently tomorrow
With respect to the communication strategies employed by the participants, the use of avoidance strategies and achievement strategies was an indicator of how their communicative competence developed
Summary
Communicative competence in English is a must for individuals who wish to study, work and live in today’s globalised world, where English is lingua franca. It is a primary objective for learners in higher education settings with international projection willing to start their careers in multicultural contexts. This is certainly the case of those students who are training to hold future middle and top management positions in the tourism industry. The research was grounded on the theoretical basis provided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)[1]. According to the CEFR “competences are the sum of knowledge, skills and characteristics that allow a person to perform actions. (...) Communicative language competences are those which empower a person to act using linguistic means.” (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, 2001, 9)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
