Concept Paper

1. What is your proposed topic/study?

The Proficiency of the UCLM Maritime Students on the English Language

2. What is the reason why you want to pursue the topic/study? Cite latest studies

and existing scenarios.

The purpose of this study is to give emphasis on the importance of English

proficiency among maritime students in University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

In higher education in Indonesia various fields of study use discipline specific

curricula to teach English. For example, in the curriculum in maritime studies, in addition

to engineering, courses in English communication were added in the belief that graduates

would be joining an international industry in which English will likely be used as a

principal means of workplace communication (Maritime Engineering Curriculum, 2018).

Graduates in the maritime field need fluent English communication skills in order to

succeed in the workplace (Charlesworth, 2018).

The International Maritime Organization (IMO, 2019) identified a problem with

the English proficiency of many Asian graduates. Seafarers may lose job opportunities in

the global maritime labor market due to their poor English communication ability.

English still has the status as a foreign language that students rarely use and practice.

They speak English only in the classroom. This lack of practice is especially critical for

maritime students who will end up working in international contexts while commonly

acquiring low abilities in English communication.

 According to the study concluded by Edgar F. Benaldo (2019). School faculty

should evaluate and let the students practice reading and talking in English language

inside the classroom for them to become proficient. Reading and speaking using English

language has vital role in the maritime sector, since the students are the future seafarers to

navigate the ship. Onboard ship, only English language can be used to communicate

because crews are coming from different nationalities. The crews that are not native

English embark onboard merchant fleet for the first time to work; definitely they would

encounter hardship speaking to their crewmates. Eventually, the seafarers could not

perform their job well, such as reporting ship in the vicinity, informing company(s) about

crews’ performance, implementing the laws and regulations, loading & unloading of

cargo, and by monitoring the quality management system and other related works

pertaining to the ship’s operation onboard. These things somehow would lead to maritime

accident if the seafarers have poor foundations in English language. The maritime

accidents happen according to Varsami, et al. (2010) is due to human error and would

occur because of miscommunication between two people talking each other.

Several studies are now being made to help learners enhance their academic

performance. It had been tested either practically or scientifically, and both had been

adopted. Students learn in a variety of methods. There were no definitive teaching

approaches till now to assure students' academic achievement while preserving their

willingness to learn. This is due to the fact that each learner has a unique learning style.

They might just choose the greatest option for them and their requirements (Suhrab

2019).
 In accordance with (Sia and Said, 2019), Maritime English proficiency standards

are mandatory for all maritime-based careers and have become an essential tool for

ensuring safety not just at sea but also on land, in ports, and in any maritime-based

enterprise. It is critical for students to have appropriate Maritime English competency

since it allows them to employ precise Maritime English terminology for journal and

thesis writing as well as practice good communication and pronunciation of Maritime

English.

Language issues may rapidly become a major concern in a field like shipping,

where the common working language (English) is commonly the second language for

practically all crew members. Add to it an often hazardous, loud, and stressful work

environment in which up to 24 people of varying rank work, eat, and sleep together for

weeks at a time, and we have a prescription for catastrophe due to misunderstanding.

Short (2006), the Marine Director of Australasian Maritime Education Services, stated

that it is critical to raise awareness during early training that English improves

communicative ability with other crew members, facilitates social harmony, and

consolidates teamwork on board, which, in emergency situations, can be vital to

everyone's safety (Short, 2006).

Study from 2019 explored the causes of accidents on ships and port operations in

Maritime English to improve safety standards at sea and ports. They showed the

importance of Maritime English proficiency in effective communication. Study from

2017, examined the variables affecting English learning achievement of marine

college students within the framework of 4 factors that are supposed to be related to

English learning. According to Dirgeyasa (2018), it is determined the Maritime English

learning materials based on the language competencies that Indonesian Maritime

Academy students need most in their maritime life. In 2019 Chen et al. examined the

feasibility of Maritime English teaching with the sea simulator and explained it in detail

according to the functions and features of the sea simulator with the teaching scheme

created.

According to Gultom (2022), many people learn English to keep up with the

worldwide advances in areas like education, technology, tourism, health, and economics.

English is widely utilized in many facets of human life. English is additionally necessary

for graduation. Students must pass the English proficiency test to graduate from

university (EPT). Self-esteem, an essential component of personality, affects people's

attitudes and behaviors. Self-esteem is frequently associated with good mental health,

effective living, successful learning, and even a good quality of life. Since self-esteem

and academic performance are intertwined, the researchers want to know whether or not

students' self-esteem correlates with their level of English proficiency.

Companies employing non-native English seafarers have an obligation to ensure

that effective English language country is available especially as members of the crew are

now required to demonstrate a knowledge of English adequate for professional and safety

purposes. So, to ensure safety of life and property at sea, each seafarer must have a broad

knowledge of English and good communication skills to be able to respond as the

situation demands (Logie et.al.,2016).

The prescriptions for the English proficiency crisis according to Sarmiento (2002)

must start with all public and private schools on which must require their teachers to

undergo English proficiency assessment using an international English proficiency test.

The test should be globally recognized worldwide to be globally competitive. Those

whose scores will reach the established benchmark for teaching are the only ones allowed

to teach while those who have low scores shall undergo a mandatory training.

3. What theory supports your study/topic?

English literacy is a key ability for students establishing the complexities of

international waters and different crew environments in the area of maritime education,

where efficient communication is essential. This Concept Paper suggests a unique way to

improving English language competency among marine students based on David Kolb's

Experiential Learning Theory. Students participate in actual activities, such as realistic

marine scenarios and aboard visits, by integrating hands-on experiences, simulations, and

reflective practices, allowing them to actively utilize English in authentic circumstances.

Following necessary observation and study of language elements relevant to marine

communication, a basis for abstract conceptualization is developed.

According to Kolb, D.A. (1984), this theoretical understanding is put into reality

through active experimentation, in which students take part in language practice sessions

and collaborative projects. A continual feedback loop that includes peer and instructor

input helps to improve language abilities. Language assistance materials and coaching

sessions aimed to marine contexts guarantee that students not only learn linguistic

competence but also improve the language skills required for effective communication in

the dynamic and globalized maritime industry. This Experiential Learning Theory-based
approach seeks to create a holistic and immersive learning environment, fostering the

practical language proficiency necessary for success in the maritime field.

According to Noam Chomsky (1965), Communicative Language Teaching

Theory states that new language is produced in each utterance correcting the belief that

language is limited to structures. Rather, there were fixed sets of principles and

parameters from which an infinite number of linguistic forms arise (Grenfell & Harris,

1999). This means that there was an underlying syntactic structure which allows people

to share a universal grammar. This deep structure is not affected by the variability of the

surface structure consisting of the different languages spoken in the world.

Krashen’s (1988) theory of second language acquisition. These are acquisition-

learning and affective hypothesis. This theoretical hypotheses models have been used

because the study investigates the language proficiency of maritime students specifically

on their reading and speaking skills. The acquisition-learning is the most fundamental of

all the hypothesis in Krashen’s theory and the most widely known among linguists and

language practitioners. The acquisition system is the product of a subconscious process

very similar to the process on children undergo when they acquire the first language. It

requires meaningful interaction in the target language – natural communication – in

which speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances, but in the

communicative act. This previous theory addressing towards the maritime students to

become more proficient in English language, they must engage or practice

communicating to others so that the message coming from the senders will be
internalized. Perhaps, students can get exact and proper delivery of the messages when in

two-way communications.

Another theory that highly supports this study is the Cummins Iceberg Model of

Language Development theory.

Cummins (2008), indicates the first and second language academic skills are

interdependent. He believes that it becomes easier to learn additional languages if there is

a base for the development of both the first and second language. Cummins also indicates

that in the course of learning one language a child acquires a set of skills and knowledge

that can be drawn upon when working in another language. He called this the common

underlying proficiency (Shoebottom, 2011). The use of home language alongside the

acquisition of a new language is paramount. Jim Cummins believes that through learning

one language a child acquires a set of skills and metalinguistic knowledge that can be

drawn upon when working in another language.

Daneshfar & Moharami (2018) explain that the sociocultural theory (SCT) states

that social interactions with the use of psychological tools (such as language) are a major

part in one’s cognitive development. Menezes (2013) explains that it is through these

social and imitation experiences that language learners are able to advance to the next

stage of language acquisition because language is only as valuable as the ability that one

has to make meaning from it. Furthermore, Vygotsky explains the zone of proximal

development as being the level of which a student can independently do a task compared
to what that same child can do while collaborating with a peer or teacher to complete the

same task (Vygotsky, 2011).

4. How do you intend to go about the study?

This study will utilize secondary data for the academic performance in English

course of maritime students, while the standardized questionnaire with supplemental

interview will be used to assess the proficiency of the students on English language. The

researchers will carefully select the respondents from 3 rd year Bachelor of Science in

Marine Transportation students in University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM).

The researchers will employ stringent protocols and ethical guidelines to uphold this

commitment and maintain the privacy of the individuals involved in the study.

For the data analysis, percentage / rank will be used to show distribution of the

student, school administrators and faculty members on this study’s respondents. Weighted

Mean will be used to determine the common errors committed by students in the

following areas such as vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension and the

assessment of the language on the existing manuals used according to relevance of

contents, structure and organization, strategies and presentation and applicability and

usability. Pearson r would also be used to determine the relationship between the profile

variables and the level of English proficiency of maritime students and T test was used to

test the difference between the assessment of language teachers and the maritime students

on the existing English text manual being used. A summative content analysis involves
counting and comparisons, usually of keywords or content, followed by the interpretation

of the underlying context. In this research, the conventional content analysis is used to

determine common mistake in maritime English terms.

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