Learners’ Attitudes and Practices towards Learning Communication Skills: The Cases of Mbeya University of Science and Technology and Arusha Technical College

This study investigated learners' attitudes towards learning communication skills as a fundamental module among ordinary diploma students of science programmes. The study involved a sample of 112 students. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 20, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that diploma students have positive attitudes towards learning communication skills. By comparison, female students were revealed to be more positive than male students. Moreover, first- and third-year students showed more positive attitudes than second-year students. It is recommended that students be emphasised about the importance of communication skills as future professional engineers and for the competitive labour market. To make training sessions more interesting and facilitate the smooth acquisition of the necessary skills, efforts must be made to strengthen communication skills training at colleges and universities.