English training needs for specific purposes for tourist worker taxi drivers

Abstract

Education is a complex, continuous and permanent social process that takes place throughout life, and as such, universities in their relationship with society must pay attention to the needs that arise from it, based on collective improvement. The objective of the work was aimed at determining the training needs in English for specific purposes in taxi drivers as tour operators in Riobamba. Based on a mixed methodology, which combines quantitative and qualitative research, in correspondence with the complexity of the object of study. Methods were combined that favor quantitative methodology, which allowed obtaining the necessary information from the selected information sources, through quantitative methods and techniques (questionnaires, interviews, observation, document analysis). The methods cover the entire investigative process, which confer validity and scientificity to the results achieved, the survey to determine the training needs of taxi drivers as tourism operators, interviews to explore the previous experiences of this investigation. As a result, the training needs of taxi drivers as tourism operators were determined and it was evidenced that there is low knowledge of the travel information provided by taxi service personnel, in addition to the fact that there are few training plans imparted from level institutes higher.