Two Worlds Apart? Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Workplace English

Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2025

Two Worlds Apart? Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Workplace English

Akif Çal ; Tessa Mearns ; Wilfried Admiraal

Abstract

This study aims to explore to what extent engineering students’ perceptions of the role of English in the workplace are affected by their internship and field of study. Previous research revealed that employers value engineers’ English communication skills highly. However, mismatches between workplace expectations and engineers’ competencies affect engineers’ employability negatively. To explore this topic, a survey and interviews were conducted. Results suggest that neither internship experience nor field of study made any difference in engineering students’ perception of the role of English in the workplace, which led to a potential mismatch between their perceptions and workplace expectations.

Journal: Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published: 2025-03-01
DOI: 10.1177/23294906231182613
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Topics: affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

O’Brien et al. (2024)

Accent Bias Training in Undergraduate Human Resource Management Education

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Employers’ Perspectives on Workplace Communication Skills: The Meaning of Commu…

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Clokie et al. (2016)

Graduate Employability and Communication Competence

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