scholarly journals Using PELA to Predict International Business Students’ English Writing Performance with Contextualised English Writing Workshops as Intervention Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-125
Author(s):  
Caroline Wong ◽  
◽  
Nimrod Lawsin Delante ◽  
Pengji Wang ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
International Business ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
English Language ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Writing Workshops ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
English Writing ◽  
The Subject

This study examines the effectiveness of Post-Entry English Language Assessment (PELA) as a predictor of international business students’ English writing performance and academic performance. An intervention involving the implementation of contextualised English writing workshops was embedded in a specific business subject targeted at students who performed poorly on the PELA. The results reveal that PELA is a better predictor of students’ English writing performance and academic performance than their own perceptions of their English language skills, and the contextualised English writing workshops proved to be a worthwhile intervention. Students with low scores on the PELA showed significant improvement in their overall academic performance in the subject after the intervention. This improvement was reflected in their score on a major written assignment (English writing performance) and their final grade for the subject (academic performance). Moreover, students’ perceptions captured through a focus group interview and an online survey indicated a positive correlation between the intervention program and learning outcomes. The implications of this study underscore the need for regular university wide implementation of a PELA to determine students’ English writing proficiency and to align English writing workshops with tutorial and assessment activities as a pedagogic response to PELA outcomes. This approach will help students improve not only their English writing skills but also their overall academic performance.

Factors influencing academic performance in quantitative courses among undergraduate business students of a public higher education institution

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 12-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darwish Abdulrahamn Yousef
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Multiple Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
English Language ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Language And Communication ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impacts of teaching style, English language and communication and assessment methods on the academic performance of undergraduate business students in introductory quantitative courses such as Statistics for Business 1 and 2, Quantitative Methods for Business, Operations and Production Management and Operations Research in a non-Western setting. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 750 undergraduate business students in third- and fourth-year classes at the UAE University (UAEU). Descriptive statistics were used to gain some insights into the demographic and educational characteristics of respondents and their opinions regarding the importance of the three factors of concern to their understanding of quantitative courses material, along with multiple regression analysis that was used to test the hypotheses of the study. Findings The results of the present study indicate the importance of the teaching style in terms of the way the lecturer speaks and the pace of presenting the material, in addition to the structure of the lecture in understanding quantitative course material. Additionally, availability and contents of the material on the course website play an important role in helping undergraduate business students understand the subjects of quantitative courses. The study revealed that the UAEU undergraduate business students are, to some extent, uncomfortable in reading printed textbooks and writing reports on quantitative topics in English. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that both teaching style and English language and communication have a great influence on the academic performance of UAEU undergraduate business students. Research limitations/implications The paper has a number of limitations. For instance, the sample was taken only from students in a single university. Moreover, this study focuses on the business students and in turn, it excludes students of other colleges. On the other hand, it has a number of implications for administrators, instructors and researchers. Administrators should pay special attention when setting admission standards. Instructors teaching quantitative courses should prepare well-structured lectures and deliver them at a reasonable pace to allow students the time to understand them. They should also pay attention to the way they speak. For researchers, this study will indicate the need for further research to confirm or refute the results of the present study. Originality/value The present study is the first attempt to investigate the impacts of the three factors of concern on the academic performance of undergraduate business students in introductory quantitative courses in a public university setting in the UAE context.

Twelve years later

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell S. Michalak ◽  
Monica D.T. Rysavy
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Chinese Business ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use Song’s 2004 survey to assess this institution’s international business students’ perceptions and expectations of library services to improve the quality of services provided. Design/methodology/approach The authors of this study deployed Song’s 2004 survey, with his permission, to 775 international undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Fall 2016 semester using the online survey tool Qualtrics. Findings The current study compared Song’s 2004 survey results (n = 143) with the researchers’ results (n = 149). The response rate of the current survey deployment was 19.2%. This research focused on the comparison of this institution’s Chinese business students’ (n = 71) perceptions of library use and services in 2016 with Song’s Chinese students’ perceptions (n = 24) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (UIUC) in 2004. The researchers asked the international business students (UG and GR) to rate their perceived importance of five topics of library services: personal study area, public computers, electronic resources, group meeting space and virtual reference. Overall students (n = 149) rated personal study area as being the most important library service (4.34; moderately important) and virtual reference as being the least important library service (3.33; neutral). Originality/value Overall the library literature is limited with respect to studies that compare the perceptions and expectations of library services of international students from China, who are studying business at universities or colleges in the USA.

scholarly journals The impact of communication skills as a subject in the programme Cost and management accounting at the Durban University of Technology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Suntharmurthy Kristnasamy Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this research is to evaluate the communication proficiency of students studying Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) and to assess whether the subject communication, as a course, is having any positive influence on students who are lacking critical thinking and literacy skills. It is necessary to analyse the factors affecting communication because of the diversity of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) students coming from different cultural, ethnic and geographic backgrounds before evaluating the communication proficiency of students. The field of accounting is broadly quantitative in nature, but Management Accounting, although a branch of this broad knowledge is more qualitative in nature. Data analysis, report writing and decision making are fundamental to Management Accounting. The target population for the study was CMA students. This population entails students enrolled for the first time in 2007 and current second and third year students. It was necessary to follow the progress of the 2007 cohort of students to establish whether students were achieving their qualification within the specified three year period as required by the CMA course and whether communication skills were an issue if they were unsuccessful. The objective to include second and third year students registered in the Department of Management Accounting at DUT in 2012 was to acquire current and pertinent information with regard to student perception on the subject relating to communication skills. An analytical type of research approach was used to conduct the study and quantitative data was collected using questionnaires and computer reports to gain an insight into the impact of communication skills as a subject in the CMA programme. The study confirmed that gender and the location of schools played a role in the academic performance of students. The overall performance between the genders revealed that female students performing slightly better than their male counterparts. English First Language (EFL) female students demonstrated much better academic performance than the EFL male students. Irrespective of language differences, if a student had an aptitude and performed well in the English Language at grade 12 or matric, the student has a better chance of being more successful with the CMA programme The number of EFL and English Second Language (ESL) students acknowledging that the English language affected them in obtaining better grades in CMA was fifty one per cent. Since the second and third year CMA students perceive that their lecturers were unaware of their poor understanding of the English language after completing the subject Communication Skills in the first year of study indicates that the subject is not having the desired affect. Both EFL and ESL students also acknowledged the vital role that Communication Skills play in education, social and economic development. This study, inter alia, recommends a screening of new students for English proficiency and providing academic support for students who have problem with literacy skills. It also recommends increasing the subject content of Communication Skills and extending the duration from one semester to two semesters.

HOW DOES ENGLISH LANGUAGE AFFECT TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF A SPANISH STUDENT IN THE SUBJECT OF PHYSICS?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Segade ◽  
Esther Rilo Siso ◽  
Sandra García-Garabal ◽  
Montserrat Domínguez-Pérez ◽  
Oscar Cabeza
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Subject

scholarly journals A comparative analysis of emotional intelligence and intelligence quotient among Saudi business students’ toward academic performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 184797901988066
Author(s):  
Sania Khan
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Intelligence Quotient ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Student’S Performance ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the determinants of student learning outcomes and their academic performance is never being easy. Most of the studies examined the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) and intelligence quotient (IQ) on academic performance discretely, and their combined influence was not studied. The study identifies various dimensions of EI and IQ and investigates their impact on university business students’ academic performance comparatively among private and public university students. The data relevant to this study were collected from 416 students of various Business Colleges of Saudi central province universities, using online survey questionnaire. Structural equation modeling analysis using SPSS AMOS was used to evaluate the data. The private students possess a significant IQ, and their academic performance is primarily driven by IQ and with high EI; whereas public sector students possess moderate EI with insignificant IQ levels and tend to perform average in their academics. All the measurement items of EI and IQ explained only 43.6% of variance in public student’s performance and 56.3% in private student’s performance. The study argues the cognitive intelligence is very purposive in academics but narrow in nature and does not extend the horizon of student’s lifelong learning. Therefore, EI is vital and plays a prominent role in supporting their IQ as well. The study is limited to only business students; therefore, findings may not be generalized to other academic domains and for master level students. It suggests to conduct further studies to explore relationship among various exogenous variables.

Evaluating the dimensionality of an instrument for measuring the factors affecting academic performance of international business students in project management modules

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
Darwish Abdulrahamn Yousef
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Project Management ◽  
International Business ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Undergraduate Business Students

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the dimensionality of an instrument developed by Lebcir et al. to measure the impact of teaching style, English language and communication skills and assessment methods on the academic performance of international business students in project management modules. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from two independent samples drawn from the United Arab Emirates (UAE); the first sample consisted of 581 undergraduate business students from a public higher education institution, while the second sample consisted of 188 undergraduate business students from a private higher education institution. Confirmatory factor and principal component analyses were employed; additionally, Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the internal consistency of the instrument. Findings The results showed that for both samples, the validity of measurement of all three factors by Lebcir and colleagues instrument was not confirmed. Therefore, caution should be taken when using this instrument, at least in Arab settings. Research limitations/implications The present study has a number of limitations. The statistical techniques used in the present study might not be sufficient to judge the validity of Lebcir et al.’s (2008) instrument. For example, test-retest technique could be used to test the reliability of this instrument. This study has a number of implications, one of which is that those administrators who intend to use the recommendations of research works based on the three factors of Lebcir et al.’s (2008) instrument in Arab settings should be cautious, as such recommendations might be misleading in such settings. Originality/value The present study is the first attempt to validate Lebcir et al.’s instrument in an Arab setting.

scholarly journals THE CORRELATION BETWEEN RELIGIOUS PRACTICE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ENGLISH COMPETENCE OF THE ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS FACULTY STUDENTS OF MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY PALEMBANG

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Asti Gumartifa
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Grade Point Average ◽  
English Language ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Religious Performance ◽  
English Competence

English competence is always needed in this globalization era. TOEFL test is always used due to measure students’ ability in understanding English spoken and written. Grade Point Average (GPA) and religious performance practice are suspected whether or not influence students English language competence.  In this paper, religious practice and Grade Point Average (GPA) correlated to English language competence at the economic and business students’ faculty of Muhammadiyah University Palembang. Recent research demonstrated a positive correlation between religious practice and academic performance to English competence. Students’ religiosity was measured using Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) ready-made questionnaire, while academic performance was measured by Grade Point Average (GPA) and TOEFL test was used to determine students’ English language competence. The statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between students’ religious performance to English language competence. Meanwhile, Grade Point Average showed positive correlation to English language competence.

scholarly journals BECOMING A BUSINESS WRITER: OMANI ESP STUDENTS’ SELF-PERCEIVED WRITING CHALLENGES, NEEDS AND WANTS

2022 ◽  
pp. 753
Author(s):  
Peter Heckadon ◽  
Victoria Tuzlukova
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Business Writing ◽  
Sultan Qaboos University ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Writing Analysis ◽  
Writing Practice

Today, effective English writing is one of the most valuable professional skills for growth and development in the world of entrepreneurship. In spite of the prominence of English as the leading language of business and business education, writing is still one of the biggest challenges that business students face. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that explored Omani business student-perceived challenges, needs and wants in writing. The study used an online survey involving seventy students from Sultan Qaboos University who were asked to share their perceptions in regard to these three dimensions specifically related to the skill of business writing. Analysis of the data was conducted using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Findings reveal that business students place effective writing skills high in terms of their perceived necessity. They also indicate that in spite of interesting and engaging writing activities contextualized in Oman’s world of business, students’ overall enjoyment level of writing is moderate on average due to perceived challenges throughout learning, and lacks in perspectives pertaining to how the writing tasks and assignments could be developed and implemented, including providing more guiding writing practice, more feedback, more interesting topics and more real-world topics and tasks. These student challenges, needs and wants analysis’ findings can direct further developments, leading to a successful English business writing syllabus and teaching practice.

scholarly journals The concept of the English language for specific purposes (ESP)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Jelena Rajović ◽  
Marija Vuković ◽  
Jelena Lekić
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
21St Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Business Communication ◽  
Language For Specific Purposes ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The 1960S

The English language of profession, as the basic means of international business communication, has been the subject of interest of linguists since the 1960s. Such a long tradition deserves attention, especially if we keep in mind the fact that the English language of profession has long been studied in the context of general English. The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of the English language of profession, especially today in the 21st century when the development of science and technology reaches its peak. The paper presents the concept of the English language of the profession, which includes the main features of the English language, theories and contexts in which it is used.

scholarly journals Fostering Language and Vocabulary in International Business Students thorough an E Portfolio

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 3068-3085
Author(s):  
María Alexandra Rincón Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
International Business ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Text Book ◽  
The Impact

This study analyzes the impact of the implementation of seven selected activities on E-portfolio in order to introduce international business students to the business vocabulary related to their program, given that they do not take any subjects related to their career in English. This study was carried out in a group of 20 students of second semester who study at a Universidad Consequently, this study was conceived thanks some observations in classes of English that the lack of the use of Specific vocabulary in business which demonstrates language teachers follow a book to teach English and the text-book Speakout Eales, F., & Oakes, S. (2011). Speakout: Elementary: Student's book. Pearson Education used in classes in order to support the contents of English is not focused on teaching business-related vocabulary Therefore, there are no current opportunities for students to have contact with authentic language in Business subjects, in this case business vocabulary which could contribute to their professional growth. This confers to the idea to familiarize students with bussines-related vocabulary to the content area. The constructs which were considered in order to develop this research were firstly, the CALL (Computer-assisted language learning) approach taking advantage of E-portfolio, secondly, English for specific purposes (ESP) and finally Motivation. These theoretical constructs were considered thanks a diagnostic survey at the beginning of the first stage in this study.  The type of study was action research and qualitative methodology which lets teachers build theories related to teaching and learning; therefore, the data collection procedures included a teacher’s journal with the purpose of recording ideas and reflecting on them afterwards, an online survey to reveal responses to specific, important questions, and e- portfolios which display evidence assembled and managed by students. Finally, the findings revealed three categories. First category is: Raising awareness about ESP. Second, Chasing a target vocabulary using E-portfolio  that describes the outcome students achieved after developing different activities in a E-portfolio and how they learnt vocabulary confidentially and  Third, Learning as a matter of motivation  that relates to the interest students take for learning a language. Finally, the conclusions describe students’ prefers at the moment to use technology to foster their language learning and in order to increase their business lexis in English to face their profession in a meaningful way.

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