Comparing expectation and satisfaction levels of tourism undergraduate students in ESP: A longitudinal study

Abstract

The study aimed at determining and comparing expectation and satisfaction levels of tourism undergraduate students in vocational English course. The research was designed as a longitudinal study, quantitative research design and survey methodology were used to collect data in the study. The data on expectation were collected in September 2017 while the data on satisfaction were collected in May 2019, and paired-samples t test was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that there was not a significant difference between expectation and satisfaction levels in terms of “objectives”. Nevertheless, the level of satisfaction was higher than that of expectation. There were significant differences between expectation and satisfaction levels in terms of “content”, “teaching-learning process”, “lecturer” and “assessment” in favor of satisfaction. There was not a significant difference between the levels of expectation and satisfaction in terms of “classmates”. However, the level of expectation was higher than that of satisfaction. While “overall” expectation level was medium, “overall” satisfaction level was high and there was a significant difference between the levels of expectation and satisfaction in favor of satisfaction. The results of the research were discussed in the light of the literature and suggestions were made for curriculum developers, lecturers teaching English in general, and English for Specific Purposes in particular, and researchers studying on expectation and satisfaction in language teaching.