Home⇛International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research and Innovation⇛vol. 2 no. 3 (2024)

The English Language Needs of Office Administration Undergraduate Students Focusing on Reading Skills

Royce Andrei P. Watin | Joyce Adah Gambalan | Jonelson C. Escandallo

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

This study aims to explore the need for reading skills among undergraduate students in office administration at Kapalong College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Maniki, Kapalong, Davao del Norte. This research seeks to evaluate how well these students comprehend and interact with English texts, which is critical for their course requirements and professional readiness. The subjects for this study were one-hundred-fifty students of office administration discipline in the final semester at the institution. Survey Questionnaires were administered to the population to gather quantitative data on their reading proficiency, preferences, and challenges encountered while engaging with English texts. The findings of the research indicate significant gaps in the reading skills required by office administration students. Many participants reported challenges in understanding technical vocabulary and complex sentence structures found in academic materials and industry-related documents. These findings suggest that there is a need for targeted reading instruction within the curriculum for office administration programs. It is suggested that the findings of the study may be utilized for designing an English language course, namely “English for Office Administration” that suits the target needs of undergraduate students to develop their reading skills in the English language for this specialized discipline in the local college. Keywords: ESP; EAP; Needs Analysis; Reading Skills.



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