Business English Materials; What Should be Developed Related to

ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

Volume 9 Number 2, August 2022

ISSN (Print): 2336-8560, ISSN (ONLINE): 2550-0724

ELT- Lectura, Vol 9, No 2, August 2022

Business English Materials; What Should be Developed Related to the 21

st

Century

Competencies

Pratama Irwin Talenta

1)

, Maria Dimitrij Angie Pavita

2)

1

Universitas Nasional Karangturi Semarang, Indonesia

email:

1)

[email protected]

2

Universitas Nasional Karangturi Semarang, Indonesia

email: [email protected]

Abstract:

Learning outcomes can be achieved with suitable teaching materials. The integration and

effectiveness of teaching materials greatly influence the successful implementation of

Business English. The long-term goal of this research and development is to develop 21st-

century Competency-based Business English materials. The design of this study used the

research and development (R&D) of Borg and Gall (1983) with simplification into four

stages, namely: introduction, development, trial test, and dissemination which were held

within six months. The data collected is tested for validity through triangulation tests by

conducting forum group discussions with experts and colleagues. The research subjects are

lecturers and students of English at Universitas Nasional Karangturi. Months 1 – 2 are for

conducting preliminary activities, months 3 – 4 are for designing the assessment draft, and

months 5 – 6 are for testing and dissemination. The results of this study are Business

English teaching materials, including Job Interviews, Business English conversations,

Business English Podcast, English for Presentation, Curriculum Vitae, and Application

Letters as preparation for professional career development. The stages and results of the

research are recommended to be a reference for teachers, lecturers, developers of teaching

materials, and researchers in developing and teaching business English, especially for

professional career development with steps through material development, assessment, and

evaluation. It can conclude that the 21st-century competency-based Business English

teaching materials that are produced trigger students to be more active in communication

have high creativity, critical thinking, and good cooperation, and the students can learn by

combining practical business knowledge directly.

Keywords: Material Development, Business English, 21st Century Competence

210

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

1. INTRODUCTION

Students must be willing to have

successful career after they graduate.

According to Vina A. Muliana, there are

many ways students can get a brilliant

career. “Karir dan masa depan adalah

mimpi yang harus diwujudkan.

Sebenarnya nggak sulit kok untuk

mewujudkan menjadi nyata. Tapi butuh

trik tersendiri supaya karir di masa depan

lebih gemilang,” said Vina, along with

other famous figures on social media at

the Youth Inspiring Talk event organized

by the Student Executive Board of the

Faculty of Economics and Business, UPN

"Veteran" Yogyakarta with Campuspedia

and SEVIMA on Saturday (18/09/2021).

English was very important in

supporting the success of learning and

career. (Kurniawan, Retnawati, 2019).

One of the challenges in career

development is the limited human

resources who have English skills in a

highly competitive world of work. So that

universities must be able to quickly and

precisely overcome these obstacles. As

the area of the world of entrepreneurship

is business, Universitas National

Karangturi (Unkartur) requires graduates

who are highly competitive and able to go

international. Currently, Unkartur is

actively handling entrepreneurship,

including business; the principle is the

application of national standardization so

that the quality of graduates is guaranteed.

There are qualifications of educators who

must master business pedagogic concepts,

as well as the availability of research

institutions. Thus, it is considered an ideal

bridge for connecting entrepreneurship,

especially business, to the field of national

education.

The example above shows a need

for English for the business field at

Unkartur to create graduates who are by

the education itself. There is a possibility

that the teaching and learning process at

Unkartur does not run effectively and

follows the needs of the world of work, so

students do not get suitable learning

materials. Therefore, efforts are needed to

solicit input to formulate the Business

English program into Unkartur. Teaching

materials are an essential component in

the implementation of Business English.

Learning success can achieve with

suitable teaching materials. The

integration and effectiveness of teaching

materials greatly influence the successful

performance of Business English. In

addition, several educators admitted they

were not confident in developing Business

English materials. They do not understand

how to formulate indicators and develop

lesson plans. Another difficulty that many

educators complain about is related to

21st-century competencies. They must be

able to design educational materials for

business English that emphasize 21st-

century skills. This research focuses on

problems related to developing 21st-

century competency-based business

English materials. Regarding the issue of

lack of mastery of material development

for Business English, the researchers want

to build it substantively, including the

concept of learning materials, planning

learning materials, creating instruments,

implementing learning, processing and

utilizing learning outcomes in

collaboration with 21st-century

competencies to welcome the industrial

era 4.0. The discussion of instrument

development material in this research is

carried out technically and coherently so

that educators are expected to be easier to

understand and apply. Research results

can source valid scientific data regarding

21st century competency-based Business

English.

This research focuses on problems

related to developing 21st-century

competency-based business English

materials. Regarding the issue of lack of

mastery of material development for

Business English, the researchers want to

build it substantively, including the

concept of learning materials, planning

learning materials, developing

instruments, implementing learning,

211

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

processing and utilizing learning

outcomes in collaboration with 21st-

century competencies to welcome the

industrial era 4.0. The discussion of

instrument development material in this

research is carried out technically and

coherently so that educators are expected

to be easier to understand and apply.

Research results can source valid

scientific data regarding 21st century

competency-based Business English.

Several researchers have researched

the development of competency-based

English materials or research on the

development of materials in the form of

electronic media, as described below,

which will later become reference

materials in this study. The results of

research by Luciana and Padmadewi et al.

(2020) published in the Journal of

Education and Teaching entitled

Teachers' readiness in inserting the 21st-

century skills in the lesson plan in

teaching English reveal the findings As an

English teacher, it is necessary to have a

good understanding of century skills. -21

before applying 21st-century skills in

lesson plans. Teachers become severe and

flexible in planning learning by looking at

the rules and obligations in the curriculum

and looking at the standardization of 21st-

century education in applying 21st-

century skills in lesson plans.

The article in the Journal of Asia

TEFL by Tipmontree and

Tasannameelarp (2018) entitled the

effects of role-playing simulation

activities on the improvement of EFL

students' business English oral

communication aims to examine the

impact of role-playing simulation

activities in improving business English

verbal communication. The results

showed that the teaching method had a

positive effect on improving students' oral

communication skills. In addition, there is

a statistically significant difference in

learning through role-playing simulation

activities. It was also found that teaching

staff should provide adequate training in

problem-solving and fluency building for

more effective verbal communication on

an ongoing basis in a business English

context.

The Singapore Ministry of

Education contends that a comprehensive

educational framework must incorporate

21st-century skills. It is stated that

learning this competency solely in the

classroom is not possible. To help their

kids learn to become successful adults

who can think critically and create

original solutions to the complex

problems facing today's society, educators

and parents must collaborate. Creativity,

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,

Communication, Collaboration,

Innovation, Adaptability, Digital

Literacy, Leadership, and Cross-Cultural

Understanding are some essential 21st-

century competencies that students must

have. Gill (2021).

The framework includes three skill

sets: life and career skills, learning and

innovation skills, and information skills.

Life and career skills include leadership

and responsibility, initiative and self-

direction, flexibility and adaptability,

social and cross-cultural skills,

productivity and accountability, and

flexibility and adaptability (information

literacy, media literacy, technology

literacy). Additionally, it features modern

world themes (citizenship literacy,

business, finance, economics, and

entrepreneurial literacy, health literacy,

environmental literacy, and global

awareness literacy).

2. METHOD

This research approach is research and

development or R&D; Borg and Gall

(1983: 775-776) explain that the steps in

the R & D cycle in education (learning)

are as follows:

1. Information gathering – consists of

conducting a literature review, observing

a class, and writing a current report.

2. Planning – consists of specifying

objectives, setting goals, choosing a

212

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

course of action, and evaluating feasibility

on a small scale.

3. Develop the initial form of the product

– consists of creating instructional

materials, manuals, and assessment tools.

4. Preliminary field trial

5. Interview, observation, and

questionnaire data were collected and

analyzed.

6. Major product revisions – Product

revisions as suggested by initial field test

results.

7. Main field trial – Results are evaluated

concerning objectives and compared with

control group data, where appropriate.

8. Product revision: The product is

changed in accordance with the main field

test findings.

9. Information from questionnaires,

observations, and interviews was gathered

and examined.

10. Product revision based on field test

results for the final product.

Implementation and dissemination

The 4th semester English Education

students are the research subjects for

Business English. The research was

conducted from March 2022 to August

2022 at the University of Karangturi. In

this research and development, these steps

will be simplified into 4 (four) main

phases, each of which includes several

specific steps. The four steps are

1) The preliminary stage,

The researcher wants to know how

students respond to teaching-learning

activities in the classroom as well as the

teaching-learning process itself in this

step. The researcher looked at the patterns

of instruction and learning in the

classroom, as well as how lecturers and

students communicate ideas.

2) The stage of developing teaching

materials.

In this stage, the researcher decides how

the Business English module will address

the issues raised by the students and offer

a solution. The researcher conducts a field

study to analyze data and determine the

most pressing needs of the students.

3) The stage of testing teaching

materials

In this step, the researcher tests the

teaching materials to find out are the

modules are appropriate to achieve the

aim of this research.

4) The stage of dissemination and

implementation of teaching

materials.

The researcher uses the entire set of

teaching materials in this final step to

identify any areas that could be improved

before designing the materials

themselves.

3. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Research result

This research results in a 21st-century

competency-based business English

module to support business English

learning for students. Modules include

Job Interviews, Business English

conversations, Business podcasts, English

for Presentation, Curriculum Vitae,

Application letters, examples and

exercises in each unit, and structured

activities such as role-play scenarios in

small groups or pairs.

Preliminary Stage

1. Objectives:

This preliminary stage aims to review

the existing assessment and conduct a

needs analysis of the assessment that will

be developed. The questions that need to

be answered include: (1) Have there been

any previous business English teaching

materials? (2) If there is, how is the

quality of the teaching materials, and what

are the effects? (3) Is the new teaching

material (which will be developed by the

researcher) needed?

2. Research form:

The form of research used is Research

and Development research, in which the

researcher collects as broad, deep, and

accurate information as possible about the

quality of teaching materials (if they

already exist) and the importance of

developing these teaching materials.

213

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

3. Research subjects:

This preliminary stage involves parties

related to developing teaching materials,

namely business English lecturers,

students, education/teaching experts, etc.

4. Data collection techniques:

The data collection techniques can be

questionnaires, in-depth interviews (in-

depth interviewing), participant

observation, content analysis, tests, etc.

5. Data analysis technique:

The data analysis technique used can be a

combination of several relevant

techniques: interactive model from Miles

& Huberman, constant comparative

method (Strauss and Corbin),

ethnographic model (Spradley), etc.

6. Output:

The output of this preliminary stage is

extensive, in-depth, and accurate

empirical information about the quality of

the existing materials (if they already

exist) and the importance of developing

these materials. This information will be

used to draft 21st-century competency-

based business English materials.

7. To obtain accurate, comprehensive, and

in-depth information at this preliminary

stage, researchers need to have a good

understanding of the assessment to be

developed and other relevant matters.

Therefore, a theoretical study of the

assessment and other pertinent issues

needs to be done.

Development Stage of Business English

Materials

1. The development phase of teaching

materials consists of three main activities,

namely (a) drafting of teaching materials,

(b) testing of the assessment draft, and (c)

completion of the assessment.

2. Drafting of teaching materials: Drafting

of teaching materials is based on the

results of the preliminary stage and other

relevant information. The features of

teaching materials need to be explained in

detail, which includes, among others, the

objectives of teaching materials,

functions, specifications of teaching

materials, user targets, strengths, and

weaknesses of teaching materials. Results

of developing draft teaching materials

should be validated by experts so that,

theoretically, the draft can be justified.

3. Testing of the draft of teaching

materials: The trial of the draft of teaching

materials in the field is intended to assess

the feasibility of teaching materials. This

trial was carried out several times as

needed, involving sufficient and varied

research subjects according to the

competence of the assessment setting. The

trial mechanism is as follows: draft of

teaching materials → field trials 1 →

monitoring and evaluation 1 → revision 1

→ revised draft of teaching materials →

field trials 2 → monitoring and evaluation

2 → revision 2 → ... and so on until the

teaching materials are considered good

based on predetermined criteria and

expert judgments.

4. Improvement of teaching materials:

The last activity in developing teaching

materials is the refinement of teaching

materials. In this phase, the researcher

refines the draft of teaching materials that

are being developed. Improvements are

based on input obtained during the trial

period in the field and expert judgment. In

this step, the researcher also needs to

explain the features of the post-trial

assessment. Thus, the parts of the draft

teaching materials will be known before

and after the trial.

Stage of Testing Business English

Materials

Teaching material is considered good

if it has a good impact on its users.

Therefore, the teaching materials being

studied need to be compared with other

teaching materials that have existed

before. The form of research used is an

experiment. The experimental research

design used is Pre-Experiment.

214

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

Dissemination and Implementation

Stage

At this stage, the researcher

socializes the teaching materials he has

developed with the hope that these

teaching materials can be implemented.

Dissemination can be done in various

ways, such as presentations in scientific

forums, writing articles in scientific

journals, and dissemination through the

web—broader scale trials in the group of

users of teaching materials and the impact

group. At the stage of developing and

validating teaching materials, the

analytical approach used is descriptive in

the form of data presentation, as well as in

the size of the assessment accuracy

(applicability) analyzed descriptively

qualitatively.

One of the easiest ways to learn

business English is to get directly

involved in business/entrepreneurial

activities. Students are given examples of

business activities in English which are

expected to be used for simulating

business activities. This activity is

expected to be a structured trigger for

learning business English. In addition to

dialogue examples, material enrichment

and explanatory phrases aim to equip

students with more vocabulary knowledge

related to topics or daily business

activities. Structured activities are

outlined in modules so students can

prepare their activities before learning.

This step is offered to reduce student

anxiety facing the professional world of

work in the real world.

Potential and Problems

Lack of modules to support students in

learning and practicing business English

skills. These potential problems can be

seen in students' daily life in lectures.

Many students are not directly involved in

business activities. The existing modules

are considered not to support business

English activities.

Developing Early Products

The initial product was designed based on

course descriptions, objectives, and

questionnaire results. 21st-century

competencies such as characteristics,

communication, creativity, critical

thinking, and collaboration are the

mainstays in developing business English

modules. For example, below is Task 5,

which provides knowledge of business

English that must be supplemented by

specific vocabulary.

Job interviews

Preparation is the key to a successful job

interview. Here’s how to be ready for some

common question types.

Before reading

Do the preparation task first. Then read the

article and do the exercises.

215

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

Table 4.1 Example of Exercise Matching

Vocabulary

Match the definitions (a–h) with the

vocabulary (1–8).

Vocabulary

Definition

1. to resolve a

situation

2.......nerve-

wracking

3. to be

hypothetical;

4. to be

unimportant;

5. to be the ideal

match for

something

6....... competence

7. to remember

8. day off from

work

a. causing

anxiety because

of a challenging

task

b. unrelated to

the subject at

hand or the

crucial

information

c. a necessary

skill for

performing a job

d. to deal with

something; to

respond to

something.

e. to recall an

earlier occasion

f. imagined and

therefore not

necessarily true

or true

g. not working

that day

h. exactly what is

required

source:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/busin

ess-english

A discussion section is provided to help

students understand the Job Interview

based on its context.

Here are three types of interview questions

that you should practice answering before

that important job interview.

1. Common interview questions

Tell us about yourself.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Why do you want to leave your current job?

2. Competency questions

Tell me about a time you had to work as a

team.

Tell me about a time you had to use your

creativity to solve a problem.

Tell me about a time when you experienced

conflict with a colleague and how you

handled that situation.

3. Hypothetical questions

What would you do if you had a different

opinion from your boss about how to do

something?

How would you deal with a large volume of

work with several staff members off work?

What would you do if you had to introduce

a new policy that you knew was going to be

unpopular in your team?

source:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/busin

ess-english

4. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the authors have presented

what students need in Business English

class; Students feel they have to be

directly involved in business activities

supported by teaching materials full of

entrepreneurship knowledge. Moreover,

21st-century competency-based teaching

materials that are produced provide a

trigger for students to be more active in

communication, high creativity, critical

thinking and good cooperation. And

students can learn by combining practical

business knowledge hands-on. With this

teaching material, the role of the lecturer

is not limited to providing direction,

assessing and providing feedback to

students about their performance. Because

of the limitation of the time, this

researcher only designs the English

Business module without considering the

other competence of the students. It is

suggested for those who are interested are

216

| ELT-Lectura: Studies and Perspectives in English Language Teaching

encouraged to do similar research to

develop a variety of teaching strategies to

help students enhance their abilities.

Therefore, this research is vital because

these modules support and assist students

and can be implemented to support the

learning process of Business English.

REFERENCES

Borg, W.R and Gall, M.D. (1983).

Educational Research: An

Introduction 4th Edition. London:

Longman Inc.

Borg, W.R and Gall, M.D. (2003).

Educational Research: An

introduction 7th Edition. New

York. Longman.

Gill, J. (2022). 21st Century

Competencies in Students: What

are They and Why are They

Important? One World

International School.

https://www.owis.org/blog/21st-

century-competencies-in-

students-what-are-they-and-why-

are-they-important diakses pada 1

Februari 2022.

Kurniawan, W., Retnawati, S. (2019).

Development of English

Language Teaching Materials for

the Economic Education Study

Program. Vol. 6 No. 1 (2019):

ELT-Lectura Studies and

Perspective in English Language

Teaching.

https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-

lectura.v6i1.2303

Luciana, N. L. R., Padmadewi, N. N.,

Artini, L. P., & Budiarta, L. G. R.

(2020). Teachers' Readiness in

Inserting the 21st Century Skills in

the Lesson Plan in Teaching

English. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan

Pengajaran, 53(2), 168-183.

Mayang, S. (2021). Tips Membangun

Karir Cemerlang ala Vina

Muliana, Content Creator & Staff

di BUMN. Sevima Tips

Membangun Karir Cemerlang ala

Vina Muliana, Content Creator &

Staff di BUMN (sevima.com)

diakses pada 27 Maret 2022.

Ministry of Education. (2021). 21st

Government of Singapore.

Tipmontree, S., & Tasanameelarp, A.

(2018). The effects of role-playing

simulation activities on the

improvement of efl students'

business English oral

communication. Journal of Asia

TEFL, 15(3), 735.

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21

st

-

century learning skill: learning for

life in our time (first edition).

Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprints.