One of the essentials for safe navigation, particularly when interacting with other vessels, pilots, and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), is effective communication on the ship’s bridge. As the institution that produces seafarers, Maritime Education and Training (MET) plays an important role in preparing cadets’ communication skills to communicate clearly and accurately in operational situations using Maritime English. Nevertheless, assessing the cadets’ communication competence is more likely to be done through conventional classroom-based methods, which may not fully reflect the real communication demands on the bridge. This study intended to compare technology-based assessment and conventional classroom-based methods in assessing cadets’ Maritime English skills related to bridge communication competency. The study employs a crossover experimental design involving fifty cadets from a maritime vocational program. The participants were assessed using two methods: technology-based and conventional classroom-based in listening, speaking, and reading. The study found that technology-based assessment produced significantly higher scores in listening and speaking, while no significant difference was observed in reading. Thus, the study indicates that technology-based assessment may be more effective for evaluating productive language skills essential for real-time bridge communication. Furthermore, cadets reported positive perceptions regarding the practicality and objectivity of technology-based assessment. The study suggests that a practical approach that integrates technology-based assessment into Maritime English is more effective for evaluating cadets’ readiness to perform communication tasks on the bridge. The findings may have contributed to improvements in assessment practices in Maritime Education and Training programs that prepare future seafarers for safe and effective maritime communication.
Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.