A Study of Non-Commissioned Officers’ Needs for English Listening and Speaking Skills Improvement

Abstract

The research article aimed to: 1) to study the English listening and speaking proficiency levels of non-commissioned officers in the unit, and 2) to investigate their needs for developing English listening and speaking skills. This study employed a survey research design. The population and sample consisted of 120 non-commissioned officers from the 109th Artillery Battalion, 9th Artillery Regiment. The research instruments used for data collection were a survey and a questionnaire divided into four parts. Part 1 dealt with the respondents’ personal information. Part 2 examined the officers’ English listening and speaking abilities. Part 3 focused on their needs for developing English speaking and Part 4 listening skills. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and percentage. The research findings revealed that: 1. the non-commissioned officers’ English listening and speaking proficiency was at a low level (M = 2.19, SD = 0.86), and 2. their needs for developing English listening and speaking skills were at a moderate level (M = 3.26, SD = 1.03).