An Investigation of Pedagogical Approaches in the Acquisition of English Language for Low-Waged, Low-Skilled Adult English Learners

Singapore Workforce Development Agency's Workplace Literacy programme aims to equip low-wage and low-skilled workers with the essential English skills to enhance their employability and eligibility. With the information on the design and delivery of the programme and the needs and experiences of learners, this study attempts to identify the gaps between expected approaches, actual practices and learning outcomes, and thus hopes to inform programmatic and strategic changes. The data from our survey, focus group discussions (FGDs), interviews, and observations are analysed with mixed methods to address four major research questions: What are the pedagogical approaches, curriculum design and delivery methods? Are there certain areas presenting greater challenge or opportunity? What impact has it had? What are the strategies and recommendations to make? The survey provides insights on the learners’ backgrounds, feedback, and learners’ perceptions. Content thematic analyses are applied to establish themes or categories relating to the subject's experiences and evaluations. An amalgamation of discourse analytical approaches is applied to the FGD transcripts involving learners’ responses to generate desirable educational outcomes by the learners. In short, our analysis highlights several findings and particular concerns relating to the course content and delivery as well as the constraints. Some recommendations are provided for future work.