English For General Purposes Courses Research Articles

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.

Curriculum Design and Teaching Practice of ESP: A Case of Electric Power English at NEEPU

The value of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses lies in the fact that it is in essence a practical educational activity addressing certain specific needs. This paper carries out a descriptive case study of an ESP course “Electric Power English” offered in Northeast Electric Power University, which deals with the aspects of curriculum design and teaching practice. This paper reports the development of a curriculum comprised of English for General Purposes (EGP) courses, bridging EGP courses and ESP courses, and aims at giving some inspiration for the solution of common problems in ESP teaching practice.

Situational Factors of Job Burnout in Polytechnic EGP Teachers: A Diary-Based Case Study in the Chinese Context

Abstract Job burnout is a synthetic syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. It has a time-linked and situation-specific nature by developing gradually and fluctuating with changes of environmental contributors. In this study, four related diary entries were analyzed narratively, written by a polytechnic teacher teaching English for General Purposes (EGP) in a semester, to verify the possible work-related situational factors causing job burnout of EGP teachers in the Chinese context. The results revealed ten environmental burnout elements, including overload, severity of students’ problem, lacking supervisors’ support, limited job autonomy, a stern hierarchical organizational system, and opaque operating rules. We interpreted the results in terms of teacher professional development and proposed that enhancing EGP teachers’ professional identity and revaluing the EGP course in polytechnics were the basic ways to mitigate burnout and improve English teachers’ professional development.

Towards an ESP Course for Engineering Students in Vocational Schools in Morocco: The Case of the National School of Applied Sciences

In engineering studies, students need specific English language practices to communicate effectively in professional settings. This research project was carried out for two main purposes. First, the aim was to evaluate to what extent the English for general purposes courses offered to engineering students at the National School of Applied Sciences of Fes were successful in fulfilling the job requirements of the prospective engineers. And the second purpose was to devise an ESP (English for specific purposes) course that is rather linked to the field of specialization of the respondents and can attend to their vocational needs. To this end, a “needs analysis questionnaire” was devised to identify these students’ needs in relation to the English language course. The results stressed the significance of English for engineering students. They also identified the students’ lacks, needs and interests regarding English language. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications.

A Study of an English for Academic Purposes Course

English for General Purposes (EGP) is a foundation course which should be taken by all the undergraduate students at the University of Tabriz, Iran. However, the EGP course cannot meet the students’ objectives and needs. Evidently, it has some shortcoming and the results of the study indicate that it not only has lost its credibility but also has failed to achieve its goals. This study strives to investigate the different dimensions of this course in order to come up with some solutions to its betterment. The participants consist of current and ex-students, language and subject instructors. The result of the study indicates that there are many factors which are involved in decreasing the quality of the EGP course. The goals of the EGP course need to be determined and redefined. It is hoped that this research could shed some fresh light on the betterment and modification of this course.

Is what I need what I want? Reconceptualising college students’ needs in English courses for general and specific/academic purposes

The purpose of the study is to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) college students’ needs in English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific/Academic Purposes (ESP/EAP) courses in terms of their perceptions of three subcategories of needs—necessities, wants, and lacks—and reasons for students’ course enrollment. A questionnaire was administered to 972 EFL college students from six universities in Taiwan. The results showed that students had different perceptions of necessities, wants, and lacks in the different language skills taught in EGP and ESP/EAP courses. The findings also demonstrated discrepancies between the students’ perceptions of needs and the actual courses they took, thereby highlighting the importance of understanding needs as a complex, multiple, and conflicting concept. Finally, factors that determined students’ enrollment in EGP courses included necessities, short-term, and long-term goals while enrollment in ESP/EAP courses depended more on job relevancy. Implications for language instructors and curriculum designers are discussed.

Coursebook Development and Evaluation for English for General Purposes Course

Writing a coursebook is a demanding task and more important than writing is how to evaluate it in order to pin point its weaknesses and improve them. If we yearn to produce a quality and useful coursebook, we need to consider how to develop and evaluate it. The study reported in this article describes the process in which the researcher developed and evaluated a coursebook (Reading English in Action) for the English for General Purposes (EGP) course at the University of Tabriz, Iran. In order to investigate this coursebook’s virtues and weaknesses, the researcher taught it for four semesters and asked six of his colleagues to use it for their EGP courses. A questionnaire was developed based on a checklist that had been prepared by the researcher and distributed to the six language professors who taught the coursebook and 480 students who studied it for one semester. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the six professors and twenty four students. The aim was to carry out in-use and post-use coursebook evaluation because these are more valid and reliable than pre-use one. Since the objective of the EGP course was to develop the students’ reading skill and strategies, the present coursebook was written to fulfill these goals. However, the results of the study depicts that mere emphasis on reading bores the students and they require more interactive communicative use of the language. This study can provide invaluable insights for material writers, curriculum developers, and language teachers.

An Evaluation of Classroom Activities and Exercises in ELT Classroom for General Purposes Course

It is through effective implementation of activities and exercises which students can be motivated and consequently lead to language learning. However, as an insider, the experience of teaching English for General Purposes (EGP) course indicates that it has some problems which need to be modified. In order to evaluate the EGP course, questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were used. The results of the study indicate that since the students’ needs and objectives are not fulfilled they hold low attitudes toward this course. Also, since the emphasis is on reading and doing exercises, students do not like to participate in performing activities and exercises. Task-based activities, communicative use of language and pair and group work are missing. Reading passages and exercises are presented without any practice and free production. The only skill which is used is the reading and consequently speaking, listening, and writing skills have been ignored and forgotten which ultimately bores most of the students. This study can be useful for language teachers who want to gain hands-on experience of executing classroom activities and exercises.