A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills

A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills A study on common English communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how to improve their communication skills

to be overcome to improve this skill better.

Therefore, I would like to discuss the common English communication skillerrors made by Faculty of English freshmen of Thuong Mai University and how toimprove their communication skills And this is also the topic of my graduation thesis.The survey is conducted with the first-year students of the English Faculty to collectsurvey data

I hope that this study will bring students awareness of the common errors inlearning communication skills and refer to some useful solutions that will help themimprove their communication skills

i

Although doing study in a limited time, I received a lot of enthusiastic help from

so many people to complete this graduation paper I greatly appreciate the enthusiasticsupport

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and profound thanks toMrs Luong Thi Minh Phuong, one of the enthusiastic lectures of the English Faculty atThuongmai University and my supervisor Thanks to the thoughtful guidance, Ifinished the graduation thesis in the most complete way Without any help from her, Ican hardly finish this graduation thesis

Secondly, I am sincerely thankful to all the first-year students in the EnglishFaculty who helped me a lot in this study They helped me complete the survey andprovided me with important data from the questionnaire so that I could analyze andprovide the best suggestions for my research

Last but not least, I want to thank my family and my close friends for supporting

me They helped me to be more spiritual and create good conditions for me to complete

my graduation paper well I wish to thank all who have kindly given their advice withsource materials during writing

I know my graduation paper still has mistakes due to my shortcomings I wouldlike to receive your comments, suggestions and corrections for the perfect of my owngraduation paper

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous of studies 1

1.3 Aims of the study 3

1.4 Research question 4

1.5 Research subject 4

1.6 Scope of the study 4

1.8 Organization of the study 5

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 6

2.1 Definition of communication 6

2.2 Types of communication 6

2.2.1 Oral communication 6

2.2.2 Nonverbal communication 7

2.2.3 Written communication 7

2.2.4 Visual communication 8

2.3 Importance of English communication skills 9

2.4 English communication errors 11

2.4.1 Linguistics errors 11

2.4.2 Errors about communication culture: 13

2.4.3 Errors about psychology 13

2.5 Factors affecting English communication errors of students 13

2.5.1 Limitation of vocabulary knowledge 13

2.5.2 Be afraid of making pronunciation and grammar mistakes 14

2.5.3 Lack of professional environment to speak 14

2.5.4 Worried about making mistakes and fearful of criticism 15

iii

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH FINDINGS 16

3.1 Research methods 16

3.1.1 Participants 16

3.1.2 Research instruments 16

3.1.3 Data collection process 18

3.2 Findings 19

3.2.1 Students’ background information 19

3.2.2 Students’ attitudes toward oral English communication skills 20

3.2.3.Common errors of students in oral English communication skills 23

3.2.4 Solutions to improve oral communication skill in English 28

3.2.5 Discussion 31

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 32

4.1 Limitations 32

4.2 Recommendations 32

4.3 Some suggestions for further research 35

CONCLUSION 36

REFERRENCES 37

QUESTIONNAIRE 38

iv

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale

English is now a global language Among hundreds of different languages, theworld has chosen English as a means of communication so that everyone canunderstand each other Vietnam is also increasingly developing and popularizing theEnglish language as an inevitable need

It is the main language used on the Internet, business and many others fields.Learning English includes many skills, in which English communication skills is animportant part This study deals with fundamental errors in freshman Englishcommunication skills and a number of solutions for improvement

As a four-year student in English department, I understand the difficulties thatfreshman students face when communicating in English They have few opportunities

to practice communicating with foreigners and still have many difficulties in Englishcommunication That is why I choose the subject of study as: "A study on commonEnglish communication skill errors made by Faculty of English freshmen of ThuongMai University and how to improve their communication skills" I hope that throughthis research topic, I will point out some common errors in communicating in Englishand offer some solutions to improve this skill in the best way

1.2 Previous of studies

We all know that English has become an international language That is thereason why a lot of researchers and scholars conduct research and analyze it Therehave been lots of international and local studies which have been done recently relating

to English learning

In relation to communication skills, Alqahtani Mofareh A, English Department,Civilian Studies, King Khaled Military Academy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia conducted astudy on: "Difficulties Facing Students in English Language Conversation'' (2019).This thesis addresses the poor language proficiency of English language students,

particularly in terms of their conversational skills and/or ability to achieve the desiredstandards of fluency in either the classroom environment or public sphere It aims toidentify the inability of students to learn English language conversation skillsaccurately, the factors behind the difficulties faced by students seeking to communicate

in English and the practical solutions which enable students to master Englishcommunication skills The results of the study demonstrate that the difficulties andchallenges faced by students when speaking in English such as the fear of makingerrors, imprecise understanding of English vocabulary and grammar, and incorrectword and/or sentence articulation To fully investigate this issue, a quantitative surveyinstrument containing multiple questions was undertaken in addition to a number ofinterviews with a random sample of students and teachers in order to elicit the mainstudent challenge in speaking English To this end, the researcher elucidated theresearch problem, importance, objectives, hypotheses, and methodologies, as well asdrawing conclusions

Another study on communication skills was implemented by Panida Karachedee,Faculty of Education, Burapha University: " Need analysis for English communicationskills of employees at HSBC in Thailand" ( January 2017) The study analyzed aspects

of communication skills, with the objective to outline the needs and problems ofEnglish communication of the staff, and offer appropriate methods to improvecommunication skills in English By a quantitative survey instrument containingmultiple questions was undertaken, the study demonstrates that listening skill was theEnglish communication skill that Thai employees at HSBC in Thailand thought wasthe most serious problem The unfamiliarity of the foreigners’ accent andpronunciation was considered as the most serious problem of listening skills Besides,The inability to use correct grammar in communication seemed to be a problem of Thaiemployees at HSBC in Thailand Finally, the research has clarified the problem anddevised a strategy to improve communication skills including internal training andtaking English courses at a language academy

The study: " A study on how to improve English communication skills ofreceptionists in Muong Thanh grand Ha Noi hotel" (2018) by Tran Thuy Dung ofEnglish Faculty, Thuong Mai University The aim of this study is to identify problems

in English communication and find out some appropriate solutions to improve Englishcommunication skills of receptionist in Muong Thanh Grand Hanoi hotel in which, thestudy focuses on finding the reality of the staffs in Reception Department 's usingEnglish in communicate with foreigns guests and giving them the suggestions forbetter communication The expectation is that the receptionists at MTGH hotel cancommunicate in English confidently and fluently to achieve high efficiency at work Besides, another study “English communication skills of students with foreigners

- proposing solutions to join NGOs” (2008), the author selected English - majorstudents from four typical universities in Hanoi: VNU University of Languages andInternational Studies,Vietnam National University, Foreign Trade University andHanoi University of Science and Technology Foreigners mentioned in the study aregood at English communication skills and qualifications, most of whom are fromEurope, Australia and North America using English as their mother language Researchmethodology used in the article is investigation, interview and observation Theresearch results show that when students communicate with English speakers indifferent countries, the most common errors they encounter are intonation, accent andregional culture

1.3 Aims of the study

My research is to find out the basic mistakes that freshmen students of EnglishFaculty at Thuong Mai university encounter in their English communication, and findsolutions to help them improve their English communication skills My research aims

at the following basic goals:

● Cover background knowledge of communication

● Analyze the situation of communication in English by first-year students ofEnglish Faculty at Thuong Mai university and the common errors encountered

1.6 Scope of the study

Research topics are conducted on the scope of Thuong Mai University Theresearch focuses on the freshmen in the English Faculty at Thuong Mai University topoint out their common mistakes when communicating in English and offer somesolutions to improve this skill in the best way The study is conducted in the secondsemester of the academic year 2020-2021 Due to time constraints, this study carriesout about 60 randomly selected students

1.7 Research methodology

In this study, the author decided to use the quantitative and qualitative methods.The data and information has been collected from two sources: the questionnaire andinterview

A questionnaire is set up which includes both open-ended and closed-endedquestions, allowing the respondents to give their opinions and views in the mostconvenient way Part one consists of the student’s background and basic informationand part two proposes some questions relating to common errors and the solution toimprove the oral communication in English.

The interview was designed into three questions to dip deeper into the issue

1.8 Organization of the study

This study consists of four main parts:

• Chapter 1: Overview of the study

General research topics include the reason for selecting this study, provide previousresearch topics, aims of the study, identify research subjects, scope of the study,research methodology and structure of this study

• Chapter 2: Theoretical background

This chapter gives an overview of what communication is, types of communication, theimportance of English communication skills and English communication errors.Thereby, the author finds the common errors that English learners encounter and findout the solutions to improve

• Chapter 3: Data analysis and research findings

This chapter focuses on analyzing research results and it is also the major part of thestudy Through the survey, the author learns the views of students about the commonerrors in communicating in English with foreigners and the solutions to improve theoral communication in English The figures which were collected from the study would

be shown and analyzed in this chapter This is the crucial part of all the studies

• Chapter 4: Recommendations and suggestions

This chapter proposes and suggests some solutions to overcome common errors in oralcommunicating in English in general and the first-year students of the English Faculty

at Thuongmai University in particular

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Definition of communication.

There are many definitions of communication posed by different writers.According to Dwyer (2000), “Communication is the transfer of meaning.Communication is any behavior, verbal or nonverbal, that is perceived by another.Knowledge, feelings or thoughts are encoded and sent from at least one person andreceived and decoded by at least one other Meaning is given to this message as thereceiver interprets the message A connection is made between the peoplecommunicating Communication lets us learn more about ourselves and the worldaround us, share experience with others, persuade and influence others, and relax andenjoy ourselves.” Verderber, R.F., Verderber, K.S & Berryman- Fink, C (2008) define

“communication is the process of creating and sharing meaning in informalconversation, group interaction, or public speaking” Another definition is set byHybels, S & Weaver II, R.L (1992) According to them, “communication is anyprocess in which people share information, ideas and feelings That process involvesnot only the spoken and written word, but also body, personal mannerisms and style,the surroundings- anything that adds meaning to a message.”

From the definition, it can be summarized that Communication is the process ofsending and receiving information among people It is a way of reaching others bytransmitting ideas and thoughts, feelings and values

2.2 Types of communication

2.2.1 Oral communication

According to Bovee and others: “Verbal communication is the expression of information through language which is composed of words and grammar.” And

another definition about verbal communication according to Penrose and others:

“Verbal communication consists of sharing thoughts thought the meaning of words.”

Verbal communication can be defined as communicating your thoughts through

words Such thoughts may be ideas, opinions, directions, dissatisfaction, objections,your emotions and pleasures

For example, when you conduct a meeting, have a conversation over the phone,talk to a friend, write letters, emails or any other forms of conversation that youperform with others using words

2.2.2 Nonverbal communication

According to Levine and Adelman (1993) non-verbal communication is thesilent language, including the use of gestures, facial expressions, eye-contact andconversational đistance, etc

The phrase nonverbal communication refers to communication affected bymeans other than words to most people We need to understand that separating verbaland nonverbal behavior into two separate and distinct categories is virtuallyimpossible For example, how do we categorize sign language into verbal or nonverbalcommunication? Under some circumstances, sign language can be translated to verbalmeaning word by word; On the other hand, it communicates without sounds and wordsand carries meaning through gestures Generally, when people refer to nonverbalbehavior, they are talking about the signals, to which meaning will be attributed, notthe process of attributing meaning Nguyen Quang (2008) gives his own view on thedefinition which seems to cover most important dimensions of nonverbal

communication Nonverbal communication, according to this author, refers to "all the components of the message that, when taken together, constitute the communication which is not verbally coded but both vocally and non-vocally channeled”.

2.2.3 Written communication

According to the study about "Effective oral and written communication" ( 2018)

of R Prabavathi and P C Nagasubramani, written communication is the oldest known

form of communication Any form of communication which is written and documentedfrom the sender to the receiver is known as written communication Examples ofwritten communication include letters, memos, research papers, reports, etc.

It is a very concrete form of documentary evidence and can also be used forfuture reference purposes As the information is written, it can be easily distributed

to many people thus making it a bulk communication method As theinformation does not change from person to person, the accuracy of theinformation conveyed is same across the entire audience

To ensure an effective written communication form, it is a must to followcompleteness, clarity and correctness in your writing As there is no immediatefeedback that can be received, it is important that written communication isdetailed and accurate to ensure that the write message is communicated

Also remember to keep the communication simple and without any errors.Written communication also has its limitations like lack of feedback, absence ofmodulations to convey message effectively, etc These can be overcome effectively

by mixing oral communication with written so as to combine the advantages ofboth along with eliminating the disadvantages

2.2.4 Visual communication

According to Brian Nuckols (1998):"Visual communication is a way tocommunicate ideas graphically in ways that are efficient and help to convey moremeaning It’s a critical element of any content marketing strategy "

Visual communication is the conveyance of ideas and information in forms thatcan be seen Visual communication in part or whole relies on eyesight Visualcommunication is a broad spectrum that includes signs, typography, drawing, graphicdesign, illustration, industrial design, advertising, animation, color, and electronicresources

Visual communication refers to messages that can be seen In business, visualcommunication can be characterized as a helper Whenever a heavy amount ofinformation is presented, a visual aid can help the message receiver comprehend themessage.

Indeed, clear communication is very essential Hence it is very necessary todevelop strong communication skills And in this study, the author focuses on verbalcommunication

2.3 Importance of English communication skills

According to Communication expert Harold Janis" "The world of business is aworld of action Products are designed, made, and sold People are hired Serviced arerendered Policies are devised and implemented Jobs are learned and performed Yetthere is no practical way in which any of these events can take play withoutcommunication"

In the present global world, communication plays a vital role in getting success

in all fields Language is used as a tool for communication Perfect communication isnot possible for people without using a language Moreover, people cannot achievetheir aims, objectives, and goals without using proper language to communicate.Therefore, there is a need for a language to communicate with others who live allaround the globe

English has become a global language, a connecting link, a language of modernscience and technologies, a language of latest sciences, like information technologyand space science, a language of all competitive examinations-be they the state level,national level or international level Whether we realize it or not we are now living inthe world of information and communication technology

By the end of the 20th century, English began to emerge as a global one It has agreat acceptance at social, economical and political levels The outlook behind theusage of English has been changing significantly In our country, the middle class isalso not keeping itself in isolation by neglecting the importance of English In view ofthe growing importance of English as a tool for global communication and the

consequent emphasis on training students to acquire communication skills No one canget mastery over communication skills in a day or two It is an academic imbroglio forthe students lacking in effective communication skills.

English language communication is the most common problem faced bystudents One who is good at effective communication thinks soundly, enjoys selfesteem, dignity and gets respect in society, academic or profession People witheffective communication skills are more confident, because they know that they cantell other people exactly what they need In order to communicate effectively one has

to think ahead and organize one’s thoughts In order to have the technical know-howand other related skills you should learn to develop the competence in application ofEnglish language

In every walk of life, the language that we use for communication is veryimportant If we do not have an effective language, the work which we take up remainsdull and cheerless Among all the modern languages, English claims to be the mostpopular language It is because all international communications are carried out inEnglish English is taught as a tool for international understanding By learning thislanguage, one can overcome one’s prejudices, fanaticism, intolerance and narrowmindedness and contributes one’s share to promote international understanding

Communication is the central human activity We are now witnessing theemergence of an advanced economy based on information and knowledge Probablythe most important skill for knowledge workers in the new environment is the ability tocommunicate This means to be able to listen and to express your ideas effectively inwriting and in speech In order to achieve the desired success, a professional needs toassess and respond to communication situations that occur constantly The four maingoals of communication are

Nowadays, in India without English, a student cannot enter the sophisticatedworld of science and technology Further, in the present global context, it is felt thatEnglish is of paramount importance.

2.4 English communication errors.

Oral communication is quite different from other skills like reading, listening,and writing As it is unlike other skills, it requires a degree of real-time communicationwith others directly Learners often have a fear of communication, lack of confidence

in communication They worry when speaking a foreign language, they mightpronounce it incorrectly and use the wrong grammatical structure, so native speakerscannot understand what they are trying to say and they are also worried about losingface or being criticized

For the purpose of this study, the researcher has examined the fundamentalmistakes of freshman English faculty to find the fundamental error and proposeeffective solutions to improve their communication skills Here are some basicmistakes encountered when communicating in English:

stress the right syllables or apply the reasonable intonation and linking sound to spokenlanguage.

* Lack of vocabulary

Wilkins (in Thornbury, 2002) states that “without grammar very little can beconveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” This statement means thatwhen somebody only knows about grammar, but he does not know words to say, hisidea cannot be expressed In other words, one of the language elements that has to bemastered by learners in learning a language is vocabulary

A rich vocabulary will increase learners' understanding, thereby developingcommunication skills, helping learners convey ideas and messages to listeners On thecontrary, the limited vocabulary will cause learners to make mistakes such as using toodifficult vocabulary or using the wrong context of the words, resulting in incorrectcontent transmission and affecting the quality of conversation

* Use difficult grammar

In the real communication, nobody paid much attention to the correct grammarexpression, but emphasized the content and how to reply Besides, there are a lot ofgrammatical rules in the English language, so it is difficult for the students to correctlyunderstand and use grammar The nervous of new grammar is the serious error forstudents when communicating Grammatical competence can help speakers apply andperceive the structure of English language correctly that leads to their fluency (Latha,2012) If learners do not know the rules of grammar, they will never be able tocommunicate using English effectively

It is common among English language learners to overdo complex sentencestructures when it is not needed Explaining this may be because the speaker is afraidthat the listener will not understand if it is not grammatically correct However, thatmakes it even easier for you to make mistakes The grammar in Englishcommunication does not need to be too complicated You can see that whencommunicating in English, native speakers use very simple structures This way, youcan hear them and easily understand them

2.4.2 Errors about communication culture:

Each country has its own communication culture, foreigners also have their owncommunication culture characteristics, so when communicating with someone whomakes those mistakes, it will bring them a feeling of discomfort, not reallysatisfied.Anderson and Lynch (1988) said that “when we learn a foreign language, weacquire some degree of familiarity with the foreign culture” It is so important, butlearners often encounter basic mistakes such as: Lack of calm when not understandingwhat foreigner says, do not look directly into foreigner's eyes while speaking,

2.4.3 Errors about psychology

Psychology is very important in commnuncation,it directly affects the quality ofthe conversation Speakers often feel insecure, unwilling to communicate withforeigners because they are afraid of making mistakes when speaking, do not have anatural reflex when speaking, so they feel confused because they do not know how toanswer.They are not confident in their foreign language skills and are afraid of others

to criticize them

It is assumed that “when people speak in a second or foreign language, theybecome more apprehensive and tense and thus more unwilling to participate in theconversation” (Horwitz el al., 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989) Before theconversation occurs, learners may have many ideas in their mind, but when they come

to a real communication with foreigners, their mind just goes blank and cannot producewords or sentences due to the tense and shyness

This is a common problem that language learners encounter, they are too shy tospeak out their opinions or look directly and communicate with native speakers Due toincorrect pronunciation, being afraid of making mistakes leads to shyness andavoidance of speaking English

2.5 Factors affecting English communication errors of students

2.5.1 Limitation of vocabulary knowledge

A rich vocabulary will increase learners' understanding, thereby developingcommunication skills, helping learners convey ideas and messages to listeners "If a

language could be considered as a house then its grammar could be considered ascement and its vocabulary could be figuratively compared to bricks To build acomplete house, no only cement but also bricks are needed Without bricks, no housecan be built, even when plenty of high quality cement is available (Nguyen Huyen,2004) The limitation of vocabulary knowledge affects learners' communication ability,creating basic mistakes, especially mistakes using wrong vocabulary context.

2.5.2 Be afraid of making pronunciation and grammar mistakes

Oral communication is quite different when comparing to other skills as reading,listening and writing Since it is unlike other skills, it requires some degree of real time

to communicate directly with other people Learners have often got the fearful feeling

of making mistakes when trying to say or express things in a foreign language Theyare worried when they speak in a foreign language they may pronounce incorrectly anduse wrong grammar structures, hence, native speakers can not understand what they try

to say and they also have anxiety over losing face or getting criticism

According to Burns and Joyce (1997) identified a groups of factors that they arelikely to make learners reluctant to speak and one of these factors is “linguisticproblem” Vietnamese learners often run into troubles when speaking, they are oftenafraid of making grammar mistakes Even though it is clearly noticed that sound,stress, intonation and linking words of spoken language convey crucial messages,many learners find it difficult to pronounce words, stress the right syllables or apply thereasonable intonation and linking sound to spoken language leading to the grammaticaland pronunciation errors

2.5.3 Lack of professional environment to speak

It is essential to have a professional environment to practice English Hyland inthe survey “Asian Journal of English Language Teaching” (January ,2007) investigatedlearners from eight disciplines at five Hong Kong institutions The findings of hisresearch indicated that proficiency in English was a significant factor in the academicsuccess of an English environment.Lack of English communication environmentmakes learners become passive, unconfident when communicating with foreigners

Especially with their pronunciation, swallowing, and speaking speed different fromVietnamese teachers, which will make learners lose their temper and misunderstand thecontent of the conversation.

2.5.4 Worried about making mistakes and fearful of criticism

It is assumed that “when people speak in a second or foreign language, theybecome more apprehensive and tense and thus more unwilling to participate in theconversation” (Horwitz el al., 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989) Before theconversation occurs, learners may have many ideas in their mind, but when they come

to a real communication with foreigners, their mind just go blank and cannot producewords or sentences due to the tense and shyness

This is a common problem that language learners encounter, they are too shy tospeak out their opinions or look directly and communicate with native speakers Due toincorrect pronunciation, being afraid of making mistakes leads to shyness andavoidance of speaking English

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH FINDINGS 3.1 Research methods

3.1.1 Participants

This research will be conducted with the participation of 60 first-year students ofEnglish faculty at Thuongmai University By conducting questionnaires surveys overthe internet, the received data analysis will be clear and the most truthful result All theparticipation is random and voluntary without any constraint

3.1.2 Research instruments

Regarding the aims of the research, the study has been conducted in bothquantitative and qualitative methods in order to reduce the potential limitations ofusing only a single approach The data have been collected by means of questionnaireand face-to-face interview

3.1.2.1 Questionnaire

a Aims of the questionnaire

According to Brow (2001, citited in Markey & Gass, 2005), “Questionnaires are any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react, either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers”.

Markey & Gass (2005) using questionnaires as an instrument which allowsresearchers to gather information in such a short time with comparable information.For that reason, the researcher decided to apply the questionnaire to access nformation.Because the subjects of the survey are the first-year students of English Faculty, thesurvey questionnaire will be designed as multiple-choice questions with answers togather more objective answers that measure the level and senses of the person beingsurveyed

b Questionnaire design

The survey has been conducted with the aim of investigating some commonmistakes in oral English communication of first-year students of English Faculty at

Thuongmai University as well as suggest some solutions to improve theircommunication skills

As the main purpose of completing the study well, the researcher applied bothsemi-structured interviews known as an informal conversation in which someone isasked their opinions about a product or issue and structured questionnaires considered

as closed and direct questions in order to ensure the gathered results are as reliable aspossible

Hence, the questionnaire is carefully designed with nine questions It has beenseparated into two parts: part one consists of some background information of students

to identify what they think about the importance of listening and speaking skills

Part two consists of common errors of oral communication skills that the first-yearstudents have faced and solutions they have applied The first two questions intended

to see the common mistakes they encountered in English communication The nextquestion was about the solutions that students have applied and identified whether theywere effective or not Thereby, if that solution is effective or is not will be used insuggesting solutions to improving their communication skills

3.1.2.2 Interview

a Aims of the interview

An interview is formal meetings between two people (the interviewer and theinterviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information,qualities, attitudes, wishes etc, It is also known as a flexible and adaptable way sothat this method is usually used for many researches to dig deep into the study andexplore more about the personal ideas which can not show clearly in the questionnaire

b Interview design

To accomplish the survey, face-to-face interviews have been conducted in theform of conversation between the researcher and three first-year students It took placeduring recess in class , hence the participants felt free and comfortable to answer thequestions as well as express themselves

The interview consists of three questions to dive more into the study and getdeeper point of view The first question was about to identify their ideas in terms of theimportance of English communication skills The second question aimed to get theinformation about the common mistakes that students have encountered whencommunicating with foreigners From the present situation, the last question was asked

to see what solutions they often use to improve their communication skills Eachinterview lasted for five to seven minutes

3.1.3 Data collection process

To increase the reliability and value of the study, a random sampling procedurewas applied in the survey questionnaire, and data collection was done through face-to-face interviews All questions used are reasonable and appropriate to the aims of thestudy The data collection process is described as below:

Questionnaire:

Designing the questionnaire: The questionnaire will be set up and survey for 60students over the internet It was divided into two parts and consists of ten questions tocollect the data including general information of the participants, attitude withcommunication english, common mistakes and the last is about solution

Collecting data: the researcher uses google form to conduct the survey Thequestionnaire will be set up by GG form The researcher gets a link from this app thensends a link of the survey to groups of first-year students of English Faculty andmessages to the ones who are the researcher’s friends For the most objective results,the researcher asks them to pay attention and seriously answer the questions in theirown views The collected data will be checked and analyzed by the researcheraccording to the system of tables and data

Interview: Three freshmen were randomly selected to gather clearer data on thesubject of study This is a one-to-one chat, performed in 5 to 7 minutes Duringquestioning, the researcher recorded the participants' responses and made a note tomake the collected information more reliable

3.2 Findings

Of the 60 students surveyed, there are 50 valid survey samples, below are the results ofthe 50 students surveyed:

3.2.1 Students’ background information

The questions in part 1 are designed to learn about information related to Englishcommunication skill including: the number of years of English learning, chances aswell as locations to communicate in English with foreigners,feeling whencommunication in English, perception of the importance of communication skills When asked about the number of years studying English, as a result, 100% of thesurveyed students studied English for more than seven years Thenceforth, we can seethat students have learned and become familiar with English for a long time, probablyfrom middle or even elementary

62.00%

30.00%

8.00%

1st Qtr Sometimes Often Rarely

Chart 3.1 Frequency of using English to communicate

The frequency of using English to communicate significantly affects students'progress in English communication skills Through the chart 3.1 shows, only 30% ofthe respondents often use English to communicate Meanwhile, 62% are people who