APPRAISING THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE TEACHING OF ESP TO ADVANCED LEARNERS IN BENINESE HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This research work aims at examining the challenges related to English for specific purposes (ESP) teaching in the advanced learners’ classroom. It specially intends to find out the various methods used in ESP teaching classroom, the barriers affecting its success and the solutions to those barriers. Besides, it explores the teacher's roles in their learners’ ESP achievements and the importance of ESP in higher education. Grounded in a mixed research methodology, this research was conducted in six universities and vocational schools located in various Beninese region (Littoral, Atlantique, Mono, and Borgou). The research instruments used to obtain the data are questionnaires and interviews. Two hundred and sixty - three (263) final year or graduate students majoring in Accounting, Economics, Law, Technology, Political science, and Medicine; and twenty-eight (28) lecturers who teach ESP course participated in the study. Findings indicate that ESP is a very important course in higher education. Moreover, teachers and students have recognised the place of ESP in learners’ professional environment as English is becoming the most used medium of communication across the globe. However, many learners do not have the required basic English level to learn ESP. Also, many ESP teachers are not trained to teach the course as most of them are EFL teachers. In this light, this study has concluded that there is a need to train ESP teachers so as to improve the quality of ESP teaching and meet students’ specific needs. Additionally, immersion programmes in English-speaking countries for students been recommended in order to help them gain a better ESP teaching or learning experience in advanced learners.