From (2005). Campana: Suzuka International Forum 12, pp. 329-35.
English after University
Hajime
Umeda
Suzuka
International University
Absract
This paper sets out to examine the extent of English usage in the workplaces of a group of university graduates by analyzing the results of a questionnaire given to Japanese alumni of Suzuka International University.
このリサーチは、4年制大卒者が職場において、どの程度 の割合で英語を実際に使用しているのかを、鈴鹿国際大学・日本人同窓生へのアンケート結果を通して検証するものである。
Keywords: English in the workplace, tertiary EFL education, language and culture
Introduction
Japanese university students are frequently urged to improve their English proficiency while they study in order to help them find a good job when they graduate. As a matter of course, human resource staff of many companies expects prospective employees to have some knowledge of English. This trend, however, may not be applicable to all Japanese university students who are about to be employed.
The purpose of this research is two fold: (1) to determine the extent to which university graduates use English in their workplaces, and (2) if so, in what manner they do so. The data from this research was drawn from a questionnaire (See Appendix 1.) sent to Suzuka International University (SIU) alumni who graduated from 1998 through 2003. They were asked (1) if they have opportunities to use English at work, (2) if so, on what occasions they do, (3) the frequency of their English use, (4) which of the four language skills they think is most important, and (5) if they believe that the English education offered to them by SIU has been useful in their daily lives.
Hypothesis
The
ratio of
in-office English use of SIU alumni is not that high.
Subjects
The subjects of this research are SIU alumni who graduated from 1998 through 2003. SIU is a small liberal arts university, which is located in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture. Concerning the English curriculum, all students are required to take English related studies for at least two years. This sample of SIU alumni was chosen for the following reasons:
(1) The author has taught EFL at this institution since the university’s foundation in 1994. Therefore, he had easy access to the individual information of alumni, such as mailing addresses, in order to conduct the research.
(2) Located in a rural area, there is no large job-market near SIU. In other words, there seem to be few opportunities to use English at work in Mie Prefecture compared to more urban areas in Japan. In such circumstances, the author wondered how frequently/how much the alumni would have the opportunity to use English at work, although not all of them work in Mie Prefecture after graduation.
Procedure
The author was given permission to refer to the SIU alumni roster in order to send this questionnaire to alumni. Approximately, 1,300 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to them by post in the summer of 2004. The author also enclosed return envelopes so that the respondents could send the questionnaire with answers to the author by post. Subjects were also given the option of using a CGI formatted questionnaire which was attached to the author’s homepage. The URL of the CGI formatted questionnaire form was indicated in the questionnaire sheet mailed to the alumni.
Eighty-nine alumni completed the questionnaire overall (58 by post and 31 through the Internet) by the end of September 2004. Unfortunately, the return ratio was not as high as expected. One possible explanation might be that fewer subjects had access to the Internet than the author had expected.
Results
Question 1
Twenty-two respondents (24.7%) indicated that they use English at work while 61 people (68.5%) do not. This means that approximately 70% do not use English while working.
(Note: Questions 2 through 4 were answered by the 22 subjects who answered that they use English at work in Question 1.)
Question 2
Nine participants (40.9%) use English inside the companies/organizations they work for while 8 alumni (36.4%) use it when they have interaction with outsiders (e.g. customers). Five respondents (22.7%) answered that they use English on both occasions.
Question 3
More than half of the 22 participants (12, 54.5%) say that they use English less than 30% in their daily work lives.
Question 4
Each participant was asked to put “1” for the most important skill, “2” for the second most important, “3” for the third most important, and “4” for the least important skill at work.
As for listening, 8 alumni said that it is the most important skill while 4 respondents said that it is the least important skill. Ten respondents chose speaking as the most important skill whereas 4 participants believed it to be the least important area. In regards to reading, 7 respondents regarded it as the most important and least important skill respectively. Only 4 participants thought that writing is the most important skill at work (See Appendix 2.).
Question 5
All respondents answered this question. Thirty-three (37.1%) said the English education offered to them at SIU is useful to some degree in their daily lives while 52 (58.4%) said it is not. Amongst the 22 subjects who use English at work, 15 (68.1%) said it is useful and 7 (31.8%) said it is not.
Discussion
Results from the first question posed in this survey indicate that approximately 70% of the respondents currently working at full-time jobs do not use English. This seems to indicate that the “English is a must” belief seen in university curricula may not always be applicable to alumni in some work places. Umeda (2003) uncovered similar research findings, asking Japanese Minnesota State University-Akita (MSUA) alumni whether they use English while working. Amongst 88 subjects in that study, 51 (58.0%) answered they use it. Since MSUA, closed in 2003, was a branch American campus, the alumni tended to choose English-related jobs more actively.
As for question 2, those who use English at work do so in a number of roles. Some use it with work-mates while others need to use the language when they work with customers. Only 5 respondents answered they use English in both situations.
From the results of the third question, we find that while 22 respondents use English at work, more than half of them (12, 54.5%) use the language less than 30% of the time in their daily workload. Although English is needed in many business areas, these 12 respondents seem to use it in a limited capacity.
The mean scores and standard deviation for question 4 are shown below in Table 1.
Table 1: The Mean Score and Standard Deviation (SD) of Each Skill
Mean Score SD
Listening 2.23 1.13
Speaking 2.09 1.16
Reading 2.50 1.23
Writing 2.59 1.07
Looking at the mean scores, speaking and listening skills seem to be more important to respondents than reading and writing skills. It would be impossible to determine if there is a significant difference amongst the mean scores, as well as amongst each of the standard deviation because the number of the subjects is too small. This result, however, might imply that English functions more as an oral/aural communication tool when these respondents talk with their colleagues, and when they have opportunities to interact with their business partners and/or customers in a variety of situations.
The results of Question 5 demonstrate that 52 respondents (58.4%) do not believe that the English education they received at SIU is useful in their daily lives. However, 32 of these 52 respondents added comments that they wish they had opportunities to use English which they learned at SIU. Therefore, not all of them seem to criticize the content of the English education offered to them. Simply, they have no occasion to use English. On the other hand, amongst those who use English at work, about 70% say that it is useful to some degree in their daily lives. These results imply that many students hope to use the English language skills that they developed during their university studies.
Conclusion and Future Implications
The results of this research show that fewer than 25% of the total number of respondents uses English at work. The frequency of English use among respondents is not that high. In this sense, the hypothesis appears to be correct.
It is commonly held that English is indispensable in this global age. Kimura and Otagaki (2000) reported that it is worthwhile to offer English lessons in the “Period of Integrated Studies” at elementary schools to enhance global awareness of children. In addition, Edwards (2004) discussed the potentiality of English learning with fun from elementary school age. What about English after university?
In Question 5, for example, 32 respondents made comments that they are afraid of not having opportunities to use English they learned at SIU after graduation. In other words, they might have been interested in applying for English related jobs if available. Therefore, the university’s career supporting office must coordinate a greater number of English related jobs for such students. Even if the jobs are available outside Mie Prefecture, students should be encouraged to apply for them in order to make use of the English skills they have developed. More of these kinds of jobs would be available in urban job-markets such as the Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya areas, for instance. If more students can be employed in companies/organizations by taking advantage of the English skills they have developed, the university will be able to obtain a better reputation from society. In this way, it is more likely to survive in this age of great demographic change.
References
Edwards, N. (2004). Rediscovering the Creative Heart of Japanese Education: Fostering Intrinsic Motivation through a Love of Language. The Language Teacher, 28 (1), 19-23.
Kimura, Y. & Otagaki, M. (2000). The Effect of English Language Teaching at Elementary Schools on Children’s Character Formation: A Pilot Study. Jacet Bulletin 32, 49-61.
Umeda, H. (2003). An American Campus in Japan; its Legacy to Society. JALT2003 Proceedings, 506-11.
Appendix 1
The Questionnaire Given to SIU Alumni and its Results (Excerpt)
Question 1: Do you have opportunities to use English at work?
a. Yes. 22 (24.7%)
b. No. 61 (68.5%)
c. I have no job experience. 5 (5.6%)
d. No answer 1 (1.1%)
*Questions 2 through 4 are for those 22 subjects who answered ‘Yes’ in Question 1.
Question 2: When do you use English?
a. Inside companies/organizations you work for, e.g. business meetings
9 (40.9%)
b. When meeting with the people from outside, e.g. talking with customers
8 (36.4%)
c. Both ‘a’ and ‘b’ 5 (22.7%)
Question 3: How much do you use English at work?
a. All day long 1 (4.5%)
b. More than 90% of daily workload 0
c. More than 80% of daily workload 1 (4.5%)
d. More than 70% of daily workload 1 (4.5%)
e. More than 60% of daily workload 1 (4.5%)
f. More than 50% of daily workload 1 (4.5%)
g. More than 40% of daily workload 2 (9.1%)
h. More than 30% of daily workload 1 (4.5%)
i. Less than 30% of daily workload 12 (54.5%)
j. Other 2 (9.1%)
Question 4: Which of the four English skills do you think is most important? Put “1” for the most important skill, “2” for the second most important, “3” for the third most important, and “4” for the least important skill at work (See Appendix 2.).
Question 5: Do you think the English education that was offered to you at Suzuka International University is useful in your daily life now?
a. Yes, very much. 10 (11.2%)
b. Yes, a little. 23 (25.8%)
c. No, not very much. 36 (40.4%)
d. No, not at all. 16 (18.0%)
e. No answer 4 (4.5%)
Appendix 2
The Results of Question 4: Degree of Importance of Each of the Four Skills
