A NEEDS ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE USE AMONG THAI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PART-TIME SERVICE EMPLOYMENT

Abstract

This study investigates English use, workplace communication challenges, and
perceived curriculum relevance among Thai Business English students engaged in part-time
employment. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured
questionnaire administered to 51 undergraduate Business English students from the Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, all of whom had
experience using English in part-time jobs. Descriptive statistical analysis was employed to
examine patterns of English use, required communication skills, workplace challenges, and
students’ perceptions of curriculum relevance. The findings reveal that English use in part-time
jobs is predominantly oral and interaction-driven, with speaking and listening skills most
frequently employed in customer-facing situations such as welcoming customers, taking
orders, and recommending products. Vocabulary limitations, difficulty understanding diverse
accents, and lack of communicative confidence emerged as the most significant challenges.
Although students perceived that university English courses were generally relevant to
workplace demands, their confidence in real-time communication remained at a moderate
level, suggesting a gap between classroom instruction and the dynamic nature of workplace
communication. The study highlights the importance of practice-oriented and context-specific
English instruction that reflects authentic workplace interactions. The findings provide
pedagogical implications for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum development,
emphasizing the need to integrate real-world communication tasks, intercultural awareness,
and spoken interaction practice to better prepare students for part-time and future professional
work.