Spoken and Written Communication Needs

of Aviation Management Trainees

Reshminder Kaur Satvindar Singh

Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong

Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Nor Aida Abdul Rahman

Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

www.ijonses.net

To cite this article:

Satvindar Singh, R. K., Cheong, C. Y. M., & Rahman, N. A. A. (2021). Spoken and written
communication needs of aviation management trainees. International Journal on Social
and Education Sciences (IJonSES), 3(3), 535-547. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.235

International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES) is a peer-reviewed scholarly online
journal. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Authors alone are
responsible for the contents of their articles. The journal owns the copyright of the articles. The publisher
shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or
howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of the research
material. All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any
financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations regarding the submitted work.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES) is affiliated with

International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES): www.istes.org
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences
2021, Vol. 3, No. 3, 535-547 https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.235

Spoken and Written Communication Needs of Aviation Management

Trainees

Reshminder Kaur Satvindar Singh, Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong, Nor Aida Abdul Rahman

Article Info Abstract

Article History The need to investigate the communication skills of specific participants usually
Received: arises upon demand from the stakeholders, including the employers, passengers,
11 February 2021
clients and others. The common reasons for stakeholders to consult course
Accepted:
developers or language practitioners regarding developing a specific purpose
25 May 2021
course include poor language proficiency and lack of professional
communication skills amongst personnel whose jobs require efficient
communication. The needs analysis (NA) method is often used to explore the
Keywords
necessary communication skills at the workplace, including business, medical
English for specific purposes
and aviation. In aviation, the aviation English program content is based on the
Aviation English
Aviation management stakeholders‟ communication requirements. Having said that, there are two main
Curriculum design objectives of this study. Firstly, this study aims to investigate the importance of
Needs analysis English as a medium for communication amongst AVM personnel serving in
local and foreign-based companies within Malaysia. Secondly, it aims to
determine the spoken and written communication activities that aviation
management personnel are frequently involved in the aviation industry. Based on
the findings, the NA revealed that the English language is vital in developing
professional communication skills among AVM trainees as they require English
proficiency for speaking and writing activities.

Introduction

The Aviation industry is considered as one of the dynamic business fields in the fast-moving global network
today. One of the most significant indicators of this enterprising field is the growing number of airlines
companies in line with a growing number of passengers using air transport services to travel and transport goods
worldwide through thousands of flights each day. Recent evidence suggested a steady annual increase of 4-5%
in demand for air transport since several years ago is expected to continue in the coming years (Miyoshi et al.,
2018). In Malaysia, the aviation industry is also expanding rapidly, inviting fierce competition among various
stakeholders. Today, Malaysia is known as an upcoming aerospace hub in Southeast Asia. Parallel with the
famous AirAsia tagline “Now Everyone can fly”, the efficient management of the aviation industry in Malaysia
has resulted in tremendous growth to support the demand for air transportation service of local and neighbouring
countries.

535
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

Due to such advancement, the aviation industry offers great employment opportunities to develop talents
capable of managing aviation industry operations. One of the most important stakeholders in the aviation
industry is the AVM personnel responsible for coordinating and managing tasks and activities in their respective
departments. Hence, employers often seek ideal candidates with pertinent knowledge and skills in managing
aviation departments prior to being selected as AVM personnel (Marion et al., 2014). The required knowledge
and skills include professional English communication skills to manage the organization in the local or global
context.

The importance of the English language in the aviation industry has been recognised since after the Second
World War, as it is used as the official language for all types of communications in the international air
transportation industry worldwide. Although several other languages (Mandarin, Arabic and Russian) were used
in aviation before, English has now been adopted as the most common language. The International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the year 2003 issued the provision on English to be used especially for pilots
and ATCs. The provision on the usage of English as a lingua franca was necessary to ensure that the
communication flow did not get interrupted and warrant air transportation safety. Following the implementation
of proficiency requirement for pilots and ATCs, other aviation stakeholders have also gradually adopted the
provision to develop the proficiency of their employees.

Aviation Management

The AVM program was developed to support the expansion of the aviation industry (Marion et al., 2014).
According to Marion et al., AVM personnel were required to be equipped to manage the air transport business
before joining the evolving aviation industry. The term AVM refers to the relevant and much-needed skills
required to coordinate aviation activities around the air transport industry, namely network management, fleet
management, revenue management, human resource management, and operating performance management.
Proficient AVM personnel are much required in the aviation entities listed in Figure 1.

MANUFACTURING

AIRLINE AIRPORT

AVIATION/AIR
TRANSPORT
SYSTEM

LOGISTICS ATC

REGULATORS

Figure 1. Aviation Industry Entities

536
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

The entities shown in figure 1 are the main support structures for the local and global air transport industry. The
airlines provide air flight services, airports provide space and runway for aircraft movements, the ATC
department coordinates with pilots to manage aircraft movement in the air, and the regulator regulates the safety
and security of the aviation industry. On the other hand, the cargo and logistics company manages goods or
wildlife and animals that are being imported or exported by air. For air transportation companies to cater to the
demand from the growing number of passengers and cargo services and ensure the aviation industry continues to
grow, the aircraft manufacturers are competing fiercely to manufacture aircraft with the best specifications. The
aviation entities are all interconnected, and the organizations‟ management of the organizations‟ operations and
businesses is managed by AVM personnel. Hence, efficient AVM personnel are much needed to fill in the
positions of executives or managers to overlook matters related to managing the departments‟ activities,
workforce, finance and other non-technical aspects.

The AVM personnel are also usually appointed to serve the administration departments such as operations
control, human resources (HR), finance, quality assurance (QA), IT, customer service, logistics and cargo
services, and regulatory bodies. Hence, the number of AVM personnel needed depends on the size of the
respective organization. The primary responsibility of an AVM personnel is to manage the daily operations of
the air transportation business and ensure smooth operations in the planning of flight operation schedules,
overseeing aircraft purchase and maintenance matters, recruitment, airworthiness compliance, safety and
security conformity, customer service and staff management.

A key aspect of managing aviation operations is the efficiency in managing communication. AVM personnel are
expected to possess professional communication skills to represent their organizations in dealing with fellow
employees and clients in a borderless environment. Therefore, AVM personnel must avoid any form of
miscommunications, be it written or verbal. They should also avoid misapprehension of opinions and thoughts
from others, as it may lead to delays or hazards (Venkatesan & Ravenell, 2011).

Since the aviation industry transports thousands of passengers from different regions with diverse native
languages or accents in the present day, English proficiency has become the top priority. Hazrati (2015) raised a
logical assumption that national differences amongst individuals can no longer be valid reasons that prohibit
effective communication among aviation personnel. Therefore, the aviation community cannot deny the
importance of English for communication purposes in the aviation industry.

Thus, if the English proficiency of the AVM personnel is poor, they may find it difficult to perform their duty
effectively as all written documents in the aviation industry are in English. Hence, the English communication
needs of AVM personnel have to be investigated to determine whether a special program needs to be designed
to meet the industry's requirements and demands. This study attempts to analyze the spoken and written needs of
AVM personnel in the aviation industry. The needs analysis (NA) investigates AVM personnel's spoken and
written communication skills in the industry. The research is based on the frequency of activities performed
using English as the primary language in the aviation industry.

537
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

English in the Aviation Industry

English language proficiency has become a concern among the aviation community even before the
establishment of the language proficiency requirements (Kutz, 2000). Kutz also reported that aviation leaders
had already acknowledged the importance of proficiency in communication in view of the air crash accidents
and incidents that occurred as far back as in the 1980s and 1990s. They also recommended that good
communication skills can be accomplished through basic writing skills (grammar, spelling and punctuation) and
interpersonal relationships.

Since the announcement of the proficiency requirement, a considerable amount of literature was published on
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in aviation. In previous literature on ESP in aviation, the communication
scenarios in a hospital were thought to be the same as in aviation. Training of communication skills in both the
industries is crucial for personnel involved in handling the operations and management. During turbulent
situations, interactions between aviation operators and the management are essential because it often requires
teams to communicate to resolve problems with other sections and with members from external agencies
(Vieira, Cristina & Santos, 2010).

The evaluation or assessment for Pilots and ATCs proficiency includes the "speaking and listening ability"
specified in Annex 1. The Holistic Descriptors and the Standards define details of the assessment for
Operational Level 4 (please refer to the attachment). The holistic descriptors and the rating scale provide a
general guideline for the English Language Proficiency (ELP) test developers to consider when designing test
and proficiency training programs. These guidelines were erected based on the findings from reported accidents,
incorrect use of standardized phraseologies, lack of plain language proficiency, and the use of more than one
language in the same airspace. Based on these findings, the ESP approach was proposed over the traditional
English Language Teaching (ELT) approach to develop test and training content for Pilots and ATCs. The
conventional method of teaching English is all about mastering the grammar rules that may seem irrelevant if
trainees cannot correlate the rules with their English communication skills.

ESP is a communicative approach to language training where the content of the course or program is related to
the target learners‟ workplace or personal requirements. According to Basturkmen (2010), the main objective of
ESP is to teach language and communication skills needed by a learner to function effectively in his or her
respective field of study, workplace or profession. Nevertheless, the ESP approach can be exploited by trainers
and material developers for other specific-purpose language programs.

In 2008, Beijing Capital International Airport Corporation made it obligatory for their Information Desk staff to
undergo intensive English training. The Beijing International airport did not attain a high ranking despite being
one of the busiest airports in the country. One of the issues highlighted is the poor English communication skills
of the information desk staff at the airport. They are also required to communicate effectively in English with
international passengers to help them feel at home during their stay at the airport (Ting, 2010).

538
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

Apart from the Information Desk staff, the flight attendants or cabin crew also frequently communicates with the
passengers. They are considered as the brand ambassadors for the airlines they serve. Thus, they are required to
converse well in English while serving passengers onboard (Xiaoqin & Wenzhong, 2016). Like other aviation
personnel, flight attendants should ensure that their English proficiency is adequate not to cause any
miscommunication when dealing with passengers onboard.

Thirdly, the development of proficiency assessments for airport ground crew was also reported necessary by
Barbieri (2014). Barbieri stated that many airlines have begun assessing ground crew and the flight deck crew
members as the ground crew also communicates with government agencies, manufacturers, service providers,
and other international entities to ensure that operations are carried out accordingly.

Aviation English

Aviation English (AE) is a specific-purpose language training program whereby trainees share a common
interest and motivation for learning the language. In AE training, learners must be provided with a wide variety
of input because of human interactions, which is impossible to forecast. According to previous literature
(Sirikanjanawong et al., 2018; Martin, 2016), AE includes speaking, writing, and apprehending English.
Moreover, the training also includes a broad focus on aviation-related language input such as aviation
meteorology, physics, navigation, maps and charts, electronics and avionics, instrumentation, hydraulics, air
traffic control regulations, and air traffic control regulations phraseologies and general English. Aviation related
language training is essential as it can influence learners‟ motivation and attitude in a program. The
communication needs of each aviation personnel group are different, and thus, the required AE training needs to
are different. But the common goal remains the same for all that is to ensure adequate proficiency in English to
ensure that the lack of proficiency does not become a cause for miscommunications which may lead to
unwanted incidents. Figure 2 displays the types of AE programs that have been developed for the aviation
profession groups to date.
ESP

AE

AE AE AE AE AE
(Pilot & ATC) (Ground Crew) (Ac Maintenance) (Cabin crew) (Check-In Staff)
Figure 2. Types of Aviation English

539
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

As illustrated in Figure 2, several types of AE courses have been developed to date, and their related literature
has been published in several countries. Although the AVM personnel play an extremely important role in the
aviation industry, the literature on the communication needs, especially their required English language skills
and development of AE courses for AVM personnel or trainees, is yet to be reported.

A study set out to determine the type of aviation topics in an ICAO-based blended learning program. The AVM
students ascertained that it would be better to learn more about their targeted workplace (Parohinog & Meesri,
2015). The participants of this study included airline business, airport management and air cargo management,
students. They also ranked airline, aircrew, airport, and aircraft-related content as the most significant topics
they would like to learn during the ICAO proficiency blended learning program.

ESP practitioners apply NA to critically reflect learners‟ general and specific needs (Serafini & Torres, 2015).
Trainees who are well equipped with the KSA (knowledge, skills and abilities) required by the industry or future
workplace will secure their future employment. Language skills and the ability to communicate professionally in
the field or profession are important aspects of KSA. Since no studies have presented the language needs of
AVM trainees‟, it is about time a NA is conducted to determine the English language skills required by AVM
trainees before deciding whether they require AE.

Hutchinson & Waters (1987) defined ESP as an approach to language learning. Thus, researchers and course
developers need to investigate the required proficiency of language and the learning contexts based on the
importance of need in ESP. One important aspect that needs to be addressed while investigating the AVM
personnel‟s spoken and written communication level is the kind of activities that require English usage at their
respective workplace or workstation. With this information, ESP course designers will be able to better
comprehend the density and variety of communication tasks the trainees are expected to demonstrate before
joining their future workplace.

Needs Analysis

The development of ESP courses has always considered NA as a key factor in the syllabus development process.
The NA process involves “compiling information both on the individual or groups of individuals who are to
learn a language and on the use which they are expected to make of it when they have learned it” (Richterich,
1983; Tahir, 2017). While carrying out the Target Situation Analysis (TSA), ESP researchers select the
methodology that will assist during the data collection process. Furthermore, Hsu (2014) suggested that in order
to capitalize on the efficiency of ESP course for Hotel and Tourism trainees, the NA of the students was
necessary before initiating the curriculum design. She also employed NA to investigate the speaking and writing
activities of AVM personnel.

According to Basturkmen (2010), NA involves TSA, which comprises the identification of tasks, activities, and
skills that would require learners to use English and their readiness and ability. The instruments used in this
study were designed to investigate the TSA of AVM personnel.

540
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

Method

This paper has been produced based on a PhD research on designing an ESP curriculum for AVM trainees. This
study aims to determine the scope of English usage among the AVM personnel and examine the types of
speaking and writing activities that AVM personnel should indulge in for workplace communication. The study
includes qualitative and quantitative methods to generate the expected results. Hence, this study employed a
questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to obtain the necessary data. The interview respondents comprised
of AVM personnel working in the local and foreign aviation companies located in the vicinity of the Kuala
Lumpur International Airport (KLIA and KLIA 2). The respondents were randomly selected to provide
information on their English communication needs and English proficiency requirement.

Respondents of the Study

The semi-structured interview and questionnaire survey study participants were AVM personnel serving in the
airlines, airport, ATC academy and freighter company. The study involved participants from seven aviation
organizations. These organizations were chosen based on a few criteria namely: (1) their status as an aviation
organization, (2) collaboration between industry and training institution and (3) on-job training companies. The
semi-structured interview involved 20 AVM personnel in obtaining insights based on their experience of using
English to manage the daily operations at the airport, airline, ATC department and logistics department.
Meanwhile, the questionnaire was used to collect more conclusive information on the frequency of English
usage while performing the listed activities at the workplace. The purpose of administering a survey was to
identify the tasks, activities, and skills that require learners to use English and assess their competency level.
Thus, the respondents‟ anonymity and privacy were firmly respected, thus providing the personnel with
sufficient freedom to answer.

Interview

To determine the communication needs of AVM personnel at their respective workplace, the first section of the
interview prompted interviewees to talk about their sociocultural background and experiences in the aviation
industry. One of the questions in this section was aimed to determine who they were communicating with in
English while performing their duties.

Figure 3 illustrates the personnel or stakeholders that the AVM personnel need to communicate with at their
workplace. Although English is a second language for most respondents, it is more commonly used in the
aviation communication context than Bahasa Melayu, the national language of Malaysia. The use of English for
communication by all the stakeholders reveals the importance of English as the main language used in the
aviation industry. One of the participants commented that: „Sometimes the announcements made via email are in
dual language. However, most of the communication takes place in English. AVM personnel are required to use
Bahasa Melayu for communication with government officials.’ However, Bahasa Melayu is still used for official
purposes involving government agencies.

541
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

Airline
Operators
Contractors Airport
and Suppliers Operators

MRO Caterers, Freight

Companies Forwarders)
AVM
PERSONNEL

Regulators Ground
Handlers

Air Traffic
Manufacturers
Operators

Figure 3. AVM Personnel Communication Circle

Besides confirming that the official language used for communication is English, the interviewer assessed their
perception of English's importance while at work. Some of their views are as shown below.

“The mode of communication in aviation is English and ICAO has defined English language proficiency
as one of the key skills required to manage unusual, non-routine and emergency” – (AVM Personnel 1,
Engineering)

“Airline business is an international business. Hence, it requires English as the main medium of
communication” – (AVM Personnel 11, Airline Station Manager)

“English is a requirement for this aviation industry. You will be dealing with not only local vendors or
local authorities but you will be dealing with global vendors...global authority. So, English is very
important even English is also become mandatory for communication in aviation industry” – (AVM
Personnel 8 – Airline Purchasing)

“Our customers are just not locals, but our customers are also from foreign carriers like Emirates,
British airways, Korean Air and Japan Airlines which requires us to listen to their requirements and
provide excellent service – (AVM Personnel 9 – Catering)

“Because in the industry in order to go global we need to maintain English” – (AVM Personnel 14 – Air
Traffic)

It is apparent from the collective statements that English communication needs are essential for AVM personnel
to perform and sustain in the aviation industry. A majority of the respondents (70%) stated that English is

542
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

important based on the directives set by ICAO. Besides that, English communication skills are essential as most
stakeholders such as manufacturers and airline operators are native or advanced English speakers. Having said
that, one of the respondents stated that “you need to be able to converse at a professional level like a native
speaker but it doesn’t include the accent …as long as you can speak and you will be able to comprehend and
converse professionally in a business context”- (AVM Personnel 6 – Airline). This comment revealed that the
AVM trainees are not expected to use any accent but should converse professionally.

Based on the inputs mentioned above, the communication needs of AVM personnel are inclined towards the
usage of English. Therefore, the last section of the interview seeks to investigate the AVM personnel's language
skills for communication at the workplace.

“Most importantly has the ability to read…now not every person that knows English knows how to read
English…and understands the words out of a manual… now reading is…you know av business is like any
other business…you have to read…you have to be able to enhance your skills and develop yourself
everyday”..(AVM Personnel 7 – Freighter)

“They must have a good communication skills such as speaking and listening skills…because you
negotiate to communicate with your staff, with your stakeholders or with your suppliers. You must have a
good audience for your meetings because you must be able to convince your audience when you are
trying to convey something”- (AVM Personnel 7 – Airline Station Assistant Manager)

“Second is good writing skills… we must have good command of language in formalities or in.. informal
situation, and also have to adapt to different department requirement…for example, here people in
Operations normally prefer short, precise & informative communication…or…to be… for example if you
do a write up or report… you need to be short precise and informative” – (AVM Personnel 10 – Airline
Customer Service)

“This covers verbal and writing…I think it is very common to know the unemployment rate in Malaysia
is very high because of the culture and we are not in 1996 anymore where you can choose to just speak
in certain language but even then…. language is also very important… when you talk about
communication skills…It is not just about the language… you can speak in English but if you don’t know
how to communicate properly in the language this still doesn’t work” – (AVM Personnel 6 – Human
Resource)

Based on the responses gathered from the interviews, the AVM personnel required to be proficient in speaking,
reading, writing and listening skills to perform their tasks effectively. Although literature revealed that the pilots
and ATCs‟ speaking and listening proficiency assessment is crucial, the findings from the current interview
session with the AVM personnel suggested that AVM trainees are required to be proficient in all four skills to
ensure that they can communicate professionally and perform their tasks accordingly. Based on the frequency of
responses, the most desired language skill was speaking and writing, followed by reading and listening.

543
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

Questionnaire

The questionnaire employed was adopted from a study on English for communication needs of Human Resource
Development (HRD) trainees (Moslehifar & Ibrahim, 2012). The adapted questionnaire was piloted and
validated by two experts; an AVM personnel and a language specialist. The questionnaire for this study consists
of two parts. Part A included questions on respondents‟ profiles, while part B consisted of questions addressing
the English proficiency needs of AVM trainees. The questionnaire was distributed to 7 aviation organizations,
including local and foreign station managers and operations personnel. The questionnaire survey was
administered via SurveyMonkey.com, and the link was shared to aviation personnel who were being
interviewed. A total of 100 respondents completed the questionnaire. The number of participants involved in the
questionnaire is relatively small. Several aviation organizations and AVM personnel are reserved for sharing
information as aviation matters involve high-level security. The speaking and writing activities listed in the
questionnaire were derived from the interview responses. Table 1 and Table 2 present the speaking and writing
activities that the AVM personnel are engaged with while at work.

Table 1. Speaking Tasks that Require the Usage of English

No Speaking Skills/ Frequency Very Quite Rarely Not
Often Often at all
% % % %
1 Discussing projects, proposals, plans and other matters 56 37 7 0
2 Reporting Problems 70 26 4 0
3 Making formal oral presentations for projects, proposals, 56 33 11 0
plans and many others
4 Giving face-to-face instructions to subordinates 48 48 4 0
5 Speaking on the telephone with colleagues on job-related 63 15 22 0
matters
6 Speaking on the telephone with clients on job-related matters 70 26 4 0
7 Establishing a social relationship with colleagues 52 33 11 4
(subordinates and superior)
8 Establishing social relationship with clients 52 33 11 4
9 Providing training through discussion or workshop 63 22 15 0
10 Making arrangements 52 33 11 4
11 Taking part in meetings 63 22 15 0
12 Taking part in interviews 56 26 11 7
13 Dealing with orders 67 26 7 0
14 Dealing with forms 60 33 7 0
15 Making announcements 63 11 19 7
16 Presenting proposals and counterproposals 67 19 11 3
17 Negotiating with clients and stakeholders 74 19 7 0
18 Speaking at Press Conference 56 20 15 9

544
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

Table 2. Writing Tasks that Require the Usage of English

No Writing Skills/ Frequency Very Quite Rarely Not at
Often Often All
% % % %
1 Taking notes 33 67 0 0
2 Writing letters 74 37 0 0
3 Summarizing information 63 26 11 0
4 Preparing forms 63 30 7 0
5 Sending emails 93 7 0 0
6 Writing memo 56 37 7 0
7 Writing reports 70 26 4 0
8 Writing meeting minutes 67 26 7 0
9 Filling up forms 63 22 15 0
10 Writing articles 52 15 26 2
11 Writing proposals 63 33 4 0

The abovementioned tables list the speaking and writing activities that were derived from the interview data.
Table 2 indicated that approximately 70% of the respondents claimed that they were frequently engaged in at
least three speaking activities. The activities include reporting problems (70%), speaking on the telephone with
clients on job-related matters (70%) and negotiating with clients and stakeholders (74%). However, a small
number of respondents stated that they rarely and do not use English at all while speaking at press conferences,
making announcements and conducting interviews. On the other hand, the three writing activities that were
perceived as very important by more than 70% of the AVM personnel include sending emails (93%), writing
reports (70%) and writing letters (74%). On the contrary, a small number of respondents claimed that they rarely
require English in report writing and proposal writing. This difference could be due to their responsibilities in
their respective departments, which may not require them to prepare these documents in English. Interestingly,
at least 90% of the AVM personnel regarded the usage of English as very often and quite often for the listed
writing activities. Nevertheless, 10% of the respondents and below stated that these activities rarely or do not
require the usage of English.

Conclusion

The underpinning factor to the growth of the global and local aviation industry is the workforce. Besides being
knowledgeable and possessing relevant workforce skills, efficient communication skills are necessary to ensure
that the AVM personnel can manage the business and operations of any aviation organizations (airlines, airports,
regulators and other aviation departments). Based on the interviews conducted with the AVM personnel, it was
evident that English is indeed the lingua franca in the aviation industry. Hence, for that reason alone, it is
apparent that AVM trainees need to be equipped and prepared with strong foundations in English for aviation
management before joining the workforce. Despite being the second language in Malaysia, the contention of
English being the dominator language in the aviation industry is indisputable.

545
Satvindar Singh, Cheong, & Rahman

This study presented the English communication needs of AVM personnel based on speaking and writing
activities at the workplace. Even though the AVM personnel are from the same industry as pilots, ATC and
ground crew, speaking and writing skills are among the four crucial skills requiring attention by language
teachers. In a nutshell, AVM personnel need English proficiency to communicate on aviation and business-
related context such as during presentations, negotiations, meetings, networking and other forms of verbal
communication. Moreover, they also need to be proficient in English to write emails, reports, proposal and
letters.

Therefore, the findings from this study substantiated the claim that English proficiency is vital for AVM,
especially for speaking and writing purposes, since the AVM personnel‟s communication is not limited to locals
but also includes international stakeholders. The findings also recommended the need to design English for
AVM program to enable prospective or future AVM personnel to communicate professionally. The noted unity
in language and communication skills expectations identify the critical areas of study which need to be
prioritized in designing the ESP curricula for AVM program.

References

Basturkmen, H. (2010). Designing Courses in English for Specific Purposes. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Barbieri, B. (2014). Aviation English: History and Pedagogy. The Journal of Teaching English for Specific and
Academic Purposes, 2(4),. 615- 623
Bhattacharyya, E., & Zainal, A.Z. (2015). What do students and engineers have to say about communicative
competence in technical oral presentations? Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 23,
123-142.
Hazrati, A. (2015). Intercultural Communication and Discourse Analysis: The Case of Aviation English.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 192, 244–251.
Kassim, H. & Ali, F. (2010). English communicative events and skills needed at the workplace: Feedback from
the industry. English for specific purposes, 29(3), 168-182.
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes. New York: Cambridge University Press
Hsu, L. (2014). Effectiveness of English for specific purposes courses for non-English speaking students of
hospitality and tourism: A latent growth curve analysis. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and
Tourism Education, 15(1), 50–57.
Marion, J., Earnhardt, M., &Newcomer, J. (2014). Aviation Managers‟ Perspective on the Importance of
Education. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace. 1(2). 4.
Lee, J. (2015). English for Airline Purposes in Taiwan: Directive Speech Acts for the Check-in Counters.
University of Edinburgh.
Kutz, M. N., & Kutz, M. N. (2000). Developing Future Aviation Leaders: Advice from Today‟s Leaders! 9(3),
2.
Miyoshi, C., Mason, K., & Martini, G. (2018). Enhancing the network efficiency: Air transport and
sustainability. Journal of Air Transport Management, 69, 213-214.
Moslehifar, M. A., & Ibrahim, N. A. (2012). English language oral communication needs at the workplace:

546
 International Journal on Social and Education Sciences (IJonSES)

Feedback from human resource development (HRD) trainees. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,
66, 529-536.
Parohinog, D., & Meesri, C. (2015). ICAO-Based Needs Assessment in Thailand‟s Aviation Industry: A Basis
for Designing a Blended Learning Program. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 208, 263-268.
Serafini, E. J., & Torres, J. (2015). The Utility of Needs Analysis for Nondomain Expert Instructors in
Designing Task-Based Spanish for the Professions Curricula. Foreign Language Annals, 48(3), 447–472.
Sirikanjanawong, N. (2018). Relationship between the ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) and
Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) Scores of Flight Attendants in Thailand.
LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 11(1), 64-86.
Tahir, M. M. (n.d.). English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Syllabus Design. Retrieved from
https://www.iasj.net/
Tenedero, P. P. P., & Orias, B. L. (2016). English that counts: Designing a purposive communication course for
future accountants. Esp-World.Info, 50(17), 1-22.
Ting, Y. L. T. (2010). CLIL Appeals to How the Brain Likes Its Information: Examples From CLIL-
(Neuro)Science. Inter- national CLIL Research Journal, 1(3), 3-18
Venkatesan, P., & Ravenell, R. (2011). What is the most important skill/quality in the engineering workplace?
[The way I see it] Potentials. IEEE Xplore, 30(3), 6-8
Vieira, A. M., Cristina, I., & Santos, D. (2010). Communication skills: a mandatory competence for ground and
airplane crew to reduce tension in extreme situations. São José Dos Campos, 2(3), 361–370.
Xiaoqin, L., & Wenzhong, Z. (2016). Towards an Integrated Approach to Cabin Service English Curriculum
Design: A Case Study of China Southern Airlines‟ Cabin Service English Training Course. Higher
Education Studies, 6(2), 30-38.

Author Information
Reshminder Kaur Satvindar Singh Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0196-1466 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1674-5763
Universiti Malaya Universiti Malaya
Malaysia Malaysia
Contact e-mail: reshminder@live.com

Nor Aida Abdul Rahman

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3941-3606
Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

547