Fostering Exceptional Customer Experiences: Assessing Learners' Outcomes in English for Wellness Tourism through Role-Playing Activities
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Abstract
The rapid expansion of wellness tourism highlights the growing demand for industry professionals with specialized English communication skills. As wellness tourism integrates cultural heritage with modern health practices, effective communication plays a crucial role in ensuring high-quality customer service and satisfaction. However, many learners struggle to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Role-playing has emerged as an effective pedagogical approach to enhance English proficiency and professional communication skills in this sector.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of role-playing in improving English communication skills for wellness tourism, focusing on its impact on language proficiency and customer service. A quantitative research design assessed student performance through structured role-playing activities. The study utilized validated assessment tools to measure fluency, coherence, and professional interaction skills. Purposive sampling was employed to select participants with prior exposure to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and wellness tourism coursework. Each participant engaged in five 30-minute role-playing sessions over four weeks, covering wellness consultations, service interactions, and problem-solving tasks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation), skewness, and normality tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk), complemented by histograms and Q-Q plots. Results showed that role-playing significantly enhanced language proficiency, with most participant scores clustering between 7 and 9 (mean = 7.82, SD = 0.78). Students also demonstrated improved customer engagement, problem-solving, and professional confidence.
These findings provide valuable insights for educators and industry practitioners in designing effective training programs for wellness tourism professionals. The study confirms that role-playing is an effective pedagogical tool for ESP courses, offering measurable improvements in both linguistic and professional skills.
In conclusion, role-playing strengthens students’ English proficiency while enhancing their ability to engage professionally in customer interactions. By integrating experiential learning techniques, this study advances ESP methodologies, ensuring learners acquire industry-specific communication skills essential for global service industries. Future research should explore longitudinal studies on role-playing’s long-term impact and AI-driven simulations to enhance learner engagement and professional readiness.
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