Lecture comprehension difficulties experienced by Omani students in an English-medium engineering programme

Abstract

This paper considers the views and perceptions of Omani engineering students in relation to their lecture comprehension difficulties in an English-medium Engineering programme. It also investigates the students’ coping strategies utilised concerning these lecture comprehension challenges. A qualitative research design was employed to collect data through semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 engineering students. The interview data were coded thematically and analysed inductively. The study attempts to address the following key questions: what lecture comprehension difficulties did these Engineering students encounter in the context of engineering taught through the medium of English? What were the coping strategies used by them to handle those challenges? The results indicate that students, and their teachers, faced a range of challenges and difficulties and that numerous coping strategies were utilised to complete their Engineering studies.

Keywords

• lecture comprehension
• difficulties
• omani students
• english-medium
• engineering programme
• coping strategies