Browsing by Author "Komba, Sotco"

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    The impact of communication skills course on students' development of communicative abilities at the Sokoine University of Agriculture: an appraissal
    (University of Dar es Salaam., 2008) Komba, Sotco
    This study is about the Impact of the Communication Skills (CS) Course on Students' Development of Communicative Abilities at SUA. The general purpose of the study was to conduct an appraisal on the teaching and learning of the CS Course. It was undertaken as a case study. The data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules, observation schedules, and review of textual materials. The major findings for this study included the following: First, most of students had deficiencies in communication skills at the time they joined the university. Secondly, the teaching of note-taking and writing skills was mainly done through non-interactive lectures. Third, majority of students did not employ writing techniques during lectures and in their assignments and they exhibited deficiencies in writing skills even after doing the course. Fourth, the CS Course did not meet students' expectations in addressing their communication skills needs. Fifth, the course was designed to offer general communication skills regardless of the students' differences in academic disciplines. The author recommends for a situational analysis to be done with a focus on matching students' diverse academic communication requirements to communication and study skills taught in the CS course. Furthermore, this study recommends to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to improve English Language Teaching at all lower levels of education.
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    The predictive validity of the communication skills examination on students’ overall academic performance at the Sokoine University of Agriculture
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2012) Komba, Sotco
    The study investigated the Predictive Validity of the University Communication Skills (CS) Examination on the Students’ Overall Academic Performance at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). The objectives of the study were: firstly, to determine the extent to which the CS examination predicts the overall performance expressed in terms of the University GPAs; secondly, to identify whether the predictive validity varies by sex, type of school, and type of degree programme; thirdly, to examine whether the CS examination is a better predictor for the university GPAs than students’ entry qualifications; and fourth, to compare the students’ overall academic performance with their abilities in the English written Skills test. The respondents were 358 finalists from six programmes selected randomly out of the 20 degree programmes at the SUA. The findings indicated that the University CS examination positively predicted the overall students’ performance expressed in terms of GPAs. The significant relationship was found to be r=0.416, p< 0.01. Furthermore, the predictive validity of the CS examination scores on the University GPAs varied by sex and was higher for males (r=0.483, p<0.01) than females (r=0.272, p<0.01). Moreover, the CS examination scores predicted the University GPAs better than the students’ university entry points. However, the type of school attended at both CSEE and ACSEE levels and type of degree programme enrolled at SUA had insignificant influence on the predictive validity of the CS examination. It was also revealed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between the students’ abilities in the English Writing Skills Test (EWST) and their University GPAs (r=314, p< 0.01). Content analysis of the EWST showed that the students had serious problems in spelling, using appropriate forms of adjectives, punctuation marks, simple present tense, recognizing passive voice and using relative pronouns and prepositions. From the above findings, firstly, there is need for the Sokoine University of Agriculture to review its course assessment procedures for students taking different courses at the university. Secondly, the Sokoine University of Agriculture should carry out a study to review objectives, materials, and methodologies for the teaching and learning of the Communication Skills course. Lastly, a similar study to involve more than one university should be conducted in order to compare the effectiveness of the University Communication Skills examination.