Abstract
This study aimed to 1) investigate the needs of purchasing engineers towards English communication, 2) develop an instructional model to enhance purchasing engineers’ English communication, and 3) explore purchasing engineers’ satisfactions towards the instructional model created to enhance purchasing engineers’ English communication. This study used a mixed-methods approach and employed the concepts of English communication, life-long learning, and e-learning courseware as research frameworks. The sample was twenty purchasing engineers who were purposively selected from two research sites, including Amata City Chonburi Industrial Estate, Chonburi Province, and Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya Province. The research instruments comprised a semi-structured interview, e-learning courseware, and a questionnaire. The mean and standard deviation (SD) were used for data analysis.
The findings revealed that 1) purchasing engineers demonstrated the overall need for the use of English for communication at a high level. When considering each aspect, it was found that reading skills were needed the most, followed by speaking skills and writing skills, respectively; 2) the instructional model that assists purchasing engineers’ English communication consists of four main parts, including cover-all-skill contents, learning and instruction management systems and facilities that support learning, communication channels between instructor and learners, and the evaluation and assessment that cover the content tough; and 3) the level of purchasing engineers’ satisfaction towards the overall instructional model was the highest. When considering each aspect, it was found that the design satisfied the most.
In addition, creating activities in English communication classes for adult learners essentially relies on innovation, and the suitable instructional model consists of contents, learning and instruction management systems, communication, evaluation, and assessment.
