English communication skill of the staff of an nhien gemstone jewellry joint stock company, problems and solutions

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH FACULTY
------

GRADUATION PAPER
TOPIC:
ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILL OF
AN NHIEN GEMSTONE JEWELLRY JOINT STOCK COMPANY,
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Supervisor

: Le Thi Phuong Mai

Student

: Nguyen Thi Huong Ly

Class

: K52N6

Student code : 16D170376

Hanoi - 2020

Hanoi - 2019


ABSTRACT
In our modern society, English is used as an international language and

communication tool, and it increasingly plays an important role in the world. Being
able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. It is
what enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to
us. In reality, however, the level of English communicating skill of employees at An
Nhien JSC still is not good. Therefore, research topic: “ English Communication Skill
of An Nhien Gemstone Jewellry Joint Stock Company, problems and solutions” is
meaningful and necessary in both theory and practice to improve their communicating
abilities in the workplace.
The study deals with finding the problems in communicting by English of
staffs at An Nhien JSC. In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, the
study presents the key theories related to English communication skill. The
researcher carried out survey questionnares among 20 staff of An Nhien JSC to get
their oppinion. In addition, the study also gives some solutions to improve the
staff’s English communication skill.
Based on findings, some suggestions are given with the hope that they might
be useful for staff at An Nhien Joint Stock Company in particular and other
companies in general to develop their communication skills

1


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my
supervisor - Ms. Le Thi Phuong Mai, for her guidance and encouragement during
my study. Furthermore, I really appreciate all her help and suggestions on various
drafts of the thesis. Without her valuable advice and support, this thesis could not
have been completed on schedule.
I would also like to express my full appreciation to An Nhien Joint Stock
company for helping me so much in my data collection. My special thanks also go
to entire Sale Department who agreed to participate in the study.

Additionally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my dear friends for
their help and warm encouragement throughout my hard times carrying out the
study. Without them, I could not have overcome such times and concentrated on my
study.
Finally, I am greatly indebted to my family, especially my loving parents for
their continuous support during my study. Thanks to their intense devotion, I have
overcome the difficult times and completed this thesis.
Hanoi, 15th April 2020
Student
Nguyen Thi Huong Ly

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TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENT...........................................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS....................................................................................v
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES.........................................................................vi
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY..........................................................1
1.1. Rationale............................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Previous of the study..........................................................................................2
1.3. Aims of the study................................................................................................3
1.4. Research subjects................................................................................................4
1.5. Scope of the study..............................................................................................4
1.6. Research methodology.......................................................................................4
1.7. Organization of the study....................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................6
2.1. Overview............................................................................................................6

2.1.1. Definition of communication skill...................................................................6
2.1.2. Types of communication..................................................................................7
2.2. The importance of English communication skill................................................8
2.3. Difficulties in communicating English...............................................................9
2.3.1. Linguistic factors.............................................................................................9
2.3.1.1. Pronunciation and accent..............................................................................9
2.3.1.2. Vocabulary..................................................................................................11
2.3.1.3. Grammar.....................................................................................................12
2.3.2. Psychological factors.....................................................................................13
2.3.2.1. Lack of confidence:....................................................................................14
2.3.2.2. Lack of motivation......................................................................................14
2.3.3. Social Factors................................................................................................16
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDING....................................................................17
3.1. The results of questionnaire and data analysis..................................................17

3


3.1.1. The personal opinions and real situation on English communication skill of
An Nhien JSC..........................................................................................................17
3.1.2. The difficulties in communicating English....................................................21
3.2. The results of the managers’ interview.............................................................26
3.3. Main findings and discussion...........................................................................27
3.3.1. The reality of English communication skill of the An Nhien JSC’s staff.......27
3.3.2. The difficulties in communicating English of An Nhien JSC’s staff..............28
3.3.3. The solutions of the difficulties in speaking English of the staff...................29
CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.............................30
4.1. Limitations of the study....................................................................................30
4.2. Recommendations............................................................................................30
4.2.1. Recommendations for the staff at An Nhien JSC...........................................30

4.2.1.1. Pronunciation..............................................................................................30
4.2.1.2. Vocabulary..................................................................................................31
4.1.2.3. Grammar.....................................................................................................32
4.2.1.4. Psychological factor....................................................................................32
4.2.1.5. Practicing environment...............................................................................32
4.2.2. Recommendations for the managers at An Nhien JSC...................................33
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................34
REFERENCES............................................................................................................
APPENDIX.................................................................................................................

4


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

No.

Abbreviations

English meaning

1

JSC

Joint Stock Company

2

HR

Human Resource

Vietnamese
meaning
Công ty trách
nhiệm hữu hạn
Nhân sự

3

FL

Foreign Language

Ngoại ngữ

5


LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 3.1: The amount of time employees learnt English
Figure 3.2: The percentage of staff having certificate of English usage
Figure 3.3: Frequency of using English of staff
Figure 3.4: The importance of English communication skill in An Nhien JSC
Figure 3.5: Causes of the problem in English communiction skills
Figure 3.6: The difficulties in pronouncing English
Figure 3.7: The difficulties in using vocabulary in speaking English
Figure 3.8: The reasons of some grammatical errors in communicating English

Figure 3.9: The difficulties in pratising English in your work environment
Table 3.1. Degree of importance of each factor towards speaking English skill

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
The first chapter shows overview of the study on the problems when
communicating English of the staff at An Nhien Gemstone Jewellry Joint Stock
Company. The rationale of the study, the previous studies, research subjects and the
aims, scope of the study, research methodology as well as structure of the study are
also mentioned. Thanks to the data foundation, the study becomes clear and
detailed.
1.1. Rationale
For years now, English has been thought of as the global business language.
What this means is that more and more international companies are using English as
a common language to communicate. To succeed in the business world, you are
going to have to learn English fluently. Being bilingual is impressive, but only if the
company thinks it can put your language skills to good use. That’s the importance of
English. Knowing English is a skill that companies can use. If you want to be able
to negotiate with other companies, knowing English is pretty much a must. You’re
going to have to find a common language and English is the most likely one to be it.
Learning English is the first step in getting ahead in your career.
The actual number of multinational companies in the world is difficult to
estimate. One of the most recent surveys was completed in 2016 by EF Education
First, which showed a 25 percent increase in the number of multinationals over the
previous 10 years. In 28 non-English-speaking countries, 70 percent of the
companies surveyed reported that English was important to their business, while 11
percent stated that it was the main language. The disparity in English English on
their own and more people are able to use English in the workplace.proficiency

among industries has been narrowing, with the gap between the highest and lowest
industries reduced nearly by half. Companies are investing more in English training,
more adults are learning
In An Nhien Gemstone-Jewellry Joint Stock Company, everyone is required to
know English. Staff of Sale Departure use English the most. Working as an saler in
An Nhien JSC for more than 3 months, I find that the English usage of staff here as
well as of myself still faces many problems, especially in communication skill.
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Therefore, in order to study this problem in depth, I have conducted the research
entitled: “ English Communication Skill of the staff of An Nhien Gemstone Jewellry
Joint Stock Company, problems and solutions”. Hopefully, this study will help the
staff understand deeply the issues that they have not noticed before and suggest
some solutions to solve the problems and help them improve their English
commnication skill.
1.2. Previous of the study
There are several studies conducted to investigate English communication
skill not only in workplace but also in educational environment :
The study by Abdel-Rahman (2016) “Improving English Communication Skill
of Ajloun National University Students”, this study aimed to enhance the oral
communication skills (conversations) of ANU students. The sample of the study
consisted of 20 students (12 female students and 8 male students) all of them are
studying English language, the majority of the sample were the seniors and juniors
students, while freshman were minority students. The researchers used random
sample method. To achieve the objectives of the present study, the researchers used
semi-structured interview as an instrument for data collection. The results of this
study revealed that the students of ANU face many problems related to
communication skill, such as confusion and embarrassment; students did not learn
speaking lessons correctly at school, and face difficulty in pronouncing some words.

The results also showed that the most frequent problems were the limited amount of
vocabulary among students, while the least frequent problems were the difficulty in
understanding questions. This study also presented some of appropriate solutions to
overcome the weakness in speaking skill, such as practicing speaking English inside
and outside the classroom effectively, using the modern social media to
communicate in English and to express the students feelings and needs.
According to the study in 2018 by A.Clement “English for the Workplace: The
Importance of English Communication Skill for Effective Performance” find out the
importance of English in workplace by conducting a survey among employees of
different companies in India. The results show that the necessity of English
communication skill in workplace hasn't changed and the participants have
reiterated the role of English as the influencing factor during interviews and at

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workplace. In addition, it has been found that poor English communication skill can
hamper the attempts of finding a good job. Moreover, participants emphasized the
need for in-house English training for improvement of skills required to perform
their duties. Among all the skills, speaking has been considered the most important
skill in workplace and majority accepted that they needed to improve their speaking
skills and online training has been preferred by most of the participants as the
favorite mode.
In addition to the research of foreigner scholars such as Abdel-Rahman (2016)
and A.Clement (2018), in Vietnam, there were also many studies related to this
issue.
In 2013, Nguyen Thi Dieu Huyen had a research paper on the subject, with the
title: “A study on how to improve English communication skill through extraActivities for the first year english non - Major students in Hai phong Private
University”. The study is about to help the first-year English non-major students at
Hai Phong Private University improve their communication skill through extraactivities and to prepare for them to the basic knowledge of communication skill

with higher requirement for the next graders; find out appropriate techniques for
teaching communication lesson which draw student’s attention into the lesson.
Some good techniques, especially the extra activities wil be given out in order to
improve their communication skill. It should be noted that this paper should not be
considered exclusive to English non-major students at Hai Phong Private
University. In fact, the fundamental concepts and result of this paper can be applied
to most English learners.
All the studies showed the reader a more multidimensional view and to
recognize the problems when practicing English communication skill. So users will
be able to take corrective measures and improve their communication skill. And
this study, researcher hope to contribute to the research treasure, clarify the subject
as well as extend the view to the staff in An Nhien JSC.
1.3. Aims of the study
To find out the difficulties and recommend possible solutions to improve
communication skill of the staff in An Nhien JSC. Within the framework of a minor
thesis, the study is aimed at:

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•

Analyzing the real situation and difficulties when communicating English of

•

An Nhien JSC’s staff
Suggesting some possible solutions to improve communication skill.

1.4. Research subjects

The research subjects in this study are the problems when communicating
English of the staff in An Nhien JSC. With the hope to enhance the importance of
these subject, the author carried out to seek to difficulties that are commonly made
in communicating English of the staff in An Nhien JSC. As the main problems are
found, it is essential to find possible solutions to improve English communication
skill.
1.5. Scope of the study
First, the study was conducted with 20 staff An Nhien Gemstone Jewellry JSC.
Second, the study only covers the communiction skill. Third, the study concentrates
on finding out the factors that caused communication difficulties. The author hoped
this study would be a useful material for every staff who concerned this issue and
helped to get rid of their communication difficulties.
1.6. Research methodology
 Data collection instruments: The main instruments used in the study to
collect data were questionnaire, interview questions
 Questionnaire: The questionnaire is considered as a common instrument to
collect data in research. It aims at finding out staff's view of errors, their
difficulties in English commnication skill. The questionaire helps us look for
necessary information and research main problems relating to the research
subject.
The questionnaires of study are described as below:
-

What are the common difficulties which staffs of An Nhien JSC
frequently have in English communicating?
- What are techniques and solutions to improve English communicating?
 Interview: It aims at finding out problems of staffs in communication skill,
their view of errors, their difficulties in communicating skill. Three staffs of
An Nhien JSC will join the investigation to answer the listed questions.

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The researcher closely and regularly instructs what the members need to
discuss, avoid being away from the topic. This method eliminates unnecessary
information and saves time.
Procedures
Step 1: Determining and preparing the content of designing questions.
Step 2: Starting survey by asking 20 staffs the listed questions and determine
the solutions they apply when communicating English
Step 3: Collecting the solutions from their answers.
Step 4: Giving reliable figures with charts and conclusion from the calculated
results.
The data were collected by using two kind of instruments namely; a table
recording each staffs' errors, and a survey interviewing. The errors were
subsequently analyzed to find the percentage.
1.7. Organization of the study
As many other scientific studies, the structure of this research is divided into 4
parts:
1. The first chapter, “Overview of the study” outlines the rationale by which the
author decided to conduct this study as well as the limit within which the
study is conducted. This part also presents some methods for the
accomplishment of the study.
2. The second chapter is about “Literature review”. The author will present
theories related to theoretical background. It focuses on background
knowledge of English Communication Skill . Besides, it also mentions
points to remember when communicating English
3. The third chapter shows the “Research findings” of the study including the
analysis. It presents an overview results of the survey questionnaires about
English commnication skill of staff in An Nhien JSC

4. The last chapter in this part entitled “Recommendations and suggestions” .
This chapter will give the staff and managers solutions to improve their
English communication skill. Conclusion is the quick summary of the above
chapters and some limitations in doing research on. From that, the researcher
can give some recommendations for further studies

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
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This chapter revises the relevant theories and studies that can be the base for
the research being carried out by linguistic experts. The overview of communication
skill as well as the difficulties in communicting English of the staff at An Nhien
Joint Stock Company will be presented.
2.1. Overview
2.1.1. Definition of communication skill
Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving and receiving
different kinds of information. Communication skills involve listening, speaking,
observing and empathising. It is also helpful to understand the differences in how to
communicate through face-to-face interactions, phone conversations and digital
communications like email and social media. Communication skills allow you to
understand and be understood by others. These can include but are not limited to
effectively communicating ideas to others, actively listening in conversations,
giving and receiving critical feedback and public speaking. Communicating is one
of the four skills necessary for effective communication in any language,
particularly when speakers are not using their mother tongue. As English is
universally used as a means of communication, especially in the internet world,
English communication skills should be developed along with the other skills so
that these integrated skills will enhance communication achievement both with
native speakers of English and other members of the international community.

We use communication every day in nearly every environment, including in
the workplace. Whether you give a slight head nod in agreement or present
information to a large group, communication is absolutely necessary when building
relationships, sharing ideas, delegating responsibilities, managing a team and much
more. Learning and developing good communication skills can help you succeed in
your career, make you a competitive job candidate and build your network. While it
takes time and practice, communication and interpersonal skills are certainly able to
be both increased and refined.

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2.1.2. Types of communication
There are several different ways we share information with one another. For
example, you might use verbal communication when sharing a presentation with a
group. You might use written communication when applying for a job or sending an
email. There are four main categories or communication styles including verbal,
nonverbal, written and visual:
 Verbal
Verbal communication is the use of language to transfer information through
speaking or sign language. It is one of the most common types, often used during
presentations, video conferences and phone calls, meetings and one-on-one
conversations. Verbal communication is important because it is efficient. It can be
helpful to support verbal communication with both nonverbal and written
communication.
 Nonverbal
Nonverbal communication is the use of body language, gestures and facial
expressions to convey information to others. It can be used both intentionally and
unintentionally. For example, you might smile unintentionally when you hear a
pleasing or enjoyable idea or piece of information. Nonverbal communication is

helpful when trying to understand others’ thoughts and feelings.
If they are displaying “closed” body language, such as crossed arms or
hunched shoulders, they might be feeling anxious, angry or nervous. If they are
displaying “open” body language with both feet on the floor and arms by their side
or on the table, they are likely feeling positive and open to information
 Written
Written communication is the act of writing, typing or printing symbols like
letters and numbers to convey information. It is helpful because it provides a record
of information for reference. Writing is commonly used to share information
through books, pamphlets, blogs, letters, memos and more. Emails and chats are a
common form of written communication in the workplace.

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 Visual
Visual communication is the act of using photographs, art, drawings, sketches,
charts and graphs to convey information. Visuals are often used as an aid during
presentations to provide helpful context alongside written and/or verbal
communication.

Because

people

have

different

learning

styles,

visual

communication might be more helpful for some to consume ideas and information.
2.2. The importance of English communication skill
Today the compulsions of learning English are no longer merely political but
scientific and technological. And no longer is English language of Great Britain
only; it is the language required by the world for greater understanding; it is the
most international of languages. English has become a global language a connecting
link, a language of modern science and technologies, a language of latest sciences,
like information technology and 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 in the world of information and
communication technology.
In this digital age, computers can be seen populating everywhere. Eighty
percent of computer data are processed and stored in English Scientists have found
out that five thousand newspapers more than half of the newspapers published in
the world are published in English.
Even in many countries where English is a minority language there is still at
least one newspaper in English. It has become the language of international affairs
and international correspondence. It has become a language of International
commerce and trade, a language of status and symbol. English is window to world.
“English has been widely accepted as the most widespread language in the world.”
People with effective communication skills are more confident, because they
know that they can tell 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-how and other related skills should learn to
develop the competence in application of English language.

8


Advantages of learning English language communication is an endless list,
creating possibilities each day to connect with people worldwide. With command
over English language you can get jobs easily and can participate in interviews and
discuss with people in a group about any particular important topic or aspect.
English communication gains us wisdom and we can also gain lots & lots of
knowledge by reading online magazines, newspapers, story books, essays, websites
and journals and any of the greatest and famous writing written in English by poets,
authors or leaders.
Apart from being most important, widely used and useful, English is
considered to be one of the easiest languages to learn and speak. With daily
practice, you can communicate-well with others and improve your skills, show-off
or expose your skills before others to impress and motivate them to come up with
their English language communications skills.
2.3. Difficulties in communicating English
2.3.1. Linguistic factors
2.3.1.1. Pronunciation
Pronunciation is an important part of foreign language learning because it
directly affects learners' communicative competence as well as performance.
Pronunciation is the way in which a language or a particular word or sound is
pronounced. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in
speaking a given word or language in a specific correct pronunciation, or simply the
way a particular individual speaks a word or language. Learners of English often
expect to be able to speak that language like a native speaker. However, they
encounter many factors to gain their desire. One of the common factors that they
find difficult is the pronunciation of another sound system. Learners find that their
mother tongue influences their pronunciation of English. Avery and Ehrich argued

that, "the native language affects both the ability to produce English sounds and the
ability to hear sounds" (Avery and Ehrich, XV). Pronunciation is most definitely the
first aspect that people can notice in second language learners when they are
speaking English. Nation (2009) stated, "When some teachers and students
complain about difficulties in speaking, they are often talking about pronunciation"

9


(p.75). Pronunciation also plays a very important role in learning a language, as
Derwing and Munro (2005) claimed that, "having good pronunciation of the
language can help in normal communication, particularly intelligibility" (as cited
by Nation & Newton, 2009. p. 75).
There are numerous factors affecting spkeaker’s pronunciation and causing
confusion when communicating English namely consonants, vowels, phonemes,
stress, etc. However, the researcher would like to focus on four most common
pronunciation mistakes of An Nhien JSC’s staff which are consonants, linking
words, word stress and intonation.
Problems with consonants: Consonants are the sound in the production of
which one articulator moves towards another or two articulators come together,
obstructing the air-stream and the air-stream can’t get out freely. Vietnamese
speakers can pronounce words with final voiceless stop consonants /p/, /t/ and /k/,
as these voiceless stop consonants occur at the final position of a word in
Vietnamese. However, Vietnamese speakers pronounce these consonants with
extremely short duration, and therefore, the sounds are never released at the end
position of a word. It can be very difficult for English native speakers to hear these
sounds from Vietnamese speakers. For example, a Vietnamese learner of English
producing the word seat may sound like see (Avery and Ehrlich, 1992, p. 153).
Problems with word stress: The stress placed on syllables within words is
called word stress or lexical stress. The stress rule is one of the hardest things to

learn in English. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most important aspects of the
language as it ups intelligeability greatly. It is actually quite hard to understand if
someone speaks flatly with no stress and equal rythm. Knowing where to stress and
where to speed up and slow down is an important part of the language.
Problems with linking words: Word Linking or connected speech is how we
join the words together to communicate faster, more natural and more fluent. If you
do not join the words together when you speak, you can’t follow native speakers’s
speed and they can’t follow your line of thought. English speakers process the
language in big chunks and could lose concentration when the sentence sounds
broken or incoherent. When we say a sentence in English, we join or link word to

10


each other. Because of this linking, the words in a sentence do not always sound the
same as when they say them individually. Linking is very important in English. If
you recognize and use linking, two things will happen:
- You will understand other people more easily
- Other people will understand you more easily
Problems with intonation: Intonation is the melody of the sentence. Intonation
is created by changes in the pitch of the voice (the voice goes higher and lower;
remains on the same level; rises and falls), by sentence stress (strong stress on
important words; weak stress or no stress on less important words), and by rhythm
(stress syllables occur at more or less equal intervals). Intonation is about how we
say things, rather than what we say, the way the voice rises and falls when speaking,
in other words the music of the language. Just as words have stressed syllables,
sentences have regular patterns of stressed words. In addition, the voice tends to
rise, fall or remain flat depending on the meaning or feeling we want to convey
(surprise, anger, interest, boredom, gratitude, etc.). Intonation therefore indicates the
mood of the speaker.

2.3.1.2. Vocabulary
Vocabulary represents one of most important skills necessary for learning a
foreign language. It is the basis for the development of all the other skills: reading
comprehension,

listening

comprehension,

speaking,

writing,

spelling

and

pronunciation. Vocabulary is the main tool for the learner in their attempt to use
English effectively. When confronted with a native English speaker, when watching
a movie without subtitle or when listening to a favorite English song, when reading
a text or when writing a letter to a friend, people will always need to operate with
words.
Talking about the importance of vocabulary, the linguist David Wilkins(1972)
argued that: “There is not much value in being able to produce grammatical
sentences if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what one
wishes to say ... While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.”(p97). Indeed, people need to use words in

11

order to express themselves in any language. Most learners, too, acknowledge the
importance of vocabulary acquisition. Research has shown that second language
readers rely heavily on vocabulary knowledge and the lack of that knowledge is the
main and the largest obstacle for L2 readers to overcome (Huckin,1995). In
production, when we have a meaning or concept that we wish to express, we need
to have a store of words from which we can select to express this meaning or
concept. ‘‘When students travel, they don’t carry grammar books, they carry
dictionaries’’ (Krashen, as cited in Lewis, 1993, p25). Many researchers argue that
vocabulary is one of the most important-if not the most important- components in
learning a foreign language, and foreign language curricula must reflect this.
However, lack of vocabulary is a big difficulty in speaking English. Current
findings also match the result of the study Hamad (2013) on female EFL learners by
indicating lack of vocabulary knowledge resulting in poor performance of speaking.
Some learners know a few vocabularies especially professional words which is not
much enough for communicating as well as exchange tasks with foreign teachers.
However, there are many people learning plenty of vocabularies and sentence
structures but not applicable because they cannot remember all of them and do not
know what to use in any situation. When dealing with foreigners, discrete
vocabulary and stereotypes confuse them, confusing one to the other or the word for
not being in a group or on a particular topic. Therefore, they cannot speak their
mind when talking in English
2.3.1.3. Grammar
English grammar is one of the most importance elements of the language study.
Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most complex and difficult. Correct
grammar is the key to communicate English fluently and confidently. Knowing
grammar will help you avoid errors that make your English sound strange to native
speakers. Grammar is the structure and sound of a language. Native English
speakers are able to recognize the grammar and are therefore able to speak
grammatically correct sentences. It may however, be a struggle for non-native

speakers who have to learn the language from its core and the mother tonge is
another language. For such people, understanding the grammar may seem to be

12


difficult. Grammar is not just about avoiding mistakes. Understanding how
grammar works is fundamental for all learners. It helps you to know how to craft
words into coherent sentences, and how to form those sentences into paragraphs
that successfully convey your meaning.
Grammar is essential. Written communication and any other form of indirect
communication thus depend on correct use of grammar or syntax, as well as of
vocabulary and spelling, in order to ensure that messages are immediately
comprehensible to another, and not meaningless or ambiguous.
Then there are social and professional reasons for using good grammar. For any
job that entails writing of any kind, or communication with coworkers, customers or
suppliers – and that means most jobs except the most humdrum and basic of jobs –
employers are increasingly attentive to the way applicants write and speak. Those
who can't speak coherentlyand grammatically, are likely to get marked way down
in a job interview.
2.3.2. Psychological factors
In every learning situation or environment, human psychology plays a
significant role. English speaking is a language skill that is highly affected by
human psychology. Feelings and emotions experienced by learners are considered
important in understanding learning processes, learner motivation and effective
teaching. Feelings and emotions are said to be a result of the evaluation learners
make of particular situations while learning (Pekrun, 2000). These evaluations are
influenced by previous experiences, the social context and their personal goals. It is
really vital for learners to take some important psychological factors into accounts
in order to achieve better results in English communicating skill. Positive emotions

can encourage English learners to perform better and improve their English
speaking process.
Nevertheless, psychological factors may cause many difficulties in
communicating English if it is a negative emotion. Burns and Joyce in Nunan
(1999); Schwartz (2005); and Thornbury (2005) argue that psychological factors
such as anxiety or shyness, lack of confidence, fear of making mistakes and lack of
motivation are the factors that hinder learners from speaking.

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2.3.2.1. Lack of confidence:
Many people face the common problem that although they spent six or seven years
studying English at school, they can't pronounce an English sentence correctly, and
they are not confident enough to communicate in the language. Some people
understand English grammar very well, and even score high marks in examinations,
but their communication skills are very poor and they are often too shy to even
attempt to strike up a conversation. They explained that they are often shy, and
afraid that if they make a mistake, others will laugh at them, so they try to avoid
speaking English in front of others. So, self-confidence is an individual’s feeling
about themselves to do something well. In many international workplaces, the
majority of Vietnamese staff lost their confidence when expressing themselves, so
they prefer to keep silent. Some of them feel uncomfortable and inhibited in their
oral participation because they cannot speak in front of their foreign colleagues.
Others hesitate to participate in the discussion simply because they are afraid of
making mistakes. Therefore, learners who lack confidence about themselves and
their English necessarily suffer from communication apprehension (Tsui cited in
Nunan, 1999). This means that building learners’ confidence is an important part
that teachers have to focus their attention on. Many learners think that their English
is bad and feel that they cannot speak English well. So, the main cause of their lack

of self-confidence is their low ability in speaking English (He and Chen, 2010).
2.3.2.2. Lack of motivation
This is one of the major psychological problems that many English learners
may face in their speaking. All scholars share the same opinion that motivation is
one of the most important causes in learners’ success or failure. Harmer (2001)
defines motivation as “some kind of drive which pushes someone to do things in
order to achieve something”. Motivation is probably the most commonly used term
for explaining the success or failure in any complex tasks (Brown, 2000). In this
sense, Johnson (2001) states that “motivation may lead to success, but success can
also lead to motivation”. According to Gardner (1985), motivation is a connection
of efforts and will to reach a goal in the language, plus favorable attitudes towards
learning the language (as cited in Williams and Burden, 1997). Thus, without

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motivation learners will almost all the time fail to make the necessary effort.
Speaking in an FL can be an uncomfortable activity or experience in the classroom,
thus the majority of learners find it hard to deal with it because of the lack of
motivation atmosphere. If FL learners cannot use language appropriately to express
themselves and to communicate with their foreigners, they will not improve their
speaking performance (Little wood 1990).
► Extrinsic motivation:
If someone takes part in an activity for reaching a goal that is not for the
activity itself, but for outside objectives such as money or passing exam, the
motivation in this case is extrinsic and it is also called instrumental motivation
(Sikszent and Nakmusia 1989 cited in Williams and Burden 1997). So, it is
important to show that extrinsic motivators are external factors to individuals that
motivate them to respond or to achieve their goals, such as praise, high grades, or
command, thus it is caused by many external factors. Lukmani (1972 cited in

Johnson 2000) also finds that “the instrumental motivation correlated with success
at English”. In this context, Gardner and Lambert (1972) add that EFL students who
are motivated by an instrumental type or parental support are more successful in
their speaking language than those who are not.
► Intrinsic motivation:
There are many people who carry out an activity without any imposition from
the outside environment (Lee 2005). That is to say those intrinsic motivators come
from within the individual without any imposition from the outside environment.
According to Deci (1975, p.32) “Intrinsically motivated activities arecome for
which there is apparent rewards expect the activity itself. People seem to engage in
the activities for their own sake and not because they lead intrinsic reward”. Thus,
when FL learners are assigned to do a task, they firstly look for situations which
attract the attention of their interest and which are considered satisfactory for them
where they can show that they can deal with problems in this task. While trying
hard to meet these challenges, they develop the sense of competence in their
capacities and vice versa, when learners have not intrinsically interest to the

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activities, their capacities of learning EFL will be reflected negatively, and this will
result to the problem of lack of motivation that they will face in their speaking.
2.3.3. Social Factors
“Social factors refer to any characteristic of a social community which might
influence an individual’s acquisition of a second language” (Rula Jamil; 1991).
According to Williams and Burden (1997) quoted by Pishghadam (2011) the impact
of context on learning a language is considerable because the learning environments
will enable individuals to learn how to learn and to develop as fully integrated
learners. Learner´s access to different cultural goods such as Internet, computers,
pictures, paintings, books and dictionaries (Cultural capital), and learners´

relationships with teachers, parents, siblings, and peers (Social capital) may have a
profound influence upon whether, what and how any individual learns a language.
Two of the main social factors are the monolingual community and language
learning context which is formal:
► The social context in Vietnam can be considered monolingualmulticultural. It is typified by the individual being raised in a relatively monolingual
environment of monolingual parents and learn in a second language in that context.
“It is generally believed that such learners hardly ever develop bilingual skills
because of lack of contact with the target language culture” (Rula Jamil; 1991). That
is the reason why learners have many years to learn English but they cannot
communicate with foreigners.
► The type of language learning context, whether formal or natural, is
believed to affect the speed and level of performance in second/foreign language
learning. Gardner and Smythe (1974) state that the culture affects the development
of a series of 17 attitudinal/motivational characteristics and their potential
relationship to the second language learning situation. It also influences the extent
to which a learner's language aptitude relates to achievement. In Vietnam, the
language context is formal since learners' almost only chance to be exposed to and
to practice English is in the school setting. Learners must learn most of the
academic knowledge with little practice.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDING
This chapter describes the analysis of data followed by a discussion of the
research findings. The findings relate to the research questions that guided the
study. Data were analyzed to identify, describe and explore some difficulties in
English communication skill of the staffs at An Nhien Joint Stock Company. Data
were obtained from questionnaires and interviews, completed by 20 staff.
3.1. The results of questionnaire and data analysis

3.1.1. The personal opinions and real situation on English communication skill
of An Nhien JSC
Question 1: How long have you been learning English ?
< 3 years

3-7 years

7-10 years

> 10 years
15.00%

5.00%
45.00%

35.00%

Figure 3.1: The amount of time employees learnt English

The pie chart shows the amount of time which An Nhien JSC staffs have been
learning English. Obviously, nearly a half of staffs experienced over10 years
period to study English is fourty-five percent (9 responses). Thirty-five percent of
participants (7 responses) have learnt this subject from 7 - 10 years. Besides, the

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percentage of staff taking part in from 3 - 7 years and under 3 years is fifteen
percent (3 responses) and five percent (1 response) respectively.
These figures reveal almost staff had over 7 years of learning English, which

means they might have a long time to practise English. This is a good foundation
for staff to have good English communication skill, easily talk with foreign
customers.
Question 2: Have you got any certificate of English usage ?

No; 30.00%

Yes; 70.00%

Figure 3.2: The percentage of staff having certificate of English usage
This graph shows the result of a survey about the figures of people who have
gotten the certificate of English usage. From the pie chart, it is clear that the
majority of participants have English certificate. It accounts for sixty percent of
staff (14 responses). The they has had certificates such as IELTS, TOEIC with the
average scores are 6.0 - 7.0 for IELTS and 700 – 900 for TOIEC. Thirty percent of
participants do not have any English certificate. In fact, although many staff do not
have their certificate, their qualification is good enough to meet the requirement of
professional work.

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