Dear IET Members,
My name is Mi-Jin Chung, and I am a PhD candidate in Linguistics at Lancaster University. My doctoral research aims to develop a language assessment for novice engineers who use English as a second or foreign language in intercultural engineering workplaces.
Before developing the test, I am conducting a study to identify the communicative situations that novice engineers encounter in real workplace settings. For this stage of the research, I am seeking insights from engineering professionals working in the UK.
Unfortunately, following a previous round of data collection, a rigorous review using multiple validation methods indicated that a substantial proportion of responses were not genuine. In order to safeguard the integrity and quality of the research, recruitment has therefore been reopened with enhanced verification procedures.
I would like to thank those participants from the previous round who provided thoughtful and genuine responses. Your contributions are greatly valued and will be retained as part of the study. As previously communicated, eligible participants will receive their £20 voucher by 30 April.
Eligibility Criteria (must meet BOTH)
1. Role (at least one):
- Practising engineer in the UK (e.g. junior, senior, or supervisory roles, or those with experience working with novice engineers), OR
- Engineering faculty member in UK higher education
2. Professional Membership (mandatory):
- Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET)
What the study explores
Your insights will help to identify:
- The types of communication activities novice engineers engage in within workplace contexts
- The communication skills and interactional strategies required for effective workplace communication
- Areas where novice engineers may encounter challenges
Participation Details
- Online questionnaire (approximately 15 minutes)
- Optional follow-up online interview
For the interview, participants will be provided in advance with short example workplace dialogues and asked to share their perspectives on the communicative performance of novice engineers.
Compensation:
- £20 gift card for completing the questionnaire (by 30 April)
- An additional £60 gift card for participating in the follow-up interview
Response Quality and Verification
To ensure fairness and to protect the contributions of genuine participants:
- All responses will be subject to a rigorous quality review for consistency and authenticity
- Responses deemed incomplete, inconsistent, non-genuine, or generated using automated tools or programmes will be excluded
- Such responses will not be eligible for voucher compensation
Participation and Ethics
- Participation is entirely voluntary
- You may withdraw at any time during the data collection period without providing a reason
Key Information:
- No questions will involve technical, proprietary, or commercially sensitive information
- All responses will remain fully anonymous and confidential
Expression of Interest
If you would like to take part, please directly send me a private message via EngX with:
- A brief introduction about yourself
- A link to your LinkedIn profile
- Evidence of your MIET membership
Please note that I will only communicate with participants directly via EngX messages. All eligible participants will be contacted directly with the correct study information after verification. As the number of participants is limited, recruitment will be conducted on a rolling basis, and places will be allocated to eligible participants upon verification.
These steps are necessary to ensure that the valuable contributions of genuine participants are protected, to provide fair opportunities for those sincerely interested in participating, and to maintain the overall quality and impact of the research.
Your participation would make a valuable contribution to research in language testing, engineering education, and professional communication.
I would be very grateful for your time and consideration.