Students’ Perceptions of Basic Communication Skills Training at a Selected State University in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study was a qualitative case study which sought to establish the perceptions of students in the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce on Basic Communication Skills training at Victoria State University. Twenty-seven students from the faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Observation and focus group discussions were the major data gathering tools. A thematic analysis of the data was done. The major findings showed that a majority of the students perceived the module as indispensable in their learning as it enhanced their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Participants mentioned that their academic writing, reading, research and listening skills had greatly improved due to the communication skills training they had undergone. However, there were a few students who felt that the module was a waste of their time as it focussed on aspects of communication that they had already covered at ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level. The major recommendation from this study was that the university extends the Basic Communication Skills Module to other level 1:1 students in other faculties to facilitate their day to day communication in an educational environment