English Department and Employability

Abstract

The present study examined the popularity of the English department among high and vocational high school students. Specifically, it examined the students’ potential choices toward English department compared with the other university departments. The study was conducted in survey research. The instrument employed was a questionnaire distributed to the students through a G-form. The participants were randomly selected from both public and private schools. Before the administration of the survey, the students were informed by the researchers’ contacts/informants through their cellphones/WA messengers. One hundred fifty-six students were identified to fill in the questionnaire administered by the researchers. Despite intending to go to university, the students emphasized that they preferred to choose college, which allowed them to have a job soon after graduation. Instead of English, the students preferred to choose business and health as their college majors. Regarding the language program, they preferred to select a foreign language as a supplementary skill rather than as their primary department in college. Despite being considered necessary, most students thought that learning English or other foreign languages could be done informally rather than in foreign language colleges. Concerning the above findings, the English language departments should provide more adjustments to the students’ demand to secure employment after graduation, regardless of their specificities. Besides, the administrators of the English language departments should continuously analyze the trends of the job markets, which require English language skills to provide their graduates with more diverse chances to get employment after graduation.