Critical-Incident Storytelling as Design-Based Action Research in an HR English Course: A Preliminary Study
Roč.16,č.1(2026)
This article reports a preliminary design-based action research project implemented in a B2-level HR English course for third-year Bachelor students. The study explored how critical-incident storytelling can be used to integrate professionally relevant content, advanced language practice and emotional awareness into ESP course design. The intervention focused on toxic versus professional workplace behaviour and invited students to write anonymised narratives about difficult interpersonal situations experienced either personally or by someone close to them. The final corpus consisted of 11 student narratives, complemented by classroom observation of group discussions based on anonymised critical incidents from previous years. The findings show that students identified recurring forms of toxic behaviour, including misuse of authority, humiliation, manipulation, exclusion, favouritism, work–life boundary violations and weak organisational response. They also connected these behaviours with negative workplace emotions such as fear, distrust, frustration, damaged self-worth and loss of motivation. The task created opportunities for advanced ESP language development through narrative sequencing, reported speech, emotional vocabulary, evaluative language and cause-and-effect structures. At the same time, the intervention revealed limited student awareness of formal grievance procedures and organisational complaint mechanisms. The article argues that critical-incident storytelling can support HR English by linking language development with emotional intelligence and emerging professional judgement.
Critical incidents; HR English; ESP course design; toxic workplace behaviour; emotional intelligence
Ivana Mičínová
777 539 339
Ivana Mičínová se věnuje výuce obchodní angličtiny, zejména angličtiny pro cestovní ruch, služby v letecké dopravě a management na Vysoké škole obchodní (Panevropská univerzita) se sídlem v Praze . Navazuje na své zkušenosti z výuky akademické angličtiny a výzkum akademických dovedností v Jazykovém centru na FF UK. V poslední době se zaměřuje na evaluaci výsledků učení prostřednictvím projektové výuky, zapojení studentů do výuky a spokojenost s výukou. Ve své dizertační práci se věnovala přístupům k učení v prostředí seminární práce. Doktorské studium absolvovala na Katedře pedagogiky Filozofické fakulty Univerzity Karlovy.
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