Communicative Behaviors of Filipino Seafarers - Toward the Development of a Globally Responsive Maritime English Course

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

The study examines communicative behaviors of Filipino seafarers onboard international merchant marine vessels to support safe, effective exchange of vital information. It describes verbal and non-verbal communication, cross-cultural communication, listening, and healthy communicative relationships, and tests differences by field of work. Participants include 187 MAAP students and 127 active seafarers. Deck and engine groups differ significantly; the engine group needs more frequent English practice and closer attention to immediate situations, informing a globally responsive Maritime English course.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Communicative behavior and cultural awareness

Maritime communication and SMCP

Communication breakdowns and training needs

Role of MET institutions and MAAP context

Communicative Behaviors of Filipino Seafarers: Toward the Development of a Globally Responsive Maritime English Course By Caroline Dacwag􀀍 Maritime English creatively and uniquely demonstrates communicative behaviors that enable seafarer interlocutors to successfully and effectively give and receive vital information to ensure safety of life, the vessel and the environment. As a training ground for future maritime officers, maritime institutions are expected to deliver courses that meet the need of the maritime industry, including the language of the sea. In response to the changes in curriculum and the challenges of communications at sea, this study aims to describe the communicative behaviors of Filipinos onboard international merchant marine vessels. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: a. How may the behavior of Filipino seafarers be described along the following areas- verbal communication, non-verbal communication, cross-cultural communication, listening, and creating healthy communicative relationships?; b. Is there a significant difference in the behaviors of Filipino seafarers when they are grouped according to their field of work?; c. In what areas of communicative behavior do the Filipinos need to improve?; d. What Maritime English course can be developed to address the areas that need improvement and to ensure global communicative competence of Filipino maritime students? One hundred eighty-seven (187) students of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) who have gone onboard for their shipboard training and 127 active Filipino seafarers were the participants of the study. Results show that: a. Filipino seafarers practice desirable communicative behaviors often; b. the deck and the engine group significantly differ in their communicative practices; c. the engine group needs to practice using English and focus on the situation at hand more often. These findings were used as one of the bases of the design and development of a responsive maritime English course. Keywords: communicative behaviors, Filipino seafarers, globally responsive course, Maritime English, maritime education and training (MET) institutions. Introduction Communicative behavior is a "range of standards and traditions of communication of people" (Kabylbekova, Ashirimbetova & Akhmetzhanova, 2014, p. 29) . It includes acts that interactants do with their words and gestures like listening, clarifying, deliberating and discussing, among other things (University of Pittsburgh, 2007) . The standards vary from culture to culture or from nation to another. Thus, it is imperative that interlocutors become culturally aware and sensitive in order to avoid miscommunications related to culture insensitivity. 􀀍 English Faculty and Assistant Research Coordinator, Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.5-3-4](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.5-3-4) doi=10.30958/aje.5-3-4 Kotorova (2014) adds that interlocutors as the representatives of linguosocioculture determine the norms of communication. Since they come from different backgrounds, they bear and exhibit "peculiarities". These peculiarities are defined by socio-pragmatic, cultural, situational and linguistic factors (p. 186) . In the maritime context, the communication space and the interactants are unique. Given this nature, competence is required so that communication difficulties may be avoided. Seafarers who come from different parts of the world carry with them their unique cultures and their language. The latter, having resulted in serious accidents, gave birth to the creation of the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) . Since its adoption in 2000, SMCP has helped solve the problem of communication barriers and issues on board. With the use of simplified and codified English between and among seafarers, it became relatively easier to convey vital information that affects ship operations. However, accident

FAQs

What communicative behaviors does the study assess for Filipino seafarers?

It assesses verbal communication, non-verbal communication, cross-cultural communication, listening, and creating healthy communicative relationships.

How do communicative behaviors differ by field of work?

Results indicate that the deck and engine groups significantly differ in their communicative practices.

What improvement is specifically recommended for the engine group?

The engine group needs to practice using English more often and focus more on the situation at hand.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi