General English as the Foundation of Workplace Communication: Perspectives of Culinary Study Program Students at Akademi Komunitas MAPINDO
Keywords:
Culinary students, general English, vocational higher Education, workplace communicationAbstract
English communication competence has become an important requirement for vocational students, particularly in culinary and hospitality fields where interaction with guests, colleagues, and international stakeholders is frequently required. Although previous studies have widely discussed workplace English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP), limited attention has been given to students’ perceptions of the role of General English as a foundation before entering professional communication contexts. This study aims to explore how Culinary Study Program students perceive the contribution of General English instruction to their workplace communication readiness. A qualitative research approach was employed through semi-structured interviews involving 14 students from the Culinary Study Program at Akademi Komunitas MAPINDO. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s framework to identify recurring patterns in students’ experiences and perceptions. The findings revealed four main themes: (1) General English as the foundation of language understanding, (2) grammar knowledge supporting communication accuracy, (3) the development of question formation and appropriate responses, and (4) increased confidence in using English during workplace interactions. The students perceived that General English provided essential linguistic knowledge, including grammar, vocabulary, sentence structures, and communication strategies that supported their readiness to communicate during workplace practice. However, students also indicated that foundational English learning should be complemented with workplace-related communication activities to address specific industry demands. This study highlights the importance of maintaining General English as a fundamental component of vocational education, as it provides students with the necessary linguistic and psychological preparation before developing more specialized workplace English skills.
Downloads
References
Azar, B. S. (2017). Understanding and using English grammar (5th ed.). Pearson.
Andres, C. P. J., & Holguín, J. S. V. (2022). Meaningful Learning in English as a Foreign Language Classrooms: A culinary experience as Comprehensible Input. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(1), 185–200. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.01.430
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing.Oxford University Press.
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice.Oxford University Press.
Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing courses in English for specific purposes. Palgrave Macmillan.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology.Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Bygate, M. (2015).Domains and directions in the development of speaking.Routledge.
Cahyono, B. Y., &Widiati, U. (2011). The teaching of English as a foreign language in Indonesia.State University of Malang Press.
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47.
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Snow, M. A. (2014). Teaching English as a second or foreign language (4th ed.). National Geographic Learning.
Creswell, J. W., &Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes. Cambridge University Press.
Fadilah, A. E., & Anggraini, R. N. (2025). English for culinary major in vocational high school: The prototype. ELTICS (English Language Teaching and English Linguistics) Journal, 10(2), 45–59.
Goh, C. C. M., & Burns, A. (2012).Teaching speaking: A holistic approach. Cambridge University Press.
Harmer, J. (2015).The practice of English language teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987).English for specific purposes: A learning-centred approach. Cambridge University Press.
Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative competence.In J. B. Pride & J. Holmes (Eds.), Sociolinguistics.Penguin.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2012). English as an international language in Asia.Springer.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2014). Teaching grammar.Oxford University Press.
Merriam, S. B., &Tisdell, E. J. (2016).Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Motaal, K. ali A. (2023). Perceptions of The Culinary Art Community On Their Higher Education Programs in Egypt: The Way Forward.
Nation, I. S. P. (2013).Learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Ota, M. K., Kara, Y. M. D. K., Separ, F. M., Kasimo, J. Y., Djou, A. M. G., Amrin, S., Ma, S. H. G., Jedho, F., Hayon, E. B., & Zaun, B. M. (2024). English vocabulary training in the field of culinary for children at the Naungan Kasih Ende orphanage. Mitra Mahajana: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, 5(3), 363–370. https://doi.org/10.37478/mahajana.v5i3.4829
Richards, J. C. (2015). Key issues in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Rohmah, N. (2015). The role of need analysis to make English for specific purposes effective. Didaktika, 21(2), 35–45
Savignon, S. J. (2002). Interpreting communicative language teaching.Yale University Press.
Siregar, M. A., Mahayanti, N. W. S., & Budiarta, L. G. R. (2025). English for culinary major in vocational high school: Students’ English language learning experiences and needs. Edu Society: Jurnal Pendidikan, Ilmu Sosial, dan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 5(2), 1276–1286.
Swan, M. (2016). Practical English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to teach speaking. Pearson Longman.
Ur, P. (2012). A course in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Utomo, A. B., Nurmasitah, S., & Semarang, U. N. (2017). Smartphone Application for Increasing English Culinary Vocabulary. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2014, 93–100. https://apiar.org.au/conference-paper/smartphone-application-for-increasing-english-culinary-vocabulary/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 LITERA : Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
