Strategies and Challenges in Developing Communication Skills among Students in Higher Educational Institutes in Karachi

Abstract

Communication skills especially English communication skills are vital for developing academic skills, engaging in class, career and professional development in higher education and for employment. Many students in higher educational institutes, however, do not have the confidence to express themselves confidently in English because of limited opportunities for meaningful interaction, language barriers, limited vocabulary and lack of confidence. The study aims to shed light on the strategies and difficulties of the learners in the English communication Training in Higher Learning Institute. The design used in this study was a qualitative phenomenological research design that would give insight into the lived reality of students and teachers. Focused group discussions were used to collect data and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The results show that there are three general approaches to improve communication skills: interactive teaching and learning activities, opportunities for English communication on campus and co-curricular activities and practice. These strategies offer students opportunities for active involvement, authentic communication practice and confidence building. The study also reveals important problems in the development of effective communication such as lack of students' confidence, language and vocabulary barriers and less opportunities for students to participate in the classroom. The study findings suggest that interactive, supportive and practicing learning environment could be useful for improving communication skills. The findings indicate the need for developing the academic environments of higher education institutions as English friendly environments in which the students can engage themselves with English continuously and actively.