A Corpus-Based Evaluation on Two Different English for Nursing Purposes (ENP) Course Books

Alif Fairus Nor Mohamad,Sharifah Nor Puteh

doi:10.7575//aiac.alls.v.8n.2p.196

Alif Fairus Nor Mohamad, Sharifah Nor Puteh

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7575//aiac.alls.v.8n.2p.196

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Abstract

It is difficult for most of the second language learners in Malaysia to function proficiently in English language due to limited vocabulary knowledge. It has also been challenging for TESL graduates to fit in as ENP teachers due to the lack of specialized vocabulary knowledge in nursing field. Thus, a course books has always been a highly dependable aid in facilitating the teaching and learning in an ENP classroom. The objective of this research is to identify the possible pedagogical aspects of two ENP commercial course books (Oxford English for Careers Nursing 1” (OEFCN1) written by Tony Grice and “Nursing Your English Second Edition” (NYE) by Siti Salina Salim and Mazura Mastura Muhammad) in socializing learners into their discourse communities. The present research looks at the extent of vocabulary coverage in comparison with General Service List (GSL), Academic Word List (AWL), Nursing Education Word List (NEWL) and the 2,000 most frequent nursing words. These course books were photocopied, scanned and converted into computer text files before they were analyzed using WordSmith 4.0 as it is able to provide elemental knowledge on the vocabulary coverage in both course books. The results indicated that both books showed significant result in terms of their coverage based on the three word lists. On the other hand, it is proven that the 2000 most frequent nursing words wordlist is not able to cover as much tokens as compared to GSL, AWL and NEWL combined.

Highlights

English for Nursing Purposes (ENP) is one of the sub-branches of English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
Trying to figure out the right vocabulary to be taught and learnt can be difficult and time consuming as there is no inclusive word list, especially one that is academic based
It is learned that teachers and students should be exposed to the available wordlists such as General Service List (GSL), Academic Word List (AWL), Nursing Education Word List (NEWL) and the 2000 most frequent nursing words to have a better understanding on the nature of words that occur in ENP

Summary

Introduction

English for Nursing Purposes (ENP) is one of the sub-branches of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Its target audiences are those non-English speaking student nurses who need career-specific language: language that is useful for their work-related duties. It depicts skills and competency level beyond that of general English. ENP or ESP is not testable on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (IELTS) or even other general English language tests. It requires its own course materials, examinations and benchmarks which must be designed and written by professionals in that specific career field. The field of nursing is exclusive in the sense that they have a specialized set of vocabulary which is distinct from other fields

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