Beyond vocabulary: How English for tourism class is impacting EFL student’s enthusiasm in the field
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37058/tlemc.v10i1.368Keywords:
English for Tourism; student perception; work ethic, key challengesAbstract
This qualitative descriptive study examines English as Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perceptions of the English for Tourism (EfT) course, the challenges they encountered, and explores how these experiences influence their career motivation toward the tourism sector. Ten purposively sampled EFL learners from the Department of English Language Education at UIN Ar‑Raniry participated in structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified four main perceptions (skill development, increased interest, career motivation, and perceived irrelevance) and four key challenges (limited real‑world practice, tourism‑specific vocabulary difficulty, low speaking confidence, and unengaging materials). The study found divergent effects on students’ career motivation: some became more motivated to improve, others were discouraged, and some remained indifferent. The paper argues for more authentic, practice‑oriented EfT instruction and concludes with practical recommendations for curriculum design and future research.
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