English Language Needs of College Student-Athletes in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to understand English needs of student-athletes in Taiwan. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to student-athletes and coaches at a university in central Taiwan. Results showed that student-athletes had fairly ambivalent feelings toward learning English. Student-athletes felt positive about learning English, but they did not have the discipline to study English, and even they did not know how to study English. With regard to student-athletes' English needs, our findings suggest that listening and speaking are the essential skills for student-athletes to exchange information with foreign players, and to be more independent when travelling abroad for games. However, basic reading and writing skills should not be neglected for the professional development and communication via e-mail. Our results further suggest that having better English skills may well contribute to better self-confidence in student-athletes. This study concludes that to accommodate student-athletes' language needs, specific emphasis can be placed on listening and speaking skills with modularized training in travelling English, social English and professional English. Furthermore, learning support services, such as time management and learning strategies should be offered to student-athletes, and school administration should put every effort to create a supportive environment to ensure the quality teaching and learning.