ELG368 Language in the Workplace End-of-Course Assessment 2026, Singapore

ELG368 End-of-Course Assessment

(Full marks: 100)

Question

For this ECA, you will produce a report which requires you to critically apply your understanding of intercultural communication by analysing data that you have collected from interviews to answer the following research question:

To what extent do cultural differences lead to problems in communication at the workplace?

To answer this question, you need to use the data collected to:

• deconstruct issues relating to culture and language of two different cultural groups,
• appraise how problems in communication occur at the workplace by examining features of cultural and language differences, and
• discuss the impact of intercultural communication problems on workplace interactions.

In 2400 to 2700 words, your report should include the following sections:

a. Introduction

b. Literature review

c. Methods

d. Results/Discussion

e. Conclusion

f. References^*

g. Appendix^*

^* The references and appendix are not included in the word count.

Students’ Notes

Data collection:

a. Design a set of interview questions that will enable you to examine the extent to which cultural differences lead to problems in communication in the workplace.

b. Interview two people who have participated in intercultural communication in the workplace. Their participation in the intercultural communication could be in a frontstage or backstage setting.

Interview:

a. You should seek permission and obtain written consent from the participants before recording the interaction. Please use the Consent Form found in the Appendix of this ECA booklet, and attach the forms with your participants’ signatures (either written or digital) as an image in the Appendix of your ECA submission. Any missing consent form(s) will result in mark deduction.

b. You are also required to transcribe the interviews and attach them in the Appendix of your ECA submission.

c. Each interview should take no longer than 30 minutes. Interviews should be conducted either face-to-face and audio-recorded, or via online conferencing platforms (such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams) and recorded. The recordings will facilitate your transcription, review, and analysis of the interview.

d. The transcription of each interview must be submitted as an appendix, with the interview questions in red. You do not need to submit the audio recordings of the interviews, but you must keep them for three months. If a dispute arises over the originality of your work, this will be one of the pieces of evidence that you need to present.

e. In place of real names, use pseudonyms chosen by you or the participants themselves in your transcripts.

f. If the interviews are not in English, you will need to provide translations. The translation should be done by a competent user of the language, and this could be you yourself or someone you approach.

Instructions on what should be included in each section of your report are given below:

a. Introduction (3 marks)

• Set the context for the research clearly and with sufficient details.
• State the rationale for the research clearly and logically.
• State the research question clearly, as provided in the question.

b. Literature review (10 marks)

• Provide background information to understand the context of the area of research, by synthesizing rather than simply listing relevant existing research findings. The existing research should go beyond those found in your course text, iStudyGuide, and seminar slides. You must refer to two existing research articles that discuss problems in intercultural communication in the workplace. These research articles must be credible and relevant.
• Demonstrate a very clear link between these previous research (i.e. the findings from your selected research article that you have provided above) and the proposed research (i.e. the research that you are conducting).
• Use APA 7^th edition style for your in-text citations.

c. Methods (12 marks)

• Describe and justify the design of your interview questions, profile of interviewees, and how the data collection was carried out to achieve the aim of your interview.
• Indicate where the signed consent forms and transcriptions can be found in the report.

d. Results/Discussions (60 marks)

• Present your findings and analyses of these findings such that they answer the research question. You should include quotes from the transcriptions to support them. Do not simply make reference to the appendices as supporting evidence.
• Compare and contrast your findings to similar literature from the literature review, and explain the similarities and/or differences.
• Your analysis should demonstrate your knowledge of theories and research related to intercultural communication at the workplace.

e. Conclusion (10 marks)

• Summarise clearly the answer to the research question as shown in the findings.
• Discuss the significance of the findings.
• Conclude with two or three suggestions on how the identified problems in communication could be minimised or overcome in future.

f. References (3 marks)

• Cite and list all references used in your report, following the APA 7^th edition style.

g. Appendix (2 marks)

• Attach the signed consent forms (as pictures) and transcription of the interviews.

The breakdown of marks for each section of the report is provided only as a guide to help you better manage the task of writing your response. Your report will be marked holistically.