ERIC Number: EJ1240001
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0125-2488
EISSN: N/A
Intercultural Communication Challenges and Strategies for the Thai Undergraduate Hotel Interns
Jhaiyanuntana, Anyada; Nomnian, Singhanat
PASAA: Journal of Language Teaching and Learning in Thailand, v59 p204-235 Jan-Jun 2020
The hospitality industry is one of Thailand's most important sectors that contributes to the national economy. Human capital has become so vital that a strong foundation and development of undergraduate students in this discipline are needed. Their internship experience is part of the process of learning and integrating their knowledge into practice, especially concerning intercultural communicative encounters. There are, however, few studies related to this particular issue. This research aims to study Thai undergraduate hotel interns' intercultural communication challenges and strategies while undertaking their internship at an in-house hotel training center located on a university campus. Drawing upon a mixed-method approach based on questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the results based on calculated mean scores suggest that the interns ranked five intercultural communicative strategies from highest to lowest as follows: (i) critical cultural awareness ([x-bar] = 3.94), (ii) attitudes ([x-bar]= 3.81), (iii) knowledge ([x-bar]= 3.71), (iv) skills to interpret and relate (x¯ = 3.63), and (v) skills to discover and interact ([x-bar] = 3.62). This study suggests that academic programs should equip Thai undergraduate hotel interns with proficiency in foreign languages and cultures, problem-solving skills, and cross-cultural and interpersonal understanding. This study contributes to awareness and the need to incorporate intercultural communicative competence into the hospitality programs that can produce graduates who are well-equipped and prepared for multilingual and multicultural working environments.
Descriptors: Intercultural Communication, Hospitality Occupations, Undergraduate Students, Internship Programs, Foreign Countries, Communication Strategies, Language Proficiency, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Problem Solving, Multilingualism, Cultural Pluralism, Cultural Awareness, Communicative Competence (Languages), Student Attitudes, Barriers
Chulalongkorn University Language Institute. Prem Purachatra Building, Chulalongkom University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel: +66-2-218-6092; Fax: +66-2-218-6104; e-mail: pasaa.editor@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.culi.chula.ac.th/publicationsonline/home_p1.php
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A