Enhancing Engineers’ Communicative Competence through ICT Integration: Case of Satellite Development Center Oran / Algeria

Abstract

Nowadays, learning English as a Foreign Language is becoming more and more important in the world. With the advent of the communicative approaches to language teaching, communicative competence is viewed as a key element in the learning process. Accordingly, it has been observed that some engineers have weaknesses in communicating efficiently in diverse contexts, although their linguistic competence is sufficient. The researchers need to use some activities that help those engineers to be communicatively competent. With the domination of technology in the entire globe, Information and Communication Technologies raise educational quality and open new possibilities for better learning atmosphere that leads to academic achievement. Thus, this study aims at investigating the impact of oral presentations and web based materials on enhancing engineers’ communicative competence. For this purpose, a case study including 11 engineers and 5 researchers from the Satellite Development Center in Oran were undertaken. Two research instruments were used to gather data, a questionnaire for engineers and an interview for researchers in order to have perceptions about communicative competence and their attitudes towards the use of oral presentations and web-based materials in the center. The collected data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that integrating Information and Communication Technology tools and oral presentations into an English as a Foreign Language setting is an effective way to enhance engineers’ communicative abilities.