Factors that influence oral presentations of engineering students of Pakistan for workplace environment

Oral presentations have acquired significant importance in the world of work especially in the field of engineering. Industry demands a new type of engineer equipped with new competencies and skills to promote business of organizations. Twenty five (25) engineering students from 2 engineering universities of Pakistan participated in this study. Purposive sampling method was used for data collection since participants were selected on specific criteria of only final year engineering students. All presentations were video recorded to capture actual barriers than perceived barriers of engineering students. Data were analyzed qualitatively through oral presentation assessment rubric. This assessment rubric contained four traits such as presentation skill, confidence, nervousness and vocal variety. Three assessors assessed these oral presentations in order to overcome researcher bias. The results of the study indicated that poor presentation skill, poor confidence and nervousness influenced effective oral presentation performance of engineering students. The findings of the study can be used as a guideline to prepare better human capital for workforce which is demand of modern industry to increase its workplace productivity

Beyond the Technical Barriers: Oral Communication Barriers of Engineering Students of Pakistan for Workplace Environment: Preliminary Results

Engineering organizations demand soft skills of engineers to augment its business worldwide. Technical skills alone are never sufficient for engineers to perform workplace jobs efficiently in this age of industrial and commercial advancement. This study aims to investigate oral communication barriers of engineering students that can potentially influence their job performance at workplace. One hundred (100) engineering students were surveyed from an engineering university of Pakistan. Since respondents were drawn as only final year engineering students thus, purposive sampling method was employed. Data were analyzed statistically using computer based software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The gathered information was coded and percentages were determined for oral communication barrier variables included in the questionnaire. The results of the study indicated that poor English language, fear and anxiety, lack of motivation and overcrowded classroom were oral communication barriers of engineering students. The results are in line with other communication studies on oral communication barriers of engineering students available in literature review. These findings would assist engineering universities of Pakistan to prepare better engineers for the workplace. Keywords: Oral Communication Barriers, Engineering Students, Workplace Environmen

Oral presentation preparation of engineering students of Pakistan for world of work: are they really prepared?

Oral presentations have acquired significant position in the world of work. Industry demands engineering graduates equipped with technical and non technical skills to uplift business of organizations at international level. Seven final year engineering students from 2 engineering universities of Pakistan participated in this study. Purposive sampling method was used for data collection purpose. Semi structured interviews were conducted with engineering students to explore barriers that hindered their effective oral presentation performance. Data were analyzed qualitatively using the techniques of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification as suggested by (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Open coding (Richards, 2005; Strauss and Corbin, 1998; Patton, 2002) and content analysis approach was used (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The results of the study revealed that poor oral communication skill, poor knowledge, low self confidence, stress and nervousness and low motivation were barriers that hindered effective oral presentation performance of engineering students. The findings of the study can be used as a guideline to prepare better engineers in terms of technical and non technical skills for modern industry

Oral Presentation Preparation of Engineering Students of Pakistan for World of Work: Are they really Prepared?

Oral presentations have acquired significant position in the world of work. Industry demands engineering graduates equipped with technical and non technical skills to uplift business of organizations at international level. Seven final year engineering students from 2 engineering universities of Pakistan participated in this study. Purposive sampling method was used for data collection purpose. Semi structured interviews were conducted with engineering students to explore barriers that hindered their effective oral presentation performance. Data were analyzed qualitatively using the techniques of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification as suggested by (Miles & Huberman, 1994).  Open coding (Richards, 2005; Strauss and Corbin, 1998; Patton, 2002) and content analysis approach was used (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The results of the study revealed that poor oral communication skill, poor knowledge, low self confidence, stress and nervousness and low motivation were barriers that hindered effective oral presentation performance of engineering students. The findings of the study can be used as a guideline to prepare better engineers in terms of technical and non technical skills for modern industry.   Keywords: Industrial Environment, oral presentations, engineering student

Perspectives on College Students Demotivation Factors for Learning English Language

Demotivation is subject of vital interest for second language researchers because it is linked with academic success of students directly indirectly. This study purpose was to determine demotivation factors that influence effective English language learning of students. 200 college students (100 males and 100 female) from 2 colleges participated in this study. Random sampling method research technique was employed. Data collection instrument was questionnaire. Sakai & Kikuchi (2009) demotivation questionnaire was adopted to collect data from respondents. Questionnaire contained 35 close-ended items based on demotivation factors for instance, ‘teacher, class characteristics, experiences of failure, class environment, class materials, and lack of interest’.  Data were tested through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, 23.0) software. Findings exhibited that significant differences in terms of ‘class material and lack of interest’ were noted in first and second year college students. However, ‘experiences of failure, class environment and class materials’ recorded low scores. Study insights would be useful for effective English language learning in Pakistan

Perspectives on College Students Demotivation Factors for Learning English Language

Demotivation is subject of vital interest for second language researchers because it is linked with academic success of students directly indirectly. This study purpose was to determine demotivation factors that influence effective English language learning of students. 200 college students (100 males and 100 female) from 2 colleges participated in this study. Random sampling method research technique was employed. Data collection instrument was questionnaire. Sakai & Kikuchi (2009) demotivation questionnaire was adopted to collect data from respondents. Questionnaire contained 35 close-ended items based on demotivation factors for instance, ‘teacher, class characteristics, experiences of failure, class environment, class materials, and lack of interest’.  Data were tested through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, 23.0) software. Findings exhibited that significant differences in terms of ‘class material and lack of interest’ were noted in first and second year college students. However, ‘experiences of failure, class environment and class materials’ recorded low scores. Study insights would be useful for effective English language learning in Pakistan

Workplace Communication: Oral Communicative Competence of Engineers in Engineering Workplace of Pakistan

Communicative competence plays important role for engineers to perform workplace jobs efficiently in this wide spread business environment of organizations. The respondents of the study who participated in oral presentations were six engineers from 2 engineering workplace of Pakistan. Purposive sampling method was used for data collection purpose. Oral presentations were video recorded to capture communication strategies employed by engineers to overcome communication deficiencies during oral presentations. The data were analyzed qualitatively using strategic competence framework proposed by Canale and Swain (1980). In addition, Dornyei and Scott’s (1995) compiled Inventory of Strategic Language Devices was used to investigate types of communication strategies used by engineers to overcome their communication deficiencies during oral presentations. Open coding (Richards, 2005; Strauss and Corbin, 1998) was used to code the oral presentation data. The results of the study indicated that engineers employed four communication strategies namely message abandonment, code switching, self repetition and use of fillers. The findings of the study can be used as a guideline to add communication strategies in engineering curriculum to prepare productive engineers for modern industry. Key words: Communicative Competence, Engineers, Engineering Workplac

Engineering Students Perceptions about English Language Teachers Code Switching from English to Sindhi Language

Code-switching is a linguistic phenomenon that occurs in multilingual academic societies around the globe. This study aimed to uncover engineering discipline students’ perceptions regarding English Language Teachers’ code switching from L2 to L1 in a traditional classroom setting. One hundred fifty (150) students ranging from diverse engineering disciplines participated in this study.  Research tool for this study was survey questionnaire comprising 10 items. Five point Likert scale was used quantifying perceptions of engineering students’ about English Language teachers’ code switching strategy.  The research instrument was partially adopted from a study of Fareed, Humayun, Akhtar (2016). Data analysis mode was quantitative and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used drawing percentages for variables included in questionnaire. Findings revealed that ‘teachers’ code switching helped engineering students understanding lecture easily, it supported students understanding the task better, it generated confidence among students for speaking and participation for other classroom activities, it developed motivation for working hard in other engineering subjects, and it facilitated students learning process.   In this perspective, this study concluded that code switching plays paramount role in effective teaching and learning for second language classroom teaching. This classroom practicum shift should be taken positively because it promotes better learning outcomes for the learners in the field of academia

Engineering Students Perceptions about English Language Teachers Code Switching from English to Sindhi Language

Code-switching is a linguistic phenomenon that occurs in multilingual academic societies around the globe. This study aimed to uncover engineering discipline students’ perceptions regarding English Language Teachers’ code switching from L2 to L1 in a traditional classroom setting. One hundred fifty (150) students ranging from diverse engineering disciplines participated in this study.  Research tool for this study was survey questionnaire comprising 10 items. Five point Likert scale was used quantifying perceptions of engineering students’ about English Language teachers’ code switching strategy.  The research instrument was partially adopted from a study of Fareed, Humayun, Akhtar (2016). Data analysis mode was quantitative and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used drawing percentages for variables included in questionnaire. Findings revealed that ‘teachers’ code switching helped engineering students understanding lecture easily, it supported students understanding the task better, it generated confidence among students for speaking and participation for other classroom activities, it developed motivation for working hard in other engineering subjects, and it facilitated students learning process.   In this perspective, this study concluded that code switching plays paramount role in effective teaching and learning for second language classroom teaching. This classroom practicum shift should be taken positively because it promotes better learning outcomes for the learners in the field of academia

Analyzing Communication Apprehension of Engineering Students of Pakistan for Workplace Environment

Communication apprehension is present in academic and non academic settings that affect oral presentation performance of engineering students. The purpose of this research was to explore communication apprehension prevailing among engineering students of Pakistan. Ten (10) engineering students from two engineering universities of Pakistan participated in this study. Purposive sampling method was used since respondents were selected on specific criteria of only final year engineering students. All presentations were video recorded to capture communication apprehension related barriers that influenced effective oral presentation performance of engineering students. Data were analyzed qualitatively using oral presentation assessment rubric based on four communication apprehension traits such as oral communication skill, credibility or confidence, gestures or purposeful use of body and appearance nervous mannerism. Three assessors assessed these presentations to overcome researcher bias. The results of the study revealed that communication apprehension affected oral communication skill and credibility or confidence of engineering students. In addition, due to communication apprehension they faced nervousness during oral presentation performance. The findings of the study can be used as a guideline to overcome communication apprehension of engineering students to prepare them productive engineers for modern industry. Keywords: Communication apprehension, Engineering Workplace, Engineering student