English For Specific Purposes Course Research Articles

An Empirical Study of ESP Learners’ Experiences Using Edmodo in a Virtual Community of Practice

This study was conducted to investigate English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learners’ experiences in using social learning network sites, namely Edmodo in a virtual community of practice environment. This study was also aimed to identify the challenges that the learners encountered in using Edmodo. Mixed-method research was employed to collect the data for this study; a questionnaire survey and a focus group discussion. The collected data was analysed through statistical and thematic analysis. The results showed that most of the ESP learners were of the opinion that Edmodo was effective as a platform for a virtual community of practice, particularly in terms of interaction and knowledge sharing. The findings also revealed that some learners have had difficulties in creating a social identity in the community because of the lack of collaboration among the team members. Therefore, it is suggested that genuine, consistent, and synergistic motivation from educators followed by the active involvement of learners will surely boost the engagement of peripheral participants in the community. This study is significant as it offers some insights into how ESP practitioners and learners use social learning networks in building an effective ESP virtual learning community to achieve the learning outcome of the ESP course.

The Evaluation of ESP Textbooks Based on Students’ Perspectives

The recently proven indisputable role of textbooks in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses has led to a major trend of interest in the value of ESP textbooks. As learners and their learning needs are one of the most significant factors in ESP courses, textbook evaluation from learners’ points of view has become more common in this field. Accordingly, this paper has focused on the opinions and attitudes of the students about their ESP textbooks. Filling a questionnaire designed by Litz (2005) and answering some questions in a semi-structured interview, students of biology and psychology at the University of Tabriz expressed their opinions about different aspects of their ESP books. No significant difference was found between these two groups and they had a generally positive attitude about their textbooks. The shortcomings of the books were mentioned by some of the students in the informal interviews which led to some suggestions for material developers as well as teachers.

ESP Learners Pronounce in New Trend (You Tube) Application: Instructor's Perception and Practice

The aim of teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is not to imitate the native speakers or to develop the British or American accents. English communication influences the first language or mother tongue for ESP learners. Meanwhile, According to Evan (1997), ESP has some characteristics, such as: firstly, ESP may be related or designed for specific disciplines, secondly, ESP may be used in specific teaching situations and has different methodology from that of General English (GE); thirdly, ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level education or in a professional work situation; fourthly, most ESP courses take on some basic knowledge of the language systems. This research used descriptive qualitative research as a design to gather or collect the data because of the current phenomenon to explain the error of pronunciation and the causes of error in pronouncing words. This paper will be done by researchers at Management Class who learn the ESP program in Kaltara University. This research also used observation field notes and interview guide as the instruments. Hence, the researchers found that there were fifteen pronunciation errors who were presented by ESP learners’ mother tongue in learning speaking through YouTube Application. Besides, there were four materials in You Tube Application that pronounced by ESP Learners such as: Promotion, Bargaining, Complaining, and Response.

Implementing English for Medical Purposes (EMP) in South Korea: Nursing students' ongoing needs analysis

Despite the growing popularity of English for Medical Purposes courses for nurses and nursing students in the East Asian region, relatively little research has been done to investigate whether these courses meet students' specific pragmatic or learning needs. Drawing on the analysis of questionnaires and interview data collected from 66 South Korean nursing students who enrolled in the Medial English course, the study aims to demonstrate the students' specific learning purposes and their pragmatic needs that are highly relevant to the values and conventions of the target discourse community. The findings of the study suggest that while most students agree with the need for English for Specific Purposes courses, they report that the current courses do not fully fit their needs and expectations because of (a) an English-only classroom policy, (b) limited academic literacy in English, and (c) non-localized materials. Findings help language educators, policy makers and researchers in the East Asian region to better understand the importance of looking at specificity of English for Medical Purposes courses and the students' unique needs, and provide them with suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness and specificity of English for Medical Purposes courses.

TEACHING WRITING AND ERROR CORRECTION IN AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES CLASSROOM IN 2014-2020 IN UKRAINE

. Before 2014 teaching writing in the English for Specific Purposes course at Ukrainian universities was pretty similar to the General English course at secondary schools with strong emphasis on grammar. But the British Council “English for Universities” project started in 2014 in Ukraine triggered dramatic changes in teaching writing and error correction in an ESP class. Namely, catering the course for meeting the learners’ needs, identifying the genres to focus on, using three approaches to teaching writing: product, process and social-constructionist approaches, peer-learning and proofreading, emphasis on developing writing sub-skills rather than polishing grammar, introducing brand-new approach to assessment and evaluation of a piece of writing (peer evaluation and assessment, introducing the system of clear and concise criteria for assessment). The article describes not only the changes that were introduced, but also the impact of these changes on the readiness of graduates and students to function successfully in a professional environment relying on their feedback. The results of a quantitative research conducted in 4 focus groups: 30 (20+10) Master’s degree students and 30 (20+10) 1st-year Bachelor’s degree students from two universities of Ukraine are depicted.

ACQUIRING ESP TEACHER COMPETENCE THROUGH THEORY AND PRACTICE

The emergence of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which is closely linked to particular professions, requires qualified language teachers. Despite the growing demand for courses in ESP in Romania, and the eagerness of universities and private institutions to include these courses in their curricula, insufficient attention has been given to teaching training in this domain. In the absence of under-graduate ESP teacher training programmes, ESP is taught by General English graduates who basically learn as they go. The aim of this paper is to map the territory, that is, to outline the main coordinates on which a framework of ESP teacher training can be developed in Romania. These coordinates refer to the particularities of teaching ESP and to the subsequent teaching practice. The research method consists in combining theoretical considerations with practical advice and suggestions for pre-service teachers.

Using Speaking Frames as Scaffolding Tools to Teach University Students to Speak in ESP

This paper deals with the issue of using speaking frames as scaffolding tools for teaching software engineering students to speak in an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course. We believe that students’ knowledge of the process of learning, and developing their metacognitive skills, may influence their learning outcomes greatly. So, in the study, we used frames as generalized scaffolds, with the idea that, by assigning meanings to objects, images and representations, we could manipulate cognitive functions, such as remembering, perceiving and concentrating, which, in turn, could influence speaking production positively. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of using frames as knowledge representation elements for improving speaking skills of software engineering students in an ESP course, as well as determining the attitudes of these students to using speaking frames for developing their speaking skills. We applied the hypothesis that the quality of students’ monologues may increase considerably if they practiced using scaffolding tools such as speaking frames on a regular basis. We used a mixed research design, and combined qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach was aimed at collecting data about students’ attitudes to using speaking frames while developing professional communicative competence in spoken production. For that purpose, we used a questionnaire for students, containing open- and closed-ended questions. The quantitative approach was focused on evaluating the effectiveness of using speaking frames in experimental learning, by comparing the students’ monologue speeches before and after the experimental learning using speaking frames. The study took place in 2019–2020 and involved 41 third-year students of Heat and Power engineering faculty of the National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The results of the study show that the use of speaking frames enabled a significant increase in the number of students who demonstrated a sufficient level of speaking competence. Using frames helped students to reduce repetitions, hesitations, false starts and pauses, and to significantly increase the number of continuous utterances while delivering monologues. The use of speaking frames contributed not only to the improvement of grammar accuracy and formation of lexical fields, but also to the structuring of students’ speech.

RELEVANCE OF TRANSLATION IN ESP TEACHING METHODOLOGY

This paper offers an observation and discussion on the relevance and scope of presence of translation within English for Specific Purposes courses in academic settings of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš. There is concern with methodological issues of translation skills regarding domain terminology. This subsumes translation methodology, finding precise target language equivalents, as well as determining whether to translate a text, respecting the syntax of the target language, or to paraphrase it with the primary aim to most precisely convey information contained in the original. The main argument and the issue of the survey conducted with the students of both faculties is direct correlation between translation, or absence of it for that matter, and the cognition of the domain content taught. Then, there is an emphasis on a wider social context that implies inducing in students the awareness of the responsibility they as future professionals and experts in their field have towards their own mother tongue in the dissemination of content knowledge. It is common in the Serbian scientific and professional environment that the translation of scientific texts in English is done by domain experts without consulting linguists, philologists of Serbian language. The consequence is mere (and often incorrect) transliteration of English scientific terminology, and ultimately uncurbed influx of foreign terminology. Yet another argument on the relevance of the previous one is that translation enhances soft transversal skills such as thoughtfulness and critical thinking which among others benefit comprehension of the domain knowledge, as it has been noted that professors, and then students use the English terminology while speaking Serbian, where the latter group do not fully understand the content presented in such scientific ‘newspeak’. The paper presents concrete teaching practice which has for its goal inducing the students with cautiousness when choosing professional terminology in either language.

Technology, Pedagogy & Assessment: Challenges of COVID19-Imposed E-Teaching of ESP to Saudi Female PY Students

The Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) triggered substantial shifts in the education systems worldwide as teaching and learning have had to shift from face-to-face to an entirely virtual model due to the closure of educational institutes. The present paper is a descriptive-analytical investigation of the challenges of the current pandemic-imposed E-teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses to female preparatory (PY) year students at King Khalid University (KKU). It identifies teachers’ and students’ responses about the ongoing issues with E-teaching of ESP with to put practical solutions to them. The study is conducted at The University Center for Girls’ Studies- Al-Samir Campus-Abha during the academic year 2020-2021. Twenty English Language instructors at the English Language Center (ELC) and eighty students of the preparatory year at the College of Medicine enrolled in Intensive English Course (Njl-019) participated in the study. It adopts mixed qualitative methodology with the teachers’ semi-structured interview and students’ questionnaire as tools to collect data, and descriptive analysis as a method to interpret data. The study finds out reciprocity of teachers’ and students’ responses in pinpointing the factors posing serious challenges in teaching and learning ESP courses as majorly related to technology, pedagogy, and Assessment. Considering these challenges, the study puts forth practical suggestions to promote virtual teaching and learning of ESP courses. The suggested solutions are hoped to help providing successful standards for virtual ESP teaching and learning as per the constraints of quality modern education.

Designing ESP Courses: Principles & Specificities

The article is aimed at specialists in teaching English for professional communication and is dedicated to development of courses of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The author describes characteristic features of such courses, that need to be considered by methodologists, and describes an algorithm that has been successfully used in course development at Skyes University and Skyeng online school. Besides the step-by-step algorithm, the article describes tools that are needed to successfully develop an ESP course: tools to check the text CEFR level, tools to select learning outcomes, vocabulary and grammar functions for a specific level of language acquisition, goals and professional area. The article also lists tools to ensure the pragmatic value of the course being developed and reasons for using particular approaches and techniques in teaching, such as Task-based learning, Project-based learning, case studies. All the methods and techniques, described by the author, are illustrated with examples from online courses that have been designed and used by Skyeng and Skyes University platform. The algorithm and set of tools will be useful for development not only of online courses but also of textbooks of English for Specific purposes and professional communication.

ASSESSING LEARNERS’ ACADEMIC PHRASEOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A CORPUS-INFORMED APPROACH TO ESP TEXTS

In the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), as in any other type of interlanguage, phraseology contributes significantly to successful academic writing (Biber and Barbieri 2007). For particular learner varieties, such as Romanian English, few studies have examined formulaic sequences (Hyland 2008), mainly focusing on lexico-grammatical patterns (Chitez 2012, 2014). The proposed paper investigates the use of phraseology in Romanian students’ academic papers, written during their ESP courses, by adopting a double contrastive perspective: first, we contrast texts produced in two different disciplines (Literature Studies and Information Technology), and, second, we compare the academic phraseology in learner language with native speaker phraseology. For the analysis, we have compiled two corpora (ESP-LIT and ESP-IT), each consisting of 40 texts representing a discipline specific didactic genre, e.g. essay. As reference, we used the Academic Phrasebank (Davis and Morley 2018). The aim is to find out whether the use of academic formulaic expressions differs according to the discipline and the extent to which students integrate expert academic phrases into their writing. The methodology can be replicated for different language learning settings.

Challenges in English for Specific Purposes: Case-Study of Economics Students

This research work is to investigate the status of English for Specific Purposes course on first year Master students of Economics in their development of English for Specific Purposes. It focuses on one research instrument for data collection which is: classroom observation. The results revealed that teachers of English are not ESP teachers; therefore, they need to collaborate more with subject specialists to improve their own levels and to learn modern methods of teaching, they should also proceed to Needs analysis as far as the learners are concerned. Hence some recommendations and tips are provided so as to boost the students’ learning process.
 
 Key words: collaboration; ESP; language teachers ; needs analysis, subject specialists

A Needs Analysis of English for Banking Students at the College of Business Studies in Kuwait

Abstract At the College of Business Studies(CBS) in the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET), students enroll in business diploma programs such as Management, Banking, Computing, Finance, and Accounting. The English Department is a support unit that helps to provide students with the necessary courses, namely English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and General English (GE) required for their specific majors. In this paper, we will be addressing the English language needs of banking students. The objective of this study is to delineate the communication needs of banking students, by analyzing several factors such as the needs, wants and lacks which contribute to their real learning experiences. Needs analysis involves identifying the learners’ need and awareness for a successful learning. Among these factors, students' attitudes and perceptions towards language learning will also be examined. Additionally, implications will be discussed and relevant conclusions will be drawn. The sample consist of twenty students (ten females and ten males) who are pursuing a full time diploma program in the final semester of the 2018/2019 academic year at CBS. These respondents were selected because they are able to provide comprehensive feedback since they completed their practicum and are able to identity their language needs and problems faced during their work training. The research is based on data collected by way of questionnaires. Based on the analysis of data, it is revealed that students faced major difficulties in the following areas: i) poor speaking skills: lack of pronunciation skills and poor presentation skills, ii) writing: (different types of email ) and reports, iii) listening: poor understanding of lecturer's explanations, iv) reading: poor understanding of technical terms and general vocabulary. With regards to students’ needs, there is a demand for a learner-centered course content that will better enhance their learning experience by utilizing the tools available. The students also expressed interest in enrolling in ESP courses to improve their English.

CHALLENGES IN TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IN ESTONIAN UNIVERSITIES

Due to the growing importance of globalization, the English language has acquired an even more influential role, and at the tertiary educational level it has provoked the necessity of teaching not just general English, but also English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which meets the demands of students' field of study. Moreover, the preparation of undergraduate students for both entering the labour market or continuing their academic path has prioritized the significance of ESP. This paper aims to investigate how ESP teachers working in Estonian state-funded HEI with General English teaching background perceive their work in the field of ESP. Specifically, this abductive qualitative research seeks to obtain a deeper insight into the challenges posed by teaching ESP and to detect problematic issues to better support university teachers to improve their work. The results highlight three major challenges: coping with changes through the lenses of professionalism; insufficient collaboration, and instability in conducting ESP courses.

The pedagogical efficacy of ESP courses for Iranian students of engineering from students\u2019 and instructors\u2019 perspectives

Casting light on the pros and cons of every educational program, the outcomes of an effective evaluative endeavor may serve as a guideline for education authorities interested in content enhancement schemes. Focusing on English for specific purposes (ESP) courses for engineering students, the current study sought to evaluate the efficacy of technical English pedagogy in the academic context of Iran. Employing a mixed evaluative framework, the study explored the courses’ effectiveness delving into the attitudes of ESP instructors and engineering students toward three major domains including needs satisfaction, content authenticity, and learner autonomy. As its secondary aim, the study examined whether there was any significant difference between students and instructors in terms of their attitudes to the courses under investigation. To accomplish the objectives, a researcher-made questionnaire was administered to 796 engineering students and 54 ESP instructors chosen from 20 randomly-selected Iranian universities. A descriptive analysis of the survey data revealed an overall disagreement with the satisfaction of some learner needs such as those related to the learning objectives, productive competences, monitoring system, and educational facilities. Additionally, the two groups of participants had significantly different perceptions of the authenticity of the instructional content as well as the satisfaction of the target needs. The findings may help local authorities adapt the existing ESP pedagogy in Iran to suit the genuine needs of students.

Skill-based ESP Classroom: Teaching for Preserving and Enhancing Oman’s Comparative Advantages in an Era of Economic and Digital Transformation

English for Specific Purposes oriented inquiry spans different territories and domains (Basturkmen, 2013). Firmly established in the English for Specific Purposes teaching and learning practice developed in Oman’s tertiary education, this paper explores a skill-based teaching approach ascribable to its far-reaching partnership with Oman 2040 vision initiative, and 21st-century educational thinking and planning for the future. In particular, while debating current issues related to economic and digital transformation, it aims at examining student skill development in the context of an English for Specific Purposes classroom using Omani tertiary education students’ self-perceived responses. Students responded to a survey that investigated perceptions of transferable skill importance, self-efficacy, and opportunities for improvement. The results reveal that adaptability/flexibility, time management, oral communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving are the most essential student perceived transferrable skills concerning their future employability and professional success; however, the perceived opportunities to use and improve these skills as well as satisfaction with the ability to use them in the course vary, and, therefore, should be addressed when considering further development of the English for Business course curriculum and its delivery. As an outcome of this study, English for Specific Purposes program providers and educators will have a better understanding of the students’ skill-sets and provide their students with the tools and strategies they need to learn and thrive in English for Specific Purposes courses effectively.

COMMUNICATIVE EXERCISES AS A COMPONENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE DOCTORS

The article deals with the practical usage expediency of English language communicative exercises as a component of medical students’ professional competence. The essence of foreign language competence as a constituent of the professional culture of Health Care worker is ascertained. The formation of a medical student’s foreign language competence is an important concept of the professional education in higher educational medical establishments and is realized by mastering the features of language competence at its phonetic, lexical and grammatical levels of study. The attention is concentrated on the necessity of educational communicative exersices’ analysis as a core component of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The problems of special subject contents within the course of ESP, selection of teaching materials, development of students’ communicative component in the mastering of the English language skills are examined. The main components of the medical students’ lexical competence are described; science-based classification system of exercises for the formation of communicative competence is considered; the necessity of lexical mastering for proper opinion formation is emphasized. The examples of communicative lexical exercises for the implementation of professional speech activities of medical students in professional English classes are suggested. The practical usage of the communicative exercises develops speech skills and abilities for an opportunity to evaluate, express own opinions and promote self-development and self-actualization of medical students is clarified in this article.

Stavovi studenata prema nastavi engleskog jezika struke na fakultetima

Introduction. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at universities has a challenging goal of meeting the needs of usually large and heterogeneous groups of students. Objective. The aim of this study was to examine students' attitudes toward the ESP course, acquired knowledge, and course materials at the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade. In addition, the study examined the possible influence of students' general English proficiency on the tested variables. Methods. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 75 students who completed the ESP course in 2020 or 2021. Their general English proficiency was assessed by an online general English test. Results. The results showed that most students were satisfied with the acquired professional English language knowledge and available course materials and that their attitudes toward the completed ESP course were not influenced by their general English proficiency. Conclusion. These results are encouraging since they indicate overall student satisfaction with the ESP university course taught to a large class.

The Effects of Computer Anxiety and Self-Efficacy on L2 Learners’ Self-Perceived Digital Competence and Satisfaction in Higher Education

Low computer anxiety (CA) and high computer self-efficacy (CSE) levels are important affective factors that promote students’ academic success in the current digital era. In an effort to understand their role in successful and effective participation in online learning environments for language learning purposes, the study investigated their effect on 331 undergraduate L2 learners’ self-reported assessments of their digital literacy skills and on the level of satisfaction they express with the online component of their English for Specific Purposes course in higher education in Greece. Data were gathered via four survey questionnaires that elicited relevant information on participants’ digital literacy level, learner satisfaction, computer anxiety and self-efficacy respectively. Statistical analysis of the results revealed an overall adequate level of students’ digital literacy skills and a high level of satisfaction with all aspects of the online module of the blended learning course. Females reported a lower level of CA and a higher level of CSE. CA was found to be the strongest predictor of learners’ digital literacy skills assessments and CSE of learner satisfaction perceptions, resulting in overall higher IT use and positive attitudes to the course.

A Needs Analysis of Thai Massage Employees’ (Thai Massage Therapists, Receptionists, and Managers) English Communication Skills in the city of Pattaya, Chonburi

English communication has gained its importance for Thai massage employees who are required to interact and provide massage services to foreign customers due to the popularity of Thai massage among foreigners. This study attempts to explore and analyze the needs and problems of Thai massage employees towards English communication in their workplaces located in Pattaya City, Thailand. This is a mixedmethodology research collecting data from 132 Thai massage employees through an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with five Thai massage employees to obtain insight data and further information. The key findings show that speaking and listening skills are the most needed skills including English vocabulary knowledge. In terms of themost problematic skills, speaking, listening, and writing respectively were rated as high while reading skill reported as moderate. According to the interview, the results reveal that English competency may not greatly affect the quality of Thai massage service; however, being able to use English properly increases customers’ satisfaction and reduces time for the employees to communicate with foreign customers. The findings also indicate that the Thai massage therapists use their body languages, pictures, and memorized English patterns and sample phrases to communicate with foreign customers as their solutions for Englishcommunication problems. This research which was conducted under a fund of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Kasetsart University reports the needs and problems of these groups of people in order to design an English for Spa course based on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) principles to foster English communication skills for the Thai massage employees as well as for business students who are interested in ESP courses.