Background;Description & Problem statement for proposal

2 Background

Effective communication skills are important in today’s extensive interconnected world. By being able to communicate effectively, employees would have a clear understanding of what is demanded of them while managers are able to clearly express their thoughts and ideas.

A few of the other benefits of being able to communicate effectively in any industry include increased productivity, ease of securing funding, better problem solving, fewer grievances between a company and its client as well as better working relationships between employees and the company.

It is thus vital for every individual entering any industry to posses an adequate level of communication skills.


2.1 Description of the Scientific Community

While effective communication skills have been deemed to be an important general skill, there appears to be an apparent lack of the skill in most individuals. This is apparently so for individuals who are present in the scientific community. The individuals affected within the scientific community include both students and researchers.

Academics within the scientific community would deem that science is the study of logic. Great emphasis is placed on the technical details of the subjects being taught, and very little emphasis is placed on the use of language. During examinations, students are generally graded based on their logic and thought-process. The bulk of the marks awarded would be to providing accurate and correct scientific details. Marks would still be awarded even though the sentence structure or language used may be wrong, so long as the correct scientific terminology was used. With such a heavy emphasis on the technical details, it is no wonder that many observers would feel that undergraduates pursing their studies in the science industry generally have poor communication skills.

An interview conducted with Associate Professor Tan Tin Wee from the Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore revealed that science undergraduates are generally unable to express themselves in writing. They are able to provide accurate scientific details for a given subject, but fair poorly when tasked to formulate and defend an argument. Associate Professor Tan Tin Wee has been interacting with students for the past 20 years. The modules he teaches generally require students to give an oral presentation on their findings, as well as the submission of a written report. His comments are highly significant as they reveal that science undergraduates are in fact poor communicators. They possess great technical knowledge on their field of study, but are unable to communicate their ideas effectively in writing.


A needs analysis conducted by three lecturers from the NUS Centre for English Language Communication (CELC) in 2003 revealed that most of the academics in the NUS Faculty of Science feel a need for science undergraduates to be taught general communication skills like listening, reading, speaking and writing. A good grounding in grammar and vocabulary was also recommended in contrast to training in subject specific skills. The findings highlight the need for science undergraduates to be trained in basic communication skills, arising from the apparent lack of such skills.

With so much focus on the communication skills of the science undergraduate, one may question the relevancy of it. Why the focus on science undergraduates when the focus should be on the scientific community. To answer that, we would first have to understand that science undergraduates could be one of the principle causes for the poor communication skills observed within the scientific community. Science undergraduates with a poor set of communication skills are entering the science industry. While they bring along with them great technical knowledge, they are unable to communicate effectively. This would hamper the progress of the scientific industry, leading to potential losses as highlighted in the following study.

In 2006, a study entitled Factors Affecting Science Communication was conducted by The Royal Society, Research Councils UK and The Wellcome Trust. The study found that researchers in the scientific community were generally poor communicators and often require an intermediary to convey their message across to the publics. The study also found that of late, many of the funders for scientific research require researchers to communicate their findings properly to the public. Researchers no longer have the luxury of being poor communicators. Failing to communicate effectively could cost them their jobs and research opportunities, overall hindering the progress of the scientific industry.


2.2 Problem Statement

Base on the interview conducted with Associate Professor Tan Tin Wee as well as various other literature sources, the team has identified a potential problem in the scientific community. Individuals within the scientific community appear to be poor communicators. Undergraduates within the scientific community appear to have poor writing skills, while researchers appear to be unable to communicate effectively to the masses.

The aim of the study is to assess the level and proficiency of communication skills within the scientific community. Following this evaluation, proper changes to the NUS science curriculum could be made order to address the situation.