INVESTIGATING THE STUDENTS’ AND INSTRUCTORS’ VIEWPOINTS ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM OF THE PREPARATORY YEAR PROGRAM AT THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF ADEN

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the students’ and instructors’ viewpoints on the English Language curriculum of the preparatory year program at the faculty of engineering, University of Aden. A descriptive mixed-method design was employed for this study.  Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The former type of data was gathered via questionnaires administrated to (n=90) preparatory year students, and the latter was collected through individual interviews conducted with five EFL instructors. Both quantitative and qualitative data were subject to descriptive statistical analysis and content analysis respectively. The findings revealed that revision of the English language curriculum is necessarily needed (M= 3.03- 2.66) in terms of its content, teaching methods, course books, and assessment. The only dimension that was found to require significant improvements was the classroom environment (M=2.55). The findings also revealed that among the challenges EFL instructors encountered during the implementation of the ELC were the absence of facilities such as language labs, smart screens, and data shows. Moreover, the huge number of students in each class and the variety in students’ levels were critical problems that instructors faced.