Speaking English with confidence: Tailored needs for pharmacy students

Abstract

Proficiency in English is an essential skill for pharmacy students, especially in vocational school, where graduates must communicate successfully in professional healthcare environments. Many pharmacy students encounter difficulties in developing speaking abilities due to insufficient exposure, a scarcity of contextualized resources, and restricted opportunities for interactive practice. This study seeks to (1) ascertain the English-speaking requirements of pharmacy students and (2) investigate the impact of technology-enhanced learning, specifically the Pharmatalk application, in fulfilling these requirements. A quantitative requirements analysis was conducted utilizing a questionnaire based on the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) paradigm. The participants comprised vocational pharmacy students from two Indonesian colleges. The data were evaluated descriptively to examine students' learning priorities, views of technology utilization, and the usability of the Pharmatalk application. The results demonstrate that speaking is seen as the most crucial English skill for pharmacy students, particularly for future professional interactions. The findings indicate robust positive evaluations of the usability, utility, and motivational influence of the Pharmatalk application, especially in improving confidence, vocabulary understanding, pronunciation, and engagement. The research shows that the integration of technology-enhanced training with Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic (VAK) learning principles can effectively facilitate English learning for Pharmacy students. These findings have significant pedagogical implications for the development of contextualized, learner-centered, and technology-enhanced English curriculum in vocational pharmacy education.