Postgraduate students’ and instructors’ satisfaction and challenges encounter in the implementation of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) programs at selected Ethiopian public research universities

Abstract

Service provider institutions must understand their customers' needs and challenges to gather effective feedback and improve their services. This is true for higher learning institutions, as well. Thus, the current study aimed at assessing postgraduate students’ and their instructors’ level of satisfaction with the implementation of postgraduate programs in teaching English as a foreign language and the challenges they encounter in randomly sampled four Ethiopian public research universities. A descriptive design was used to carry out the study and 82 students and 48 instructors (a total of 126) were selected as participants of the study using availability sampling technique. The required data were obtained via both closed and open-ended items of questionnaires (one questionnaire for students and another for instructors) and the data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study identified the level of satisfaction of instructors and post graduate students in the implementation of Teaching English as a Foreign Language program. It showed that instructors’ satisfaction in relation to monitoring the implementation of the postgraduate programs was found to be at a medium level. The majority of the students were less satisfied with the administrative services in the area of infrastructure, material and financial resources. The serious challenges identified were found to be problems of infrastructure, facilities and financial resource limitations. Finally, finding solutions for the identified limitations in the area of availing appropriate infrastructure, providing adequate and accessible resource centers and addressing participants’ payement requests are recommended.