English Language Skill Needs of the Secretarial Student

English Language Skill Needs of the Secretarial Student
Solomon A. Dansieh
Wa Technical University, P. O. Box 553, Wa, Upper West Region
This study explored the perception of Secretaryship and Management students about English
Language generally; identified their skill needs in the subject and suggests strategies for
improving those skills. A descriptive survey research design was adopted and involved 60
participants. Using the systematic random sampling technique, 20 students were selected from
each level of study (Level 100 –300) in the Higher National Diploma in Secretaryship and
Management Studies Programme at the Wa Technical University. A total number of 60
questionnaires was administered and the same number was retrieved and used in this study.
The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel with the results presented in frequency tables
and graphs. The study found that participants perceive English Language as a difficult subject;
nonetheless, it is indispensable in their academic and professional lives. They affirmed writing,
speaking, reading and listening skills as the most important skill needs and identified speaking
as the most challenging skill to acquire. The study also found that surprisingly, majority (57%)
of the participants was not conversant with email and related applications in English relevant to
the modern secretary. The study recommends the regular practice of speaking, writing, reading,
and listening as some of the measures to help improve upon the English language skills of the
students. They should also be equipped with some basic knowledge in the use of modern
information technological tools like email and PowerPoint to enhance their professionalism.
Keywords: English language skills; the English Language Course; secretarial student; Occupational English; curriculum
review; fitness for purpose
INTRODUCTION
The study aims at exploring the academic and
occupational English Language skill needs of
Secretaryship and Management students of the Wa
Technical University (formerly Wa Polytechnic) and also
suggests measures that can enhance the acquisition and
use of those skills.
All over the globe today, language skills, especially
communicative skills in the English language, have
become indispensable, be it in the academic or
occupational environment. This is borne out of the fact
that currently, a quarter of the world speaks English
(World Economic Forum (WEF), 2020). The dominance
of English as a global language today is further
consolidated by the advent of new technologies like the
internet and mobile telephony. WEF (2020) observes that
the internet, for instance, has given today’s Oxford
English Dictionary editors wider access to non-traditional
sources of linguistic evidence, enabling them to widen
and improve the dictionary’s coverage of world varieties
of English. These assertions of the ILO's affirm that the
world is becoming smaller and smaller with the
improvements in communication in English Language
(Esra, 2008). People from all over the world are
interacting with each other in business transactions,
collaborations, and in numerous other ways (Edwards,
2000). The changes in communication have created an
increasing demand for English language skills. Mastery of
English language skills is certainly not enough as new
languages enter the corporate world. Nevertheless, the
English language is still seen as the most effective way to
communicate if a common language is not found
between parties (Johns, 2001). Modern secretaries, by
the very nature of their job, have often been found
playing public relations roles. Most of the time, they also
serve as the first points of contact in offices. Possessing
good communicative skills in the English language, the
main and official medium of communication in Ghana, is
very crucial for good customer service. Therefore, having
strong communicative skills in English language by
Vol. 7(1), pp. 276-289, February, 2021. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2401-0932
International Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics
Research Article

Solomon A. Dansieh 277
secretarial students is a way of ensuring that they have a
somewhat guaranteed form of communication for their
future professions. Nevertheless, it has been observed
that the performance of secretarial students of the Wa
Technical University in the English language keeps
falling. This is evident among students as they often
complain about their poor communicative skills in the
English language, though their teachers are trying their
best. Most students express worry about their inability to
express themselves fluently in the language; knowing
that the ability to speak, read, listen, and write is a major
requirement in the job market for secretarial students.
This implies that there is need to identify the English
language skill needs of students offering Secretaryship
and Management Studies as a programme of study in
order to equip them adequately for the world of work. It is
against this background that the researchers considered
it necessary to find out the specific English language
skills needed by secretarial students and to propose
measures that can enhance the acquisition of same. This
study sought to establish from Secretaryship and
Management students of the Wa Technical University in
the Upper West Region of Ghana what perceptions they
have about the English Language course; what specific
skill needs they have in the subject and suggest
interventions that can help improve the impartation,
acquisition and use of those skills. Before we do a review
of relevant literature on the topic, we deem it expedient to
give a brief background of the Secretarial English course.
An Overview of Secretarial English I – IV
The course is a compulsory one taken by all students
pursuing the Secretaryship and Management Studies
programme in the Business School of the Wa Technical
University. It is taught over six semesters and structured
into Secretarial English 1 – 6 (a twelve-credit course
coded as SMS 126E – SMS 326E). As an English for
Specific Purpose (ESP) course, Secretarial English can
be described as an aspect of English Occupational
Purpose (EOP) as it is taken by only students offering the
Secretaryship and Management Studies Programme. It
aims at equipping students with the needed skills for their
future careers as secretaries and managers. It combines
the fundamentals of grammar, mechanics, usage, and
composition with specific topics in business
communication like report writing; writing pleasant and
unpleasant business letters; letters about employment;
making oral presentations; organising meetings and
conferences; types of résumés and job-search interviews.
In the following sections, the paper now does a review of
literature relating to the topic, discusses the procedure for
collecting and analysing the data and subsequently
presents findings upon which the recommendations were
made for the enhancement of quality of the teaching and
learning of Secretarial English.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Perceptions of Tertiary Secretarial Students about
the English Language Course
English Language is considered the foundation of
language learning on which effective reading, listening,
writing, and speaking constitute the bedrock of human
language learning (Afful, 2007). The concept of English
language skills is technical and students from all circles
of education (secretarial students inclusive) need certain
attitudes to grasp these concepts (Ibid.). According to
Adika (2003), secretarial students hardly practise the
English language by speaking it. The habit of secretarial
students not taking the English Language course
seriously is as a result of their perception about English
Language being difficult, an assertion that LeClair et al.
(2009) corroborated. Shen (2006) also observed that
students have a negative perception of reading, writing,
speaking, and listening. As a result of those negative
perceptions about the language, the process of learning
English as a Second Language becomes a challenge for
them. Secretarial English students who have not received
adequate preparation for learning English Language skills
such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening end up
not performing so well in English Language (Dansieh,
2015).
The Importance of Academic and Occupational
Language skills to Secretarial Students
Language skills have become more and more essential in
all academic and occupational environments in today’s
world. The importance of language skills varies in all
circles of education and occupation with some requiring
very high skills in several languages while others require
just the basics in one language (Crystal 2003). English
language skills of students are very important in their
academic life and subsequently in their professional lives.
There are also several different perceptions of English
language skill needs in the modern workplace.
Employees, employers, as well as prospective
employees and employers all need to consider the
language needs of their workplace.
To overcome education and skill disadvantages, the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2007) observed
that “individuals are considered most employable, able to
find and retain jobs and adaptable to workplace changes
when they have broad-based education and training,
basic and portable high-level skills, including teamwork,
problem solving, ICT, communication and language
skills” (ILO, 2007: 88). The organisation further observed
that core skills like client service, social interpersonal and
language skills are important in adopting and attracting
new ICTs. Even though the technological content of work
in the field of business services may be low, workers
require language skills, as well as social and
communication skills.

Int. J. Lit., Lang. Ling. 278
According to Kirkkopelto (2007) the English Language
skills of secretarial students in writing, reading, and
speaking at work is very important to know. Kirkkopelto
(2007:67), studied the importance of speech fluency,
grammatical accuracy, and other aspects of English at
the school and workplace and observed that secretarial
students perceive their actual needs as English language
skills required in day-to-day work (Kirkkopelto 2007:103).
According to the European Framework of Reference for
Languages (Council of Europe 2001), there are six
different levels of proficiency of language users: basic
user (A1 and A2), the independent user (B1 and B2) and
proficient user (C1 and C2) (Council of Europe 2001:23).
These proficiency levels are a global scale designed to
simplify the framework to non-specialist users of
language (Council of Europe 2001:24). Kirkkopelto
(2007:65) asserted that the English Language skills of
many students in a tertiary institution and at the
workplace are at the intermediate level.
As many companies expand abroad these days, it is
obvious that employees who have acquired relevant skills
in the English Language have a greater chance of being
hired (Vistawide.com, 2012). Those employees who can
speak only their native language can speak or cooperate
just with other people in their native country; while
bilingual or multilingual employees can refine hand in
hand with their company (European, Commission, 2000).
Besides business, there are many working spheres
where knowledge in the English language seems to be of
a significant advantage: travel agencies, advertising or
publishing industry, science research, media,
engineering, politics, are some examples. Antimoon
(2012) advises workers to use several examples of
working tools in which their English language skills could
be significantly useful: technology, computer science,
business, science constitute some of these tools.
According to Smithers (2000), English Language skills
should be evaluated as equal to literacy, numeracy and
communication technology from basic school to
secondary school and later to higher education. He also
points out that there are many opportunities in a career
that are not available to monolingual people. In the
working environment, English language skills acquired
can greatly enhance one's professional progress.
Hyland (2006) argues that there are a lot of different
learning abilities that form part of the process of learning
the English Language. The author further adds that a
student who takes the English Language seriously and
learns it in their education always gets more advantages
in their job opportunities. This affirms the need for a more
comprehensive insight into English language skill needs
and competencies of secretarial students of tertiary
institutions in Ghana. The importance of the English
Language course in degree/diploma/certificate
requirements provides valuable information. Right from
basic school level, students must understand that all
subjects require the English Language and as such
requires a great deal of responsibility from students to
develop positive attitudes towards the subject.
Improving the Quality of English Language education
Tertiary Institutions in Ghana
According to Dansieh (2015), more is expected of tertiary
students from English-speaking countries like Ghana,
where English is the medium of instruction, to possess
some minimum global competence in their reading,
writing, listening, and speaking skills in academic and
workplace communication. Whether it is in the public or
market-driven private sector, demand for quality tertiary
education ‘products’ by key stakeholders of tertiary
education like governments, parents, students, lecturers,
and industry also makes it imperative to assure quality in
teaching and learning in general and in English Language
in particular.
It has, however, been observed that despite this, English
for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for
Occupational Purposes (EOP) courses in Ghana have
not undergone any systematic evaluation as in similar
programmes in America, the United Kingdom, and
Australia (Afful, 2007; Hyland 2002). In a research
conducted by Dansieh (2015), he observed that the
Communication Skills (English for Academic Purposes)
course, which was introduced in higher educational
institutions somewhere in 1985, would need a major
overhaul taking into account current realities.
The situation in Ghanaian Technical Universities
(formerly polytechnics) is not very different: For instance,
Secretarial English and Communication Skills curricula
currently in use in these institutions were published some
19 years ago (NABPTEX, 2001) and are yet to undergo
any major review. For instance, topics on some basic
skills that the 21st century secretary needs to have, like
sending and receiving emails; attaching documents
electronically to mails; organising teleconferences and
using PowerPoint in oral presentations are conspicuously
missing from the syllabuses. This calls for a major
curriculum review to reflect modern skill needs of
secretarial students for the field of work. It also shows
that although several efforts have been made at various
times at both regional and national levels for language
policy frameworks, there is still the need to increase the
awareness for English for academic and occupational
purposes among students in tertiary institutions so that
they take the English Language seriously.
To improve the English language skills of tertiary
students, policies on the language of education and
quality in education must be effectively implemented
(Owu-Ewie, 2006). Also, quality assurance concepts to

language education in the country must be encouraged.
As such, there must be a consensus on the English
language which should be used as the main medium of
instruction from the lower primary level to tertiary level.
Available work on quality in education must cover the
entire formal, informal, and non-formal education
spectrum. According to Hyland and Hamp-Lyons (2002)
and Ankmomah et al. (2005), the quality of the English
language could be achieved through mastering enough
English. The right English for students to succeed in
learning their subjects through the medium of English in
textbooks, lectures, study groups, and so on, is a matter
of great urgency. Countries must try to lift themselves into
economic prominence or to remain major players on the
world economic stage, producing an annual crop of
graduates who can function effectively through the
English language.
According to a World Bank report in (2002) graduates
from Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions must be
able to communicate well in English, the ‘global lingua
franca’, so they can function well anywhere in today’s
‘global village.’ Of late, however, it has been observed
that the general communicative competence of many
graduates from Ghanaian tertiary institutions in the
English language has been rather abysmal. According to
Dansieh (2015) quality assurance in higher education is
key to successful academic and occupational careers for
students. The author further argues that tertiary
institutions must ensure that their programmes and
services are fit for the purpose for which they were
designed so that students would benefit while in and out
of school.
Developing or improving the reading skills of
students
To develop or improve reading skills, teachers play a
crucial role. They should help students to focus on their
reading, in the way they read for meaning instead of
getting involved in individual words or unimportant details
and losing the main meaning of a text. Also, teachers
need to help them to read in diverse ways and use sub-
skills that will help them to improve and understand what
are they reading efficiently (Hadfield, 2008).
According to Harmer (2007), to understand reading texts
students need to do some activities or use some
strategies called Reading Skills. First, students need to
be able to scan the text, which means reading quickly
while looking for specific information. On the other hand,
students also need to be able to skim, which is used to
quickly identify the general idea of a text, readers are
focused briefly on a few words per line, headings, or the
first and last sentence in a paragraph.
Hadfield (2008) says that reading for gist is another
strategy that implies reading with a purpose in mind.
Also, reading for detail is considered as a strategy.
Sometimes, students need to read carefully, because it is
necessary to pay attention to all the sentences to get the
meaning of the whole text. Hadfield (2008) also talks
about sub-skills. These are three: Activating background
knowledge, predicting and using linkers.
Activating background knowledge helps learners to
understand a text by discussing the topic before reading.
Brainstorming and mind-mapping are useful techniques
to do this. The first one means to think quickly of anything
related to the topic and the second one tries to order the
ideas, for example in separate categories. These two
activities help to activate the vocabulary learners already
have.
Predicting can be done by looking at titles, pictures, or
words from the text. Students can make mini-predictions
throughout the whole reading. The last sub-skill is using
linkers. Linkers are words that act as signals that show
the structure of a text and help to understand when a new
piece of information is coming. The use of these sub-
skills can be very helpful in the development of reading
skills (Oxford & Rebecca, 2001).
Developing and improving listening skills
To develop or improve listening skills, Hadfield (2008)
mentions different kinds of activities and strategies: One
of them is listening with a purpose, which is important
because learners can adapt the way they listen to their
aims, paying more attention to the information they need
to extract from the listening text. Another aspect that
Hadfield mentions is listening for gist. When the teacher
uses this strategy, he/she sets a question or task which is
given to the learners before they listen so that they know
what information they are listening for. The third aspect
mentioned by Hadfield is listening for specific details,
which means to listen with a clear purpose in mind,
thereby helping learners develop the ability to filter out
everything they do not need to know.
Developing or improving the writing skills of students
Many authors agree that some issues help in the
development or improvement of writing. One of those
issues is a genre, which according to Harmer (2007),
represents the norms of different kinds of writing. It helps
to recognize words. A good way to teach genre is when
teachers show models of what they want learners to write
and then, using these techniques, students try to do their
work. Concerning this, Hadfield (2008) suggests that
when teachers are teaching how to write a particular type
of text, they can give students activities to practice
accuracy; give guidance in what to say or how to say it,
or allow students to write freely.
Another aspect of writing is cooperative work. Although
many students write on their own, it is much better to use
cooperative writing in classes, because group writing

allows giving more detailed and constructive feedback.
To write in groups, whether as part of a long or short
process, is very motivating for students to develop this
skill (Harmer, 2007).
Continuing with the description of how to develop and
improve writing skills, Harmer (2007) identifies creative
writing as the approach that suggests the imagination as
the base in writing poetry, stories, and plays. According
to Hammer (2007), most people feel pride in their work
and want it to be read. But this situation is most common
when people talk about creative writing instead of any
other written products. Students feel more motivated
when a teacher gives imaginative writing tasks because
they feel engaged and try to do their best in producing a
variety of correct and appropriate language than they
might for more routine assignments.
As writing is an important ability, it is necessary to build a
writing habit in students no matter the level of education
(from basic to tertiary). Doing this, students will recognize
writing as a normal part of classroom practice and they
come to writing assignments with much enthusiasm
which in the end have a positive impact on their
occupation. To achieve the writing habit it is necessary to
give the students interesting and enjoyable tasks to do
(Harmer, 2007). According to Hadfield (2008), another
way of helping students to organize and express their
ideas is the writing process that consists of dividing the
writing activity into many stages, each of which practices
an important sub-skill in this process. Brainstorming is
also a good technique to do for writing.
Developing or Improving Speaking Skills of Students
Hadfield (2008) proposes that teachers/lecturers can help
students to develop their speaking skills by giving them
ideas such as asking them to read a text concerning the
topic that is being discussed so that students can
manage some vocabulary about it. This is also helpful
because it can get students thinking around the topic and
stimulate ideas.
He also proposes that teachers should provide students
with what to say by giving them some role cards with an
outline or suggestions of what they can say. He further
proposes that tasks should be precise, with a clear goal
for students to reach so that students have a clear idea of
the outcome of their work. To help the student to develop
their confidence for speaking, Hadfield (2008) proposes,
for example, allowing the students to practice in pairs
what they want to say so that they will feel more confident
to say it in front of the whole class.
To help tertiary students develop and improve fluency,
the most useful tool is asking them to speak, present
different and interesting topics or communicational
situations for them to express themselves as many times
as possible. Another important aspect to consider in the
development of speaking skills is the feedback that the
teacher gives to students. He/she should avoid
interrupting learners to correct them while they are
speaking because this could mean that they will not get
the chance to develop fluency (Ibid.).
Hadfiled (2008) postulates that during the language
learning process, listening, speaking, reading, and writing
should be treated as integrated, interdependent, and
inseparable elements of language. Chen (2007) also
asserts that lecturers should incorporate opportunities
throughout the reading for students to develop their
learning by responding verbally as they read, write, and
learn in English because it is the integrated use of oral
and written language for functional and meaningful
purposes that best promote the full development of
second language proficiency. They suggest that reading
and writing as well as speaking and listening should be
integral parts of all classroom language activities
because all these processes interact with one another.
METHODOLOGY
Research Design, Population and Sample
The research is a descriptive survey through which views
and opinions were sampled from respondents. Avoke
(2005) considers a descriptive survey as a design that
portrays accurately the characteristics of particular
individual situations or groups. The study targeted all the
Secretaryship and Management students of the Business
school of Wa Polytechnic (now Wa Technical University).
The stratified sampling technique was employed to select
a total of 60 respondents for this study comprising twenty
(20) students each from Level 100, Level 200, and Level
300.
Data Collection: Tool and Procedure
A questionnaire was used to collect data from
respondents in this study. It was made up of both closed-
ended and open-ended questions with options like:
(fluently, fairly fluent, moderate, with difficulty, not at all:
almost daily, about once a week, about once a month,
less frequently and never). It was divided into four
sections: Section A – Personal data; Section B –
Academic and Occupational English Language skills
needed by secretarial students and Section C –
measures required for improving the English Language
skills of secretarial students in Wa Technical University to
equip them for the job market.
The researchers obtained an introductory letter from the
Department of Secretaryship and Management Studies,
Wa Technical University, stating the purpose and
objectives of the study and the cooperation of the
research participants. The introductory letter was copied
to the respondents. The participants were briefed on the
purpose, time, venue, and how to answer the

questionnaires. They were also assured of confidentiality
questionnaires. The respondents responded to all the
questionnaires.
Data Analysis Technique
All 60 questionnaires administered were retrieved and
used in this study. Analysis of data provided facts and
figures that enabled the interpretation of the results and
reaching conclusions from the findings of the study. All
items of the questionnaires were coded. Items in the form
of a Likert scale were rated between 5-1, with 5 being the
highest and 1 being the lowest. Questionnaires were
edited to ensure that clear, legible, relevant, and
appropriate responses had been provided. The coded
items and their corresponding frequencies were fed into
the computer using the excel programmer. Data were
analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies.
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Demographic characteristics of the respondents
The demographic characteristics collected from the
respondents are into two sections: The first section
captures the gender, occupation and academic levels of
study, while the second section captures the English
language background of respondents.
In Table 1, majority of the respondents in the study were
females. They accounted for 58% of the population, while
the males accounted for 42%. This is an indication that,
the Secretaryship and Management Studies Department
of Wa Polytechnic is dominated by female students. It
was also revealed that, only a few of the respondents
were working and studying at the same time. Thirty
percent (30%) accounted for student workers, while 70%
accounted for students who are not working but only in
the study.
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of respondents
Gender Frequency Percentage
Male 25 42
Female 35 58
Occupation
Student Only 42 70
Student Worker 18 30
Total 60 100
Source: Field study (2018)
Respondents were chosen from all the levels (Level 100,
200 and 300) of the Secretaryship and Management
Studies Department. In order to ensure a fair
representation of all the levels, respondents were
requested to indicate their level of study. Figure 1
indicates that majority of the respondents, representing
43%, were sampled from Level 300, 35% represented
Level 100 and 22% represented Level 200. At the time of
the data collection, students were studying in preparation
for their end of semester exams; therefore, Level 300
students were more accessible to respond to the
questionnaire than the other levels. This accounted for
the majority of respondents coming from Level 300
Figure 1: Academic Level of Respondents
.
Level 100
35%
Level 200
22%
Level 300
43%

The study also explored the English proficiency of the
respondents. Table 2 indicates that, majority (90%) of the
respondents had never studied Secretarial English
anywhere else apart from their current formal educational
environment, while 10% indicated they had studied
Secretarial English elsewhere before. It was also noted
that, 100% respondents started learning English at the
basic level of education. For the purpose of this study,
basic level of education is defined from Kindergarten to
Senior High School level. None of the respondents
started learning English language either from the
Secondary or Tertiary levels.
Table 2: English Language Background
Ever studied English elsewhere Frequency Percentage
Yes 6 10
No 54 90
Level started learning English
Basic Level 60 100
Secondary Level 0 0
Tertiary Level 0 0
Total 60 100
Source: Field study, (2018)
Table 2 shows the proficiency level of the respondents.
Majority of the respondents accounting for 45% indicated
they had good English proficiency while 28% indicated
very good proficiency. The rest of the respondents
representing 22%, 3% and 2% recorded fair, poor and
very
poor English proficiencies respectively. This is an
indication that, over 50% of the respondents had a good
command of English language among the secretarial
students.
Figure 2: Secretarial English Proficiency of Respondents
Shen (2006) asserted that students have a negative
perception to reading, writing, speaking and listening.
After probing to understand the English proficiency level
(represented in Figure 2) of the respondents, the study
enquired further to understand the perception of
respondents of English language skill. It was revealed in
Table 3 that, respondents had a phobia of English
language. As represented on the table, 62% accounting
for the majority of the respondents, perceived English
language to be difficult, while 38% thought otherwise.
This finding confirms the observations of earlier
researchers like Adika (2003) and LeClair et al. (2009)
that secretarial students perceive English Language to be
a difficult subject.
Table 3: Respondents’ Perception about English Language
Perception of English as difficult Frequency Percentage
Yes 37 62
No 23 38
Total 60 100
Very good Good Fair Poor Very poor
28
45
22
3 2
Percentage

To identify the difficulty with English language,
respondents were asked to specify their difficult area in
the subject. Four basic areas were identified which
included, listening skills, reading skills, speaking skills
and writing skills. Figure 3 shows that, the majority (38%)
had difficulty in speaking English. This agrees with
Adika’s findings that secretarial students hardly practise
English language by speaking it (Adika, 2003). Thirty-two
(32) percent indicated that writing was difficult; 18%
identified reading difficulties with only12% choosing
listening difficulties. This is an indication that, some
respondents could be good in one skill but weak in the
other.
Figure 1: Areas of difficulty identified by Respondents
Academic and Occupational English Language skills
needed by Secretarial Students
Kirkkopelto (2007) noted that secretarial students
perceived their actual needs for English language skills to
be those required in day-to-day work. Respondents were
asked where they use English language the most and the
following table indicates their responses: Table 4
indicates that respondents use English language in
diverse ways and situations. However, majority (60%)
said they use English for school and studies. This was
not surprising as majority of participants in the survey had
indicated that they were students only. Others,
representing 28% use English language skills at work
and 12% uses it in their free time.
Table 4: Use of English Language Skills
Where do you use of English the most Frequency Percentage
At school or in my studies 36 60
In my free time 7 12
At work 17 28
I do not use English 0 0
Total 60 100
Language skills are very important and vary in all circles
of education and occupation. The study identified some
reasons for the use of English language by students.
Table 5 illustrates the responses using the Likert scale
analysis.
In Table 5, it is evident that most respondents’ reason for
English use is to communicate with people. Majority of
the respondents representing 55% said they use English
for communication almost daily. Adika (2003) had earlier
observed that students hardly practice English by
speaking it. This was evidenced as most of the
participants (47%) responded “less frequently” when they
were asked to state the reason for learning it better. It
was also true that, 43% of the respondents never use
English in any way for the fun of it. Twenty-three (23)
percent said they used it almost daily where there are no
other alternatives of languages to use.
32
12
38
18
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Writing
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Percentage

Table 5: Reasons for English Language use
Condition Almost daily About once a week About once a month Less frequently Never
To communicate with people 33 (55%) 9 (15%) 3 (5%) 15 (25%) 0
To learn it better 23 (38%) 4 (7%) 3 (3%) 28 (47%) 2 (3%)
For the fun 4 (7%) 3 (5%) 9 (15%) 18 (30%) 26 (43%)
Where there are no other alternatives 14 (23%) 11 (18%) 8 (13%) 23 (38%) 4 (7%)
For my work 5 (8%) 3 (5%) 2 (3%) 10 (17%) 1 (2%)
For my studies 29 (48%) 0 0 0 0
In leisure activities and among friends 14 (23%) 6 (10%) 5 (8%) 25 (42%) 4 (7%)
As most of the respondents were students only, a few
responded to using English for work purposes.
Seventeen percent (17%) said they use English less
frequently for work purpose and 48% for studies. For
leisure activities and among friends, English is used less
frequently (42%) and only 23% use English almost every
day. This is an indication that, students hardly use the
language besides using it as a requirement for studies
and work.
The study also asked participants about the use of some
modern communication tools deemed relevant in their
academic and occupational sphere. Their responses,
represented in Table 6 included, emailing, text
messaging, PowerPoint presentation and video
conferencing. It was revealed that majority (57%) did not
use emailing at all. Only 10% uses emailing in their
occupational environment frequently. Text messaging
was predominantly used as it accounted for 40% of the
respondents. When it came to PowerPoint presentation
and video conferencing, very few responses were
gathered. Forty-three (43) percent said they used
PowerPoint presentation with difficulty; only 8% was
conversant with using it, while 40% did not use video
conferencing. Others who could use it but with difficulty,
were 35% and 8% could use video conferencing freely. It
was surprising to note that, majority of Secretarial
students in the 21 Century do not know how to use
modern communication tools such as emailing services.
Table 6: Modern Communication Tools
Conditions Fluently Fairly fluent Moderate With difficulty Not at all
Emailing 6 (10%) 2 (3%) 2 (3%) 9 (15%) 34 (57%)
Text messaging 24 (40%) 12 (20%) 5 (8%) 5 (8%)
PowerPoint presentation 5 (8%) 2 (3%) 2 (3%) 26 (43%) 5 (8%)
Video conferencing 5 (8%) 2 (3%) 1 (2%) 21 (35%) 24 (40%)
Measures for Improving English Language Skills
Needed by Secretarial Students
Identifying quality of administrative/secretarial skills
The study also researched other skill sets that are
relevant to students offering Secretaryship and
Management Studies in tertiary institutions. Respondents
were asked to identify some skills which they think should
be acquired during their academic study. Table 7
illustrates the responses to the question. The skills that
were identified include: communication /interpersonal
skills, technology skills, organizing skills, planning and
problem solving skills.
In communication/interpersonal skills, respondents were
able to identify qualities such as customer service, client
relations and presentation which recorded 72%, 65% and
57% responses respectively. When asked to identify
identifying technological tools needed in their profession,
respondents also recognized word processing (75%) and
record keeping (42%) as the main qualities needed, while
35% responded to voice mailing. Respondents’
responses also indicated they could identify qualities like
organizing skills. Among options with the highest and
correct qualities were inventory taking and accuracy.
Responses for inventory taking were 42% while accuracy
was 20%.
Table 7 presented planning skills as a skill set.
Participants’ responses for the appropriate qualities were
prioritizing and meeting-planning which accounted for
95% 65% responses respectively. Some of the
respondents opted for supervising (57%) which was not a
quality for planning but organizing. For problem solving
skills, the three main qualities among the options were
training, mediation and client relation. These qualities
recorded 93%, 88% and 80% responses respectively.
From Table 7, it was obvious that some of the skills more
easily identifiable by the respondents. For example,
respondents could identify meeting planning as one of

the qualities which accounted for 95% of the responses.
They could also identify training, mediation and client
relation (93%, 88% and 80% respectively) as qualities of
organizing skills. This is an indication that most of the
Secretarial students may be in difficulty of identifying
appropriate skill that are relevant to the course of study
thereby affecting the effectiveness of acquiring the
appropriate content (English language) to develop those
skills.
Table 7: Secretarial/Administrative Skill Needs
Communication/interpersonal skills Frequency Percentage
Client relation 39 65
Emailing 16 27
Faxing 12 20
Customer service 43 72
Presentation 34 57
Technology skills
Stenography 10 17
Research 19 32
Record keeping 25 42
Voicemail 21 35
Word processing 45 75
Organizing skills
Accuracy 12 20
Inventory 25 42
Presentation 9 15
Correspondence 15 25
Filling 5 8
Planning skills
Prioritizing 39 65
Multitasking 24 40
Meeting planning 57 95
Supervising 34 57
Mediation 12 20
Problem solving skills
Training 56 93
Event coordination 11 18
Efficiency 9 15
Client relation 48 80
Mediation 53 88
Source: Field Study, (2018)
Improving English language skills
The following information is analyzed qualitatively. They
were open-ended questions for respondents to freely
express themselves. Respondents were asked to briefly
state their opinion how the four basic
English/communication skills can be improved.
Writing Skills
Writing skills is one of the major problems respondents
identified in Figure 3 as the second English language skill
with difficulties. Respondents gave a wide range of
suggestions to improving their writing skills. Some of
those which were deduced included the following:
a. expanding vocabulary
b. master English spelling
c. reading regularly
d. improve grammar
e. frequent practice
f. take time to edit your work
g. eliminate unnecessary words
h. research
Speaking Skills
Speaking was identified as the worst area of difficulty
(38%) in English language skills as shown in Figure 3.
Most students mastered the fine points of English
grammar but find themselves at a loss when it comes to
actually having a conversation with other colleagues. In
reality the only way to develop fluency in speaking is by
huge amount of listening, and then practising. Some of

the responses of respondents suggesting ways to
improve the speaking skill were deduced as below:
a. effective listening and speaking
b. reading aloud
c. frequent reading
d. frequent practice of speaking
e. practice by imitation
f. learning from an English speaking conversation
partner
g. surround oneself with English language
h. ask for repetition
Listening Skills
The following are some of the suggestions that
respondents made for improvement of their listening
abilities in school and work:
a. face speaker and maintain eye contact
b. be attentive, but relaxed
c. keep an open mind
d. listen to the word and visualize the conversation
e. don’t interrupt
f. ask questions to ensure understanding
g. provide feedback
h. pay attention to non-verbal communication
Reading Skills
Improving reading skill helps reduce unnecessary reading
time and enable you to read in a more focused and
selective manner. It also increases the level of
understanding and concentration. Respondents also
suggested the following as ways to improve their reading
skills.
a. read for meaning
b. reading out loud
c. make time to read and frequently
d. read the right context
e. ask question during and after reading
f. scanning
g. skimming
h. do detail reading and note taking
i. develop reading speed
DISCUSSION
The demographic characteristics of the respondents
revealed that the majority of the respondents were
females accounting for 58% of the population, indicating
a female-dominant population in the University’s
Secretaryship and Management Studies Department.
The study further observed that majority of the
respondents were students (70%) with the remaining
30% being student workers. Being the candidate class, it
was not surprising that majority (43%) of the respondents
were from Level 300. As they prepare to enter the job
market soon, there is need to equip them with the
relevant communicative skills in the English language
and ICT. To overcome education and skill disadvantages,
the International Labour Organisation (2007) observed
that “individuals are considered most employable, able to
find and retain jobs and adaptable to workplace changes
when they have broad-based education and training. The
organisation further observed that core skills like client
service, social interpersonal and language skills are
important in adopting and attracting new ICTs. These
assertions of the ILO affirm the findings of this study that
in addition to students’ skills in the conventional English
language skills there is need for secretarial students to
possess basic technological skills to enhance their
employability.
In exploring the English background of the respondents,
the study discovered 90% of the respondents had never
studied Secretarial English anywhere beside the tertiary
educational environment. This confirms Secretarial
English as an English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)
course hardly taken at the basic and secondary levels but
rather at tertiary and professional institutions like the
study site.
It was also revealed that 97% of the respondents started
learning English at the basic level of education. Majority
of the respondents also recorded good English language
proficiency representing 45%.
It was also established that respondents had varied
perceptions about the study of the English language in
general. For instance, 62% of the respondents were of
the view that English language was difficult. This finding
was line with the results of similar studies conducted
earlier elsewhere by Shen (2006) and LeClair et al.
(2009). As far as the specific difficult skill areas were
concerned, a good number of students (38%) also
perceived speaking skills as the most difficult in both
academic and occupational settings. Others representing
(32%) were of the view that writing was difficult followed
by reading and listening (with 18% and 12%
respectively).
On occupational and academic English language skills
needed by secretarial students, it was observed that,
most (60%) of the respondents use English language at
school/in their studies. This finding corresponds to
Kirkkopelto (2007)’s that secretarial students perceive
their actual needs as English language skills required in
day-to-day work. The second most used of the language
skills was for occupational purpose which attracted 28%
of the respondents.
Respondents were also asked the reasons for the use of
the English language. The responses showed that,
respondents’ reason for the use of the language included
communication, learning, fun, work and studies among
others. For purpose of communicating with people, 55%

respondents uses it on almost daily basis in order to learn
it better, while 38% uses it almost daily. Those who said
they never use English language for the fun of it
constituted 43%. Others include 38% less frequently
where there are no other alternatives; 48% for studies
and 42% less frequently in leisure activities and among
friends.
The study also sought to determine the relevant
technological skills of Secretarial students and it was
established rather surprisingly that 57% of respondents
do not use emailing as a modern communication tool.
This is so because as Secretarial students in the 21st
Century, one would expect that they would have been
conversant with modern communication tools. Text
messaging was however observed to be more frequently
in use as 40% of respondents said they used it.
PowerPoint presentation is used with difficulty by 43%
and 40% do not use video conferencing at all.
The study also recognized some basic skills that formed
requirements for secretarial/administrative students.
Some of those identified included,
communication/interpersonal skills, organizing skills,
planning and problem solving skills. Respondents were
asked to identify some qualities under each of the skills
mentioned. It was revealed that, to improve upon their
writing skills, students ought to expand their vocabulary,
master English spelling, read regularly, and improve
grammar among others. These recommendations
correspond with the views of Hadfied (2008) and Harmer
(2007) discussed earlier. Speaking skills can be improved
by effective listening, frequent practice, reading aloud.
This is confirmed by the proposition of (Hadfied 2008).
Listening skills can also be improved by paying attention,
keeping an open mind, providing feedback. This also
corresponds to the strategies suggested by (Hadfied
2008). Lastly, improving reading skills takes frequent
practice, scanning/skimming, reading the right context
among others. This revelation goes in harmony with the
assertions of Hadfied (2008); Harmer (2007) and Chen
(2007).
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study concludes that English language is a
fundamental requirement for success in both academic
and occupational environments. It can be assumed as a
practice that assists individuals to gain creativeness and
develops their critical thinking capacities and also
constitutes an important tool for the development of
personalities and mental capacities of individuals. English
language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking)
are necessary for a healthy intellectual growth and play a
very crucial role in enabling a person to achieve practical
efficiency in academic and occupational environment.
The study also observes that secretarial students barely
practise the use of the English language especially by
speaking it. The oral presentation course in the current
Secretarial English syllabus (SMS 326E) in Technical
Universities in Ghana only covers one semester –
Semester VI. This duration is obviously not enough and
should be extended for students to have more contact
hours to practise. No wonder 38% of students identified
speaking as the most difficult skill in the English
language. This finding agrees to the assertion made by
Adika (2003) that students hardly practise speaking the
English language. To help students overcome the phobia
of speaking English, the curriculum should be structured
in such a way that they are given oral presentation
opportunities throughout the duration (Levels 100 – 300)
of their programme of study.
The findings of this study also affirm that all the English
language skills are very imperative in the academic and
occupational environments of every secretarial student.
From the survey results, 60% and 28% of the
respondents said they use the English language mostly
at school or during studies and at work respectively.
English language skills of students are very important in
their academic lives, which in turn, lead to their use of
same for occupational purposes.
A rather surprising observation the study made was that,
at this age and time, secretarial students had very little
knowledge in the use of modern communication tools
such as emailing, PowerPoint presentation, and video
conferencing. Only a few (10%) of respondents knew
emailing, PowerPoint presentation (8%), and video
conferencing (8%). In reference to the ILO’s (2007)
recommendation, education and skill disadvantages can
be overcome when individuals have broad-based
education and training, basic and portable high-level
skills, including teamwork, problem solving, ICT,
communication and language skills. This makes them
most employable, able to find and retain jobs and
adaptable to workplace changes. Secretarial students
should therefore be equipped with not just language
skills, but also social and communication skills that are
deemed relevant on the 21st century job market.
This study asserts that the most effective way of
becoming proficient in English language skills is the
constant practice of the four major skill areas including
writing, speaking, reading, and listening. These four
linguistic skills should be considered as a habit by
secretarial students and repeatedly carried out to enable
them excel in their academic and professional lives. To
enhance their professional skills, they also need to
acquire some basic knowledge in the use of modern
information communication technological tools.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We, the authors of this paper, hereby acknowledge that
the study is our original work which has not been
submitted for publication in another journal elsewhere.
We acknowledge that the Wa Technical University, where
the research was done, exists and is the last of ten
regional polytechnics created by the Government of
Ghana and recently converted into technical universities.
We also acknowledge that the issues raised in the
paper’s findings are real and applying the
recommendations made would help improve upon
teaching and learning of the subject. We are grateful to
students who agreed to participate in the survey. We also
appreciate the cooperation of management of the
institution for granting us permission to undertake such a
research on campus. As a beneficiary of the annual Book
and Research Allowance and Staff Development and
Research Fund of the Ghana Education Trust Fund
(GETFUND), I am personally grateful to the Government
of Ghana for the funds provided to help me undertake
this research.
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Accepted 28 December 2020
Citation: Dansieh, S.A. (2021). English Language Skill Needs of the Secretarial Student. International Journal of
Literature, Language and Linguistics, 7(1): 276-289.
Copyright: © 2021: Dansieh, S.A. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are cited.

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