Linguistic Approaches in English for Academic Purposes: Expanding the Discourse

English for academic purposes (EAP), a subdomain of English for specific purposes (ESP), is generally housed in formal academic contexts. EAP shares subdomain status with English for occupational purposes (EOP), which includes English language use by both professionals (e.g., in medicine, business, law) and by nonprofessional workers (in vocational contexts). EAP itself is further subdivided into two emphases: EGAP, English for general academic purposes, and ESAP, English for specific academic purposes, a distinction first articulated by Blue (1988; cited in Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998). The principal difference between these two subdivisions of EAP is one of scope. EGAP emphasizes “common core” skills and activities where English is taught for general academic purposes, across multiple disciplines, and includes learning and study skills components of broadly relevant academic skills. Thus, the general purpose approach is largely associatedwith lower-level EAP courses inwhich students are preparing for later work in disciplinary contexts. In contrast, ESAP emphasizes higher order skills, student development, and authentic texts and features whileworkingwithin specific epistemological traditions associatedwith different disciplines. Overall, whether the emphasis is ESAP or EGAP, EAP concerns itself with the development of English for academic purposes and the transition from “pedagogic genres” (e.g., essay exams and term papers; see Johns, 1997) to increasingly authentic genres associated with various disciplines. This focus on learning academic language through academic tasks, texts, and content is the basis for claims that EAP instruction represents a highly pragmatic approach to learning, encompassing needs analyses, evaluation, academic skills, disciplinary content, and tasks in support of student learning in tertiary educational contexts.

The English language is widely used in educational institutes around the world, and especially in Higher Education. This has led to the development of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), a new branch within the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This chapter is aimed at providing a conceptual framework for ESP and EAP. To this end, the chapter will focus on the diachronic development of ESP, the differences between ESP, EAP and EOP (English for Occupational Purposes), and the distinction of EAP in EGAP (English for General Academic Purposes) and ESAP (English for Specific Academic Purposes). Relevant key concepts in English language pedagogy, such as curriculum and syllabus design, as well as current issues in the field of EAP research, are also examined.

CBI (Content-based instruction) , integrating the content and language, can be used to guide teaching EAP (English for academic purposes). Main Teaching Models based on CBI (Content-based instruction) include immersion model, theme-based instruction and content for language practice. EGAP (English for general academic purposes) curriculum can be set up in medical universities in the second and third academic years, such as medical integrated course, medical listening & speaking course, medical writing course. ESAP (English for specific academic purposes) curriculum can be set up in the fourth and fifth academic years, such as clinical English, nursing English and stomato-logical English. Theme-based instruction can be applied in medical integrated course and listening & speaking course, including creating situation to lead in the theme, assigning tasks to experience the theme, setting topics to deepen the theme and giving assignment to explore the theme. Content for language practice model can be applied into medical writing course, such as teacher's demonstrating and explaining, students' absorbing and imitating and mutual evaluating. Immersion model can be used in ESAP (English for specific academic purposes), such as choosing typical cases to teach in English, teaching ward round in English, doctor-patient communication in English. Preliminary practice was carried out for one year, experimental class with theme-based instruction and content for language practice model, and control class with traditional teacher-centered teaching model. At the end of the practice, they were given the same test and questionnaire, it was found that CBI teaching models facilitated to improve the students' English level and also enhanced their study motive and independent study ability. Key words: Content-based instruction teaching concept; English for academic purposes; Curriculum design; Teaching model

Against the background of the call for the transition from English for general purpose (EGP) to English for academic purpose (EAP) by Shanghai Education Commission since 2013, the Naval Medical University has launched a series of courses of medical English for general academic purpose (EGAP) for the 1st-year and 2nd-year students, with reading course at its core.Due to their deficiency of medical knowledge and ignorance of EAP, students find it difficult to understand EAP articles in medical contexts. Therefore, in order to improve medical students' reading proficiency for medical EAP articles, we applied schema theory to teaching practice, and tried to activate, enrich, and consolidate their schema through form schema and content schema, and achieved considerable positive effects of teaching. Key words: English for general academic purpose; Medical English; Schema theory; Reading course

This entry examines ways English for specific purposes (ESP) and English for academic purposes (EAP) support teachers in their endeavors to devise instruction to prepare English as a second language (ESL) learners for the demands of working or studying in English. EAP grew out of ESP and shares similar, pedagogical features with ESP. The entry describes a range of contexts in which specialized (ESP and EAP) language instructions typically occur and ways in which ESP and EAP are distinctive pedagogical frameworks. For learners, the provision of specialized language instruction that is based on identification of their work or study needs is widely understood to be motivating, effective, and efficient. However, for teachers of specialized English, working in this area can present considerable challenges in terms of developing their own knowledge of the specialist linguistic register, devising in‐house materials, and developing new courses or revising others, to meet the precise needs of their groups of learners. The entry describes ways the ESP and EAP research supports the work of teachers. It highlights the important role of linguistic inquiry into specialist language use and case reports of ESP and EAP teaching practices in particular contexts as major forms of support. It identifies lacunae in the literature and suggests future research directions.

Largely due to the global spread of English, English for specific purposes (ESP) and the subsidiary field of English for academic purposes (EAP) have become increasingly important in recent years. Examples of ESP include English for business, medical, community access, tourism, and academic purposes. EAP and ESP can be distinguished from general purpose courses by their substantial emphasis on the necessity to establish and meet the needs of learners and other stakeholders through the selection of relevant genre exemplars, language items, and instructional tasks from real‐world contexts. ESP and EAP courses may be restricted to only one or two of the four skills; they are also usually shorter and often more motivating for learners than general purpose courses. While they make use of genre theory, critical theories, and corpus linguistics, ESP and EAP are fundamentally pragmatic in their interests, and research and scholarship are strongly oriented to practice.

This entry provides an overview of curriculum issues in pre‐sessional English for academic purposes (EAP) programs offered by Australian university language centers. It describes a continuum of broad approaches, from English for general academic purposes (EGAP) at one end and English for specific academic purposes (ESAP) at the other. Additionally, it describes the common approaches taken to the teaching of the four macro skills within an overall integrated skills approach. A number of recommendations are made for the focus of formal academic and action research in the Australian context, and for curriculum writers and teachers to extend the range of activities in the pre‐sessional EAP classroom.

The study aims to design an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program model for college English classes (CECs) in Korea. To achieve this aim, two questions were raised: 1) how do foreign universities apply EAP into their CECs? and 2) what are differences in Y university students' satisfaction with the current CECs system and their future needs? In order to answer the first research question, several cases of English programs in foreign universities were investigated through Internet queries. For the second question, we collected surveys from a total of 673 undergraduates. The results indicated that foreign universities primarily target English for general academic purposes, prefer task-based instruction in their EAP classes, and emphasize academic writing and reading skills. In addition, the survey results displayed that the satisfaction with current CECs and future needs are different among students in different disciplines, most students hope to take EAP classes prior to their 4th semester, and students prefer a class size less than 20 students, and an after-class workload less than 4 hours a week. Those results were integrated to ultimately establish a dual model for EAP. More detailed accounts of the model are discussed in the paper.

The BALEAP STEM SIG 2023 Symposium on 'Deconstructing student needs in EAP for STEM' provided insights into the unique challenges and strategies for teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Key presentations included Natasha Rust's emphasis on integrating register, genre, and discourse analysis into EAP for science courses, Sanchia Rodrigues's exploration of mathematical proficiency and discourse in EAP for maths, and Aaron Woodcock and Lori-Ann Milln's strategies for creating sustainable English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) curricula focusing on vocabulary, speaking, mediation skills, and reflection. Audience discussions highlighted the need for flexible teaching approaches to cater to diverse STEM student groups and the importance of embedding EAP within the broader academic framework. The symposium underscored the collaborative nature of developing effective EAP programs that address both language and subject-specific needs, ensuring the preparation of students for academic success in their respective STEM fields. This interactive infographic and symposium write-up aims to summarise the presentations and discussion at the symposium, to foster ongoing discussions and developments in EAP for STEM education.

Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) requires specific qualifications on the part of teachers for which reconstruction of cognitions on EAP is a prerequisite. Previous studies have largely taken the quality of teachers' EAP cognitions for granted and few studies, if any, have sought to examine in-service teachers' tacitly-held cognitions on EAP. This study aimed to examine in-service teachers' cognitions on key EAP issues including EAP goals, distinction between EAP and English for General Purposes (EGP), and EAP teacher qualifications as well as roles. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and life-history narratives from nine EAP practitioners at a state university in Iran. Results showed that the teachers' cognitions were mainly incongruent with the EAP principles. A close relationship was also found among individual teachers' cognitions on different key issues. It is concluded that despite their past practical experience, in-service EAP teachers' cognitions might be limited and in need of reconstruction. The findings may promise some implications for EAP teacher education and research.

This introductory review article for this special issue sets out a range of issues in play as far as English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing is concerned, but with a special emphasis on English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) (as opposed to English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP)). Following the introduction, the article begins by outlining the different types of EAP and presenting the pros and cons of ESAP and EGAP for writing. It then goes on to review work in a range of areas of relevance to ESAP writing. These areas are register and discourse analysis; genre analysis; corpus analysis; ethnography; contrastive rhetoric; classroom methodology; critical approaches; and assessment. The article concludes by arguing that whichever model of writing is chosen (EGAP or ESAP), or if a hybrid model is the choice, if at all possible, students need to be exposed to the understandings, language and communicative activities of their target disciplines, with students themselves also contributing to this enterprise.

A Parallel Approach to ESAP Teaching

Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses is highly demanding for EAP teachers as they are faced with diverse pedagogical and administrative challenges in such courses. This study addressed the level of burnout among EAP teachers and variations in relation to their demographic and organizational characteristics. To this aim, a demographic questionnaire along with the Persian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to 276 EAP teachers from state universities in Iran. The results revealed that a considerable number of EAP teachers reported mid-levels of personal accomplishment. Moreover, variations in degree of burnout were found among EAP teachers in relation to marital status, age, years of experience in teaching EAP and content/general English courses, educational background, and the field and number of EAP courses taught. Also, EAP teachers with different demographic and organizational characteristics who were more susceptible to burnout were identified. Finally, implications for enhancing the working conditions of EAP teachers are presented.

This article considers a case of local language socialization and accommodation in a multilingual community of practice: the use of English as an additional academic language for specific purposes at a bilingual Swiss university and its implications for teaching. The acronym ELF(A) is used throughout as short for English as a Lingua Franca (in Academic settings). The bilingual university’s multilingual habitat also shapes the kind of ELF(A) used and this has in turn informed the teaching of English for Plurilingual Academic Purposes (EPAP). The discussion draws on both ethnographic research carried out in multilingual disciplinary speech events and on the author’s simultaneous and continuing experience of developing and teaching English for academic purposes (EAP). It focuses on an oral presentation to a life science journal club made by a multilingual doctoral student socialized into the use of English almost exclusively in the ELF(A) habitat. Using the plurilingual repertoire to sustain “code-sharing” lingua franca mode, one of the habitat’s most striking effects is the effort users are willing to expend in striving for autonomous functionality in their Englishes without overt switching, while simultaneously relying on their audience’s multilingual flexibility and shared disciplinary knowledge, e.g. in the pronunciation of technical terminology. The habitat of a multilingual community of practice that assumes responsibility for its novices’ language socialization in an additional medium is thus a supportive factor empowering junior scientists to function in English. To the extent that the habitat factor contains a limiting dimension of context dependence, however, teaching EPAP should also target speakers’ (potential) needs for spoken academic language use elsewhere.

Assessment for academic purposes: where next?