English Language Communication Research Articles

СКАЗОЧНЫЕ АЛЛЮЗИИ КАК СРЕДСТВО РЕЧЕВОГО ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЯ В АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНОЙ КОММУНИКАЦИИ

The article discusses the use of fairy-tale allusions in the English-language communication. The study shows the playing potential of fairy-tale allusions, analyses their use in phatic and evaluative functions. The use of fairy-tale allusions makes it possible to establish and maintain friendly relationships with the addressee, to soften communicative intention in expressing criticism, to comply with the general cultural norms of communicative behaviour adopted in the English-language communication. The paper identifies the level-segment layers of the concept CINDERELLA, which are used most often to express the speaker’s different intentions implicitly.

An investigation into English language use in the Vietnamese hospitality industry: The language of money exchange

Within the tourism and hospitality industry in Vietnam, English is now a dominant means of communication between staff and guests who come from different countries. The ability to communicate effectively in English is therefore an important attribute for those employed within the industry. Courses in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), such as English for Tourism and Hotel (English for Tourism Management/English for Hotel Management), are now part of English language programmes in Vietnamese educational institutions. These courses emphasise the importance of developing high-level English language communication skills for students. However, the teaching of these courses has mainly been conducted in the classroom environment, using textbooks which are written and published outside Vietnam. Given that recent research has focused on the need to teach language as it is used in authentic contexts, it is important for the teaching of ESP to understand how English is used in a real-life setting in the Vietnamese tourism and hospitality sector.
 This paper reports on the findings from a study which obtained and analysed hundreds of examples of authentic English language used by guests and staff in four different hotels in Vietnam. For illustrative purposes, the paper focuses on the language of interactions related to currency exchange, and examines the implications of the study findings for the teaching of ESP in Vietnam.

Implementation and Student Assessment of a Two-stage Midterm Exam in a First-year Physical Chemistry Course for International Engineering Students

Group exams have been shown to improve student performance, retention of material, and teamwork and communication skills. This paper assesses the opinion of students regarding group exams, and their perception of potential benefits and impacts on their learning, before and after having participated in one. Both a traditional and two-stage exam were performed in first-year physical chemistry courses in the engineering stream of Vantage College at UBC, which means the participating cohort is entirely composed of international students with a range of English-language communication skills.The overall experience of students with group exams, based on survey responses, was positive, and the large majority of students indicated they would like to continue using this format of exam in the future. The perception of group exams improved before and after having written one, with the students initially overestimating the difficulty, stress, and level of conflict associated with this process. Some students indicated less confidence that peer learning helped them improve their performance after having written the exam, but further study to elucidate the significance and the causes of this result.

Профессионально ориентированное обучение иностранному языку как актуальное направление подготовки специалистов органов и подразделений по чрезвычайным ситуациям Республики Беларусь

Проведен анализ основных принципов и аспектов профессиональной лингводидактики, на которых базируется система языковой подготовки в Университете гражданской защиты МЧС Республики Беларусь, определены коммуникативные ситуации, необходимые для профессиональной деятельности работников органов и подразделений по чрезвычайным ситуациям, описана экспериментальная модель обучения элементам профессиональной англоязычной коммуникации работников диспетчерских служб.

Willingness to Communicate among Thai EFL Students : Does English Proficiency Matter?

Willingness to communicate (WTC) is a key concept in English language learning and communication. The literature has shown that WTC in a non-native English speaking environment is influenced by a multiplicity of factors, one of which is English proficiency. However, findings on its effect on WTC have been inconclusive. Therefore, this study investigated whether there was a statistically significant difference in WTC levels among students with different English proficiency levels and the ability of proficiency to predict WTC. The participants were 375 twelfth-grade Thai EFL students from two Southern Thailand government secondary schools. They responded to an adapted WTC scale which had been translated into the Thai language. The one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey HSD test were used to analyse significant differences, while a simple linear regression assessed the ability of proficiency to predict WTC inside and outside the classroom. The results revealed that there were statistically significant differences in WTC between low, moderate and high proficiency students. It was also found that English proficiency could predict students’ WTC inside and outside the English classroom, but it only accounted for a small percentage of the variance. Findings of the study have implications for English language teaching and WTC research.

Content and Language Integrated Learning for First and Second Year University Students - Aspirations, Challenges and Solutions

This paper offers an overview of two modules from the Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore. These belong to a programme entitled the Ideas and Exposition Modules (IEM) and they pertain to a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approach. The courses and some of the main learning objectives are explained. These are critical thinking abilities; research skills; and academic study skills. It is surmised that these are useful for all students independent of their academic discipline. The challenges that the lecturer and students face during the courses are also presented. These challenges often arise because students are from different educational cultures and academic disciplines, and as a result, classes tend to be comprised of students with mixed interests, English language levels and academic research and writing experience. Students also tend to vary in their abilities to think critically and work independently. The first section in this paper looks at the educational context of the IEM courses; the second, presents the core learning outcomes aspired to; the third, examines the challenges faced and how these are met by the tutor and students taking the courses. The final section offers a brief overview of the paper and considers the future for this genre of course, particularly how students benefit from a more student-centered, individualized educational practice today.

Meaningful gamification and students’ motivation: A strategy for scaffolding reading material

Gamification is an innovative pedagogical strategy where digital games are used in an educational setting and as an aid to learning. Recent publications on gamification in the classroom investigate the concept of “meaningful gamification” where, in line with Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory, competency, autonomy and relatedness are prioritized (Ryan and Deci, 2000, p. 68). The paradigm of meaningful gamification works well as a catalyst in motivating students to read background material and grasp key concepts that facilitate a flipped classroom, and this study measures the impact of this intervention by meaningful gaming on students’ motivation at a higher education level. The context for this study is the module ‘Women in Film’, which is part of the Ideas and Exposition Programme at the Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore.

Challenges of Computer Science and IT in Teaching-Learning in Saudi Arabia

Personal Computers (PCs) have invaded all ranges of civilization and there is currently a reasonable connection among technology, development and economic persistence. For a couple of decades in teaching-learning field, computer science curriculum development has been a core issue. In different eras different strategies have been adopted to improve the teaching-learning process. Integrated Curriculum Techniques (ICT) can play a positive role in all subjects. Specifically, strengthen the integration among all subjects can prove the good results in computer science and English language. In the area of computer science and information technology, communication in English language is considered a big barrier in understanding in Saudi Arabia. In this research we discuss and suggest the different aspects that can upsurge the overall performance and structure of the education system, particularly in Saudi Arabia. It is an effort to investigate the nature of hindrances and challenges faced at Saudi academies while implementing an IT based learning approach. To walk with the level of international universities and to play the role in modern scientific research, the use of the English language can improve the vision of computer science and information technology. Teacher-student communication in English language is a very important factor. This small step-forward can develop the confidence in students that consequently leads to the betterment of whole education system. Besides, the availability of up-to-date and accurate software and hardware installation is very important to cope with the challenges of the era. World is in your hands, if you know the proper use of technology. In this paper, Makerspace techniques have also been suggested that can play a significant role in teaching-learning that relates with ICT.

Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Resourcefulness in English Language Classrooms: Emerging possibilities through plurilingualism

Reports on refugee and migrant women in Australia show these women have low literacy in their first language, limited English language abilities, and minimal formal schooling. With major funding cuts to the adult migrant education sector and persistent public ‘deficit views’ of immigrant and refugee’s levels of literacy, approaches to teaching and learning in this sector require flexible views of language that embrace plurilingualism as a valuable resource within and outside of the socially-orientated ESL classroom. In this article, we present and discuss our findings from a study in which we co-taught English to immigrant and refugee women in a housing estate in Melbourne, Australia, and investigated the effects of a plurilingual view on the women’s English language learning experience and communication skills. Drawing on recorded classroom dialogues, observation notes, and worksheets produced by the women, we demonstrate the extraordinary plurilingual resourcefulness immigrant and refugee women bring to the challenge of learning to communicate in English. Our aim is not to promote a particular teaching approach, but to suggest the value of ongoing critical reflection on the underpinning ideas of plurilingualism for immigrant and refugee learner groups such as those we experienced in our own classroom interactions.

Language Needs Analysis: An Initial Investigation on Malaysian Drivers for Alternative Taxi Company

Alternative taxi service has started becoming a trend and gained popularity all over the world. In Malaysia, people depend on conventional taxis for many decades which are registered under Public Transport Commission. With the advancement of technology, a few applications were introduced and passengers and conventional taxi drivers started installing them to accept or reject passengers. However, when the popular American alternative taxi service (Uber) arrived in Malaysia, it has become popular among passengers when new drivers emerged as many people started registering and using the application. The study attempts to explore the language needs of Malaysian taxi drivers (particularly alternative taxi service) and the challenges they face when communicating in the English Language with their passengers. A case study design was employed in the study which a total of three participants (part-time drivers living in Klang Valley area, registered under the same alternative taxi company in Malaysia) were interviewed through open-ended and semi structured interview questions. The findings show there are three main challenges faced by these drivers when communicating in English Language with their passengers which are (1) struggle to comprehend communication in English Language with native speakers, (2) difficulty in making conversations and keeping them going, and (3) difficulty in understanding and communicating with non-native speakers from non-English Language speaking countries. Another findings show that the English Language is used with passengers for four reasons: (1) using English Language to reply passengers' text message, (2) using English Language to spark general conversation with passengers, (3) using English Language to communicate with foreign passengers; and (4) using English Language to convey precise information to passengers. Therefore, alternative taxi companies should consider offering courses related to enhancing their drivers’ competency in English communication. English courses developed explicitly for the purpose of communication between drivers and passengers may take the results found from this study into account. The findings should be able to assist in developing a course that would aid drivers into strategizing their communication with passengers.

A Study on the Rationale of Social Media Use by the Students of King Khalid University

s not it deplorable that in a country that tops in the entire world in using several social media sites does not utilize the same media in acquiring knowledge and skills? In Saudi Arabia, undergraduate students spend a significant amount of time on social media every day, but they are reluctant (or not motivated enough) to use the same media for educational purposes. This study was carried out on the undergraduate English majors of King Khalid University in Muhayil Asir in Saudi Arabia. In the English department, every student carries at least one smart phone with Internet connection, and they are found occupied with their phones on the campus, sometimes even in classrooms, but they are weak both in subject knowledge and skills of English language. The teachers-cum-researchers were baffled with students’ competence because regular users of Internet and social media are supposed to be updated with the subject knowledge as well as confident in using English language. The researchers designed an empirical study to explore students’ rationale of using the social media and their language preference. The study concludes with gloomy findings that students use the media mainly for entertainment and ineffective communication in English language. The worst fact is: they are not motivated enough to use the social media for educational purposes.

An Eye View of Technical Communication in English Language among Engineering Students in Southern Tamil Nadu (India): An Analysis in the Postmodern Era

Objective - The aim of the research is to cheer the Engineering Students of Southern Tamil Nadu, India to do participative learning in English and facilitate them in obtaining English communication skills for their development in Professional and Career Orientation. Methodology/Technique - The study was undertaken in India with the sample of 300 students who are in the Engineering colleges of Southern Tamil Nadu. Data had been collected through questionnaire which was later evaluated using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and AMOS (Analysis and Moment Structure) software to validate the conceptual framework. Findings - The study has revealed the factors affecting LSRW and satisfaction of students. The major factors that are paved the way for this are Professional Purposes, Academic Developments, Personal Developments, Professional Communication Skills, Academic English and Social Communications. Novelty - This paper will fabricate and determined outline for the development of Engineering Students in Southern Tamil Nadu in the Postmodern Era and encourage them for improving their Professional Communication Skills in English Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Professional Purposes; Academic Developments; Personal Developments; Professional Communication Skills; Academic English; Social Communication; LSRW; Postmodern Era; English. JEL Classification: I21, D83.

How to Integrate Language Skills through Andragogy?

English language classrooms in India should facilitate learners to become skilled in English language communication. English is the international communication tool among non-native English users around the world, and with native speakers. It is seen as the language of development at personal and societal levels. Skills, therefore, acquired in EL classrooms should enable learners to use them in their majors and thereafter at workplaces in life. English is also viewed as the language of promotion. The need of the hour is not acquisition of knowledge about English, but of skills of English language communication for academic study, careers, and promotion. The National Skill Development Corporation of India aims at promoting skills development. One of the basic soft skills is English language skills. Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with the projected GDP growth rate of 7%. India’s demographic dividend is expected to increase to 1.14 billion in 2026 and 83% of the increase is expected to be in the age group of 15-59. If this dividend is harnessed by 2025, India will have 25% of the world’s total workforce and India’s per capita income will be around $4000 and it is currently less than $1000. It is expected to go up to $9802 in 2040 and $20,836 by 2050. The United Nations Development Programme advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build better life. It is in the hands of thousands of English language teachers in India to help learners of English realize their life goals by enhancing their communication power in English. This qualitative research paper argues for integrating four language skills through a shift from pedagogy to heutagogy to turn students into productive and industry-ready prospective employees and entrepreneurs.

Use of English in the Thai workplace

A number of features of business discourse in English in a Thai workplace, for example, in e-mail memos, are integral to modern business operations. In this study, a questionnaire was used to find the important situations in which English is used in business communication. For this purpose, Thai businesses were requested to provide samples of written business correspondence—mostly e-mails in English. These e-mails were examined using genre analysis to identify typical moves and steps in order to understand the use of English at the linguistic and discourse levels. Genre can be defined as a class of communicative events, with the members sharing some set of communicative purposes. Interviews were also conducted to gather data in order to describe in-depth, the nature of English language communication and possible problems arising in a Thai business context. The findings showed that despite a large number of errors in usage in the English samples, they rarely caused problems with the running of the business as Thai communicators employed a move/step structure in their e-mails and other communications strategies including follow-up inquiries for clarification. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

The New Innovative Technologies and EFL Classes

Information and communication technology can be considered as a powerful tool which provides us with new views on education. Being aware of the benefits of technology in teaching will surly assist teachers, administers and parents cultivate a positive attitude toward ICT.In this research the questionnaire is used as data collection instrument. The questionnaire addresses only university English language teachers. Forty six university English language teachers are chosen from two universities: Moulay Ismail University Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Meknes and Sidi Mohamed Ben AbdellahDahr – El Mahraz – Fes as a case study. So as to analyze the data from the questionnaire, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 is employed. The research findings reveal that Moroccan university English language teachers regard Information and Communication Technology as very essential in their teaching

Nursing as a Global Career

In today's global environment, the nursing profession is regarded as a noble, challenging and competitive profession. Malaysian trained nurses are highly in demand due to their training and on-going efforts are made to ensure that the standards are well-maintained. This paper describes a part of a larger study. It reports the findings of a study pertaining to the needs of English language communication skills for nurses in a private hospital in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The study focused on the needs of English language communication skills at the workplace. These skills were written and spoken English communication, reading, listening, and interpersonal communication. By identifying these communicative competency needs, the study has given insights into helping the nurses to increase their work performance, meet their work demands and help the employability of the nurses globally.

Internationally educated nurses' reflections on nursing communication in Canada.

The overall goal of this study was to explore internationally educated nurses' perceptions of the English language and nursing communication skill requirements in a Canadian bridging education program. The increased global mobility of nurses creates a need to address the educational needs of migrating nurses. A large percentage of these nurses require additional language and professional education. New research is needed that would represent an in-depth analysis of their educational experiences associated with learning academic English and Canadian nursing communication. Developing proficiency with a new language has been documented as posing challenges for new immigrants. Since language proficiency is a key requirement of Canadian nursing regulatory bodies, previously unrecognized barriers such as attitudes and beliefs about required English language and nursing communication competency which may hinder their ability to meet local practice standards need to be explored. Using a grounded theory study design, narratives from 22 participants from the Philippines, Nigeria and Europe enrolled in bridging education were collected and analysed. The participants identified the incongruence in professional norms between Canada and their home country as a major challenge. The major themes identified included cultural dissonance, academic literacy challenges and skepticism regarding unexpected communication competency requirements. The participants possessed varying degrees of comprehension and acceptance of new educational and professional regulatory requirements. A certain degree of culture shock, which may be associated with frustration and disillusionment, is a typical and anticipated aspect of the immigration process. Their perceptions need to be recognized and accommodated when assisting internationally educated nurses to integrate into the Canadian practice culture. Any generalizations to other host countries need to be made cautiously. Clear communication from regulators about English language and nursing communication requirements during the pre-arrival period is recommended. If bridging education is required, these programs need to be designed to address English language competency and nursing communication skills of non-native English speakers.

Omani Graduates’ English-language Communication Skills in the Workforce: Employees’ Perspectives

This paper reports an exploratory investigation into the importance that employed Omani school and college graduates believe English-language communication skills have for their workplaces and the difficulties they face when using these skills in a work environment. The study involved the administration of a 4-part questionnaire to 321 participants who had graduated from Omani schools and colleges and who were employed in organizations around the country. Results indicate that participants identified almost all skills and skill areas featured in the questionnaire as either vital or essential for their jobs, even though they claimed that they largely lacked the English language skills, or linguistic competencies, necessary to successfully use these in work situations. They also reported struggling with dealing with customers and colleagues from different sociocultural backgrounds in English. Implications of these findings for education and employment in Oman are discussed.

How Tanzanian Universities Can Respond to Increasing Market Demands of Specialized Forms of English Language Learning and Communication Skills

English language and communications skills have undergo tremendous changes in the recent years globally.Increasingly, people realise that they need English language and communication skills not only in employment butalso in full participation in social and political discourses, and Information and Communication Technology. Studieshave shown that while learners have the motivation and innate ability to learn English, there is lack of requisiteopportunities to learn and practice the language. This is because many English language learning proficiencyprogrammes especially in Tanzania are unstructured and not tailored to learners’ particular interests; this is inaddition to using methodologies that emphasize on teaching about language instead of teaching language use. Thecurrent study therefore sought to explore the roles in which universities in Tanzania could play to address the risingmarket demand of English language proficiency programmes with the aim of providing outreach services andgenerate revenue. Face to face interviews, telephone conversations, focus group discussion, questionnaires, anddocumentary review were carried out during data collection. The findings show that the demand for Englishlanguage proficiency programmes in Tanzania is strong. Similarly, the assessment of motivation and expectationindicates that availability of professional teachers and practical sessions, fair fee structure, and learners’ passion forlearning the language were key drivers behind attending the programme. This implies that English languageproficiency is a potential niche market which Tanzanian universities could exploit to meet the rising languagedemands and at the same time generate the much required income.

US and Chinese perceptions of simulated US courtesy

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to identify similarities and differences in US and Chinese subjects’ emotional responses to and perceptions of courtesy of simulated English-language communication prompts. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a web-based stimulus administered on US and Chinese students. Subject responses to eye contact and smile images and a set of verbal expressions were measured on ratings of emotion and courtesy. Findings – Smiling with direct eye contact and warmed-up verbal expressions were found to elicit a higher level of emotional response and were perceived as viable server politeness cues. US and Chinese participants had similar responses to facial and verbal prompts. Originality/value – This paper contributes to understanding about service employee cues, such as courtesy, that can influence service quality in a cross-cultural tourism setting.