This article is intended to present findings from recent research concerning trends in teaching English skills to meet the needs of workplace communication, discuss the current situati[r]
Trang 11 INTRODUCTION
It is universally accepted that nowadays English
serves as an important tool for people to enhance
knowledge via huge sources of information;
facilitate successful career; and satisfy the needs
to travel and to explore different cultures in the
world Thus, universities in Vietnam have placed
strong emphasis on improving English proficiency
for students to participate in global labor
market To equip students with future job skills,
Vietnamese curricula in English normally focus
on formal presentation, email writing, negotiation
skills, telephoning skills, etc However, recent
research indicates that these traditional skills
PHẠM THỊ TỐ LOAN *
* Đại học Thương Mại , ✉phamtoloan84@yahoo.com
Ngày nhận bài: 24/8/2017; ngày hoàn thiện: 12/10/2017; ngày duyệt đăng: 15/11/2017
XU HƯỚNG DẠY TIẾNG ANH ĐÁP ỨNG
NHU CẦU GIAO TIẾP NƠI CÔNG SỞ TRÊN THẾ GIỚI: MỘT SỐ KHUYẾN NGHỊ
CHO VIỆT NAM
TÓM TẮT
Trong thời đại ngày nay, tiếng Anh là một công cụ đắc lực giúp con người nâng cao trình độ, trao đổi hợp tác với đồng nghiệp trên phạm vi toàn cầu và mang đến cơ hội thành công trong sự nghiệp Vì vậy, các trường đại học ở Việt Nam đã luôn nỗ lực và chú trọng nâng cao kỹ năng tiếng Anh cho sinh viên với mong muốn đáp ứng yêu cầu của thị trường lao động trong thời kỳ hội nhập Tuy nhiên, chương trình và phương pháp dạy tiếng Anh hiện tại vẫn còn nhiều bất cập Do
đó, bài báo này sẽ cung cấp thông tin từ các nghiên cứu gần đây nhất về xu hướng dạy tiếng Anh đáp ứng nhu cầu giao tiếp trong công việc trên thế giới; trình bày thực trạng dạy và học tiếng Anh
ở Việt Nam, từ đó đưa ra các khuyến nghị cho các trường đại học ở Việt Nam nhằm nâng cao kỹ năng tiếng Anh giao tiếp nơi công sở cho sinh viên
Từ khóa: tiếng Anh công sở, toàn cầu hóa, nhu cầu, đại học, giao tiếp
are not sufficient enough and more skills such
as interaction and socialization are needed in workforce contexts Specifically, students are encouraged to master communication strategies like displaying cultural sensitivity, establishing and maintaining relationships at work (Forey & Nunan, 2002) For example, participants should actively discuss and express their ideas with colleagues properly in the meeting rather than making their own presentation without any further interaction In addition, teamwork skill also plays
a crucial role at the workplace Employees are expected to be fully aware of cultural differences
in a global context regardless of ages, linguistics, identities, and cultural backgrounds; as a result,
Trang 2they can communicate with those who do not share
their first language and culture As such, learning
workplace English in an integrated world requires
both teachers and students to make changes in
response to international trends so that our students
will confidently become global citizens and
participate in the world’s labor market This article
is intended to present the world’s latest trends in
recent studies on teaching and learning English at
workplace contexts, then some recommendations
are put forth for Vietnamese context
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Needs analysis in English language
teaching
Needs analysis is used to identify and evaluate
the needs of a target group, thereby make the
right decision in human services and education
(Mc Killip, 1987) In this process, it highlights
the relevance of the existing problems and the
solutions to improve the situation Brown (1995)
also states that need analysis can be used to collect
and analyze necessary information to meet the
language learning requirements of the students in
a particular learning context Apparently, needs
analysis in English language teaching plays a
vital role since knowing about students’ needs
is one of the best ways to help them improve
their target language As a result, it is necessary
to be aware of learners’ needs when designing
courses and lesson objectives (Long, 2005) For
instance, learners’ need vary greatly for students
from various disciplines such as information
technology, business, tourism, etc Obviously,
each group requires English for different skills and
lexicons When needs are identified, it is described
in terms of goals and objectives which serve as the
foundation to design teaching activities, materials
and tests (Iwai, 1999) Thus, needs analysis helps
students become engaged in the lesson as they will
be motivated to learn the language that is relevant
to their needs
2.2 English usages to meet the needs of communication at work
Apparently, globalization has brought about significant changes in business, industry and other professions in the 21st century The noticeable changes include: interdependency of economies among different countries, international outsourcing, increased immigrant workers, worldwide collaboration in developing products and services According to Groddol (2006), to make successful collaboration at a world scale, people often use English as a lingua franca (a common language between speakers whose native languages are different) For this reason, many studies have been conducted to investigate the needs of using English at workplace and the necessary English skills in the 21st Century
Regarding the needs of using English at work, employers are in favor of staff with high English proficiency as English is the common language used in international business Employees
in multinational companies are expected to communicate in English with clients and colleagues from different countries in the world Pinon and Haydon (2010) state that high English level enables a nation’s labor force to participate successfully in the world market and attracts more foreign investment Grin (2010) affirms that employees proficient in English are inclined to have 12% higher income in comparison with those who are not
In addition, the rapid development of technology implies that apart from expertise, it is necessary for the workforce to equip themselves with skills and knowledge to solve various tasks in their jobs These skills include problem solving, effective communication, teamwork skills, technological skills, creativity, and critical thinking Due to the fact that English is the common language of communication worldwide, students are expected to apply the above-mentioned skills
in English in their future job
Apparently, English in the globalization
Trang 3era is not a separate subject at school and it is
necessary to combine English with other skills
in order to meet the needs of careers in the 21st
century Employees use English to communicate
and collaborate with customers and colleagues;
organize and analyze information; make decision;
update new technology; explore cultures and
develop themselves Recently, theory about the use
of English at workplace communication has been
added a new skill: intercultural communication
Globalization trend has created opportunities
to communicate and exchange information
among different cultures; therefore, intercultural
communication has become an indispensable part
of contemporary society Cultural barriers from
different places in the world will be eliminated
and collaboration will be nurtured with the use of
English and intercultural awareness
Moreover, researchers posit that English
should be accompanied by technological skills It
is important for people to combine these two skills
in order to communicate in a world that the borders
between the real and the virtual, and the distances
in space are gradually blurred (Collier, 2007)
In fact, apart from face-to-face communication,
modern technology has made it possible to have
meeting via Skype, video conferencing, blogs, etc
Thus, with these new forms of communication,
educators are required to update English curricula
and teaching methods in response to the demand
of future jobs
In short, English language teaching in the
new era not only focuses on language skills but
it also requires sets of other skills to facilitate
communication in future jobs Policy makers,
curriculum and material designers, teachers, and
administrators in Vietnam should take these needs
into account to equip students with confidence and
competences in their future jobs
3 THE CASE OF TEACHING AND
LEARNING ENGLISH IN VIETNAM TO
MEET THE NEED OF WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATION
3.1 The current situation of English teaching in Vietnam
Currently, many existing problems in English teaching and learning at universities are thought
to result in low English level of Vietnamese students Specifically, curricula and syllabus of General English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) mainly focus on grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension and translation (Do, 2010) It is noted that speaking and listening are also integrated in course books; however, due to big class size and limited learning duration, these communicative tasks are frequently skipped (Lam, 2011) Additionally, according to Hoang (2008) syllabuses are taken entirely from foreign course books or compiled from many different books and they are used in a long period of time, thereby the knowledge and content of the lessons are mostly outdated There is a lack of learning materials which simulate workplace communication and teachers depend solely on the monotonous text books (Duong, 2013) Moreover, classroom facilities are poorly equipped and seat-arrangements are not properly organized to encourage interaction and communication among students Hoang (2008) also states that EFL teachers at universities in Vietnam lack experience and knowledge on teaching ESP, therefore, they are unable to deliver the lessons satisfactorily They also have few chances to study other disciplines (for example: finance and banking, accounting, Information technology, etc.)
to equip themselves with necessary knowledge
to teach ESP Besides, due to class size, teachers rarely pay attention to students’ autonomy and communicative competence in class Another demotivating factor is concerned with the lack
of real environment for students to communicate
in English More importantly, mid-term and end-of-term tests for non-English major students are designed in the form of reading (Hoang, 2008) As
a result, students hardly reserve time for practicing communication in English which leads to their limited English ability when they participate in the real world of work
Trang 43.2 Graduate students’ English level in
Vietnam
As there are many problems in teaching and
learning English, graduate students’ English level
are said to be substandard which makes Vietnamese
workers less competitive in the international
market (Duong, 2013)
In the first place, the most common complaint
of employers is concerned with limited English
capability in understanding and expressing their
ideas in English in job interviews As stated by
employers, many students have good knowledge
of their profession; however, due to low English
proficiency, they miss the chance to get accepted
to the company In fact, what employers seek from
applicants are professional knowledge, English
language, IT and other soft skills (Duong, 2013)
Furthermore, once accepted to a company,
a number of students are unable to approach
international high-quality training due to their
low English proficiency These training sessions
are usually conducted in English with the aims of
updating new trends, knowledge and expertise
Those who are bad at English deprive themselves
of the possibilities to go abroad, broaden their
mind, and develop professionally (Nguyen, 2010)
Finally, as university syllabuses rarely offer
opportunities for students to communicate in
English involving different linguistic and cultural
backgrounds, graduate students lack confidence
in expressing themselves with overseas clients
and foreign colleagues In the globalization era
where people use English as a common language
for communication with the outside world, people
with English incompetence will be left behind
(Hoang, 2008)
In short, the quality of teaching and learning
English at Vietnamese universities and the
substandard English proficiency of graduate
students indicate that there is a gap between the
real needs of the market and university training
programs Thus, policy makers, curriculum
developers, administrators, and teachers should
pay adequate attention to the quality of English teaching to meet the demand of workplace communication
4 SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UNIVERSITIES IN VIETNAM
From the trends of the English usages at workplace communication in the globalization era, and the status quo of teaching English at Vietnamese universities, the article will propose some suggestions to design curricula, teaching materials and methodologies to meet the requirements of 21st century careers
In the first place, English curricula should
take job skills into account After graduation, it is likely that many students will work for national
or multinational companies in Vietnam Students will be required to use English in accordance with their majors from different aspects such as law, economics, tourism and hospitality, etc Thus, instead of merely focusing on vocabulary, grammar, reading and translation skills, it is necessary to teach English skills which meet the needs of students’ future jobs To this end, universities should apply English medium instruction (EMI) programs to teach courses like law, economics, tourism, etc
in English to enhance students’ language ability and their expertise at the same time Besides, project-based learning is an effective approach which assists students to practice English and job skills in the real workplace situations For example, in Business English, project-based tasks like exchanging e-mails in English to respond
to business partners’ requests, team meeting via Skype or video conferencing with colleagues from different countries to discuss business strategies, etc will strengthen students’ confidence in using English in their later working lives
In addition, intercultural communication is a
vital element in today’s workplace since nowadays, more and more people from different countries and cultures cooperate and work together As a result, intercultural situations should be presented
in English lessons as linguistic and discourse
Trang 5knowledge alone are no longer sufficient for
successful communication However, it is likely
that few English teachers have rich knowledge
and experience of the diversity of multicultural
workplace situations (Hoang, 2008) Therefore,
teachers should take advantage of the Internet,
YouTube, newspapers, and magazines as authentic
materials to get students familiarized with
real-world situations Besides, another practical method
employed by America and European countries is
the exchange programs in which domestic students
have internships abroad with a view to gaining
real experience in different cultures Students
spend three to twelve months in another country
to improve English and enhance knowledge about
economics, society and culture of the nation
Moreover, as previously mentioned, teamwork
and collaboration skills play a vital role in today’s
workplace; however, there are few chances
for students to practice in pair work and group
work due to big class size It is therefore worth
maximizing communication by reducing the
number of students in English class and changing
the class setting Small class size gives all students
the opportunities to perform in front of class
and receive detailed feedback from teachers In
addition, class seating arrangement like U-shape
and cluster seating (students seat in groups) should
replace traditional rows to facilitate interaction
among members in class
Besides, it is also noticeable that the omission
of oral test in mid-term and end-of-term test of
non-English major students leads to their demotivation
in improving speaking skill Thus, university
administrators should incorporate speaking skill in
these two tests When students frequently practice
speaking for the test, they can enhance their
English competence which in turn helps them gain
confidence at workplace communication
Finally, it is apparent that teachers are the
agents of changes in English curricula to respond
to the needs of teaching and learning English at
workplace communication Therefore, special
attention should be given to pre-service teacher
training programs as well as in-service teacher professional development Both programs should necessarily update current trends in learning and teaching English for job skills
5 CONCLUSION
There is a tendency that English for communication at workplace nowadays no longer focuses on how to write a formal email, make
a formal presentation or conduct a successful negotiation A global citizen is expected to use English effectively in informal situations and apply different skills such as teamwork skills, technological skills, intercultural communication, etc to establish and maintain relationships with colleagues and clients globally Hence, universities
in Vietnam should keep up with this trend to develop courses and syllabuses in response to the rigorous demand of today’s international labor market By doing so, Vietnamese students will definitely have English competence and expertise
to work on a global scale./
References:
1 Dương Thị Anh (2013), Nghiên cứu đánh giá
năng lực nghe tiếng Anh của sinh viên khối ngành không chuyên (Nghiên cứu trường hợp Đại học
Phương Đông), Luận văn thạc sỹ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội, Viện Đảm bảo chất lượng giáo dục
2 Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Báu (2010), Nâng cao
năng lực giao tiếp cho sinh viên tiếng Anh thương mại năm II: Nhu cầu và khuyến nghị Retrieved
from <http://www.kh-sdh.udn.vn/zipfiles/22 tbGHP1/08.4.r.Hoang%20Bau-T.pdf>
3 Đỗ Thị Xuân Dung, Cái Ngọc Duy Anh (2010), “Dạy và học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành trong tình hình mới: Thách thức và giải pháp” Tạp chí
Khoa học, Đại học Huế, số 60, tr.31-41.
4 Hoàng Văn Vân, Lâm Quang Đông, Trần
Hữu Hiển, Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa (2008), Nghiên
cứu phát triển hệ thống các nhóm nội dung và phương pháp giảng dạy, nâng cao năng lực tiếng Anh cho sinh viên đại học và học viên cao học ở Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội đáp ứng nhu cầu hội
Trang 6nhập khu vực và toàn cầu hóa, Đề tài trọng điểm
cấp đại học Quốc gia, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội
5 Brown JD (1995), The elements of language
curriculum: A systematic approach to program
development Heinle and Heinle
6 Clagett C A (1997), Workforce skills
needed by todays’ employers Market Analysis
Largo, MD: Prince George’s community College,
Office of Institutional research analysis Clark
7 Collier L (2007), The shift to 21 st
century literacies The Council Chronicle,
4-8, Accessed on August 18th 2017,
Retrieved from <http://lornacollier.com/
The+Shift+to+21st+Century+Literacies.pdf>
8 Forey G & Nunan, D (2002), “The role
of language and culture within the accountancy
workplace” In C Barron, N Bruce & D Nunan
Knowledge and discourse: Towards an ecology of
language, pp 204-216 Pearson.
9 Graddol D (2006), English next: Why global
English may mean the end of English as a foreign
language British Council.
10 Grin F (2010), “English as economic
value: Facts and fallacies”, World Englishes, 20(1), pp.65-78.
11 Iwai T., Kondo K., Lim D., Ray G., Shimizu
H & Brown J D (1999), Japanese language needs
analysis National Language Resource Center.
12 Long M (2005), Second language needs
analysis Cambridge University Press
13 McKillip J (1987), Need Analysis: Tools
for the Human Service and Education Applied
Social Research Methods Series, Volume 10 Sage
Publications
14 Pinon R & Haydon J (2010), The benefits of
the English language for individuals and societies: Quantitative indicators from Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Pakistan Euromonitor
International
15.<http://m.english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/ education/159027/poor-english-skills-challenge-vietnamese-students.html>, truy cập ngày 19-8-2017
GLOBAL TRENDS IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO MEET THE NEEDS
OF WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION: RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR VIETNAMESE CONTEXT
PHAM THI TO LOAN Abstract: Nowadays, English serves as an important tool for people to enhance their knowledge,
communicate with colleagues worldwide, and achieve success in their career Thus, Vietnamese universities have made a lot of efforts to increase students’ English proficiency with the purpose of meeting the needs of labor market on a global scale However, curricula and methods in teaching English are still unsatisfactory and many changes should be made This article is intended to present findings from recent research concerning trends in teaching English skills to meet the needs of workplace communication, discuss the current situation of teaching English in Vietnam, then put forward some recommendations for Vietnamese universities to improve student’s English communication at work
Keywords: workplace English, globalization, needs, university, communication
Received: 24/8/2017; Revised: 12/10/2017; Accepted for publication: 15/11/2017