ESP versus EGP: A case study of an ESP program for vocational high school students of Tourism

Abstract

Research on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been attracting a great deal of attention in English language education over the past two decades. However, most studies focus on ESP learners at the university or in the workplace, while little attention has been paid to secondary school learners. In Taiwan, vocational high school (VHS) students have long been considered low achievers in English, lacking basic English proficiency and motivation for learning English. This situation suggests that more attention needs to be paid to English for general purposes (EGP), in order to enhance VHS students’ ability in the four language skills. In contrast to this dominant EGP approach, can an ESP program that integrates English with the knowledge and skills of VHS students’ professional field help solve the problem facing VHS English education in Taiwan? Implemented through a school-university partnership, the purpose of this case study was to examine the effectiveness of an ESP program on 33 VHS students of tourism. The results of the study indicate that an ESP program characterized by (1) rich and multiple inputs, (2) need-based content, (3) practical use of English, and (4) meaningful tasks creates excellent opportunities for learning, via both EGP and ESP. Not only can the VHS students consolidate their knowledge and skills through learning ESP, they also increase their overall English proficiency. Most significantly, their motivation for learning English is increased. The study concludes with both theoretical and pedagogical implications for ESP education for VHS students.