Suggestions for Improving the General English Program Based on the NCS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the way general English was taught at A university and how closely it was related to the requirements of communicative competence of the NCS to suggest better ways of offering English courses tailored to meet the NCS requirements. Data were collected through discussion sessions with professors, documents review, and interviews with 20 students. The results of the study revealed that although the main aim of the general English program was to enhance students’ communicative competence, English was mainly taught to prepare students for a standardized test in a discrete way, which did not meet the requirements of communicative competence of the NCS. The following suggestions were made based on the results of the study. The university should create a new curriculum for its general English program based on CBI with an emphasis on theories of situated learning and ZPD and implement more innovative ways of assessing students’ performance, such as portfolio assessment for writing skill and role plays and group discussions for speaking skill.