Exploring English Language Skills in Facilitating Group Learning among Students for CBE and KBE Institutions in Zanzibar, Tanzania

The paper explores the characteristics of students' English language competencies in facilitating group learning at both the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) and the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA). It employed a 188-sample size obtained by a systematic sampling method to implement the cross-sectional design.  The two institutions were chosen because they are different in practice, one being a competency-based educational (CBE) institution and the other being a knowledge-based educational (KBE) institution for MNMA and SUZA, respectively. The paper was guided by the social learning theory. Data were collected from students using a questionnaire survey, while analysis was done using descriptive statistics. It was found that there was a low level of competence among students in English language competencies in speaking, with SUZA having only 18.6% of highly proficient participants and MNMA having only 26% of highly proficient participants. Concerning competency in English language proficiency in writing, it was found that SUZA scored only 23.9% of high proficiency in writing, and MNMA scored 21.8% of the same. In measuring English language competencies in listening, it was revealed that SUZA had only an 18.6% score of high proficiency in listening. MNMA Karume Campus, Zanzibar scored only 20.7% high in proficiency in listening to the English language. In the English language, competencies related to students’ socialisation ability, SUZA scored 18.6% of competencies among participants, whereas MNMA scored 31.3% on socialisation ability among students. It was concluded that there is a low level of English language competencies among the students at the SUZA and MNMA Karume Campus in Zanzibar. It is recommended that efforts to build English language competencies should be enhanced in the practice of competency-based and knowledge-based education in universities and colleges in a specific context of every model for both CBE and KBE.