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Achieving communicative competence: the role of higher education
JAMES POON TENG FATT
School of Accountancy and Business, Nanyang Technological Institute, Singapore 2263
This paper examines the vital role of higher education in developing communicative competence in university students. As English is taught early in Singapore, university graduates are structurally competent. However, most of them soon find themselves communicatively incomptetent when they enter the job market. A communicative approach based on communicative and linguistic criteria is proposed to bring language learning closer to the needs of the industry. The paper will focus on the rationale behind such an approach, based on theoretical concepts of syllabus design and the practical needs of university students in relation to the communication and English proficiency courses in the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI). A survey that identifies the communicative competencies that students require is included. Two hundred students from the School of Accountancy and Business in NTI responded to a questionnaire of 59 items. They rated their communicative competencies. The results reveal their areas of weakness. The implications for communication professionals and suggestions for them to apply the survey results to prepare students to communicate confidently in today's information society will be discussed. In addition, the findings of a survey of student attitudes towards the linguistic-based English proficiency course will also be discussed in terms of its relevance in language teaching even when the use of language for specific purposes takes prominence in today's world of communication.
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