Understanding ESOL Learning Needs

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Background information

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is the term used for courses in the English language that are taken by those individuals whom do not speak English as their first language and who require English to be able to go about with their day to day communication. It is worth noting that the learners of ESOL are quite diverse and they range from individuals who are proficient and highly educated to individuals with little to zero schooling experience who are not even literate in their first languages. The proficiency in English is lowest for both men and women who are aged 25-44 drawn from different ethnic groups. While learning English as a second language presents different types of challenges and tends to be time consuming, Newton et al. (2018), argues that it creates many different opportunities and learning it needs to be embraced. That is especially for anyone residing in the UK. Norton (2018), posits that English is a major contributor to the prosperity of the UK. There are several factors that have been found to determine the rate and pace with which non-native English speakers learn the language and these are; their learning abilities, the age at which they migrated into the UK and their level of exposure to English before they got to move to the UK and the availability and cost of learning English as a second language (Mitchell, Myles & Mardsen, 2019). In the UK, the Education and Skills Funding agency (ESFA) is the main funder of adult ESOL courses and that is achieved through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (Foster, 2018). Other sources of funding include the European Social Fund, Local Authority Grants and through the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme. Over the past few years, the criteria for who receives government funded ESOL has become more restrictive even though there are still learners of the English language who receive English tuition that is publicly funded.

There are up to 1.27 people globally who speak English, which means that in every four people, one speaks English ("The most spoken languages worldwide in 2019(by speakers in millions)", 2020). There is a forecast that by the end of this year, this number will have grown to 2 billion. English is one of the languages, among many others that is used for the transfer of ideas, feelings and information between persons. The other most commonly used languages are Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi and Arabic. Norton & Pavlenko (2019), posit that more than half of the population of the world is multilingual, that is, can speak more than one language and the acquisition of more than one language has been connected to different cognitive benefits throughout the lifetime of human beings. Different psychological studies have established that the ability to speak more than one language greatly affects the cognitive process in a positive way (MacIntyre, Gregersen & Mercer, 2016; Cockcroft, Mahendra & Triyono, 2019; Widgorowitz & Liversage, 2019; Alqarni & Dewaele, 2020). Von Bastian, Souza & Gade (2016), however, carried out a test of four different hypotheses and they established that there was no evidence for bilingual cognitive advantages. Antidogbe & Koumassol (2019), bilingual people`s brains operate in ways that are different when they are compared to people who only speak one language. Today, English is viewed as an essential language used by many people for communication purposes across the world (Akmajian et al., 2017). Better command in the language opens up doors for better job opportunities, better education and even higher status in the society. English is recognised as the language of tourism, diplomacy (Grigoryan & Khachatryan, 2018), aviation (Breul, 2013) and science (Ammon, 2011). English is also the language of international communication and that means that learning English also has impacts on social aspects and entertainment. It is worth noting that English is the official language in up to 67 countries globally ("What Are The Main English Speaking Countries?” 2019). The abilities to speak English entail more than just being able to communicate with the native speakers of English. It also is the most common second language in different parts of the world. Methods of learning English vary highly and are dependent on the level of English proficiency in students and the manner they are taught and the settings within which the learning happens. There is a huge range of providers that offer ESOL classes ranging from tertiary education colleges, schools, voluntary and charity organisations, churches and mosques, offender`s institutions, employers, welfare-to-work organisations among others. In the UK, the learning of English as a second language is mainly done by immigrants, refugees and their children (Talmacian, 2017). Typically, the intention of learning English for these people is to be able to function in their new host country, that is, within their host countries school system, be employable and further perform normally day to day activities with ease. The learning of a new language is a motivating process that requires a lot of dedication, time, energy, reliability and constant practice. Additionally, it is a remunerative process that has the potential of opening up new doors to new experiences and cultures.

In 2018, Sajid Javid carried out a survey that established that were up to 770,000 people who lived in England who did not speak English well (Asthana, 2018). This population is a minority and is disadvantaged because it is locked out from very many opportunities. The interactions of these people with native speakers are most probably strained. Hong, (2016) points out that there are students of ESL who avoid interactions with native speakers of English because they are frustrated and embarrassed by their poor command of English. Often, individuals who are immigrants have limited knowledge on popular culture and that, to a great extent limits their conversations with others and that to a large extent strains the formation of peer networks and relationships.

1.2 Research questions

What are the different uses of learning English language on the social life of the learner?

What does one stand to gain socially from learning English as a second language?

Does learning English place one ahead of others who are not able to speak English?

1.3 Justification of the study

This research explores the impacts of Adults learning English as an additional language in the United Kingdom seeking to establish what they miss out on, what they stand to gain and different challenges that are commonly faced in the learning of English as a second language. The information that is acquired in this research will be helpful to individuals willing to learn English as a second language, those students already learning English as a second language and even policy makers. The researcher intends to develop a framework that is capable of motivating more non-native speakers to take up learning English as a second language, for their own good. Also, the information will act as an eye opener for policy makers of areas they need to improve on to make the learning of English suitable and friendly to all.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Socio-economic impacts of learning English as a second language

Life is characterised by countless social situations. From social media to getting to know co-workers and even hanging out with colleagues and friends it is evident that being social has infiltrated different areas of human lives. The relationship between competency in the English language and access to social and economic benefits is highlighted by (Matulionienė & Pundziuvienė, 2015). Over the years, literacy and language has been viewed through a deficit lens as a skill set. According to Theodotou, (2018), it is necessary for language and literacy to be viewed and approached as a set of social practices. There are two main ways in which communication in English happens, that is, verbally and non-verbally. Verbal communication is characterised by the use of words for communication purposes being confined to any language (Tran, 2018). Verbal communication is made up of oral and written forms of communication. Oral communication includes the abilities of effectively speaking, actively listening to what is being said, and responding effectively according to the presented situations (Sato & McNamara, 2019). Oral communication comes in handy in oral presentations, telephone conversations, interviews, meetings and video conferences. On the other hand, written communication skills are tied to the abilities of an individual to write effectively and involve the abilities of reading and comprehending the languages that are used for communication purposes (Harris, 2016). For an individual to be labelled as a good English communicator, they are required to have mastered both the written and oral forms of English. Human beings are able to communicate with one another through the use of languages (Black, 2019). It is through a language that people get to exchange opinions, beliefs, threats, wishes, commands, thanks, promises, declarations and feelings. There are four systems that make up languages and these are; the phonological, semantic, syntactic and morphological systems. Greenhill et al. (2017), posits that languages are used for many different purposes regardless of the nature of a language whether a native one or a foreign one. Fan et al. (2015) posits that individuals who are multi-lingual possess different advantages in relation to social situations. Kinzler (2016), suggests that those individuals who are bilingual have better abilities of interpreting the intentions of others in comparison to people who only speak one language. The abilities of clarifying what you mean in a different language has tremendous benefits in social situations. Not all people speak your native languages and speaking in additional languages gives individuals valuable opportunities of clarifying what they mean when people who speak those languages do not understand them (Goriot et al. 2016). Even for those people who are not entirely proficient, two people communicating together would be able to piece together what is required and understand one another.

Communication is a key to the development and maintenance of friendships and the construction of strong social support networks (Burgoon, Guerrero & Manusov, 2016). When an individual is able to pass out messaged well, they are able to take care of their own needs and at the same time be respectful of the needs of others. When people do not have proper mastering of a language, they are not capable of starting out conversations with others and keeping them going. Struggling is normal for people who lack proficiency when they try to make small talk because thinking of the things to say becomes hard. The construction of sound relationships has the potential of reducing stress and even anxiety in human lives. Improvement of social support is actually linked to improved general mental health and that is because good friends can act as buffers for low moods and anxiety feelings. There is also a return on investment in learning English. Duval‐Couetil & Mikulecky, (2011) argue that a premium comes about from the increased productivity of an individual as a result of their improved communication skills. This includes their abilities to communicate with different people within communities, colleagues at the work place and even potential customers. When someone learns English and uses the language to carry out business, an effect on earnings is felt. Even in those instances that English is not a requirement for employment, language skills have perceived values to the jobs and could also be a possible entry necessity.

The ability to speak English also provides different people with access to a world of entertainment. That is because, as a fact, majority of the top films, music albums and books are produced and authored in the English language. As such, when one is able to speak English, they get to access different types of entertainment and that goes a long way in developing their cultural understanding. When one speaks in English, they do not have to rely on subtitles and translations to be able to enjoy their favourite movies, songs and books. Dahiya (2017), argues that the learning of English and any other second language has the capacity of improving an individual’s understanding of their original language. The first language is mostly learned through observation and many people never get to know the underlying rules and logic of its working. Their knowledge of their native languages is mainly through experience. The learning of a second language presents these individuals with an opportunity of learning the rules. Grammar rules between different languages are observed to correlate. According to Lesley et al. (2017), developing a better understanding of grammar rules helps individuals to build their confidence and further ensures that they are able to speak even clearly in their native languages and helps them develop some understanding of the mechanisms of their languages even in those instances where those mechanisms are inconsistently and loosely used in normal day to day conversations. As someone continues to learn, with time, they get better in the language they are learning and their self-awareness and confidence increases (Suyyasa, Pragoya & Werdistira, 2017). With time, one`s social interactions will improve because they are capable of clearly understanding what others say, and they can also express themselves (Macaro et al. 2018). It is observed that is many different language classes, learners get to practice holding conversations in the language they are learning. That builds their self-confidence with time because most of these conversations end up as discussions of subjects that are related to life generally.

2.2 English in the business world

The business world is dominated by the English language and over the years, it has become a necessity for people to be able to speak English if they wish to enter the global workforce. Roshid, Webb & Chowdhury (2018), argue that most cross-border business is carried out in English and the majority of international companies expect that their employees have to be fluent English speakers. English has been mandated as the official corporate language in different global companies like Samsung, Microsoft, Technicolor, Renault, Daimler-Chrysler and Airbus among others (Neeley, 2015). The importance of learning the English language cannot be underestimated because the language has the potential of changing lives. Komori-Glatz (2018), points out that there is a significant contribution made by English in the sustainable development of the world. Trade between those countries that do not share common languages is eased by the English language. English is used as a language of convenience that facilitates dialogues and building of trust where an understanding of diverse positions has to be established for instance in the resolution of conflicts and also in peace keeping missions.

English and employment opportunities

Enhanced English communication skills have the potential of bringing about improvements in an individual’s social life in addition to opening up better job opportunities for them. From job interviews to the actual professional world, communication skills are very important and proficiency in English implies being able to effectively and clearly communicate. In the corporate world, English is the official language and those who speak English fluently are able to make strides in their careers. Those who speak fluent English are able to usurp the ideas of those who are not fluent. Clement & Murugavel (2018), recognise proficiency in the English language as an indispensable workplace tool for business success. Their study further points out that there is an even more important role played by English because technology increases the speed of efficacy of messages. Today, most employers seek out employees who possess strong communication skills covering a wide range of verbal and written communication. Almost all the companies in the UK today are made up of multi-cultural and multi-linguistic workforce`s which require that employees have to be interactive and capable of communicating with others for enhancement of teamwork. The English language is used for official purposes in presentations, meetings, training programmes, conferences and preparation of letters, training documents and work reports. It is for this purpose that an expectation is placed on employees that they have to be capable of reading, writing, speaking and understanding English. The Migration Observatory (2018), carried out a survey that established that the rate of unemployment for people who spoke English as their language at home was 5%. The lack of English language skills is viewed as a barrier to access of employment which makes proficiency in English a key factor for employment success and even advancement. For communication to happen, people have to exchange information and further share their ideas, feelings and thoughts. Business communication is adopted in the corporate world and this does not just involve the sharing of ideas as positive transactions always have to come out of every other communication proceeding (Bovee, Thill & Raina, 2016). Whenever the senders of information are able to convey their messages and no fruitful deals come about, then the communication is regarded as ineffective. People are only viewed as being employable is they possess the prerequisite qualifications, experiences, learning attitudes, and expertise in those fields where they seek employment. In the UK, English is the main language of communication and one would need to be fluent in English so that they can work as telephone operators, secretaries, tour guides among many other carers. During recruitment, potential employers expect that one is capable of expressing themselves formally, both orally and in writing. Additionally, as one progresses in an organisation’s hierarchy, it is required that they have to be goo presenters, negotiators and meeting conveners. With no doubt, therefore, the mastery over English puts one in a better position to efficiently carry out their roles. The lack of oral and written communication skills is a common deficiency among potential candidates for different job positions. There are people who sit for interviews who are not capable of phrasing formal letters while they have appropriate training and are also groomed well.

There are compelling economic incentives of learning English in relation to employment. The Economist Intelligence Unit carried out a survey back in 2012 where up to 70% of executives in different corporations said that their workforce would have to master English if their corporations were to realise their corporate expansion plans. There are limited job opportunities for those who are only capable of speaking their native languages in the UK. When one is capable of speaking in English, their scope is widened and they will be able to get job opportunities in the UK.

2.3 Barriers faced by adult learners of English as a second language

There are different attempts that have been made in an attempt to explore the psychological, cultural and linguistic challenges that people who move into the UK face as they try to adapt to the new country and its culture. There are many common factors that influence the failure and success of improvement of the competence of these newcomers in English. It is good to note that most of these people who move into the UK, for instance, immigrants are often vulnerable and disadvantaged learners of the English language as a result of their lack of social skills, literacy in their native languages that is not sufficient, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, individual learning styles and the absence of motivation to acquire a new language (Eguz, 2019). These barriers that adults face are categorised into situational, institutional and dispositional barriers by (Ama, 2019). Situational barriers come about from the personal and family situations of an adult like financial constraints and even time pressure. Institutional barriers come about from educational institutions that are unresponsive and also the lack of flexibility in what they offer, for instance, scheduling and content provision that is not appropriate. Dispositional barriers are related to adult attitudes, perceptions and expectations, like the belief that they are too old to learn. A participation survey carried out in the UK back in 2017 established that among those adults who had not been involved in the learning of a language for up to three years there were differences in barriers across different demographic groups. In the survey, those adults who sited situational barriers had a higher likelihood of having part-time jobs, were women and they had some academic qualifications. These are individuals whose likelihood of experiencing multiple disadvantages in their places of employment is quite high. While there is a realisation among most of these immigrants that the lack of adequate English language skills is a major challenge for their successful integration into the English community, in reality, keeping them motivated throughout their course’s duration is quite difficult. Majority of the adults who endeavour to learn the English language do so at considerable financial and personal sacrifices. If the courses do not satisfy their needs, they end up losing their motivation and eventually stop attending the language classes. Setiyadi, Mahpul & Wicaksono (2019), posits that the most important ESOL motivating factor is relevance. Student’s motivation to study comes about when they are exposed to different life situations like job application, surviving in foreign countries, coping with cultural shocks and so on. Hannah (2018), puts emphasis on the importance of motivating learning environments as an effective teaching strategy. In motivating learning environments, all learning activities are exciting and are able to provide opportunities for good and real interactions with culture, people, social environments and language. According to Rahman et al. (2017), it is very important that the activities in language teaching are exciting enough for students such that they would not wish to miss any of these classes because if they missed, they would be missing some form of action.

Majority of ESOL students are drawn from different educational and cultural backgrounds, abilities, learning styles and as such, they require special learning environments with specific teaching strategies. An emphasis is made by Sylven (2017), on the importance of teaching strategies that are inclusive in alleviating tension and reducing the dissatisfaction of learners and their low self-confidence. Three important levels of inclusive teaching were identified by Lai et al. (2016). These are; Language learners have diverse identities and it is necessary to reflect these identities in the development of learning curriculums, learning activities and methodologies that language teachers use; it is also important to closely connect learning with the environments where participants live and work; the learning of content should be reflective of the diverse societies changing needs. Mallik (2017), points out that the success of ESOL immigrants in the acquisition of a foreign languages is largely dependent on their national identities, languages, personal and cultural experiences and also the efforts made by their teachers to address uniqueness and diversity. Goris, Denessen & Verhoeven (2020), propose that consideration should be given to different teaching tools as a means of meeting the unique needs of learners. Teaching methods that could be used to create proper connections between the learners of languages and their hosts and native countries include the use of online resources and also distance learning. Learning processes could be made more learner centred through virtual learning where instruction, moderation and support is offered in the native language of the learner.

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the researcher explains the different methods that were used to collect, analyse and present data together with the factored ethical considerations. To identify the impact of adults learning English on ESOL in the United Kingdom a descriptive research design was adopted in the study.

3.2 Research philosophy

Research philosophies have major impacts on the quality of data that researcher`s collect. What that means is that the research philosophy that researcher`s settle on goes a long way in determining the researches` actual nature. Positivism, realism and interpretivist are some of the research philosophies that are commonly used. In this study, the researcher adopted the positivist research philosophy with the intention of identifying the impacts learning English as a second language has on individuals living in the United Kingdom.

The positivist philosophy that the researcher adopted adheres to the views that trust can only be placed on factual knowledge that is obtained through observatory means. The role of the researcher, in line with the philosophy, were confined to the objective collection, analysis and interpretation of data (Zukaiskas et al., 2018). In positivist philosophies, there are observable findings that can be quantified. The positivist philosophy is dependent on quantifiable observations that are capable of being statistically analysed. Ryan (2018), points out that this philosophy concurs with the view that there is knowledge borne by the experiences of human being. As a general rule, the deductive approach is adopted in positivist studies. The deductive approach enabled the researcher to send out the questionnaires to different potential respondents maintaining minimal interactions with them with the intention of adding value to the study and further improving its quality. This research was quantitative and generated numerical data that was determined at establishing the impact the learning of English as a second language had on adult learners in the United Kingdom. The researcher quantified the opinions, behaviours, attitudes of the respondents and proceeded to generalise results from larger population samples. Data in quantitative research is measurable and is used for the purposes of fact formulation and uncovering research patterns. Quantitative data collection methods tend to be more structured than qualitative methods of data collection (Brannen, 2017). The different quantitative methods used for data collection are face-to-face interviews, longitudinal studies, online polls, questionnaires, systematic observations, and paper surveys among others.

3.3 Data collection methods

The researcher relied on primary methods of data collection. Primary data collection methods answer two types of information; exploratory and specific information. Exploratory research tends to be general and open-minded while specific research has the tendency of being precise and is instrumental in the solving of problems that exploratory research identifies through the use of formal methods of data collection that are structured well. Primary research methods collect new data that has not been collected before, unlike secondary research methods that analyse data that is already in existence with the intention of identifying repetitive themes so that the objectives of the research can be met. The researcher used questionnaires as the appropriate data collection tool where both open and closed ended questionnaires were used. That provided the researcher with a representative sample from different individuals who has already learned English as a second language and also different managers in different organisations to establish whether the knowledge of English really mattered in recruitment exercises. A questionnaire is made up of pre-set standard questions that researchers present to different individuals of their choice using standard orders with the intention of obtaining their views (Patten, 2016). The costs attached to carrying out questionnaires are rather low and the researcher only spent money in the printing of papers (Brace, 2018). With the spread of the corona virus the researcher thought it better to spread these questionnaires to different respondents through mail. That removed the need of the researcher personally visiting and having one on one interactions with respondents. This enabled the researcher to meet respondents whom ordinarily, with most people limiting their interactions and preferring to stay at home, they would not have reached. The reception of questionnaires is quite fast because the need of personally visiting every other respondent personally is removed. There are other advantages that are related to the use of questionnaires that are related to information validity. Responses reliability in other primary data collection methods like interviews tend to be dependent on the recording of the responses, which is how responses are recorded. On the other hand, however, the respondent`s responses are presented in their original version and also in the language of the respondent. With this, the chances of researchers misinterpreting and misrepresenting information is reduced. Questionnaires however, limit the abilities of researchers to carry out in-depth studies (Krosnick, 2018). For purposes of legitimising the study in front of the participants, the researcher endeavoured to prepare a properly written statement of introduction. The statement contained the study`s purpose and its objectives. The data collected was analysed using the Microsoft Excel software and presented using tables and graphs for interpretation.

3.4 Sampling size and procedure for sampling

The researcher settled on a sample of 220 respondents for the questionnaires. The researcher sought 200 individuals who had previously endeavoured to learn English aged 18 years and above and 20 managers drawn from different organisations. Homogeneous purposive sampling was used for the selection of these different sets of respondents. Homogeneous purposive samples are samples that are usually selected for having sets of characteristics that are similar and even single similar characteristics (Etikan, Musa & Alkassim, 2016). Homogenous purposive samples come in handy whenever researcher have specific research questions that they intend to answer that are specific to particular interest groups who then have to be examined in detail.

3.5 Instrumentation and pre-testing

The researcher used the literature review for the development of the questionnaires. Additionally, they organised the questionnaires with the guidance of the research objectives and the study`s background information. To refine the design of the questionnaire, the researcher had to pre-test the questionnaires (Hilton, 2017). The pre-testing further facilitated the identification of errors which would only have been apparent to the different adults who went through learning English and managers who interact with different people looking for jobs. All those adults who had learned English and managers who were involved in pre-testing were not included in the final administration of the questionnaires.

3.6 Ethical consideration

The researcher ensured that every piece of data was protected from access by third parties at all times. Participants received assurances of the concealing of their identities and they were further assured that the recording of their responses would be done with utmost honesty and their actual names would at no point be used to identify them. The researcher also assured the respondents that the information they had provided was never, at any given time, going to be used against them. Before the researcher involved anyone in their study, they first endeavoured to seek their informed consent. That was achieved through the researcher offering explanations to the respondents via mail on the researches` nature and its purpose. The respondents received these explanations and they were then given the opportunity of asking questions and further deciding whether they were comfortable with participating in the study or not comfortable. The individuals who received these consent forms were required to send back responses via mail agreeing to participate. The questionnaires further contained emphasis that there were neither right nor wrong answers to the different questions for purposes of reassuring the respondents that they were not stupid.

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the findings of the study and relates them to previous studies with discussions.

4.2 Age distribution of respondents

We asked the respondents their age brackets with the intention of knowing the age brackets where most of these learners fall. Most of the respondents who filled the questionnaire were between 26 – 35 years, a total of 56 of them (31.11%), 30 of the respondents were between 18 – 25 years (16.67%), 43 were between 36 – 45 years (23.89%) and 17 were over 56 years old (9.44%).

4.3 Factors that motivate respondents to take up learning English as a second language

162 of the respondents said that they took up learning English as a second language so that they could be able to get employment, 34 were already employed when they took up English lessons and they took up the lessons so that they could be able to advance in their careers, 152 took up the classes so that to easily integrate into the local life and interact better with the natives, 138 were motivated to learn English so that they could be able to understand the natives. Language skills is the premium medium of communication act as productive traits by themselves and employees are more willing to reward higher productivity of those employees who are proficient in the official language of communication (Clement and Murugavel, 2018). The wage effect has effect combines the direct effect of being remunerated for higher productivity and indirect effects of easily accessing jobs that are communication intensive and well-paying which goes a long way in preventing occupational segregation. Possession of language skills also act to complement acquired education and experiences and further facilitate transfer of the acquired skills into any environment an individual finds themselves in.

4.4 Skills acquired from learning English as a second language

We asked the respondents what skills they acquired from learning English. All the respondents confessed that they had acquired new vocabulary skills, 124 responded that they had acquired writing skills, 178 responded that they acquired speaking skills, 98 pronunciation skills, 32 acquired reading and translation skills, 152 developed their communication skills, 132 developed their grammar and 163 acquired colloquial English speaking skills. Learning English as a second language equips learners with written and oral communication skills which build their abilities of defining audiences, constructing arguments, presenting ideas and providing background information on different issues (Burns & Richards, 2018). Learners are also able to write and speak with more precision and clarity at the end of their courses and they also get to learn different methods of persuading audiences. This question provided the respondents with an opportunity of carrying out self-assessments. Self-assessments foster the autonomy of learners and also the awareness of students of their individual learning needs (Tandon & Sharma, 2018). These results point out to that most learners of English as a second language focus mostly on personal development. These skills learned all go a long way in improving an individual’s abilities to speak fluently. For instance, those people who are able to pronounce English well have a higher likelihood of being understood even in those instances where they make errors in other different areas (Franzen, 2016). On the other hand, individuals whose pronunciation is poor are not easily understood even when their grammar is perfect. Individuals with either poor grammar or poor pronunciation could avoid communicating in English, face difficulties in their areas of employment, and even experience social isolation. Often, people are judged by the way they speak and as such people who have learned a language and whose grammar, pronunciation, speaking, vocabulary, reading and translating is poor could be judged as lacking competence, and even lacking in knowledge. The learning of English also contributed to the building of the listening skills of the respondents. There is a lot of listening involved in the learning of a second language, and at the end of it all, one ends up emerging a better listener.

4.5 Impact of learning English as a second language on the social life of learners

We sought to establish the how was the quality of their relations with natives before they learned English. A huge number (98) responded that their relations were poor, 56 responded that their relations were very poor, 14 could not define the quality of their relations before they learned English and 12 responded that they enjoyed good relations with the natives before they learned English. No respondent enjoyed very good relations with the natives before they learned English.

We asked the respondents about the quality of their interactions with the natives after they learned English and 164 (91%) of the respondents said that they felt that the quality of interactions with the natives had improved when they learned some English. 16 (9%) of the respondents, however, said that learning English had not improved their interactions with the natives in any way. While it would seem quite obvious the abilities of sharing common languages are vital steps towards the construction of social cohesion is communities and also for the building of shared cultures. The inability to speak English in the UK isolates an individual in their personal and even professional lives. The learning of English emboldens these people and gives them an opportunity of taking part in normal conversations with their neighbours, workmates and even random strangers which largely improves their social lives. Language is important in all human life aspects as it allows different people to communicate in ways that facilitate the sharing of common ideas (Suryasa, Prayoga & Werdistira, 2017). People use language to express their inner thought and emotions, to communicate with others, to make sense of abstract thoughts that are complex and to also fulfil their needs and wants in addition to establishing rules and further maintaining their cultures. Those individuals who are not able to communicate in a common language are therefore, greatly disadvantaged. Therefore, the learning of English as a second language in the United Kingdom improves an individual’s social life and they are able to live happier fulfilled lives because they can express themselves and also understand what others have to say. Eguz (2019), points out that language skills are vital parts of human capital for those individuals who move to different countries that speak different languages from their first languages. The acquisition of adequate proficiency in the language of the host country acts as an essential driver for the economic and social integration of immigrants. The learners also need to practice the language they have learned by speaking to native speakers of the language and other individuals who are already fluent. This increases their chances of going out there and meeting new people whom they practice their new language with. In the world of today that is increasingly globalised, cultural competence is one of the keys to thriving. With no doubt, learning English involves learning more about the English culture. From this, learners are able to pick up clues about the English culture through immersion experiences and also through language classes. Mahendra & Triyono (2019), argue that those individuals who learn a new language are able to develop new ways of understanding the culture associated to the language they learn through the analysis of different cultural stereotypes. The acquisition of a second language does not just involve the acquisition of new linguistic forms but also the development of new ways of thinking and behaving. This goes a long way in helping learners to fit in and interact better with natives and other individuals who have knowledge of the English language. Talmacian (2017) argues that learning English or any other new language has the potential of increasing the tolerance of individuals, that is, the comfort with which they tolerate ambiguities. People who have a higher ambiguity tolerance end up finding situations that are not familiar being exciting instead of being frightening. Talmacian (2017) indicates that the learning of a new language builds an individual’s tolerance of ambiguity. Conversations when one`s knowledge of a language is not well developed tend to be characterised by constant stops where the speaker who is not fluent interrupts the other to repeat what they said or explain in simpler terms. People with high levels of tolerance of ambiguity would feel comfortable with maintaining conversations even when words that are not familiar are used.

4.6 Impact of learning English as a second language on employability

We also sought to interview different managers with the intention of broadening our study and increasing its reliability. We asked the managers how long their managerial stints had lasted. 4 of the respondents had been managers for 0 – 5 years, 3 had been managers for 6 – 10 years, 7 had been managers for 11- 15 years, 2 had been managers for 16 – 20 years and 4 had served as managers for more than 20 years.

We further sought to establish from the managers whether the knowledge of English was one of the requirements for employment in their respective organisations. 16 of the respondents admitted that knowledge of English was a requirement for employment in their organisations, meaning that one has to be able to communicate in English to some level to be employed there. The remaining 4 respondents said that English was not a requirement for employment. No company would be interested in employing individuals who are not capable of efficiently speaking with their employees (Clement and Murugavel, 2018). Communication entails the exchange of thoughts, feelings, ideas and information. For those who seek formal employment, they type of communication used in the corporate world is referred to as business communication. Business communication does not just entail the exchange of ideas. Communication systems in the business world are only deemed effective if they are capable of facilitating positive transactions. If the senders of information are just capable of conveying messages and no fruitful deals come about, then their communication lacks effectiveness. Only those individuals who have the necessary qualifications, prerequisite experience, learning attitudes and expertise in a given field are considered employable.

The researcher further sought to know from the respondents whether English really had an impact on the productivity of employees. 15 (75%) of the respondents admitted that knowledge of English played a role in the productivity of their employees, while the remaining 5 (25%) said that knowledge of English had no impact on the productivity of their employees. For majority of the organisations in the United Kingdom, the knowledge of English is an asset. These are organisations which engage mostly with people who speak English as a first or even a second language regularly which makes the knowledge of English among the workforce a rather valuable skill. Employees with a proper command of English are able to communicate more efficiently with clients which helps build the trust of clients in an organisation which eventually, leads to long lasting business relationships. English also comes in hand in workplace meetings, negotiations, preparation of reports, giving presentations and even in social situations. An employee` abilities to successfully communicate and negotiate with clients makes their skill-set more attractive to their employees.

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

From this study, it is clear that students learning English as a second language stand to rip a lot of benefits. Learning English would improve their social lives as seen in the study. Learning English as a second language also, improves the job prospects for these learners, provides them with opportunities of learning about the cultures of others and further facilitates the improvement of learner`s social lives. Additionally, being able to speak English would open up career opportunities for an individual in teaching, publishing, advertising and management of human resources in different public and private organisations. Employment is recognised as a major bridge between human development opportunities and economic growth. Caron & Ichou (2020), recognise employment as a source of success because it is capable of opening up cognitive development opportunities for individuals. The Government of the United Kingdom should put more effort to do away any barriers that hinder the potential learners of English from learning. All immigrants should also be motivated to take up learning English as they stand to benefit immensely.

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