Challenges and Strategies in English Communication Skills of the Thai Undergraduate Hotel Interns in Southern Areas

บทคัดย่อ

English communication plays a crucial role in the hospitality sector. The present study explored the English communication skills of 22 Thai fourth-year English for Careers students, covering the key challenges they faced and the strategies they used to improve their language abilities during internships in Phuket, Phang-nga, and Koh Samui. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews. The responses from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies, percentages, and ranks. Thematic analysis of the transcribed semi-structured interviews was undertaken to identify the themes arising from the interviews. Listening and speaking skills were deemed the most necessary English workplace competencies. The most essential listening sub-skill was the ability to catch the speaker’s speed of speech, with the ability to use the correct formality the most important speaking sub-skill. The interviews showed that while listening and speaking were key English communication skills for hotel interns, challenges with vocabulary recall and technical terms impacted their customer interactions. Secondly, communication skills in speaking and listening emerged as the most problematic, with understanding slang being the most problematic listening sub-skill and using correct grammar and word stress being the most problematic speaking sub-skills. The interviews revealed that difficulties in listening and speaking included understanding accents and applying grammar in ‘real-time’. Thirdly, the interns used substitution, asking for repetition, and non-verbal cues as strategies to overcome communication challenges. Views on English as a lingua franca varied; some participants aimed for native fluency while others prioritised clear communication.