Taiwanese students' perceived English oral proficiency in relation to communication strategies

Taiwanese students studying in the US have to be able to communicate fluently at a level comparable to students whose first language is English. The ability to communicate proficiently in English is difficulty for many foreign students from Asian backgrounds. In an effort to be successful in their studies in the United States, Asian students must develop communication strategies. Where there are few studies that focus on the communication strategies of Asian students, even fewer studies exist that differentiate between Asian cultures. This study sought to understand the communication strategies that Taiwanese students use when they interact with native English speakers during formal and informal interaction. This study specifically aims to determine the means by which Taiwanese students enrolled in the graduate programs at the University of Southern California communicate orally with English native speakers. This study measured the students' use of communication strategies to enrich their verbal communication skills; it also measured their perceptions of their oral proficiency and other personal characteristics.; Using a quantitative research design, communication strategies were correlated to personal characteristics and oral proficiency to determine which communication strategies were related to oral proficiency and whether personal characteristics of the participants had any relationship to the use of communication strategies. A factor analysis of the communication strategies was conducted to determine what form of communication approach was preferred by the students. The variables were measured using a Likert-scale questionnaire specifically designed for this study. Oral proficiency was determined through a self-report scale wherein scores reflected the oral proficiency level of students. The results indicate that there are three major communication approaches that Taiwanese students use and prefer: Meaningful communication approach, Word utilizing approach and Playing it safe approach. The approaches are composed of different communication strategies which may be categorized as meaningful communication approach, word utilizing approach and playing it safe approach, the results also indicate that communication strategies were related to oral proficiency but was not related to personal characteristics. The most preferred communication strategy to enhance second language learning is interacting, and speaking with native English speaking students.; The implications of the findings of this study are important in developing instructional approaches and methods in the teaching of second language learners. The researcher recommends instructional approaches where teaching second language learners to speak English should incorporate a more interactive approach; one where students have more opportunities to engage in authentic communication with one another.