An Investigation of Students’ English Achievements and Its Implications for Curriculum Amelioration in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This study was to examine the actual situation and needs of the society and to build consensus among the teaching staff on the improvement of the curriculum. The sample consisted of 630 students in third, fourth and fifth grade in the Department of English, employers from 10 organizations, 30 graduates, and teaching staff in the Department of English. Tests, interviews and questionnaires were employed in this study. The result of the test showed that the student achievement was unsatisfactory even in the final year. They still had a lot of difficulties in basic vocabulary, basic grammar and simple reading tasks. The results also suggested that the graduates from the department would have insufficient English skills to perform the given tasks in the real world of work as many employers complain. This shows a large gap between the needs of the society and the actual level of the graduates. The results strongly suggest that the current curriculum has some problems that need to be solved.