Language Skills of PMA Cadets: Insights into Perceptions of Instructors

Abstract

This study is aimed at investigating the academic and professional English Language needs of military cadets in an ESL context from the perspectives of the instructors, in order to contribute to the process of developing a course of English for Military Purposes. The instrument used in this study was the interview. The sample for the study consisted of 12 instructors from the Department of English at the PMA. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the English Language plays an important role in the academic and professional lives of military cadets. The results also indicated that the productive skills (speaking and writing) were more important than the receptive skills (reading and listening). Moreover, the findings revealed that the English language courses taught at the PMA were inadequate in relating the English language use to the academic and professional needs of the cadets. Finally, the findings of the study are discussed and implications towards the teaching of ESP for Military cadets are presented for future researchers.