BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES RESEARCH REPORT Student [Name] Student ID Group [Number] Supervisor M A Lê Thị Minh Thủy July , 2021 1 WRITING 4 ASSIGNMENT 2 RESEAR[.]
BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES RESEARCH REPORT Student: [Name] Student ID: Group: [Number] Supervisor: M.A Lê Thị Minh Thủy July ……, 2021 WRITING - ASSIGNMENT - RESEARCH REPORT MARK SHEET Student's name: Class: ……………………………… Project Group: Criterion Marks Statement of research problem, aim and Problem Definition and significance of the research Methodology Review of literature and identification of research gap RESEARCH REPORT Research methodology Notes /1.0 /1.0 /1.0 Analysis and Research findings Argumentation Interpretation of findings /1.0 /1.0 Discussion of findings against points made in the literature review; implications /1.0 Structure and Organization of sections in the report Writing Clarity, precision and economy of writing; use of academic writing conventions Presentation Overall presentation of paper, pagination, layout, margins and Referencing Citation style, use of headings, references /1.0 /1.0 /1.0 /1.0 Penalty REFLECTION Total Answers to the prompts Completeness and relevance Originality Carefulness FINAL TOTAL /10 40% /10 10% /10 50% Examiner Examiner LÊ THỊ MINH THỦY HUỲNH THỊ BÍCH PHƯỢNG Table of Contents Table of Contents STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Rationale of the study 1.3 Significance of the study Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Communication skill 2.1.1 Definition of communication skill 2.1.2 Speaking in communication 2.1.3 Listening in communication 2.2 Part-time job 2.2.1 Definition of part-time job 2.2.2 Popular part-time jobs for students to improve communication skills 2.3 Effects of part-time jobs on communication skills 2.3.1 Benefits of part-time job in improving communication 2.3.2 Barriers to effective communication when doing part-time jobs 2.3.2.1 Environmental barriers 2.3.2.2 Personal barriers 2.3.3 Solutions to overcome communication barriers Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research question 3.3 Research design 3.3.1 Subject of the study 3.3.2 Research instruments 3.4 Data collection procedure 3.5 Data analysis Chapter IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 10 4.1 Introduction 10 4.2 Responses to survey questionnaire 10 4.2.1 Participants’ background 10 4.2.2 Participants’ attitudes towards effects of part-time jobs on communication skills 13 4.2.2.1 Part-time occupation benefits to communication 13 4.2.2.2 Part-time occupation barriers to communication 14 4.2.3 Participants’ opinions of solutions to overcome barriers 15 4.3 Answer to research questions 15 CHAPTER V: LIMITATION, IMPLICATION, CONCLUSION 16 5.1 Limitation 16 5.2 Implication of the research 16 5.3 Conclusion 17 REFERENCES 17 APPENDIX 18 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from a thesis by which have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the thesis This thesis has not been submitted to any other educational institution for the award of a degree or diploma ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, we would like to thank our research supervisor, Ms Thuy Without your assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this paper could have never been accomplished Additionally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the students in our class who had spent their precious time to the survey, without your help, we wouldn’t have completed this research work ABSTRACT Nowadays, the majority of students are choosing part-time jobs to establish and develop their abilities, such as their communication skills Therefore, this study was an attempt by the researchers to investigate the effect of doing part-time jobs on the communication skills of English-major sophomores at HUB A quantitative questionnaire was chosen to conduct the survey and the data collected from 29 students The study analyzed university students' views on the benefits and drawbacks of part-time employment on communication skills In the end, our study will offer solutions for the limitations in the process of improving communication skills when working part-time Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study To adapt to the present trend of international integration, English majors at HUB should concentrate on strengthening their communication abilities, as successful communication will expand personal connections and business collaborations which can significantly benefit both parties and society According to (Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia, 2016), communication skills are components of generic skills that have been identified as a focus at the universities As a result, it is included in the curriculum of a wide range of subjects at a variety of institutions, including HUB, and it focuses on assisting students in improving their communication skills HUB students, on the other hand, believe that the academic environment is insufficient to help them reach their full potential; they want to work in a professional setting where they can improve their communication skills Therefore, part-time jobs are preferred by Vietnamese students in general, and HUB students in particular, as a means of obtaining and strengthening communication skills From what is mentioned above, the emphasis of this research will be on the link between part-time jobs and communication skills among English-major sophomores of HUB 1.2 Rationale of the study The objective of this study is to determine the attitudes of English-major sophomores toward the effects of doing part-time jobs on communication skills In particular, identify if part-time jobs have positive or negative effects on students' communication skills Therefore, find out how the students make decisions on their part-time jobs, and whether their options are influenced by their wish to improve their communication skills or not If not, what elements students’ part-time jobs are based upon 1.3 Significance of the study This study provides an overview of how part-time jobs affect communication skills, thereby helping students who wish to advance their skills make more precise decisions in their part-time jobs Whether the students prefer to improve communication skills or earn a living, this study also aids them in solving difficulties in communicating in the workplace Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Communication skill 2.1.1 Definition of communication skill Communication is the basis of all human contact, which is central to human life (Bunglowala, 2015) Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one person to another (Keyton, 2011) Communication is a skill which involves a systematic and continuous process of speaking and listening (Ahmad, 2016) The output communicative skills are speaking; the input communication skills are listening (Al-Mahrooqi, 2012) In summary, communication is the process of information exchange, including speaking as the output, listening as the input, and understanding as the consequence 2.1.2 Speaking in communication Speaking is one of the most common methods used in communication It is the means through which learners can communicate with others to achieve certain goals or to express their opinions, intentions, hopes, and viewpoints Speaking has been classified into monologue and dialogue The former focuses on giving an interrupted oral presentation and the latter on interacting with other speakers (Nunan, 1989) Nunan (1999) and Burkart & Sheppard (2004) also argue that success in learning a language is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the (target) language Therefore, speaking is probably a priority for most learners of English (Florez, 1999) 2.1.3 Listening in communication Thomlison (1984) and Hamouda (2013) defined listening as the ability to recognize and understand what others are telling This process includes understanding a speaker's pronunciation, the speaker’s grammar and vocabulary, and understanding of meaning It is a process of receiving what the speaker says, making and showing meaning, negotiating meaning with the speaker and answering, and creating meaning by participation, creativity, and empathy Whereas it is defined that listening is a complex process of interpretation in which listeners match what they hear with what they already know (Rost, 2002) According to Rost (2009), listening is an active and important mental ability It aids us to understand the world around us and is one of the necessary elements in creating successful communication (Pourhosein Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016) 2.2 Part-time job 2.2.1 Definition of part-time job In the (International Labour Organization, 1994) “part-time work” is defined as hours of work that are shorter than those for comparable full-time work (in the country, sector, and occupation), and a “part-time worker” is an employed person whose hours of work are fewer than those of comparable full-time workers According to the (International Labour Organization, 2003), workers are considered to be part-time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week It is also stated that the parties make part-time work and employment based on free will and that the working hours shouldn’t be obligatorily shortened afterward (Centel, 1991) From the definitions mentioned earlier, it can be concluded that part-time workers have fewer working hours than those of full-time workers, generally shorter than 30 or 35 hours per week, and their working schedules are usually based on their free will and cannot be shortened or changed afterward 2.2.2 Popular part-time jobs for students to improve communication skills Working part-time jobs provides them with a greater opportunity to engage and practice their communication, and behavioral skills and process them further According to research carried out by (Hoang, 2020), with 44.2 percent, part-time jobs related to business, business via the internet, and social networking received the most votes among university students Doing business can aid in the development of student’s communication skills, as they must engage in constant dialogue in order to accomplish the trading process According to another research (Tomoki, 2012), the main type of work that most university students engaged in was restaurant work (34.1%) Restaurant work is in the hospitality industry, particularly in the food and beverage service industry Working as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant requires personnel to have effective communication with colleagues in order to work efficiently, at the same time, skilled in communicating with customers to make them feel satisfied, and valued As evidenced by the aforementioned reports and data, part-time occupations such as commerce, internet business, social networking, and restaurant service are widely chosen by university students to strengthen their communication skills 2.3 Effects of part-time jobs on communication skills 2.3.1 Benefits of part-time job in improving communication As a student, you are likely to find a part-time job as a waiter at a bar or restaurant, or at a retail store, and this means that whether you feel like it or not you are going to be required to improve your communication skills (Marliza, 2016) One of the skills you then learn in the process is the ability to express yourself to others, allowing you to state your thoughts When doing part-time jobs, there are various circumstances you may get yourself into, in which in order to preserve your rights and benefits, expressing your viewpoints, and opinions is particularly essential Through part-time work, students will learn how to talk to a variety of people from different walks of life, forcing them to be flexible to cultural differences in the workplace (Zambas, 2021) Students will also learn the best ways to communicate with their colleagues, forcing them to think about how their words can affect other people’s actions and vice versa (Joanna, 2021) A job always introduces them to various sects of people Interacting with different people teaches you how to carry out conversations more naturally As a result, having a part-time job can provide students with opportunities to learn and practice communication skills 2.3.2 Barriers to effective communication when doing part-time jobs 2.3.2.1 Environmental barriers Environmental barriers are characteristic of the organization and its environmental setting Time can be one of them Lack of time can make it difficult to properly examine and structure the message, and the recipient's ability to interpret and identify the message's significance is restricted (Adu-Oppong, 2014) When the job intensity is too great, for example, there will be little time to evaluate and decode the received information, resulting in feedback structure and meaning misunderstanding Another environmental barrier can be said to be the organization’s managerial philosophy (Sanchez & Guo, 2005) Managerial philosophy can promote or inhibit effective communication Managers who are not interested in promoting intra-organizational communication upward or disseminating information downward will establish procedural and organizational blockages Lack of attention and concern toward employees is a sign of a managerial philosophy that restricts communication flows Furthermore, when subordinates encounter administrators who fail to act, they are unwilling to communicate upward in the future, because communications are not taken seriously (Adu-Oppong, 2014) 2.3.2.2 Personal barriers Personal barriers emerge as a result of a person's frame of reference, beliefs, and values They shape how communications are encoded and decoded and are depending on one's socioeconomic background and past experiences (Adu-Oppong, 2014) According to research, one of the most significant barriers to effective communication is a lack of empathy (Eisenberg, 2010) It will be possible for misunderstandings and personal conflicts to arise in communication between employees and employees, or between employees and managers, and superiors, if empathy is lacking Additionally, lacking confidence can be a major barrier to effective communication Shyness, difficulty being assertive, or low selfworth can hinder your ability to make your needs and options known (University of Waterloo, 2022) These will have a severe impact on not just one's personal image, but also on the organization's ability to work efficiently 2.3.3 Solutions to overcome communication barriers Only when environmental and personal barriers are recognized, then you can carry out a successful, effective communication Positive acts, on the other hand, are required to overcome these obstacles (Longest, Rakich, & Darr, 2000) provide tips for breaking down communication barriers: Receivers and senders can overcome environmental barriers by paying attention to their messages and investing adequate time listening to them Next, it is beneficial to have a management philosophy that encourages open communication Ultimately, by actively modifying language and symbols to make communications more understandable, the power/status boundary can be broken down; putting words to actions improves communication between persons of varying power/status Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The purpose of this study is to accumulate perspectives of English-majored sophomores at Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City on the effects of part-time jobs on communication skills in order to identify how part-time jobs benefit students in improving their communication skills and assist the students in solving barriers to effective communication when doing part-time jobs This chapter presents methods that were utilized in the study including research questions, research design and data collection procedure 3.2 Research question Which part-time jobs are popular among students to improve communication skills? What is the attitude of English-major sophomores toward the effect of part-time jobs on communication skills? What are the solutions to communication problems that students may have when working part-time? 3.3 Research design 3.3.1 Subject of the study This study aims at the English-majored sophomores at Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City The questionnaire was conducted in Writing 4-D07 class with the participation of 29 students in total The questionnaire was conducted to collect data by online survey method 3.3.2 Research instruments A quantitative questionnaire was chosen to conduct the survey The first questions about which part-time jobs can improve communication skills as well as how often to use communication when working part-time Followed by questions about the effects of working part-time on communication skills The final section is filled with questions regarding how to overcome communication barriers 3.4 Data collection procedure The researchers employed a questionnaire in order to accumulate perspectives on the effects of part-time jobs on communication skills All of the instruments were reviewed by the supervisor to ensure their validity The researchers uploaded the link accessing the questionnaire on the LMS website to the supervisor The supervisor then uploaded the link on the LMS website in the GROUP WORK sector to the participants with one day to complete the form The questionnaire was completed by 29 participants in total After that, the completed questionnaire was collected by the researchers and the supervisor 3.5 Data analysis The data collected from the questionnaire was calculated by using frequency distribution and percentage The figures would be illustrated with charts and tables through the data processed from SPSS since the software is specialized in analyzing figures Data is processed into percentages and frequencies are useful to answer research questions Chapter IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 4.1 Introduction This chapter presents the results of the study obtained from 29 responses to analyze the attitudes of English-major sophomores at Banking University toward the effects of parttime jobs on communication skills The result of the study, with statistical information, will be presented in two main parts as follows: Responses to survey questionnaire Answer the research question 4.2 Responses to survey questionnaire The purpose of the questionnaire is to study students’ attitudes on the effect of doing parttime jobs on communication skills The results of the questionnaire help gather perspectives on these factors based on what the respondents think about them This helps researchers have more reliable answers to the research questions Refer to the Appendix for the complete questionnaire 4.2.1 Participants’ background 10 From the two data mentioned above, we can see that most of the participating students have part-time jobs, with the rate of 83% Another 17% of students not have part-time jobs when participating in this questionnaire However, there are only 28% of the students that use English regularly, 3% often use English whereas about 52% students, more than half of the participants that occasionally use English when doing part-time jobs In conclusion, most students have part-time jobs but only a portion of them have jobs that enable them to make use of their strengths 11 12 Statistics show that 34% of students believe that working as a teaching assistant or a teacher is a good way to develop communication skills in general and English in particular Additionally, with rates of 23% and 22% respectively, the other well-liked options of services - waiter/waitress in particular and sales/telesales were also picked by the majority of students The cashier has to be concerned with 8% This means that part-time jobs related to education and service are the most likely to help students improve their communication skills 4.2.2 Participants’ attitudes towards effects of part-time jobs on communication skills 4.2.2.1 Part-time occupation benefits to communication According to the graph, we can clearly see the domination of agreements on the effectiveness that part-time jobs can bring to communication over conflicting opinions However, a certain amount is still accounted for by the proportion of students who have neutral perspectives on all aspects Specifically, in the first aspect, there are 28% of the students who have a neutral attitude towards how part-time jobs can make speaking more 13 comprehensive Meanwhile, there is 3% of the students, who strongly disagreed with all of the aspects given In summary, the majority of students agree that part-time work can improve communication skills in the four aspects mentioned above 4.2.2.2 Part-time occupation barriers to communication As can be seen from Figure 4.3, most students agree that lacking confidence is the biggest barrier to effective communication with 38% of the participants agreed and 28% strongly agreed Following after is the limited time when working with the agreements from more than half of the participants, with 59% in total On the other hand, the restriction from company’s culture is not considered as the source of the lack of communication, as there are 31% disagreed and 17% strongly disagreed in this aspect Lastly, lacking empathy from the collocutors is the aspect with the least opinions with 41% stayed neutral as many have neither experienced nor given thoughts to it In conclusion, lacking confidence and limited time when working are the two challenges that students have to overcome to communicate effectively 14 4.2.3 Participants’ opinions of solutions to overcome barriers According to the chart, it is clear that a large percentage of students agree with all three solutions To be more specific, up to 86% of the students were happy with the answer, which involved paying closer attention while listening, 83% thought they should be actively engaging in the discussion, and 73% felt that language and signs used for communication should be modified Additionally, there are still some students who are unconcerned with the aforementioned solutions; significantly, up to 24% of the students remain neutral on the view whether language and signs should be modified while communicating On the other hand, all three methods received one vote - 3% to be specific as strongly disagree Through the survey, most students were satisfied with three methods to overcome communication barriers when working part-time 4.3 Answer to research questions Which part-time jobs are popular among students to improve communication skills? Answer: According to the survey, students most likely choose teacher, or waiter/waitress, sales as popular part-time jobs to improve their communication skills 2.What is the attitude of English-major sophomores toward the effect of part-time jobs on communication skills? 15 Answer: According to survey data, about the benefits of a part-time job with communication skills, the majority of students agree with the benefits that part-time work brings to communication skills, besides there are still neutral opinions on these aspects Regarding the barriers of part-time work on communication skills, the majority of students agree with obstacles which are: lack of time to structure speaking, and lack of confidence when communicating 3.What are the solutions to communication problems that students may have when working part-time? Answer: As a result, most students agree with these three methods to overcome communication barriers when working part-time: spending time on listening carefully to the speaker, actively participating in conversation, and actively modifying language and symbols CHAPTER V: LIMITATION, IMPLICATION, CONCLUSION 5.1 Limitation One of the limitations of this research is the shortage of time, leading to the lack of information in some sections in Literature Review Another limitation can be mentioned is the limited number of the participants in the Questionnaire, which is only about 29 students, therefore, results of this study can be considered unreliable 5.2 Implication of the research The results from the questionnaire show that most students are aware of not only many positive effects part-time jobs have on communication skills but also their biggest barriers to effective communication in the workplace With these results, it can be understood that part-time jobs benefit students in improving communication skills, therefore, while studying in college, students should consider having part-time jobs to train themselves in various environments so that they will learn how to make use of their strengths and how to overcome barriers that they meet The data also shows that the majority of students have part-time jobs and know which type of part-time jobs is suitable for improving communication skills, however, there’s only a portion of the students having suitable part-time jobs for strengthening the skills These prove that students prioritize other factors than improving skills when deciding their jobs Students should consider combining effectively other factors and skills when choosing jobs in order to balance both their work and study 16 The results also present that the students have positive attitudes toward solutions to overcome barriers Although most agree with these solutions, the measures are not reliable since they are not yet tested in practice It is recommended that further study needs to be conducted in order to confirm these measures 5.3 Conclusion First, based on the result from the questionnaire, it pointed out that most students have parttime jobs but have difficulty in improving their communication skills Second, the solutions were made to overcome communication barriers when working part-time Finally, this research can be the foundation for further research regarding effects of doing part-time jobs on students’ communication skills References Adu-Oppong, A A (2014) COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE: GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVING Global journal of commerce & management perspective Ahmad, S R (2016) Importance of English communication skills International Journal of Applied Research, 478480 Al-Mahrooqi, R (2012, January) English Communication Skills: How Are They Taught at Schools and English Language Teaching, 124-130 Bunglowala, A (2015) Non verbal communication: An integral part of teaching learning process Nonverbal communication: An integral part of the teaching-learning process, 371-375 Burkart, G., & Sheppard, K (2004) A Descriptive Study of Content-ESL Practices Content ESL across the USA: A Training Packet Centel, T (1991) Part-time Work Istanbul: Kazancı Kitap Ticaret A.S Eisenberg, E M (2010) Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint New York, NY: Saint Martin’s Florez, M A (1999) Improving Adult English Language Learners’ Speaking Skills ERIC Digest Gilakjani, A P., & Sabouri, N B (2016) Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review English Language Teaching, 123-133 Hamouda, A (2013) An Investigation of Listening Comprehension Problems Encountered by Saudi Students in the EL Listening Classroom 113-115 Hoang, D M (2020, May) Part-Time Jobs of Students Today International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 28-51 17 International Labour Organization (1994) The Part-time Work Convention International Labour Organization (2003) International Labour organization in part time jobs Joanna, Z (2021, September) Getting a job during your studies DeltaQuest Media Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia (2016) Modul Pembangunan Kemahairan Insaniah (Soft Skills) untuk Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia Keyton, J (2011) Communication and organizational culture: A key to understanding Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Longest, B B., Rakich, J S., & Darr, K (2000) Managing health services organizations (4th ed.) Baltimore: Health Professions Press, Inc Marliza, K (2016, September) Working a Part-time job as a Student DeltaQuest Media Nunan, D (1989) Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom New York: Cambridge University Press Nunan, D (1999) Second Language Teaching and Learning Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers Rost, M (2002) Teaching and Researching Listening (2nd ed.) Teaching and Researching Listening (2nd ed.) Rost, M (2009) Teacher Development Interactive: Listening White Plains NY: Pearson Longman Sanchez, Y., & Guo, K L (2005) Workplace Communication Boston, MA: Pearson Thomlison, T (1984) Relational Listening: Theoretical and Practical Considerations THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Tomoki, S (2012) Part-Time Work Experience of University Students and Their Career Development Japan Labor Review University of Waterloo (2022) Effective Communication: Barriers and Strategies CENTRE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE Zambas, J (2021) Benefits of Working a Part-Time Job as a Student Student Life APPENDIX Questionnaire: We are from group - Writing -D07 This survey questionnaire is designed for an investigation into " The attitude of HUB's sophomore towards the effect of part-time jobs on communication skills " The form should take no longer than minutes to complete Your data will be used to analyze and answer our research questions Your assistance in completing the following questions is greatly appreciated Please put a tick to what you choose or write your answer in the “ _” 18 Do you have a part-time job? (Choose one option) Yes No What part-time jobs in your opinion are suitable for improving communication skills? (Choose many options) Waiter/Waitress Sales/Telesales Teacher assistant/Teacher Driver Cashier Streamer Others: How often you use English to communicate in your part-time job? (Choose one option) Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never In what aspects, part-time jobs can improve communication skills? Strongly Disagree Neutral disagree Learning to speak more comprehensively 19 Agree Strongly agree ... skill 2. 1 .2 Speaking in communication 2. 1.3 Listening in communication 2. 2 Part-time job 2. 2.1 Definition of part-time job 2. 2 .2 Popular part-time... communication skills 13 4. 2. 2.1 Part-time occupation benefits to communication 13 4. 2. 2 .2 Part-time occupation barriers to communication 14 4 .2. 3 Participants’ opinions of solutions... ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 10 4. 1 Introduction 10 4. 2 Responses to survey questionnaire 10 4. 2. 1 Participants’ background 10 4. 2. 2 Participants’ attitudes towards