Dear IET members and engineering professionals,
My name is Mi-Jin Chung, and I am a PhD candidate in Linguistics at Lancaster University. My doctoral research, funded by Duolingo and ETS TOEFL, aims to develop a language assessment for novice engineers who use English as a second or foreign language in intercultural engineering workplaces.
Currently, I am conducting a doctoral study to identify the kinds of communicative situations that novice engineers encounter in real workplace settings. For this stage of the research, I am seeking insights from:
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Practising engineers working in the UK (e.g., junior/senior engineers, supervisors, or engineers who have worked with or interacted with novice engineers) or
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Engineering faculty members teaching engineering students in UK higher education
Your insights would be particularly valuable in helping to identify:
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the types of communication activities novice engineers typically engage in within workplace contexts
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the communication skills and interactional strategies required for successful workplace communication
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areas where novice engineers may face challenges in workplace communication
Participation involves completing a short online questionnaire (approximately 15 minutes). To take part, please click the survey link below:
https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4T2REsh6GCuxcjQ
Participants will receive £20 gift card as an incentive in appreciation of your time and engagement.
If you are willing, you may also be invited to participate in a follow-up individual online interview (optional). During the interview, you will receive a small number of short example dialogues from workplace-related interactions in advance and will be asked to share your impressions of the communicative skills demonstrated by novice engineers. Those who are invited to and take part in the follow-up interview will receive an additional £60 gift card. Participation is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time during the data collection period without providing a reason.
[Key information]
• No Technical Data: There are no questions regarding specific technical work, proprietary projects, or commercially sensitive information
• Confidentiality: Your participation remains fully anonymous and confidential
Your participation would make a valuable contribution to research in language testing, engineering education, and professional communication in industry.
I would be very grateful if you could spare time to complete the survey.
Have a lovely day.