A study on some difficulties in using spoken language at workplace of the fourth year english majored students, thuongmai university

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER A STUDY ON SOME DIFFICULTIES IN USING SPOKEN LANGUAGE AT WORKPLACE OF THE FOURTH-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS, THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor:MA Pham Minh Hong Student: Nguyen Thi My Clas: K52N4 Student’s code: 16D170241 Hanoi, 2020 HÀ NỘI - 2016 ABSTRACT Nowadays, along with the unstoppable development of worldwide economy, English is the global language which is recognized in over the world Therefore, English plays a vital role in studying as well as employees’ career paths It is like a bridge that helps you find a good job and bring a higher income A lot of companies from many countries directly invest in Vietnam, so numerous job opportunities can be approached to Vietnamese people, especially for newly- graduated students In fact, a lot of students in Vietnam have a very weak English proficiency after graduation Therefore, the fourth-year English students can cope with problems when using spoken language at work place This study aimed at enhancing the use of communication skills of the seniors at English Department,Thuongmai University During studying period at English Department, Thuongmai University, the researcher had a chance to access difficulties of students when using English to communicate Therefore, the researcher decided to choose the research “ A study on some difficulties in using spoken language at workplace of the fourth-year English majored students, Thuongmai University” ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the process of implementing the study, I have received a lot of essential help and valuable ideas from my teachers, family and friends This research can not be completed without the great assistance and encouragement from those people who all deserve my sincerest thanks and appreciation First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor Ms Pham Minh Hong who is truly enthusiastic for the valuable guidance and support With her precious advice and assistance, I was able to fulfill this thesis Secondly, I would like to thank all students and interviewees at English Department, Thuongmai University who involved in this thesis for their huge contribution Moreover, I hope to express my sincere gratitude to all lecturers at English Department, Thuongmai University I am really grateful for their dedication during year teaching and giving knowledge to all students The knowledge I have gained not only for the thesis but also a treasure for my entire life Finally, I would like to thank for the greatest support and encouragement from my family and friends, which played important roles in my graduation paper Hanoi, 23/04/2020 Student Nguyen Thi My TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Previous studies .8 1.3 Aims of the study .9 1.4 Research subjects 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.7 Organization of the study .10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 The growth of foreign investment overview in Vietnam in recent years 11 2.2 An overview of spoken language 11 2.2.1 The definition of spoken language 11 2.2.2 The characteristics of spoken language 12 2.2.3 The significance of speaking skills 13 2.2.4 The functions of speaking skills 14 2.2.5 The reality of employees’ English skills .15 2.3 Common problems of English speaking at workplace .15 2.3.1 Lack of environment 15 2.3.2 Lack of grammar and vocabulary .16 2.3.3 Lack of confidence .17 2.3.4 Lack of knowledge of different countries’ customs and cultures in the world 17 2.4 Employers’ English language requirements 18 2.5 Speaking activities at workplace 19 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS .20 3.1 Methodology 20 3.1.1 Research methodology .20 3.1.2 Research questions 21 3.1.3 Participants 21 3.1.4 Data collection instruments .22 3.2 Data analysis .22 3.3 The results of the study .23 3.3.1 The reality of using spoken language of the fourth-year English majored students at workplace 23 3.3.2 The survey questionnaire’s result 24 3.3.3 The interview’s result 30 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 33 4.1 Summary of the study 33 4.2 Possible solutions 33 4.2.1 Solutions for lecturers 33 4.2.2 Solutions for students 35 4.3 Recommendations and suggestions 37 4.4 Limitation of the study 38 4.5 Suggestions for further studies .39 CONCLUSION 40 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX I I The survey questionnaire I II The interview questions III LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviation TMU UN WTO Explaination Thuongmai University United Nations World Trade Organization LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS No Name Chart 3.1 Level of difficulty in English Page 28 spoken language Chart 3.2 The frequency of students’ 29 using spoken language at workplace Chart 3.3 Participants’ interest level of 30 speaking English at workplace Chart 3.4 The frequency of problems in 31 using English spoken language at workplace Chart 3.5 The purposes of using 32 Englishspoken language at workplace Chart 3.6 The effective ways to improve 33 English communication Table 3.1 The levels of English spoken 26 language of respondents Table 3.2 The confidence in English 27 communication of participants CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale We are living now in a period of international integration, along with the growth of information technology, English is deeply effecting not only in Business, Diplomacy but also in Education, Medicine and Technique,etc Therefore, English is necessary for everyone: children, employees, students, As for a developing country like Vietnam, English is more important to the growth of economy and society In 15 years recently, English has been included in the national curriculum for training from primary school to higher education However, how to speak English fluently is a common problem for learners The major challenge lays in the fact that most of Vietnamese students were trained to focus on grammar and vocabulary instead of speaking and listening At TMU these days, English is a compulsory subject for every department The university has its output standard in graduation regulation for students For English Department, the output standard is over 800 TOEIC or overIELTS 6.5 overall For the rest of other departments, the output is about 450 TOEIC To meet the requirement, students in every department have to spend more time learning and improving their English skills The university is willing to help students when they are building relationships among many foreign universities such as the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan and Taiwan,etc through student exchange programs Therefore, students have more opportunities to access the global environment and education to improve their English skills Nevertheless, the fact indicates that not everyone is good at English, especially speaking skills Not only general English learners but also English majored students The English majored students range from freshmen to seniors have difficulties in using spoken language They often fall into confusion when using English to communicate Because of the fact that they lack of confidence, the good learning method and the afraid of wrong words as well Another factor is the passive learning environment and the same boring lessons in class without extraactivities preventing them from practicing speaking English It will be harder for the fourth-year students when they start working at workplace This is the professional working environment with using English a lot It is considered that it is an essential issue to analyse to find out the causes and solutions to help them boost their speaking skills That is the main reason why I decided to choose the research “A study on some difficulties in using spoken language at workplace of the fourthyear English majored students, Thuongmai University” 1.2 Previous studies While working on this thesis, we have consulted some good ideas from writers who conducted the researcher about improving English speaking skills For instance, the research has been conducted by a small group of Ajloun National University (2016) They studied a research entitled “Improving English Language Speaking Skills of Ajloun National University Students” Their study aimed to enhance the oral communication skills (conversations) of ANU students Additionally, Natalia Rahayu (2015) launched the thesis “An Analysis of student’s problems in speaking English daily language program at Husnul Khotimah Islamic boarding school” The research indicated the internal and external problems and difficulties when speaking English of students From these challenges, the researcher gave solutions and suggestions from both of students and teachers Another study conducted by Nguyen Thi Dieu Huyen (Hai Phong University, 2009) She conducted a research entitled “A study on how to improve English speaking skill through extra-activities for the first year English non - major students in Hai Phong Private University” Her study is to help the first-year English nonmajor students at Hai Phong Private University improve their speaking skills through extra-activities and to prepare for them the basic knowledge of speaking skills with higher requirements for the next graders One more study conducted by Nguyen Thi Xoan ( Hanoi University of Industry, 2012) She launched a research “ A study on difficulties in learning speaking skills faced by non-English majored students at Hanoi University of Industry” In the research, she showed problems encountered by non-English majored students when learning speaking English and difficulties in teaching from teachers From that, the suggestion was came out There are some previous studies on how to improve English speaking skills All the studies show problems of learning speaking English and then find out solutions to improve it 1.3 Aims of the study The main purpose of the research is to examine and research the current situation of English speaking skills of the fourth-year students at English Department, TMU Also, it is intended to find out some problems they encounter in using spoken language at workplace then suggest some suitable solutions for them The study is aimed at answering questions: 1) What is the reality of using English speaking skills at workplace? 2) What are difficulties in using spoken language of the English fourth-year students, Thuongmai University at workplace? 3) Which possible recommendations for English seniors at Thuongmai University to improve their English speaking skills? 1.4 Research subjects The subject of research in this study is the fourth-year students of English Department, TMU and focuses mainly on some difficulties in using spoken language at workplace During four years at the university, the English seniors have been familiar with the shool’s curriculum, method of learning and teaching, the environment and especially they have learned a lot of subjects related to English skills such as Sementic, Translation, Interpreting, American and British Cultures, and Business English, Significantly, although they have opportunities to access English, they have difficulties in using spoken language not only at school but also at workplace As a result, the researcher decided to choose the study to point out problems of using English spoken language at workplace of the fourth-year English majored students and find out effective solutions to improve the current situation 1.5 Scope of the study Due to the time limitation, resources and knowledge as well as other conditions, the study focuses on finding out the problems of the fourth-year students at English Department, TMU then giving effective solutions for them to develop their English speaking skills Thus, the study is valuable for English students in general and all English learners in particular 1.6 Research methodology In the course of scientific research, research methodology is one of the important factors determining the success of a research paper Determining the right CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 4.1 Summary of the study English has a very effective status in a lot of fields such as economic, business, education,etc Therefore, the importance of English skills to the fourthyear English majored students is undeniable With the hope that finding difficulties and in using English spoken language at workplace and then giving suggested solutions, this research has been put into practice The purpose of the study is to show problems and challenges when using English to communicate at workplace of the fourth-year English students at TMU Currently, the newly-graduated are embarrassed, confused and making mistakes when using English spoken language at workplace, so the study becomes valuable and practical for English seniors The survey questionnaire method, the quantitative and qualititative method have been used to complete the research The questionnaires including 10 questions were given to 60 students from different classes at English Department, TMU and the interview consisting of questions had participants The results of the survey and interview indicated the fact that the fourth-year English students encountered difficulties and make mistakes in using spoken language at workplace and they have to improve their speaking skills 4.2 Possible solutions 4.2.1 Solutions for lecturers 4.2.1.1 Providing more interesting topics for students to boost participation Creating students’ joyfulness in studying is not an easy task, no matter what attenders are from eight grade or university students Moreover, speaking lessons seem to be a “burden” of students Therefore, it is harder for English teachers to draw student’s attention and participation in speaking classes When attending an English speaking lesson, students tend to be afraid, unconfident and nervous One of the major factors leading to this problem is that speaking topics given by teachers are difficult and unfamiliar with students For this reason, teachers should give more interesting topics in class to enhance students’ 36 participation and attention The topics can be related to the content inside the textbook but should not be too rough For instance, teachers may discover some short films, videos or newspapers involved the topics in the textbook It will be better if students feel familiar and interested in speaking topics in the text-book The teachers can adapt the topics in the textbook by making them more suitable, interesting and familiar to the students Sometimes, it is advisable to let students choose the topics they like to talk about Additionally, the teachers can give more creative topics outside the text-book to boost students’ creativity and improve their speaking self-study at home Besides, the given topics should be examined because it can make sure that the teachers concern about and not ignore it, and students spend more time completing them 4.2.1.2 Providing more opportunities for students to practice speaking Besides speaking activities in classroom, it is necessary for students to have more chances to practice speaking English The reseacher gives suggested recommendations following two factors: inside the classroom and outside the classroom First of all, teachers should provide more opportunities for students to practice speaking in class by giving home tasks about social issues such as love, part-time job, music and movies, some topics that can create students’ interest The teachers could spend about 10 minutes per lesson calling them to express themselves Moreover, the teachers should divide the class into small groups then give them speaking topics to prepare short presentations in front of the class before lecturing Secondly, more English extra-activities could be organized outside the classroom For example, speaking contests can be held to develop not only student’s critical thinking but also English speaking skills In addition, seminars or forming an English speaking club and film- making contests at the school to involve each student in an English speaking atmosphere Take a real example from English Department at TMU in 2018, the department organized a competition called “ English Olympic Contest” to improve student’s English speaking skills Also, students are encouraged to take part in “English Olympic” every year These are interesting and valuable activities that need to encourage 37 Because 50 minutes for each speaking period is short for students to practice English Joining in those activities, the students will form a habit to speak English and an awareness of the importance of English language From that, they can improve their speaking skills by effective ways 4.2.1.3 Helping students to become efficient and confident speakers Although the English seniors have used this language very much, they find it challenging when speaking English because of a lack of confidence For this reason, teachers have difficulty in teaching or transferring speaking skills Therefore, the teachers should support the students to become more efficient and confident when using spoken language First of all, the teachers need to provide students with as much practice as possible because practice will help students prepare and use more speaking skills Thus, they are flexible and better Also, the teachers should point out the mistakes that are made by the students so that they can learn a lesson Besides, the teachers had better give praise and encouragement when they well so that they have no fear to speak To sum up, to improve the quality of teaching and learning, the teachers should help students build confidence, it is a key to speaking English 4.2.2 Solutions for students 4.2.2.1 Putting English speaking habit into practice daily The major challenge affecting the speaking performance lays in the fact that the time limitation to practice Therefore, students should actively self-study speaking English at home because the time for each of them is not enough in class There are many effective and interesting ways to improve speaking skills at home that they can learn without teachers’ instruction From the researcher’s perspective , most of the foreign learners are unwilling to practice speaking every day They could be hard-working to learn grammar, vocabulary but speaking is difficult to practice day by day Because of this reason, their speaking skills are not better Therefore, students should put speaking English into practice daily This can cause unwillingness and bore for the first time, but it is the best way to improve speaking performance For instance, learners could choose 38 English movies or videos which they like to watch, the native accent will make you desire to shadow sometimes From that, they can shadow any favourite speechmakers Setting up daily English speaking practice is truly urgent for every student because English spoken language needs to be reviewed day by day to be fluently and improved 4.2.2.2 Trying to look for extracurricular activities related to English speaking skills As the researcher mentioned before, taking part in extracurricular activities related to English will help advance English speaking skills It is powerful and suitable for young people to develop personal skills The young should join as much as they can because of the advantages they bring to them These are some effective extra-activities that the researcher discovered during implementing this study First of all, joining English clubs at universities or off-campus This activity is pretty familiar with most of the students English clubs may boost your desire to learn English because you could find satisfactory partners to practice speaking English and enhance your reflex Having a partner could encourage you to improve speaking skills more than self-study Moreover, you can learn many valuable things from partners who experienced different things and you could not be gained at school Secondly, taking part-time jobs related to English is a good way to practice speaking English These are the jobs that you can access an English speaker Some part-time jobs you can look for are teaching assistants, cashiers, order takers or servers, You could have more opportunities to approach to English communication through those jobs Another amusing and challenging activity is guiding tours With the job, you can extremely have chances to access a lot of foreigners, not only English native speakers but also people who use English as a second language From this, you could be flexible to use English spoken language Additionally, you also have opportunities to learn about other cultures in the world from tourists It is really precious for your knowledge and speaking skills because understanding cultures can help you a lot in communicating with foreigners 39 Finally, if you have enough condition, you should dare yourself by applying for the UN projects They usually call volunteers for their multinational charity projects It can be the most extraordinary and remarkable experience If you could pass the interview, you would have the greatest chance to experience wonderful things 4.2.2.3 Find out the suitable method of learning Practicing English speaking skills almost depends on yourself, so finding out a suitable learning method for yourself is very essential There are various interesting ways to improve your English speaking at home One of the most well-known methods is shadowing Speech shadowing is an advanced language learning technique The idea is simple: you listen to someone speaking and you repeat what they say in real-time, with as little delay as possible You can open any English, American movies that you like In general, people usually prefer speechmakers You should choose some free sources such as Youtube, Ted Talk, English Speeches, that have English subtitles and it is easy for learners to follow Learning speaking English through applications such as Cambly, Duolingo, Skype, With some paid applications as Cambly, learners can directly talk 1:1 to English supervisors By online learning speaking, you can organize flexible time and have a quiet space to learn One more advantage is a lower fee, it will be reasonable payment for practicing English speaking skills The two learning methods above are listed as common ways for English learners There are a lot of other interesting methods you can discover for yourself Finding out a suitable method for improving speaking English is very important because it will make you better day by day 4.3 Recommendations and suggestions To be able to adapt to the current economic growth situation and you are moving into the world of fierce competition of searching jobs, the fourth-year English majored students at TMU need to improve English skills It is necessary for every student to enhance flexibility in using English spoken language Here are some solutions that can be applied to improve the current status: 40 First of all, each student should raise awareness of practicing English skills, especially practice speaking at home Because of the limited time in class, students should actively look for a suitable method of learning and self-study at home You could try on those methods and find out the fitting one for yourself There are a lot of advantages brought from self-study that you only discover by yourself, not from other’s As for the teachers, to help students, besides classroom activities, the teachers need to organize outdoor activities to attract students’ participation The students had better have more chances to access to actual jobs It is suggested that the department should cooperate with the tour agencies to create opportunities for students to approach professional jobs and improve their English speaking skills The teacher’s attitude contributes to student’s motivation and participation in class Sometimes, friendliness and sense of humor will attract student’s attention during whole lessons and avoid the boredom, lack of concentration from students Besides, the coursebook should be designed more interesting, easier and more familiar with students Sometimes, the speaking topics in the text-book are too difficult and academic for students to discuss Also, the coursebook needs to be improved and republished every year to upgrade the latest information for each course 4.4 Limitation of the study Although the research has had certain strong points and has been consulted from documentary and other sources,there are many errors, mistakes, weaknesses and some unexpected factors, and the researcher’s ability still existed due to lack of sources, the limitation of time and knowledge Firstly, since the limited condition, the survey questionnaire and interview could not be conducted more students Therefore, the result of the study can still remain limit Besides, the researcher could not cover all the aspects of difficulties Finally, the suggested solutions given by the researcher are still restricted and existing shortcomings due to the narrow knowledge 41 Despite the extant limitation, the researcher hopes that this study will contribute better to raise and improve speaking skills of the fourth-year English majored students at TMU 4.5 Suggestions for further studies In light of the scope and duration of the research, the topic could not yet exploit all of the aspects of the problem Hence, here are some research proposals for future topics that can delve more fully and deeply into the issue, and the readers will have a comprehensive observation in using English spoken language at workplace The topics in the future can develop the English majored students such as: improve students’ English speaking skills outside class, how to enhance confidence in performing speaking skills Besides, the grammar, lexical errors are the topics that need digging deeper There are still a lot of other aspects such as how to improve communication skills difficulties in learning translation and interpreting, etc These are the suggested issues for future researches 42 CONCLUSION The research aimed at investigating the problems that the fourth-year English majored students experienced and to detect the difficulties in using English spoken language at workplace Based on the survey questionnaire method and quantitative method, it can be concluded that English spoken language is really important at workplace and students should improve their English skills to meet the requirements The result of the study represented that the main factors influence the speaking performance such as lack of confidence, lack of favourable learning environment and vocabulary From such inhibiting factors for seniors’ speaking skills in the current study, various suggestions are proposed as follows For this reason, the researcher made a choice to deal with both teachers and students at TMU to improve the problems The researcher hopes that those suggested solutions would help to enhance the weaknesses of English speaking skills Shortcomings, mistakes and limited knowledge are unavoidable, so the reseacher will be very grateful if the study receives positive, contributing comments and ideas to make the research better Also, the reseacher hopes that the study would help for English learners in general and English students in particular 43 REFERENCES Xuân Vịnh (TTXVN Tại Singapore), “Việt Nam trở thành điểm sáng thu hút đầu tư Đông Nam Á”, BNews Abdel-Rahman Al-Eiadeh, International Journal of English and Education, Volum Issue 3, July 2016 Brooks & Kempe (2012) Language Development Bygate, M (1987), Speaking, Oxford: OUP Bygate, M (1991), Speaking, Oxford: OUP Cambridge English, University of Cambridge (2016) English at Work: global analysis of language skills in the workplace Cambridge English Language Assessment English VOV (2010), Vietnam as WTO member – advantages and challenges Gillian Brown and George Yule ( 1999), Teaching the Spoken Language, Cambridge University Press Harry Hoemann (1986) Introduction to American sign language 10 Jack C Richards Teaching Listening and Speaking: From Theory to Practice Cambridge University Press 2008 New York P.21 11 M.A.K Halliday (1989), Spoken and Written language, Oxford University Press 12 Natalia Rahayu (2015), An Analysis of Students’ Problems in Speaking English Daily Language Program at Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding School, IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon Repository 13 Nguyễn Thị Diệu Huyền (2009), A study on how to improve English speaking skill through extra- Activities for the first year English non - major students in Hai Phong private University, hpu.edu.vn 14 Nguyễn Thị Xoan (2012), A study on difficulties in learning speaking skills faced by non-English majored students at Hanoi University of Industry, text.123doc.vn 44 15 Nora Groce (1985) Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard 16 Wenli Tsou, Associate professor, Improving Speaking Skills Through Instruction in Oral Classroom Participation 17 http://doanthanhnien.vn/tin-tuc/hoi-sinh-vien-viet-nam/tham-luan-sinhvien-voi-viec-hoc-tap-ngoai-ngu -thuc-trang-va-giai-phap 18 http://philenglish.vn/tin-tuc/tin-hoat-dong/0B0007/trinh-do-noi-tieng-anho-dong-nam-a.aspx 19 https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/147421711.pdf 20 https://edu2review.com/reviews/viet-nam-xep-thu-may-trong-khu-vuc-vetrinh-do-tieng-anh-1302.html 21 https://e-talk.vn/tam-quan-trong-cua-tieng-anh-trong-doanh-nghiep/ 22 https://oxford.edu.vn/goc-tieng-anh/hoc-tieng-anh-cung-oxford/tam-quantrong-cua-tieng-anh-voi-the-he-hoc-sinh-sinh-vien-viet-nam-810.html 23 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306079718_Improving_English_ Language_Speaking_Skills_of_Ajloun_National_University_Students 24 https://www.wikihow.vn/T%E1%BA%A1o-%C4%90%E1%BB%99ng-l %E1%BB%B1c-cho-H%E1%BB%8Dc-sinh 25 https://x3english.com/hoc-ngu-phap-tieng-anh/ 45 APPENDIX I The survey questionnaire THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ENGLISH SENIORS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Full name: Your class: Question 1:How you rate your level of spoken language?  Not good  Good enough  Good  Competent Question 2: Do you have confidence in English communicating?  Yes  No  Maybe Question 3: What you think of difficulties in English spoken language?  Easy  Normal  Difficult  Very difficult Question 4: What you think about speaking topics in classroom? Write your Question 5: How often you use spoken language at workplace?  Often  Sometimes answer:  Seldom  Never Question 6: How you like speaking English at workplace?  Not interested/  Not really like  Like  Really like Question 7: How often you have problems in using English spoken language at workplace?  Always  Often  Sometimes  Rarely  Never Question 8:In your opinion, what is the most important barrier in using English spoken language at workplace? Write your answer: Question 9: At workplace, what you use English for?  Persuading customers  Giving feedback  Informal work-related discussion  Informal, social conversation  Networking, instructing, explaining and demonstrating  Other : Question 10: Tick the ways which you consider effectively to improve English spoken language?  Take part in English clubs  Communicate with foreigners  Practice with movies and music  Others II.The interview questions Question 1: What factors can impact your speaking performance? Write your answer: Question 2:How often you have chances to participate in extracurricular activities to improve speaking English? What kinds of activities? Write your answer: Question 3:At workplace, what is the biggest difficulty when using English spoken language you encounter? Write your answer: ... conclusions based on the data analysis 3.3 The results of the study 3.3.1 The reality of using spoken language of the fourth-year English majored students at workplace The researchers indicated that... Question 8: In your opinion, what is the biggest barrier in using English spoken language at workplace? Two-thirds of the respondents show that the major barrier in using English spoken language at. .. together in communicating, negotiation, transaction and other purposes of their business in the period of integration Reading comprehension in English is essential for maintaining professional