Winnie Cheng. Department of English The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Transcription

1 Learning English through Workplace Communication: The teaching of interpersonal communication Winnie Cheng Department of English The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 14 th Annual International TESOL Conference 2015 TESOL Asia/ Asian EFL Journal August 2015 Site Skills Training, Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga, Philippines 1

2 Importance of workplace communication Personal level Misunderstanding between workers Organizational level Decreased overall productivity Industrial and societal level Impeded growth 2

3 Relevant research studies

4 Relevant research studies

5 Relevant materials 5

6 The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) A three-year senior secondary curriculum Since September 2009 English Language, one of the four core subjects (the others being Chinese Language, Mathematics, and Liberal Studies): an application-oriented elective module of English language Learning English through Workplace Communication 6

7 Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), 7

8 English Language curriculum: Overall aims 1. To provide every learner of English with further opportunities for extending their knowledge and experience of the cultures of other people as well as opportunities for personal and intellectual development, further studies, pleasure and work in the English medium 2. To enable every learner to prepare for the changing socio-economic demands which include the interpretation, use and production of texts for pleasure, study and work in the English medium 8

9 English Language Education Key Learning Area (KLA): Curriculum framework Comprises a set of interlocking components: 1. Subject knowledge and skills (learning targets in the Interpersonal, Knowledge and Experience Strands and learning objectives) 2. Generic skills 3. Positive values and attitudes 9

10 Senior Secondary English Language Curriculum: Design Both compulsory and elective parts include the learning of English Language in the Interpersonal, Knowledge and Experience Strands. Both comprise the same learning objectives. 10

11 Elective part Eight extension modules which reinforce different aspects of English Language learning (about 25% of lesson time) Take three modules, at least one from each group Language Arts Learning English through Drama Learning English through Short Stories Learning English through Poems and Songs Learning English through Popular Culture Non-Language Arts Learning English through Sports Communication Learning English through Debating Learning English through Social Issues Learning English through Workplace Communication 11

12 Lam, P. W. Y., Cheng, W. & Kong, K. C. C. (2014). Learning English through workplace communication: An evaluation of existing resources in Hong Kong. English for Specific Purposes, 34,

13 Research questions (Lam, Cheng & Kong, 2014) 1. What are the most frequent spoken and written professional genres in the teaching and learning resources and how do they compare with those in the actual professional settings in Hong Kong as revealed by published research? 2. How are the most representative spoken and written professional genres presented and realized in the resources and how do they compare with those in the actual professional settings as revealed by published research? 13

14 Commercial textbooks 14

15 Commercial textbook Resource package by Education Bureau 15

16 Learning English through Workplace Communication: Learning Targets To develop learners ability to: establish and maintain relationships and routines in the workplace context Ÿproduce or exchange a range of workplace-related messages, both oral and written Ÿanalyse, organise, integrate and present information, messages and views with suitable reasoning and strategies, and produce texts appropriate to the purpose, context and audience in the workplace Ÿidentify and define problems from given information, explore and discuss options, and solve the problems Ÿunderstand how the English language functions in work-related contexts and apply this understanding to their learning and use of the language in real life 16

17 The present study (Cheng, Lam & Kong) (1/3) Rationale: Little is known about how much and how effectively school curriculum design and materials writing have prepared students for interpersonal communication and building and maintaining interpersonal relationships in the workplace. 17

18 The present study (Cheng, Lam & Kong) (2/3) Aims: Based on a systematic content analysis of the same four resources, to evaluate whether the resources provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills and linguistic means to achieve effective interpersonal communication in the workplace with reference to published research findings regarding the dynamics and complexities of the actual workplace interactions on the interpersonal level. 18

19 The present study (Cheng, Lam & Kong) (3/3) Research questions: 1. What are the most frequent linguistic devices for interpersonal meaning taught in the (written and spoken) workplace genres in the resources? 2. How do the resources teach interpersonal language and strategies in different workplace genres? 3. How do the findings compare to published research findings? 19

20 Interpersonal language in the workplace A corpus-based study of relational aspects of workplace discourse, despite its overall transactional aspect (Koester, 2010) Corpus of American and British Office Talk (ABOT Corpus) (34,000 words): 66 conversations Offices: a variety of organizations and business sectors, including higher education, publishing, the paper trade, advertising and retail Koester, A. (2010). Workplace discourse. London: Continuum. 20

21 Four areas of interpersonal meaning (Koester, 2010: ) 1. Expressing stance: evaluating, making judgments, giving opinions language used: modal verbs, conditionals, idioms, evaluative adjectives 2. Hedging and expressing politeness language used: modal verbs and adverbs, vague language, past tense, informal lexical item 3. Showing and building shared knowledge language used: Interactive expressions (you know, of course), vague language (stuff, sort of, things like that) 4. Showing empathy and solidarity language used: evaluative adjectives and idioms, emotive verbs (like, love), positive feedback signals (Great!), interactive expressions, colloquialisms and idioms, humour 21

22 (1) Expressing stance In view of the evaluative nature of much workplace discourse, expressing stance is a key interpersonal skill and can be used for both transactional and relational purposes. they express the speaker s subjective views and opinions, rather than ideational (informational) content (Halliday 1978). (Koester, 2010: ) 22

23 (2) Hedging and expressing politeness In directives and requests (p. 157) 23

24 (3) Showing and building shared knowledge Vague language and interactive expressions: you and I both know what we are talking about, a certain degree of familiarity and informality between the speakers (Koester, 2010: 158) Vague language more frequent in unidirectional genres, such as procedural discourse and briefing, where the focus is on facts and information 24

25 (4) Showing empathy and solidarity Teaching material has largely neglected solidarity strategies (p. 158) 25

26 Interpersonal language in the workplace (Koester, 2010: 158) The prevalence of interpersonal language in workplace discourse A first step to syllabus and materials design is to identify the key linguistic devices used in each of these four areas of interpersonal language Teaching interpersonal strategies may seem challenging, as they involve indirect and subtle uses of language which could be complex for learners to master. However, they are frequently expressed through conventionalized phrases and expressions, such as I just wanted to, you know, I think, I mean, sort of, if you, and things like that (Handford, 2007) 26

27 Method of study: Four stages 1. Identified and classified the linguistic devices in the four resources, using Koester s (2010) classification of four major areas of interpersonal meaning for workplace discourse. 2. Examined the linguistic devices in the resources quantitatively 3. Classified the linguistic devices: spoken or written workplace genres teaching points, examples, samples, tasks 4. Examined qualitatively the linguistic devices, and their functions, used in the most representative written and spoken workplace genres 27

28 Table 1. Resources examined Author Year of publication Publisher EDB 2009 Brooke, M. Longman 2010 Kingsley, P. Oxford 2009 Pilgrim, J. Pilot 2010 Esser, D. & Chan, G.

29 Research questions 1. What are the most frequent linguistic devices for interpersonal meaning taught in the (written and spoken) workplace genres in the resources? 2. How do the resources teach interpersonal language and strategies in different workplace genres? 3. How do the findings compare to published research findings? 29

30 Table 2. Linguistic devices in four areas of interpersonal meaning in four teaching resources Area Expressing stance: evaluating, making judgements, giving opinions Linguistic devices Frequency EDB (Brooke, 2009) Longman (Kingsley, 2010) Oxford (Pilgrim, 2009) Pilot (Esser & Chan, 2010) Modal verbs Conditionals Idioms Evaluative adjectives Total Hedging and expressing politeness Showing and building shared knowledge Showing empathy and solidarity: expressing agreement, positive evaluation Sub-total ,025 Modal verbs and adverbs Vague language Past tense Sub-total Interactive expressions Vague language Sub-total Evaluative adjectives and idioms Emotive verbs Positive feedback signals Colloquialisms and idioms Humour Sub-total Total ,409

31 Findings 1. Expressing stance (72.75%) 2. Expressing hedging and politeness (26.19%) 3. Showing empathy and solidarity (0.99%) 4. Showing and building shared knowledge (0.07%) 1. Pilot (46.63%) 2. Oxford (27.11%) 3. Education Bureau (EDB) (20.58%) 4. Longman (5.68%) 31

32 Research questions 1. What are the most frequent linguistic devices for interpersonal meaning taught in the (written and spoken) workplace genres in the resources? 2. How do the resources teach interpersonal language and strategies in different workplace genres? 3. How do the findings compare to published research findings? 32

33 Categories of interpersonal language and interpersonal strategies 1. Explicit teaching of interpersonal language and strategies (Example 1) 2. Implicit teaching of interpersonal language and strategies (Example 2) 3. Tasks, such as matching, short questions, role-plays, group discussions, that involves/includes (Example 3) or does not involve/include (Example 4) samples of texts, that contains interpersonal language 33

34 Example 1. Esser & Chan (2010: 33) Pilot The tone of a Memo The tone used in memos should reflect the relationship between the writer and the reader. The general rule is to keep the tone positive and the language direct and simple. When writing a memo, you should consider the following: Your position in the company How well you know your reader The subject matter Rude: Send me the file immediately. (Incorrect) Polite: Could you please send me the file as soon as possible? (Correct) 34

35 Example 2. Brooke (2009: S73) EDB Students are asked to change rude statements of customers in a restaurant and a shoes shop to be more polite by turning them into requests with 'can', 'could' or 'would. Students also need to take turns saying the rude statements and polite requests to their partners a student says a rude statement, his/her partner answers with a polite request. 35

36 Example 3. Pilgrim (2009: 50) Oxford What goes into an ? An example of a typical business Ss read the and complete the given summary with gap-filling Reading and writing with gap-filling Sample sentences with interpersonal language (Hedging and expressing politeness) As requested, please find attached my report into potential costcosting measures for your business. If you encounter any problems with the document, please let me know and I will resend it. Disclaimer: This is confidential. Please do not forward this without permission of the sender. 36

37 Example 4. Pilgrim (2009: 12) Oxford Banking Ss are asked to listen to the recording of Danny, who is researching banking, with his uncle and answer three questions Writing (answer questions) 1. What jobs would you find in a retail bank? (Hedging and expressing politeness) 2. What is an Investment Banker's job like? 3. What does a Business Banker do? 37

38 Research questions 1. What are the most frequent linguistic devices for interpersonal meaning taught in the (written and spoken) workplace genres in the resources? 2. How do the resources teach interpersonal language and strategies in different workplace genres? 3. How do the findings compare to published research findings? 38

39 Workplace genres in four resources Business s Job interviews Business meetings Minutes Business memos Presentations Visual aids Business phone calls Making and handling telephone complaints Making and handling complaints (telephone or face-to-face) Letters of complaint and reply to letters of complaint Application/cover letters Business letters 39

40 Sales letters Reports Advertisements Promotional leaflets Business news reports Proposals (The sample provided is not a business proposal. It is written by the chairperson of the Students Union.) Letters of advice to a friend who needs help with career choices or who needs advice on an issue related to his/her job CV Product questionnaires for market research Scrapbook Face-to-face communication in the workplace Voic 40

41 The case of business s (1/4) Three resources (EDB, Longman, Pilot): the tone and style of business s Three resources (Longman, Oxford, Pilot): interpersonal language in samples of s and tasks on writing business s Two resources (Longman, Pilot): (in)formality in business s 41

42 The case of business s (2/4) Oxford: presents a magazine article that explains some common terms used in business s. Ss read the article and proofread an . Oxford: An about business letters Ss write an about business letters. The book gives advice on writing introduction, body and conclusion of the and provides examples/ expressions with interpersonal language. 42

43 The case of business s (3/4) Pilot: Writing a good business Ss write an for Danny, who is applying for work experience at a bank. The is a reply to the Bank Manager. Ss have to use suitable phrases from the given list of phrases to write the . Pilot: A Typical Message Screen Ss read an example of and guidelines for writing different parts of s. 43

44 The case of business s (4/4) EDB: Useful tips for ing Ss read materials and check their answers in the preceding true-or-false exercise Longman: Business s: Using the right words Ss read some tips for effective business s, e.g. be polite and use formal language. Ss learn expressions that they should or should not use in business s. 44

45 Conclusions (1/2) Four areas of interpersonal meaning in workplace discourse (Koester, 2010) as an analytical framework Quantitative and qualitative differences in four areas and in four resources Differences in teaching and presentation of interpersonal language and strategies in four resources 45

46 Conclusions (2/2) Teachers may use resources in different ways Other resources may be used for teaching and learning in the classroom Some areas may be covered in the compulsory part of the EL curriculum 46

47 Thank you for listening! 47