Confronting English Learning Difficulties among Vocational College Students

Abstract

English at college level serves not just as a compulsory subject but also as the medium of exploring knowledge in different specialized fields. Many first-year students lay little emphasis on the English language learning and lack awareness of the potential impact of English proficiency on their academic performance at college level. To help first-year students adapt to the increased academic demand and rigor in the new learning environment, the study investigated the English-leaning problems and challenges that confronting 308 freshmen on three different English proficiency levels. The study's purpose was twofold: to gain insight into the difficulties in learning English from a student's perspective, and to suggest practical instructional strategies to facilitate English teachers' curriculum planning. In anonymous questionnaire, students were asked to identify the difficult aspects in learning English as well as to pinpoint the extent to which their English skills demand improvement on a 5-point Likert scale. The results of the study revealed that grammar seemed the crucial factor on how well students perceived their speaking, reading, and writing competency; moreover, the results also revealed some issues that English teachers might want to take into consideration in planning curriculum to respond to students with varied English proficiency and to address their learning needs.