The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it presents the uses and values of the English language, as perceived by the College of Law students at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)—the only state-owned university in the Sultanate of Oman. Second, i identifies the problems that have contributed to the College of Law students' lack of the necessary linguistic skills and ability to perform in English language during their period of study at the College. A self-report questionnaire was used with 123 students representing three different levels at the College. The findings show that the students perceive English language to have important purposes. For them, English is an important tool for communication that can help them in their law job search, cultural analysis and understanding, pursuit of higher education, and ability to access/use science and technology. However, the limited class sizes, as well as insufficient technological facilities and printed materials have been found to negatively impact achieving the required competence and proficiency to use English for these purposes.
|
|