Abstract:
The paper explores the characteristics of students' English language
competencies in facilitating learning at both the State University of Zanzibar
(SUZA) and the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA) in Tanzania. It
employed an 188 sample size obtained by simple random sampling to
implement the case study design. The two institutions were chosen because
they
are different, one being competency-based and the other
being knowledge-based in educational approaches for MNMA and SUZA,
respectively. It was found that there was a low level of competence among
students in English language proficiency in speaking, with SUZA having only
18.6% of highly proficient participants and MNMA having only 26% of highly
proficient participants. Concerning competency in English language proficiency
in writing, it was found that SUZA scored only 23.9% of high proficiency in
writing, and MNMA scored 21.8% of the same. In measuring English language
competencies in listening, it was revealed that SUZA had only an 18.6% score
of high proficiency in listening. MNMA Karume Campus, Zanzibar scored only
20.7% high in proficiency in listening to the English language. In the English
language, competencies related to students’ socialisation ability, SUZA scored
18.6% of competencies among participants, whereas MNMA scored 31.3% on
socialisation ability among students. It was concluded that there is a low level
of English language competencies among the SUZA and MNMA Karume
Campus in Zanzibar. It is recommended that efforts to build competencies
should be enhanced in the practice of competency-based and knowledge-based
education in higher learning institutions.
