THE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING COMPONENT OF ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS COURSE: STUDENT-PERCEIVED IMPACTS ON LANGUAGE AND STUDY SKILLS ENHANCEMENT
THE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING COMPONENT OF ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS COURSE: STUDENT-PERCEIVED IMPACTS ON LANGUAGE AND STUDY SKILLS ENHANCEMENT

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the integration of problem-based learning (PBL), one of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instructional strategies, into English for Business courses affects language and study skills enhancement as perceived by the students at a public university in Oman. A monolingual survey in English was administered to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data analysis employed descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis to identify key patterns and themes. The analysis indicates that students perceive PBL as particularly effective for developing communication skills and expanding business vocabulary. The study group consisted of 70 students whose responses reflect a strong recognition of the educational value of PBL, especially in fostering language proficiency, soft skills, and practical business vocabulary knowledge. However, the results of the study also underscore the need for greater emphasis on the interactive and student-driven aspects of dimensions of PBL-integrated components to ensure that tasks and assignments remain engaging, clearly structured, and supportive of active learning.

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