The Correlation of Business English as Lingua Franca and the Job Satisfaction of Non-native Speakers of English

Bachelor Thesis , 2022 , 39 Pages , Grade: 1.9

Psychology - Work, Business, Organisation

The objective of this thesis is to examine the correlation between Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) in the context of using business English at work and job satisfaction amongst non-native speakers of English, particularly in view of their professional self-actualization.

In this study, FLA was measured by using the FLA-FS scale developed by Gargalianou et al. (2016). Job satisfaction was measured on the scale developed by Fischer & Lück (1972). Sociodemographic data was taken into consideration as well. The results reveal a low negative correlation between FLA and job satisfaction (r = -.39) and a low negative correlation between FLA and self-actualization in the workplace (r = -.40), which means the higher the anxiety scores on the FLA scale, the lower the job satisfaction and professional self-actualization. Moreover, there is a strong positive correlation between FLA and the individual proficiency level of English (r = .70), which means that FLA affects mainly, but not solely, beginners of English.

Given the results and the impact of FLA on the psychological and physical well-being of employees, multinational organizations which have adopted business English as lingua franca must be able to detect behavioral and non-behavioral signs of FLA and implement measures to combat the negative effects on their workforce. As there have been no studies on this topic yet conducted, this thesis strives to close the gap in research.
Further large-scale research on the correlation of FLA and job satisfaction would be necessary to determine in-depth findings and pull significant business-psychological insights.

Table of Contents

• Abstract
• List of abbreviations
• List of symbols
• List of tables
• List of figures
• 1 Introduction
• Definitions
• 2.1 Business English as lingua franca (BELF)
• 2.2 Foreign Language Anxiety
• 2.3 Job satisfaction
• 3 Current state of research
• 3.1 Effects of FLA
• 3.2 FLA and job satisfaction
• 4 Preliminary conclusion and research gap
• 5 Hypothesis
• 6 Methodology
• 6.1 Measuring instruments
• 6.1.1 Frequency of use of English at work
• 6.1.2 Personal English skills
• 6.1.3 Current job position
• 6.1.4 FLA in Formal Settings scale (FLA-FS)
• 6.1.5 Job satisfaction
• 6.2 Conduct of the Study
• 6.3 Selection of sample
• 6.4 Data evaluation
• 7 Results
• 7.1 Descriptive statistics
• 7.1.1 Statistical evaluation
• 7.1.2 Analysis of variance
• 7.2 Correlation analysis
• 8 Discussion
• 8.1 Summary
• 8.2 Practical significance
• 8.3 Limitations and recommendations for further research
• 9 Conclusion
• References
• Questionnaire

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis aims to investigate the correlation between Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) in the context of using business English at work and job satisfaction among non-native speakers of English, specifically focusing on their professional self-actualization.

• The impact of Foreign Language Anxiety on job satisfaction
• The relationship between Foreign Language Anxiety and professional self-actualization
• The correlation between Foreign Language Anxiety and English proficiency levels
• The implications of Foreign Language Anxiety for multinational organizations
• The need for further research to understand the correlation between Foreign Language Anxiety and job satisfaction

Chapter Summaries

The introduction defines key terms such as Business English as lingua franca (BELF), Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), and job satisfaction, setting the stage for the research question. Chapter 3 reviews the existing literature on the effects of FLA and its relationship with job satisfaction. Chapter 4 identifies the research gap, laying the foundation for the hypothesis presented in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 outlines the methodology, detailing the measuring instruments, study conduct, sample selection, and data evaluation methods. The results of the study, including descriptive statistics and correlation analyses, are presented in Chapter 7.

Keywords

The primary focus of this thesis is on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) in the context of Business English as Lingua Franca (BELF) and its impact on job satisfaction, particularly for non-native speakers of English. Key themes include professional self-actualization, workplace anxiety, and the relationship between FLA and English proficiency levels. This research strives to contribute to the understanding of FLA and its influence on employee well-being within multinational organizations.

• College: ( European University of Applied Sciences Hamburg )
• Grade: 1.9
• Author: Sarah Capozza (Author)
• Publication Year: 2022
• Pages: 39
• Catalog Number: V1334615
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346827739
• ISBN (Book): 9783346827746
• Language: English
• Tags: correlation, business, english, lingua, franca, satisfaction, non-native, speakers