English Language Needs of Thai Cruise Ship Crew Members: A Target Situation Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.25Keywords:
English language needs, cruise tourism, target situation analysisAbstract
Given that cruise tourism is a substantial global industry, it is imperative that a ship’s crew members possess a high level of English proficiency to effectively communicate with passengers from all around the world. Still, hardly any research has been carried out on the English-language competency of crew members of Thai cruise ships. The sparseness of literature indicates a lack of attention paid to participants in this discourse community, thus marginalizing their voices. However, research could provide a platform for a wider audience to hear these previously unheard voices. This study aimed to explore the English macro skills required for Thai cruise ship crew members in various targeted situations. Between June 2022 and March 2023, data was collected from a web-based survey administered to 420 Thai cruise ship crew members. These crew members found that they needed to enhance their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in that respective order. The qualitative section also indicated the need to enhance listening and reading skills and better align them with speaking abilities. Nevertheless, writing proficiency was the most challenging aspect that required improvement. Moreover, crew members believed that their most effective means of communication occurred when they knew who to communicate with in English. By contrast, their performance was the least satisfactory when English conversation occurred through mediated communication. This study provides a partial framework for the Thai government and private sectors to create English language programs specifically designed for cruise students to achieve a high level of English proficiency for global communication.
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