EXPLORING EFFECTIVE ENGLISH TEACHING APPROACHES FOR CUSTOMS PROFESSIONALS: INSIGHTS FROM QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED RESEARCH

Аннотация

В данном исследовании рассматриваются эффективные подходы к обучению английскому языку, специально разработанные для удовлетворения профессиональных потребностей сотрудников таможенных органов. Признавая важнейшую роль английского языка в международном 485 "ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI" mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman общении, содействии торговле и управлении границами, исследование оценивает соответствие существующих методик обучения практическим языковым потребностям специалистов таможенной службы. Используя данные, собранные с помощью анкет, распространенных среди курсантов Таможенного института, исследование выявляет наиболее эффективные стратегии обучения, распространенные проблемы в языковой подготовке и потенциальные области для совершенствования. Полученные результаты подчеркивают важность контекстно-ориентированного, коммуникативного и целевого подходов, предоставляя практические рекомендации по развитию программ английского языка для специальных целей в таможенных учебных организациях. Ключевые слова: Таможня, терминология, английский язык для специальных целей, таможенное право, методы обучения, аутентичные материалы. Introduction. In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, effective communication in English has emerged as an essential skill for customs professionals. Acting as the primary representatives of their nations, customs officers are responsible for enforcing regulations, facilitating trade, engaging with international partners, and maintaining border security. These duties often necessitate clear, precise, and professional communication in English, especially in international ports, airports, and trade zones where English is commonly used as the universal language. Despite the significant demand for English proficiency in this sector, many customs officers receive limited or generic language training that fails to address the specific linguistic and functional needs of their roles. Conventional methods of English language instruction often do not meet the distinct requirements of this professional group. While general English courses may enhance basic language abilities, they often lack relevance to the specific tasks and terminology that customs personnel encounter. Consequently, there is an increasing necessity to investigate and adopt more effective, context- oriented teaching strategies—approaches that are not only linguistically robust but also directly applicable to the customs field. This research seeks to identify the most effective English teaching methodologies for customs professionals by analyzing data collected through questionnaires distributed to both English language teachers and customs officials. By exploring existing practices, obstacles, and the preferences of learners, the study aims to enhance the design of more focused and effective English language training programs within customs education. The results are expected to provide valuable insights for educators, curriculum developers, and institutional trainers regarding 486 "ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI" mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman optimal strategies for teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in the realm of customs operations. Research methodology. As border – customs post is the entrance to the Republic, English language is becoming essential part of Customs officers duty. While having a conversation with passengers or entrepreneurs, and explaining the Customs law, the inspectors must utilize language properly with terminology. Being in a lesson cadets retell the theme using terms correctly, but while having a project based-learning they could not use customs law and terminology. Obviously, they are future inspectors of law enforcement agency, they should explain their action warrantable. That is why we had some questionaries with cadets about the knowledge of customs terminology. The first their task was to match the terms and their definition, which are taken from “Glossary of international customs terms” published by World Customs Organization1. The most mistakes were made with the words: cargo manifest, crew’s effects, equivalent compensation, intellectual property rights, corresponding issuing association and commercial fraud. According to this task it was understandable that only 74% of cadets could find the meaning of the terms when they are written. While analyzing this task, I decided to have a questionary. (table1) 1 Do you know the Yes No Difficult to professional terminology answer related to Customs sphere? 80% 7.5% 12.5% 2 How often do you read Always Sometimes Rarely Never Customs related documents(law) in English? 5% 70% 17.5% 5% 3 What is your level of Excellent Good Not bad Bad knowledge of English? 25% 52.5% 20% 2.5% 4 Do you use Customs Yes No Difficult to terminology in your speech answer in English lesson? 72.5% 12.5% 15% 5 Are you ready to explain Yes No Difficult to Customs