A Corpus-Based Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Communication in English GST Course in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti for Students Enhanced Communication and Employability

Abstract

The transition from tertiary education to the global workforce requires robust communicative competence, a skill set increasingly demanded by employers in the 21st century. In Nigerian universities, General Studies (GST) courses, particularly "Communication in English," are mandated to bridge the gap between students' existing language proficiencies and the rigorous demands of academic and professional environments. This study presents a corpus-based evaluation of the efficacy of the "Communication in English" GST course at Ekiti State University (EKSU) in enhancing students' communication skills and subsequent employability. Grounded in Communication Competence Theory and Human Capital Theory, the research investigates the extent to which the course curriculum translates into measurable linguistic and pragmatic improvements. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, the study compiled a specialised corpus of written and spoken texts produced by EKSU students, post-course completion, so as to analyse the lexical richness, syntactic complexity, and pragmatic appropriateness of the corpus. Quantitative corpus findings were triangulated with qualitative survey data assessing students' self-perceived competence and employability readiness. The results indicated a statistically significant, albeit moderate, improvement in students' formal academic writing and spoken interaction skills. However, the corpus data also revealed persistent deficits in pragmatic adaptability and industry-specific communication tasks. The findings suggest that while the GST course provides foundational linguistic capital, its current pedagogical framework requires strategic realignment with practical, labour-market-driven communication scenarios to fully realise its potential as an investment in human capital. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for curriculum reform and pedagogical innovation in Nigerian Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs).