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Faculty Perceptions of Communication Skills and Needs of Business School Undergraduates in Singapore

Singapore Management University, Singapore

In Singapore in 2000, the government launched a Speak Good English Movement to improve English language skills and to limit the use of Singlish (a local variety of English) by promoting the use of (Standard) English among the general popula tion. This campaign was motivated by govemment perception and media reports of a decline in English language skills.

Using a 40-item questionnaire, this study investigated whether faculty at a large Singapore business school shared similar perceptions of inadequate communi cation skills, in this case among undergraduates, and also sought to explain their perceptions. The findings indicate that the faculty perceived undergraduate com munication skills to be in need of improvement, thus lending support to employer and government criticism. An analysis of survey responses revealed some probable underlying causes for faculty perceptions, including an apparent lack of real com mitment to the improvement of such skills.

Key Words: Singlish • Standard English • faculty perceptions of student skills

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