Usage of English Communicative Skills in the Workplace Context

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue IV, April 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

Usage of English Communicative Skills in the Workplace Context

Bundit Anuyahong
English Department, College of General Education and Languages, Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract:- The purposes of this study were 1) to investigate usage of English communicative skills in the workplace context, and 2) to study additional suggestions from respondents. The research samples were 350 staff working in different fields and organizations in Bangkok derived through Simple Random Sampling technique. The instruments used for collecting the data were the rating-scale and open-ended questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and content analysis were used for data analysis. The research findings presented that usage of English communicative skills in the workplace context was at the highest level. The highest usage communicative skill was Listening skills and the lowest one was Reading skills. The additional suggestions from the respondents highly concerned on a training for making or receiving business phone call, interpreting and translating documents in English, English workshop or seminar, and socializing formally with business partners.

Keywords: English in the Workplace Context, English Communicative Skills in the Workplace, Usage of Commumicative Skills in the Workplace

I. INTRODUCTION

The use of English in today’s world extends far beyond classrooms. It is spoken by more non-native speakers than native, and can be found anywhere from street corners to office buildings. In the past decades, research in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has developed to better understand this real world communication, with emphasis placed on the importance of context, the language user, and interactions that take place (Firth, 2009). The workplace is one such context. English is now widely considered to be the de facto language of use in many industries. Investigation into workplace English has mostly been conducted in two areas of research, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF). ESP is an older field with the goal of identifying the needs of a specific group to direct teaching to best fit their purposes and ESP has traditionally focused on language needs such as reading, or technical vocabulary. Whereas ESP could apply to any context, including the workplace, according to Kankaanranta & Planken (2010) BELF pertains to the world of business, often internationally.

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