A suggested syllabus for speaking course at an aviation vocational school in accordance with CEFR B1 level

The purpose of this study is to design a syllabus for English Speaking II course at an aeronautical vocational school based on Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) criteria and tailored to the needs and interests of aviation students. In order to achieve this purpose, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study. First, B1 self –assessment checklists of CEFR were administered to the students in second grade taking English Speaking course to explore their needs and goals about the speaking course. Second, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to the students to obtain their viewpoint and expectations of the course. The data were collected from 97 cabin services and transportation management students. After the data were analyzed, an English Speaking course syllabus was designed by the researcher. The findings of the study revealed that aviation students place high value on Aviation English and aim to enhance their speaking skills especially for their professional development. Another key finding is that cabin services students feel more competent themselves in speaking than transportation management students. It was also found that lesson hours of speaking course should be increased to meet the students' speaking needs. This study aims to contribute to the field of ESP, particularly to Aviation English for both students and course designers. Key words: English for Specific Purposes, the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR), speaking, needs analysis, aviation students