Date
8-20-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Jeffrey Savage
Keywords
Adult learners, interpersonal communication competence, language proficiency, ESL curriculum, instruction strategies
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Al-Dujaili, Aymen, "A Causal-Comparative Study of Communication Competence Among Adult English as a Second Language Learners Taught Using Communicative, Content-Based, and Task-Based Instruction" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8762.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8762
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine how English as a second language curriculum and instruction strategies impact interpersonal communication competence among adult learners. This study addresses gaps in the literature by investigating differences in interpersonal communication competence among adult ESL learners taught using communicative, content-based, and task-based instruction, providing empirical evidence to inform educators, policymakers, and employers. The sample consisted of 159 ESL adult learners. Instrumentation included the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale to assess interpersonal communication competence, a Likert-scale survey to evaluate the potential effects of their communication style. Data collection involved recruiting ESL adult learners, obtaining informed consent, and administering the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale in a controlled classroom setting to ensure anonymity and protect participant confidentiality. A one-way analysis of variance was used to examine differences in interpersonal communication competence among adult ESL learners taught using communicative, content-based, and task-based instruction. Results demonstrate a statistically significant difference in interpersonal communication competence across the instructional approaches. However, post-hoc analyses found no statistically significant pairwise differences among specific groups. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that the omnibus group difference remained significant across three of four case-deletion conditions. Further research is recommended to explore generalizability within the sampled population, age groups, and proficiency levels.
