Effects of ESP Courses on Chinese Health Vocational College Students' English Proficiency

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of ESP teaching of medical English on the English proficiency of Chinese medical major students. A content-based language instruction was given to the experimental group while the control group was taught on the basis of traditional grammar-translation method. Both groups were freshmen majoring in clinical nursing and were in the second semester of their college learning.The findings showed that the content-based ESP course was significantly effective for the students when it came to improving their English proficiency. Compared with the grammar-translation method, it manifested a more significant advantage in improving the students’ listening and speaking abilities. However, the grammar-translation method was proved to be more beneficial in improving students’ writing ability. Moreover, content-based ESP learning didn’t have a more significant effect on students’ reading performance in comparison with the grammar-translation method. Additionally, the survey results revealed that content-based ESP learning was more beneficial to the students in developing their professional communication skills, increasing their English speaking opportunities, giving them confidence in using English, and providing them with a better understanding of unit topics. However, the interview results showed that students experienced some difficulty concerning group discussions or impromptu speeches. In particular, low-level students perceived that speaking in English was uncomfortable and required an unexpected amount of preparation time. ESP learning looks promising, but it is necessary for us to apply a different teaching method according to the students’ proficiency levels and for the skills that they acquire.