Problems and Needs for English Communication Development of Tourism Personnel in Nan Province
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Abstract
This study aimed to: 1) examine English communication problems of tourism personnel in Nan Province, 2) identify their English communication development needs, and 3) compare English communication problems and development needs between private and public sector tourism personnel in Nan Province.
The sample consisted of 150 tourism personnel in Nan Province, selected through purposive sampling with quota sampling, comprising 75 private sector personnel and 75 public sector personnel. The research instrument was a questionnaire on English communication problems and development needs, developed based on the Language Needs Analysis framework following the English for Specific Purposes approach, including Present Situation Analysis and Target Situation Analysis, combined with adult learning principles. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (One-way ANOVA). The findings revealed that tourism personnel faced the most significant problem with insufficient grammar knowledge ( = 3.33). They expressed the highest need to develop speaking skills (
= 3.95). The content needed to be developed the most was English vocabulary for tourism-related work (
= 3.83), and the most preferred learning format was classroom instruction with native/foreign instructors (
= 3.65). The comparison between private and public sector personnel regarding problems and needs for developing English communication showed no significant differences across the three main dimensions, although differences existed in specific sub-areas. The findings can be used to design English communication development programs for tourism personnel.
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