Business English Needs Analysis - Thai Higher Education

Needs Analysis for Business English Materials Development in Thai Higher Education Sasikarn Howchatturat School of Languages and Applied Linguistics University of Portsmouth The thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Portsmouth June 2023 i Declaration This thesis is submitted to the University of Portsmouth for the degree of Doctor Philosophy. Whilst registered as a candidate for the above degree, I have not been registered for any other research award. The results and conclusions embodied in this thesis are the work of the named candidate and have not been submitted for any other academic award. This thesis comprises 88,838 words.

Sasikarn Howchatturat June 2023 2 Acknowledgments I am filled with deep gratitude towards my mother, Mrs. Thongsumrit Howchatturat, for her unwavering support in allowing me to pursue a PhD in the UK. My immense appreciation extends to Asst. Najiree Jaturapitakkul and Asst.

Peerapat Yangklang for their invaluable insights while preparing my PhD proposal. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Faculty of Management Science at Silpakorn University in Thailand for generously funding my studies at the University of Portsmouth. Without their support, this opportunity would not have been possible. Furthermore, I am indebted to my brother, Mr.

Chattuphum Howchatturat, sister- in-law Ms. Chanidapa Buapuen, and cousin Ms. Natthamon Pinsuwan for their unwavering financial and emotional support. I am immensely grateful to my primary supervisor, Dr.

Marie McCullagh, and my secondary supervisor, Dr. Stephen Crabbe, for their unwavering support throughout my research journey. Despite facing numerous challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, personal health issues, and other pressures, they remained steadfast in their guidance and encouragement. The generous support I received from the UK Government's coronavirus furlough scheme also greatly eased my struggles during this time.

I would also like to extend my thanks to my colleagues, friends, and study participants from the Thai workplace and higher education sector, who played a vital role in my research. Special appreciation goes to Mr. Samuel Brown for his invaluable proofreading assistance. On a deeper level, I am grateful to Lord Buddha and Lord Ganesh for their spiritual support.

And to my fellow PhD friends, including Dr. Kullachet Korpattanachaijaroen, Dr. Thunyanun Theera-Nattapong, Dr. Nattapol Paisarnvirosrak, Dr.

Phornprom Rungrueng, Dr. Sombat Somsak, Manita Srisawat, and friends in the UK, I am thankful for their invaluable emotional support. The Sport and Recreation Centre at the University of Portsmouth played a vital role in maintaining my well-being, and I am also thankful for their excellent services. Lastly, I appreciate the friendship and support of Mr.

Parinya Sainark, who treated me like family during my time in the UK. 3 Abstract English has become a common means of written communication, particularly in emails, within Thai workplaces for business purposes. However, there exists a disparity between the English language skills taught in Thai higher education and those required for effective written communication in the workplace. To bridge this gap, a study was conducted to analyse the needs in two key areas: the Thai workplace and Thai higher education.

The study utilized a Target Situation Analysis (TSA) to determine the specific needs of employees in different industries, by examining various English email and messaging genres and essential communicative competencies for success in the Thai workplace. Data was gathered from 40 individuals proficient in English at their respective jobs, and was then used to create a checklist for assessing the effectiveness of the Business English Writing course in Thai higher education. In the Thai higher education sector, a Present Situation Analysis (PSA) at Silpakorn University's Faculty of Management Science reveals gaps in course content and materials, employing the TSA's evaluative checklist. Learning preferences from six students, gathered through a Learning Situation Analysis (LSA), guide the development of tailored materials.

The addition of Needs Negotiation ensures a strategic focus on essential content and activities, responding to insights from the PSA and LSA. In the second phase, a framework for enhancing existing Business English materials is established, using materials from the current teacher as a practical illustration. This methodology effectively uncovered crucial insights for both the Thai workplace and Thai higher education. The study significantly contributes by addressing the misalignment between English language education and workplace demands, while actively bridging gaps in communicative competencies needed in the Thai workplace and the instruction provided in Thai higher education, particularly in business management programs.

4 Table of Contents Acknowledgments .4 List of Tables .16 List of Figures .1 Background and rationale .1 The impact of ASEAN on English usage in the Thai business setting .2 The importance of communicative competency in the Thai workplace .3 The lack of communicative competencies included in the materials of Business English Writing classes in Thai higher education .4 My English Business Writing teaching context in Thai higher education and reflection.5 Needs analysis proposal .2 Research objectives and research questions .4 Structural outline of the research. 31 Chapter 2 Business in Thailand and English for written communication in the Thai workplace .2 Background to internationalisation of Thai business .3 Targeted industries in Thailand .4 Foreign employees in Thailand .5 Formal English language requirements for hiring employees in Thailand .6 Different factors affecting communication in the Thai workplace .1 Internal and external communication .2 Influence of organizational structure and management styles of business .3 Influence of Thai culture on workplace communication .3 Polite and humble personality .4 The culture of ‘Kreng Jai’. 47 Respect for elders. 48 5 Respect for/ Fear of the powerful.

48 Respect for superiors. 49 Consideration for foreigners (Distance: boundaries unknown). 50 Consideration for Thais (Distance: feelings unknown) .7 Different types of written communication in the Thai workplace .1 Emails used for ‘internal’ communication .2 Emails used for ‘external’ communication .1 What is Line?. 59 Chapter 3 Thai universities and Business English teaching .2 An overview of English education in Thai higher education .3 English language development policy in Thai higher education.1 The English language development plan of undergraduate students .4 The Provision of Business English subjects in the Business Administration Program .5 The characteristics of Business English subjects .6 Business English materials .7 Possible ways to develop Business English materials to be relevant to business communication in the Thai workplace.

72 Chapter 4 Approaches for conducting needs analysis .2 What is needs analysis? .3 Relevant needs analysis studies conducted in the Thai workplace sector .4 Relevant needs analysis studies conducted in Thai higher education sector.5 What is meant by ‘needs’?.6 Needs and stakeholders .7 What kinds needs are identified in the Thai workplace? .8 An overall process of Needs Analysis proposing in the Thai workplace sector .1 Target Situation Analysis (TSA) .2 The concept of genre analysis.3 The relevance of discourse community to genre analysis .4 The importance of communicative purposes and genre analysis .5 Approaches for identifying move structure of emails and messages .6 Identifying the framework of communicative competence .1 The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) .2 The framework of communicative competence used in this study.9 The identification of needs in Thai higher education .1 Present Situation Analysis (PSA) .2 Learning Situation Analysis (LSA). 106 Chapter 5 The research methodology of needs analysis in the Thai workplace sector .4 Ethical issues at the qualitative data collection .5 Qualitative data collection .6 The analytic framework for identifying email and chat genres in the Thai workplace .1 Identifying email and chat genres used for ‘internal communication’ in the Thai workplace .2 Identifying email and chat genres used for ‘external communication’ in the Thai workplace .7 Qualitative data analysis .1 Qualitative data analysis for identifying email and chat genres .2 Qualitative data analysis for identifying move structures of emails and messages .3 Qualitative data analysis for identifying communicative competencies necessary for written communication .8 The development of the online questionnaire for collecting quantitative data .9 Ethical issues at the quantitative data analysis .10 Quantitative data collection .1 The process of approaching gatekeepers .2 The process of approaching and collecting data from participants .3 Quantitative data analysis. 135 Chapter 6 Results and discussion of needs analysis in the Thai workplace sector .2 Background information of research participants .1 Highest education awards.2 Majors of degree .5 Current job title.6 Work experience in the current position .3 Use of English written communication in overall .1 The importance of English language skills .2 Channels of written communication.3 Reasons of using English written communication for business purposes .1 Reasons of using English emails for business communication .2 Reasons for using English messaging via messaging platforms for business communication .4 Hierarchical level of participants and their colleagues who participants usually contact by email for internal communication .5 The potential English language background of the colleagues who participants usually communicate with on the English written communication.6 The potential English language background of foreign clients who participants usually communicate with using written English .4 Results of move analysis on emails in overall .5 Results of the analysis of email genres for ‘internal communication’.1 Email genres for a communication with ‘an individual person’ .2 An email genre for a communication with ‘a group of colleagues within the same department or team’ .3 An email genre for a communication with ‘all individuals within a company’ .6 Results of the analysis of email genres for ‘external communication’ .1 Types of participants and types of email recipients for external communication .2 Email genres for a communication with an external person .7 Communicative competencies needed for emails writing for business communication .1 Communicative competencies needed for emails sent to the ‘same hierarchical level’ staff to ‘write a follow-up email’ .1 Discourse competence: The use of ‘topic shading’ and tones.2 Sociopragmatic competence: The use of Thai term, ‘Khun’ .3 Sociopragmatic competence: The use of a directive tone regarding the social (workplace) agreement .4 Pragmalinguistic competence: The use of speech acts .5 Strategic competence: The use of ‘interactional strategies’ .2 Communicative competencies needed on an email sent to the ‘higher hierarchical level’ staff ‘to ‘inform and update’ .1 Sociopragmatic competence: The use of Thai term ‘Khun’, a must or optional?.2 Discourse competence: The ability to use an appropriate layout of email .3 Pragmatic competence: The use of functional phrases to express speech acts of refusal .4 Strategic competence: The use of avoidance or reduction strategies .3 Communicative competencies needed for an email genre for a communication with ‘a group of colleagues within the same department or team’ .1 Discourse competence: The use of correct layout and topic shading .2 Pragmalinguistic competence: The ability to use functional phrases to convey speech acts such as informing, offering, and requesting .3 Sociopragmatic competence: The use of an opening salutation of email based on social norm .4 Strategic competence: The use of compensatory strategies.4 Communicative competencies needed for an email responding to a client’s complaint .1 Linguistic competence: The use of certain English .2 Discourse competence: The use of correct length of email .3 Discourse competence: The use of email format to maintain a professional image .4 Pragmalinguistic competence: The use of speech acts to convey apologies .8 Messaging genres and communicative competencies needed for communication via messaging platforms for internal communication .1 The use of English messaging for internal communication at the ‘individual level’.2 Characteristics of communication and the use of communicative competence. 200 Sociopragmatic competence: The use of stickers to generate a casual interaction based on social convention.

200 Pragmalinguistic competence: The use of speech acts to express emotion through stickers. 202 Pragmalinguistic competence: The use of speech acts to directly express a request. 203 Strategic competence: The use of avoidance employing codes and abbreviations .2 The use of English messaging for internal communication at the ‘department level’ .2 Characteristics of communication and the use of communicative competence. 205 Strategic competence: The use of avoidance or reduction strategies.

206 Linguistic competence: The ability to use form accurate messages.9 The evaluative checklist for identifying ‘Lacks’ .