English Competencies and Challenges for Data Science and Cyber Security Students at Al Istiqlal University

Abstract

This present research aims to determine the growing needs and challenges faced by Data Science and Cyber Security students at Al Istiqlal University's Faculty of Information Technology when learning the English language. It also tries to ascertain whether gender and level of competence affected their requirements and difficulties in mastering the English language. 35 cadets who are specializing in Data Science and Cyber Security make up the sample. The researcher gave out 39 questionnaire items divided into eight domains. The results show that cadets in Data Science and Cyber Security did not undergo any guidance regarding how to utilize English in the discipline while engaging in the analysis of data or cyber security keywords. Additionally, the study demonstrates that cadets majoring in data science and cyber security did not receive any guidance on how to learn to communicate in English, and the teaching activities in the English programs they had taken did not match their notions of the standards for expert English. Moreover, English proficiency requirements for cadets enrolling in Data Science and Cyber Security courses should be taken into consideration.  Additionally, no statically meaningful differences in the demands for key competencies and barriers faced by Data Science and Cyber Security cadets are found when gender and competency traits are taken into consideration.