2023 IJRSE – Volume 12 Issue 1
Available Online: 10 March 2023
Author/s:
Calinao, Dan Jason
Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, Taiwan (djcalinao@gmail.com)
Abstract:
The purposes of this study were to find out what teachers can learn from students’ thought processes and perceptions in order to improve the design and development of syllabuses and teaching materials for courses where they are encouraged to use a foreign language, and to contribute to research in foreign language teaching and learning. Participants were Taiwanese second year undergraduate students from the departments of applied foreign languages and tourism and leisure in a university in northern Taiwan. A qualitative approach was applied using asynchronous interview in questionnaire form that is comprised of open-ended items. Findings reveal that student benefits and challenges were the main factors that can determine how well the syllabus can be redesigned and eventually become more effective for learning. Task-based courses where students are encouraged to work in teams and use a foreign language can be daunting, but can be purposeful in helping students improve their proficiency and cooperation skills in preparation for their chosen future career in the real-world context. Teachers may not need to evaluate students based on proficiency level, but rather the completeness of the task as they are process-oriented. For the courses in this present research, supplementing the course syllabuses by including a brief introduction to the tourism industry and tour guiding careers and tasks can help students learn more about the skills required for tourism-specific jobs, so they can make a personal assessment of their skills including foreign language, searching and organizing information, as well as cooperation.
Keywords: syllabus design, task-based learning, tourism, foreign language teaching, Taiwan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2023.9
Cite this article:
Calinao, D. J. (2023). Improving syllabus design for task-based courses: Taking students in tour guiding-related courses’ perspectives and experience into consideration. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 12(1), 93-101. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2023.9