English For Specific Purposes Course Research Articles

ADVANCED TEACHING AND LEARNING METHOD FOR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS AIMING AT THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY 4.0

In recent years, job candidates are currently required not only professional knowledge and skills but also English specifically implemented in particular occupations. Since then English for specific purposes (ESP) is the latest trend which has exponentially developed. The majority of universities have deployed diverse ESP courses in order to help learners address communicative needs as well as practices of particular professions. Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport has also provided interesting ESP courses supposed to assist engineering and technology students in their future careers. Not only inspired by the need to enable the learners of these courses to increase their knowledge of terminology in their fields but also integrating technology in language teaching and learning, this paper aims to suggest Quizlet a mobile and web-based study application as a tool to facilitate specialized vocabulary acquisition for learners of English for engineering and technology as well as for those who are learners of English for specific purposes in general. Thanks to Quizlet, both teachers and students will take full advantages from this innovative method that is probably proliferating their new learning and teaching experiences. Although the merits outweigh in this sphere, it is obvious that Quizlet should not be compulsory, but combined with other strategies to eventually give fruitful assistance to meet learners’ increasing demands on the verge of the industrial revolution 4.0.

An investigation into Communicative English Language Needs and Perceptions of English for Specific Purposes Course: The Case of Holy Trinity Theological College

This research aimed to investigate the communicative English language needs of Holy Trinity Theological College students. To this end, mixed methods approach was undertaken using questionnaires, interviews and course book (module) analysis. The participants of the study were students, employees, English course instructors, content area instructors. The samples were chosen through availability and purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were employed to analyse the data. The findings indicate that students used English language to read and understand professional courses, to communicate freely with English speakers, to prepare religious journals, to present papers in seminaries, to translate books, and to preach the Bible abroad. The respondents preferred courses that contain both professional and academic linguistic items and discourses to use the language in their professional and academic contexts. Furthermore, the text evaluation indicated that the materials were designed without considering theology students’ professional language needs and expectations. Finally, it is recommended that syllabus designers and material writers should consider the communicative English language needs of theology students identified in the study.

Convergence of ESP with other disciplines – a book review

The book entitled Convergence of ESP with other disciplines edited by Nadežda Stojković, PhD, Gabriela Chmelíková, PhD and Ľudmila Hurajová, PhD is a collection of 11 research papers submitted by 17 scholars who conduct research and teach at different worldwide universities. The publication covers diverse topics in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) ranging from material development and competences improvement to the application of different pedagogy directions and assessment methods. Being a branch of English as a Foreign Language, ESP courses are focused on developing English language skills in a particular discipline such as engineering, law, medicine, agriculture, humanities and social sciences. Two most important features of ESP are a conversational function (ways in which language is used in real communication) and educational pedagogy and psychology (learner’s interests and needs affecting one’s learning motivation). One of the most widespread misconceptions is that ESP is all about content knowledge when in fact pedagogical content knowledge is what a skillful ESP teacher has – understanding of social, developmental and cognitive learning processes. Paying close attention to students’ multidimensional needs, ESP is a highly student-centered approach which focuses on both students’ linguistics and psychological needs thus establishing a humanistic context where language plays multilevel educational roles.

Once Upon A Time: A Framework for Developing Creative Writing in ESP and EAP

Creativity is useful for enriching the quality of learning (Maley, 2015). Using English for creative learning purposes is essential for studying on various university degree courses. Writing is potentially considered as the most important skill although it is a difficult skill for Second Language (SL) learners to master (Nunan, 1999). One of the possible reasons for this is that it has not been well-emphasized and developed in English language materials (Alkhaldi, 2014; Tomlinson, 2015). This study focuses on writing, particularly, creative writing in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. The main purpose of an ESP course and EAP course is to improve traditional and technical writing skills for students, and this might be at the expense of creative writing. This study explores creative writing and its possible challenges. It also discusses the significance of creativity, creativity and the language learner, creativity and motivation, creative writing, and the role of creative writing in ESP/EAP. Finally, it elaborates and recommends a systematic, principled framework based on a review of the related literature for developing creative writing in ESP/EAP courses.

DEVELOPING ADDIE MODEL-BASED ESP COURSEBOOK

Coursebook plays a substantial role in facilitating teaching and learning process, especially for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). However, the widely available coursebooks do not always match with the designed program and the learners� as well as the institution� needs. To ensure that a coursebook can optimally support the goals of an ESP course, developing materials is suggested. This research aimed to develop an ESP coursebook using ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model. A Research and Development method was employed in this research in which the data were collected through questionnaire and interview. The questionnaire was distributed to 430 Business English 1 students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, the interview was conducted to 4 English teachers. Here, the data were obtained during the first and the last steps of ADDIE model (analysis and evaluation). The data obtained from the analysis phase were used for need analysis, while those obtained from the evaluation phase were used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the coursebook. The findings showed the coursebook�s elements which cover language, content, tasks, learners, and the learning are good, but the visual elements highly need improvement.

Investigating the Impact of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Curriculum on Moroccan Graduates’ Career

Knowledge of a foreign language opens new possibilities of mobility and cooperation for professionals in the contemporary world. Policy makers acknowledge the important role that foreign languages, especially English, play in the professional development of experts and try to present this language at tertiary level. Generally, an ESP course is designed to improve students’ communication skills not merely for the exam, but also for situations in a specific workplace. This paper investigates the impact that English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum has on Moroccan graduates in the career experience. It also explores whether the ESP courses are more expedient in the workplace than traditional English courses, and how ESP curriculum should be reshaped to adapt the needs of the job market. The data are collected through online interviews from 6 participants whose majors were English and who graduated from Moroccan universities and all the participants have at least one year of work experience in English-speaking countries. The results of this research indicate that universities ESP curriculum design, work place, and teachers’ specific field knowledge do have notable influence on participants in the work environment. They show that the current ESP in use fails to capture the learners’ needs and skills in the workplace communication. The study divulges that there is a huge discrepancy of the perceptions of the students’ needs between the ESP teachers and employers in both academic and occupational situations. Furthermore, the study’s findings recommended that Moroccan universities should re-design or develop their ESP curriculum to allow their students meet the future job requirements as well as supplementing extra materials through teachers’ continual needs analysis.

Inglês para fins específicos em cursos superiores de tecnologia na educação profissional

Considerando a oferta de Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia (CST) no contexto da Educação Profissional e Tecnológica (EPT), nosso estudo analisa como tem sido planejada a disciplina de Inglês para Fins Específicos (ESP – English for Specific Purposes) no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN). Baseando-se nas teorias sobre ESP (HUTCHINSON; WATERS, 1987; DUDLEYEVANS, 1998), realizamos um estudo de cunho exploratório, através da análise dos distintos programas da disciplina de ESP presente em 16 CST ofertados na instituição. A análise dos dados possibilitou a categorização de 3 tipos de oferta de ESP com focos distintos praticados nesse contexto da EPT: inglês para leitura e escrita, em 12 CST; inglês para gramática e vocabulário, em 3 CST; e inglês para produção oral, em apenas 1 CST. Concluímos que os 3 tipos de ESP refletem as decisões tomadas pelo conjunto de professores de forma democrática e participativa com vistas a dialogar com os CST em que as disciplinas estão inseridas, embora apenas alguns programas evidenciem a relação entre os conteúdos e as necessidades dos alunos, um dos pressupostos básicos das teorias sobre ESP.

Investigating the Impact of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Curriculum on Moroccan Graduates’ Career

Knowledge of a foreign language opens new possibilities of mobility and cooperation for professionals in the contemporary world. Policy makers acknowledge the important role that foreign languages, especially English, play in the professional development of experts and try to present this language at tertiary level. Generally, an ESP course is designed to improve students’ communication skills not merely for the exam, but also for situations in a specific workplace. This paper investigates the impact that English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum has on Moroccan graduates in the career experience. It also explores whether the ESP courses are more expedient in the workplace than traditional English courses, and how ESP curriculum should be reshaped to adapt the needs of the job market. The data are collected through online interviews from 6 participants whose majors were English and who graduated from Moroccan universities and all the participants have at least one year of work experience in English-speaking countries. The results of this research indicate that universities ESP curriculum design, work place, and teachers’ specific field knowledge do have notable influence on participants in the work environment. They show that the current ESP in use fails to capture the learners’ needs and skills in the workplace communication. The study divulges that there is a huge discrepancy of the perceptions of the students’ needs between the ESP teachers and employers in both academic and occupational situations. Furthermore, the study’s findings recommended that Moroccan universities should re-design or develop their ESP curriculum to allow their students meet the future job requirements as well as supplementing extra materials through teachers’ continual needs analysis.

Law and Business Students’ Attitudes towards Learning English for Specific Purposes within CLIL and Non-CLIL Contexts

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses are present within most non-linguistic undergraduate studies offered in Spain. In particular, the University of Cádiz has a wide range of ESP teaching being delivered in the four campuses of the institution. Whereas this ESP instruction is thought as a way to help students develop language skills to be applied to their career paths, this very practical and useful goal may not be easily recognized by certain students. While previous research has revealed students’ attitudes towards learning ESP were generally positive, little has been said on their progression throughout the whole course. The aim of the present paper is to identify Law students’ approaches to a Legal English course taught through a specific methodology. Certain teaching strategies, which are also characteristic of the Content and Language Integrated Learning approach, were applied. For that purpose, the opinions of 88 respondents were collected and analysed during the second phase of their ESP course. Results revealed that although students showed a certain level of rejection before the course started, once they became well aware of the teaching methodology, their opinion changed positively. This would definitely be influenced by promoting students’ motivation, as well as the teaching methodology applied.

Designing speaking activities for a teacher-preparation course: An ESP approach

Turning a top-down teacher-preparation course into a more meaningful course for teachers involves the identification of the needs of learners. This chapter shows the way a general English course for teachers became an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course that aimed at meeting the expectations and personal goals of the participants. Teacher-preparation has become an important issue in Mexico as a teacher evaluation process is being carried out along the country as part of recent educational reforms. The results of the needs analysis instrument identified speaking as the most difficult skill for the teachers to master. Based on the participants´ answers, a complement to the original content of the course was created so that participants could reach their own goals in addition to the institutional goals of the preparation. ESP may be an alternative to help learners perform their professional activities in the target language more effectively.

E-Learn Platform to Teach Legal English for Law Professionals

Globalization of trade and economy led to a growing demand all over the world for English for Specific Purposes courses. Conscious of this fact, Algeria has incorporated English for Legal Purposes teaching into tertiary studies. In Algeria, Law students receive ELP course aimed to help them in their studies and future careers. However, at the end of their learning process these students still find linguistic and communication difficulties in situations where English is needed as the course received is no more than teaching specific words and phrases and translating some texts following the traditional Grammar Translation Method. Accordingly, this paper aims to presents the current ELP course situation and to measure students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of Blended ELP course based on Content Language Integrated Learning model. The course has twofold: to provide students with international legal knowledge and to compare them to the Algerian one, and to expose learners to intensive reading activities and overcome lack of teaching time activities. In this quantitative study, seven teachers were interviewed and fifty seven masters’ students were questioned. The results revealed that the students have comprehension difficulties because the time load for reading activities is not sufficient. Concerning informants readiness to use Blended approach, the teachers present negatively the usefulness of such an approach for their students; on the contrary, students show a positive attitude to have additional English reading comprehension activities online, and they demonstrate a high interest to the proposal to support their English course with extra home tasks.

L2 motivation in ESP and EGP courses: An investigation of L2 motivational selves among learners of English in Saudi Arabia

This paper investigates the L2 motivation of Saudi university students in ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EGP (English for General Purposes) courses. One of the common arguments about ESP courses suggests that they are more likely to generate higher levels of motivation than other types of English courses (i.e., EGP courses). Some scholars (e.g., Basturkmen, 2010; Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987) hold this view, asserting that ESP courses are more relevant to learners’ needs and interests, which increases their motivation. However, none of these claims are based on empirical research; the present study aims to fill this gap. Using Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System, 4,043 students enrolled in ESP and EGP courses at four Saudi universities completed an online survey. The analysis showed a significant relationship between learners’ motivation and their attended English course. The ESP group had higher ideal L2 selves and more positive attitudes towards the L2 learning experience than the EGP group, whereas the ought-to L2 selves were not significantly different. In addition, a multiple regression model was designed, and indicated that the two self-constructs had an impact on participants’ L2 achievements, either positively or negatively.

A Need Analysis of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Course for Adoption of Communicative Language Teaching (A Case of First Year Engineering Students of Quest Nawabshah)

English has become one of the global languages. It has great importance everywhere in education, business and in everyday interactions. Because of the global status of English its teaching should be accordingly to its use in daily life. Many methodologies of teaching English have been implemented but one of the modern methodoly is communicative language teaching (CLT). It is one of the strategies that are very much beneficial for teaching English communicatively. CLT is implemented in EFL/ESL and also in ESP courses. In Pakistan, still GTM (grammar translation method) is implemented, CLT is not been used because traditional methodologies are easy to apply in the classroom. The aim of this research is to find out basic needs and lacking’s in our universities of Pakistan in teaching ESP in engineering context. This paper is also aimed to assess the needs of CLT in the engineering context. In order to get the result, mixed questionnaire of multiple option questions are used as an instrument of the data collection. 12 questions are asked to know the student’s perception of CLT teaching. Only students have been taken as the participant of the study. 130 students from the Quest University Nawabshah have been selected from the different departments to achieve goal of assessing students’ belief’s and attitudes towards CLT. DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/55-01 Publication date : April 30 th 2019

‘Developing Effective Teacher Talk’ : A Critical Self-Examination of an ESP Course Designed for Korean In-Service Teachers

This paper presents and examines the suitability and effectiveness of an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course entitled ‘Developing Effective Teacher Talk’ which was designed to meet the occupational needs of Korean secondary English teachers, and also satisfy the aims of the institutional administration and the Korean Ministry of Education. In order to investigate the suitability of the course, feedback data was collected through surveys as well as oral feedback meetings with Korean in-service secondary school English teacher trainees, course instructors, and administrators over the course of 6 one-month intensive training programs at Korea’s largest provincial government-supported training center. Further survey data was collected from in-service teachers one month after the completion of the course to investigate its overall effectiveness. Criteria within existing literature were used for systematic review and critical examination, and this included investigating to what extent learners, course instructors, and administrators were satisfied with the course; and to what extent the learners’ teacher talk was affected. The results of this investigation found that the ‘Developing Effective Teacher Talk’ course satisfies various key internal and external evaluation criteria components and thus, may serve as a positive model for similar courses around the world.

ESP Teaching Practices in Management Science at Post-Graduate Level in Pakistan: Perceptions of ESP Teachers and ESP Learners

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching is considered a separate activity in the domain of English Language Teaching \cite{dudley1998developments}. ESP primarily aims to prepare and fulfill a set of the communicative needs of ESP learners in academic and professional contexts. These needs serve as a guide to design relevant course content and adopt appropriate teaching method with particular emphasis on the kind of English to be taught and the topics to be covered. The current study attempts to investigate through the perceptions of ESP teachers and ESP learners the effective role of subject matter specialists (henceforth SMSs) in the teaching of ESP courses at postgraduate level in Pakistan. The sample size taken for this study comprises of 10 ESP teachers selected through snowball sampling technique and 50 ESP learners chosen through purpose sampling from three different disciplines of management sciences. Open ended questionnaire and interviews were used for data collection. The data were thematically analyzed. The analysis of ESP teachers' data suggested English language competence, pedagogic competence and awareness of the learners' prospective communicative needs in academic and workplace contexts. The analysis of ESP learners' data indicated that subject matter specialists along with content area knowledge need to have good command of English language as well. From the comparative analyses of ESP teachers and ESP learners' data, this study concludes that for effective ESP teaching to any group of ESP learners, an ESP teacher irrespective of the academic background (ELTs or Subject Matter Specialists) needs to have English language competence, pedagogic skills and how much they know about the learners' target communicative needs.

STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING ESP: FINDINGS FROM A CASE STUDY IN LITHUANIA

This study explores undergraduate students’ experience of learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and aims to reveal their views regarding university teachers’ and peers’ feedback provided to them during the course of ESP as well as to establish the students’ views regarding their own learning ESP. The present article reports on the results of a case study from a Lithuanian university. The data were collected from feedback questionnaires of 111 students in 11 study programmes. To analyse the data, quantitative methodology was used. The main conclusion of the present study is that most study participants viewed their own learning ESP at the university as a positive experience, i.e. the students were satisfied with their engagement in learning this study subject and considered that learning was aligned with teaching and assessment. The results of the study also demonstrated that the study participants considered that collaboration and team work fostered meaningful learning, as well as that peer feedback helped them to understand how to improve in learning ESP. It was established that students valued their teachers’ patience and personal engagement and that the teachers’ feedback improved the ways of learning ESP, encouraged them to think and analyse the content of the study material, and helped them to clarify things they did not understand learning on their own.

Engineering Students’ Motivation to Learn Technical English in ESP Courses: Investigating Iranian Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions

Needs analysis is the key step to designing relevant and useful courses in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), but finding ways to deliver needs in a motivating and interesting way is also paramount. Therefore, investigating students’ motivation to learn ESP is central in needs analysis. Few studies have investigated needs from the perspective of ESP learners’ motivation. Focussing on engineering fields at three Iranian state universities, this study aimed to identify factors that affect engineering students’ motivation for learning technical English in ESP courses. Using a mixed method design, this study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews with 40 undergraduate students helped to identify motivational variables, select a theoretical framework and develop instruments for the second phase. In the second phase, a survey using a 28-item questionnaire with 152 students, semi-structured interviews with 60 students, in-depth interviews with eight ESP practitioners and non-participant observation in seven ESP classes were done in parallel. Principal Component Analysis on survey data resulted in five motivational components of main sources of engineering students’ motivation to learn technical English: 1) ideal-self, 2) ought-to self, 3) instrumentality promotion motivation, 4) learning conditions, and 5) learning experience. These components were in agreement with Dӧrnyei’s L2 Motivational Self-system. Further quantitative and qualitative data analyses revealed that long-term goals and the practicalities of using technical English in every day life promote motivation more than a sense of obligation to learn technical English. Moreover, the results showed that Engineering students had negative attitudes towards elements of ESP learning experience, which best explained the reasons for students’ low motivation. The findings also supported the significant effect of academic levels on motivation. The factors that motivated students call for modifications in ESP courses which are discussed as pedagogical implications.

(In)compatibility of CLIL and ESP courses at university

Author/s
 Joseba M. González ArdeoUniversidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Spain
 
 ABSTRACT
 This paper deals with the current coexistence of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) courses in tertiary educational settings in the Basque Country. The University of the Basque Country (UBC) is immersed in an ongoing process of internationalization and, consequently, its language teachers are witnessing an unstoppable process of Anglicization. At present, and presumably in the medium and long term, institutional decisions will continue to support CLIL in preference to ESP. In order to analyse this process within the UBC, quantitative data about these two linguistic approaches are gathered and compared with data from 2005. A questionnaire aimed at gathering the opinions of engineering students who currently take both types of courses is also used as a source of qualitative data. The main conclusion of this exploratory study is that both types of courses seem to be compatible. However, language teachers, English-medium content teachers and students are facing a tough challenge, since neither of the two types of course is a panacea.

ESP as a motivating stimulus for obtaining knowledge by students of non-linguistic university

The article deals with institutionally developed ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses, one of the predominant and progressive language teaching approaches in tertiary education, as it is focused on the specific and profession-related needs of students. The paper studies the role of analysis and material selection needs, later adaptation according to particular specialty student requirements, changes of business environment and current demands for English language skills. The implication of the study results in that ESP courses should be more attuned to students’ needs targeting productive skills, specialised vocabulary, language functions and intercultural competency. The study alsodiscusses the ways and methods, which can increase professional competency development in the context of the multiprofessional environment of a modern economic university experiencing constant changes due to internationalisation.

Developing Presentation Skills in the ESP Course for Students Majoring in Control Systems and Robotics

Abstract This paper addresses the experience of implementing a presentation skills module in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course at ITMO University for students from the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics. This work reveals the importance and relevance of presentation competency for the future professional careers of graduates. The paper thoroughly addresses the presentation mistakes inherent in the domain of control systems and robotics. The interdisciplinary approach to developing presentation skills discussed in the article is based on the fusion of English-language study, soft skills and professional content. The developed presentation skills module includes peer-based evaluation of presentations in order to teach students to provide feedback and take into account comments received from their colleagues.