Self-perceived oral communication competence in English, self-perceived employability and career expectations among non-native English speaking business professionals

Abstract

Objective of the Study:

The objectives for this thesis were 1) to understand non-native English speaking business professionals' self-perception of their oral communication competence in English, 2) to understand the importance of English language and competence in English for non-native English speaking business professionals when they consider employability and career expectations and finally 3) to study whether the concepts of self-perceived oral English communication competence, self-perceived employability and career expectations are somehow connected.

Methodology and the Analytical Framework:

Based on previous literature on oral communication, communication competence, employability and career, a theoretical framework was constructed for the thesis. The research was conducted with a quantitative survey containing demographic questions and questions related to self-perceived English oral communication competence, self-perceived employability and career expectations. The questionnaire was distributed through various channels and responses were collected from non-native English speaking business professionals. Statistical methods, including Spearman's rank-order correlation and independent t-test, were used to analyze the data alongside with visual presentation.

Findings and Conclusions:

The main findings of the thesis were related to the importance of English skills for non-native English speaking business professionals and self-perceived oral communication competence in English. First, over 90% of the 34 respondents of the questionnaire considered English communication skills important when thinking of their future career prospects and advancement possibilities. Second, the scores for self-perceived oral English communication competence indicated that the respondents seemed to consider themselves more competent communicators in some situations than others. No correlation was found in this study between self-perceived communication competence and self-perceived employability. Similarly, no clear correlation was found between self-perceived communication competence scores and career expectations.