The Effect of ESP Courses on Dental Hygiene Student Motivation for English Language Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course on the motivation of English learning for undergraduate dental hygiene students. Questionnaires from 112 undergraduate level dental hygiene majors were distributed before and after one semester of an ESP course. Prior to the class, a needs analysis revealed that there was a want and need to learn hospital-communicative language skills and dental-related terminology. At the end of the course, the same target students indicated a higher level of interest and motivation in English learning than they did with TOEIC classes. Intermediate-level students expressed a much higher level of satisfaction in comparison to beginner-level students. The level of confidence was also improved, especially, for intermediate-level students after taking an ESP class. A majority of the students indicated the desire to take more ESP classes while only 4.5% of the students wanted to take TOEIC courses in the future. Among the four motivations, the students answered instrumental motivation as the main reason for studying English. However, intrinsic motivation was relatively high among more proficient students and the students who took part in the overseas training program. Students who have taken part in the overseas programs expressed integrative motivation to be equally important as instrumental motivation. (Chungnam National University)