Negotiating Academic Priorities: Final-Year EFL Students’ Perceptions of Certification Requirements
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21009/stairs.7.1.1Keywords:
Certification requirements, English Language Education, final-year EFL students, qualitative case study, thesis defenseAbstract
In recent years, higher education institutions have increasingly implemented additional certification and language proficiency requirements to enhance graduate employability. In English Language Education programs, such policies are often imposed alongside the undergraduate thesis, particularly during the final year of study. This qualitative case study investigates final-year EFL students’ perceptions of additional certification requirements in relation to their preparation for thesis defense. The study involved eight undergraduate students from various higher education institutions in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically to explore students’ experiences and perspectives. The findings revealed two major themes. The first theme, Certification as Future Investment, indicated that most participants perceived certification as a valuable asset that enhanced their professional readiness, confidence, and competitiveness in the job market. The second theme, Cognitive Overload and Divided Focus, showed that a minority of participants experienced difficulties managing simultaneous academic demands, particularly due to the overlap between thesis preparation and certification requirements. The results suggest that students’ concerns were not directed at certification itself, but rather at the timing and implementation of the policy during the final stage of their studies. This study highlights the importance of aligning certification requirements with students’ academic phases and providing adequate pedagogical support. The findings contribute to discussions in English Language Education by emphasizing the need for student-centred and curriculum-aligned policy implementation in higher education contexts.
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