Characterising Students’ English Language Skills in Competency and Knowledge-Based Educational Institutions in Zanzibar, Tanzania

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.