English For Specific Purposes Programs Research Articles

Integration of AI into the Distance Learning Environment: Enhancing Soft Skills

Soft skills have become increasingly essential for success in the modern world, especially in the labor market, where employers value employees’ social and communication skills. Online education, which is an integral part of the educational process in Ukraine, is adjusting to the development of students’ soft skills. Integrating artificial intelligence tools into English language learning is becoming a new direction in soft skills development. This approach opens up new teaching strategies that make learning more effective, engaging, and innovative. While learning English, students develop communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, which contribute to their educational process and prepare the foundation for employment. The study aims to 1) evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence on the development of students’ soft skills in online learning; 2) identify the most essential soft skills for their effective learning and future employment based on a student survey; 3) develop criteria for an online course using artificial intelligence and outline strategies for integrating the ChatGPT tool into distance learning English classes. To achieve the objectives of our study, we developed and processed a questionnaire, collected quantitative data, and analyzed and interpreted qualitative data; the study sample included 304 students. The questionnaire results showed a generally positive attitude of students towards using artificial intelligence in English for Specific Purposes courses. They opened up prospects for introducing an online course in the English for Specific Purposes program and further research, including an experiment with the introduction of this online course.

Reflecting on the experiences of staff and students going here, there (online), and back again on an English for Specific Purposes programme

Many programs taught in 2020-2022 under emergency then planned online conditions are returning to face-to-face or blended teaching. This article narrates and reflects on student experiences before, during, and after the pandemic, in face-to-face, emergency online, planned online, and blended modes, in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program with a special focus on building cultural connections. It uses student voice from surveys and semi-structured interviews and compares our experiences with international ones. It relates students’ feelings that while language and cultural learning aims were achieved by the online cohorts, the quality and amount of these achievements were negatively impacted by the online environment, the accessibility and reliability of equipment and connectivity, and digital literacy. The article concludes with reflections based on four years of delivery, including the 2023 face-to-face program. It also gives suggestions about materials and training for staff and students when preparing courses in future whether online, face-to-face, or blended.

Developing English for Specific Purposes Programs: A Literature Review

Developing English for Specific Purposes Programs: A Literature Review

A rhetorical function and phraseological analysis of commentaries on visuals

Visuals (e.g., figures) are prevalent in academic writing across disciplines, and they are usually accompanied by commentaries that summarize and/or interpret the information they contain. Commentaries on visuals have not yet been studied in terms of their rhetorical and phraseological features, and insights into these features could help novice academic writers integrate such commentaries more effectively. To address the gap, this study examined and reported on frequently employed rhetorical functions and phrase-frames for commentaries on visuals, based on a corpus of such commentaries extracted from 100 social science research reports. Specifically, the corpus was first manually annotated using a rhetorical function framework developed based on previous studies. Five- to seven-gram phrase-frames were also automatically extracted based on corpus statistics and then manually scrutinized to generate a pedagogically useful list. The finalized 169 phrase-frames were then linked to the rhetorical functions based on their occurrences and sorted accordingly in the final list. Under each rhetorical function, the phrase-frames were further categorized into specialized, semi-specialized, and non-specialized types, following previous studies. Pedagogical and empirical implications of the phrase-frame list for English for specific purposes programs are discussed.

Using Social Media Platforms By English For Specific Purposes Students At The National Institute Of Technology

This research analyses how students enrolled in the English for Specific Purposes program at the National Institute of Technology utilize various social media platforms during their English studies. The students are studying English at the National Institute of Technology. The researcher collected the data via a questionnaire filled out by 50 students and through semi-structured interviews with 10 male and female students. The results of the qualitative interviews were studied via the lens of an experienced case study and coded according to themes, while the quantitative questionnaire results were reviewed through the lens of fundamental statistics. According to the study, social platforms are crucial for students learning English as a foreign language. Currently, students use seven different social platforms to learn English, enhance their language skills, and support in developing their language competency. On the other hand, students at the National Institute of Technology taking English lessons for various reasons utilize Instagram more than other social media sites to practice their English at home and in other academic settings.

Students' Perceptions and Challenges in Learning Business English: Understanding Students’ Needs and Job Market Requirements

English for specific purposes (ESP) is intrinsically a student-centered subject. Learners’ perspectives are the fundamental determinants of the learning outcomes of ESP students. Research shows that the distinction between ‘General English’ and ESP is that the latter focuses on understanding the learners’ wants, needs, and necessities. To address this gap in the literature, this paper undertakes an exploratory, mixed-methods study of 120 senior, ESP Saudi Business and Management college students, with the objective of formulating strategies for improving ESP programs to enhance students’ employability. The participants’ perceptions regarding the importance of Business English in preparing them for the job market, along with a self-assessment of their language needs, were gathered via a 16-item close-ended questionnaire, followed by interviews with some students. The results indicate that senior college students are fully aware of their language needs and can make decisions regarding the particular language skills that are needed for their own success in the job market. The results also show that students hold very positive attitudes towards Business English and believe that success in the job market is dependent on proper and adequate Business English provision at college level.

Tertiary education ESP program delivery in Vietnam and language practices in globalised workplaces: examining the extent of alignment

ABSTRACT This paper investigated the language resources needed for communication in Vietnam’s import/export services and the level of alignment with the associated English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. To examine the communicative practices used in this workplace, the study employed methods of semi-structured interviews and a collection of 48 emails and eight phonecalls adopted to interact with customers. Similarly, semi-structured interviews and ESP teaching materials were administered to explore teachers’ practices and the language input. The findings indicate an increasingly valuable variety of English as a lingua franca (ELF) which is identified in particular genres with different choices of registers and stylistic features adapted to communicative conditions in the fluid globalised workplace. Given the agility and unpredictability of work in a globalised setting, the analysis shows how the workers’ mobile language repertoire is not tied to the criterion of linguistic accuracy, but rather favours the achievement of meaning and function. However, the adaptable, truncated ‘good enough’ language used in the workplace does not align with the lexicogrammatical focus of the ESP course. The study contributes to understandings of alignment in ESP curricula and materials redevelopment in times of globalisation and countries such as Vietnam where ELF is used for international interactions.

The evaluation of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program at an engineering faculty at a private university in Turkey

This study aims to evaluate the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program at the engineering faculty at Toros University in Turkey. The research was based on Hutchinson and Waters' (1987) framework for ESP, and multiple sources of data collection were used. The participants of this study were 66 engineering faculty students. The study, the abridged version of the MA thesis conducted in 2018-2019 Academic Year, demonstrated that the main objective of the ESP program is to develop personal strategies for reviewing new related vocabulary, to use vocabulary in a variety of academic speaking, listening, writing and reading activities. The students' needs were grouped into three categories which are occupational, social and educational. The primary need of the engineering students is the expansion of vocabulary because they are unfamiliar with the terminology of their future professions. The majority of the students believed they were competent in grammar but needed to develop their vocabulary. Most of the students wanted to use a textbook explicitly prepared for their major study area.

MEDICAL STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES COURSEBOOK: A CASE IN VIETNAM

The current study investigates students’ evaluation of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) coursebook taught at a medical college in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. After using it for a year, the users, including medical students and their teachers, have given some unofficial feedback on the book. This study provided insightful official information about how its student users perceive the coursebook they were adopting. Data on the evaluations of the ESP coursebook were gained from questionnaires administered to 166 students majoring in nursing and pharmacy in charge of ESP programs. Semi-structured interviews were employed with four students to get more specific apprehension. The results of this study indicated that students were satisfied with the ESP coursebook in terms of the covering of four skills, the presence of vocabulary and grammar, relevant content, understandable social and cultural context, suitability for mix-level students. In addition, participants perceived that communicative skills were not sufficiently presented, examples in grammar were not more interesting, the illustrations were not diverse and enough, and the cover was simple but not appealing. Suggestions regarding the pedagogical implications for the adoption and evaluation of the coursebook were discussed.

MEDICAL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND TARGET NEEDS IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES COURSES

This study aims to identify the target needs of students in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at a private university in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The participants in this study were 10 students majoring in medicine. This study employed a qualitative descriptive method to explain students' perspectives of the ESP courses. The research data were obtained through surveys and interviews. The findings reveal that the participants expect the ESP courses focus on the target needs of their academic and professional lives with an emphasis on drilling their skills in the four aspects of language. In addition, it also shows that students have a positive perception of the ESP courses at the university. The findings of the study also declared that the ESP program should focus on the effective use of language and improve their language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Embedding Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) into English for specific purposes curriculum for vocational high school

English is agreed upon as the standard language of communication throughout the world, including Indonesia. With this, teaching and learning English should be an integral part of the national education system in Indonesia because of the importance of English globally. One of the curricula in Indonesia that focuses on teaching English for Vocational High Schools (VHS) is English for Specific Purposes (ESP), where students learn English according to their needs and fields of interest. With the existence of this ESP as well as a variety of teaching methods and approaches, there is one approach that is considered truly effective in teaching this ESP program, namely the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. This study aims to explore a set of literature to clarify the CLIL approach and determine if the evidence shows benefits in implementing the approach into the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum. The paper took a literature review approach and explored ten articles selected with specific criteria of being published within 2014-2020. The literature shows that the implementation of CLIL does have a positive output toward the teaching and learning process, especially for those who take English for specific purposes, such as in vocational high schools. The approach improves the linguistics aspects and the non-linguistic aspect or the students' soft skills, such as high order thinking skills, problem-solving, enhanced communication, intercultural awareness, and motivation in learning. However, to meet the success of the implementation of CLIL in the ESP curriculum, some considerations and special requirements are needed. The two distinctive preparation are the syllabus for the curriculum and the readiness of human resources; the teachers. Before applying the CLIL, the two factors mentioned need mechanisms that will support the success of CLIL for the ESP curriculum in vocational high schools. The writer proposes a model to be implemented if the curriculum for vocational high schools is going to apply CLIL. Yet, it needs more researches in the future to make sure whether the model works well or needs more improvements.

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.

A Computer-Based ESP Program to Develop police College Students' oral communication Skills

Language is a vital means for communication. It is used to exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions. It shapes the way people think, talk and write. Through language, people can convey their feelings, emotions and attitudes. Also, Language is used to spread knowledge and culture that produce fruitful communication. Mathews (2008) confirmed that English can often serve as the global language between two people from a pair of different cultures, neither of whom speak English as his/her native tongue. It is therefore very important for university students to learn English and be able to communicate orally in it; this skill could help them greatly in securing and keep in job, especially with multinational companies……. Consequently ,if students would like to be a part of globalization, they must be able to communicate successfully in English. One of the most important disciplines of the English language in human activity was English for specific purposes (ESP). ESP was a phenomenon grown out of a number of converging trends of which Bojovic (2014: 487) mentioned three most important: 1) the expansion of demand for English to suit specific needs of a profession, 2) developments in the field of linguistics (attention shifted from defining formal language features of discovering the ways in which language is used in real communication, causing the need for the development of English courses for specific group of learners), and 3) educational psychology (learner’s needs and interests have an influence on their motivation and effectiveness of their learning). ESP course is one of the components in a leaning target situation. Gatehouse (2001) states that the teaching of English for Specific Purposes has always been with needs analysis and preparing learners to communicate effectively in the tasks prescribed by their field of research

Teaching ESP online during the COVID-19 pandemic: An account of Argentinian students on this teaching modality

In today’s world, the language par excellence in written and oral communication in all the spheres of commerce, business, education and science is English (Swales, 1990). Undeniably, this is the most widely chosen language for communication in academic settings among nonnative speakers who share neither a common first language nor a common culture to carry out scientific interactions such as delivering a conference or university lecture, submitting a grant proposal, or writing a paper or dissertation, presenting a conference poster, to name just a few (Seildhofer, 2006). In many countries in which English is not the native language, most universities and institutions of higher learning adopt an approach called ESP (English for Specific Purposes) for English language teaching. ESP consists of tailoring language instruction to meet the needs of learners who belong to particular disciplines or professions and studies the language appropriate to such activities. Most universities have included ESP programs as part of their syllabuses because they acknowledge the importance of helping non-native speakers of English “master the functions and linguistic conventions of texts that they need to read and write in their disciplines and professions” (Hyon, 1996, p. 698). At the National University of San Luis, since the first years of any course of study, students are exposed to different genres which are published in English. This means that their exposure to the language starts at an early stage of instruction. In general, classes are face-to-face and in a classroom that is fit to that aim. Unfortunately, due to an unexpected pandemic, instruction was forced to adopt a different course. In this paper, we attempt to give an account of how the teaching of ESP is taking place under the circumstances we are facing due to COVID-19. We have changed our methodology so as to meet the demands of the students and the university alike. We administered a questionnaire to know the perceptions and opinions of our students as regards the material, teacher performance, testing, and online modality adopted. Results suggest that the opinions are divided as regards non-face to face or face-to-face teaching modality. Although many students prefer virtuality because of the time flexibility it provides, others assert that nothing is more valuable than teacher and classmates interaction.

The Effectiveness of an ESP Training Program in Developing Some Computer-Based Language Instruction Skills among Secondary Stage EFL Teachers

The current study investigated the effectiveness of an ESP program in developing some suggested computer-based language instructional skills among secondary stage EFL teachers. Forty teachers were randomly chosen and assigned as participants in the training sessions held during the academic year 2017-2018. The study adopted the quasi-experimental design and qualitative interpretation. For carrying out the experimental treatment, the researcher designed and developed the following instruments to be administered as pre-post applications: (1) a questionnaire for identifying teachers’ attitudes towards integrating technology in EFL instruction and (2) an Ed Tech knowledge test for investigating the effectiveness of the program in developing the identified computer-based instructional skills. T- test was employed to measure the differences between the means of the experimental group’s performances in the pre-post treatments. The findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the pre-post applications of the instruments. These positive results have made it clear that the program was successful in developing the teachers’ computer-based instructional skills and was of a great help in integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching EFL. Consequently, this success led to the rejection of the null hypotheses and accepting the alternative ones. Key Words: English for Specific Purposes (ESP), EFL computer-based instruction, EFL teacher technological training, technological training programs فعالية برنامج تدريبى فى اللغة الإنجليزية للأغراض الخاصة فى تنمية بعض مهارات تدريس اللغة بواسطة الحاسب الآلى لدى معلمى اللغة الإنجليزية بالمرحلة الثانوية مستخلص الرسالة باللغة العربية على الرغم من المميزات العديدة التى تخدم تدريس اللغة الإنجليزية القائم على استخدام تطبيقات الکمبيوتر إلا أنه على أرض الواقع، ما يزال التدريب على دمج التطبيقات التکنولوجية فى الخطط الخاصة ببرامج تدريب المعلمين لتنمية مهارات التدريس المختلفة لديهم ما يزال مفقودا. هذا يعنى أن معلمى اللغة الإنجليزية يفتقرون للممارسة العملية لتفعيل الأنشطة التعليمية القائمة على استخدام التطبيقات التکنولوجية داخل الفصول و التى من شأنها تعزيز و تنمية مهارات تدريس اللغة لديهم مما يؤدى بالتالى لتنمية مهارات لدى الطلاب. لذا، تم تصميم برنامج تدريبى الهدف منه تدريب عينة من معلمى اللغة الإنجليزية قوامها اربعين معلم و معلمة على استخدام بعض التطبيقات التکنولوجية الحديثة فى تدريس اللغة الإنجليزية و اعداد الأنشطة التعليمية التى تلائم احتياجات و اهتمامات طلاب القرن الواحد و العشرين. لتحديد مدى فعالية البرنامج المعد فى تنمية مهارات تدريس اللغة التى تعتمد على استخدام الکمبيوتر و تطبيقاته لدى عينة البحث، تم اعداد الأدوات التالية: (1) استبيان لتحديد اتجاهات و ميول المعلمين لاستخدام التکنولوجيا فى تدريس اللغة، (2) اختبار المعلم التکنولوجى لبيان مدى فعلية البرنامج فى تنمية مهارات تدريس اللغة القائمة على استخدام الکمبيوتر. استخدمت الدراسة التصميم شبه التجريبى على العينة التجريبية المختارة عشوائيا. تم تطبيق الأدوات بعد المراجعة و التنقيح من قبل المحکمين قبليا و بعديا على العينة المحددة. بعد معالجة النتائج احصائيا، تبين وجود فروق دالة احصائيا بين متوسطى الأداء لعينة البحث فى التطبيق القبلى و البعدى للأدوات المستخدمة مما أدى لرفض الفروض الصفرية و احلالها بالفروض البديلة التى تبرهن على نجاح الرنامج التدريبى فى تمنية المهارات المقترحة لدى معلمى اللغة الإنجليزية بالمرحلة الثانوية. الکلمات الاسترشادية: اللغة الإنجليزية للأغراض الخاصة، تدريس اللغة الإنجليزية القائم على استخدام الکمبيوتر، التدريب التکنولوجى لمعلمى اللغة الإنجليزية، برامج التدريب التکنولوجى

Needs Analysis of ESP Courses for Pre-service Flight Attendants

The purpose of this study is to analyze the practical needs of pre-service flight attendant students, identify any problems, and give suggestions on developing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses for them. For data collection, the researcher conducted an online survey on the respective needs of 144 university students majoring in airline services and three professors in the department of airline services at G University in Korea and interviewed five students. The questionnaire given to the students was composed of 23 items, and its responses were descriptively analyzed. As for the responses to the interview and open-ended survey questions, the responses were analyzed by coding and were grouped into the guestionnaire categories. Consequently, most students felt that English is an important part of their work. Among the four main English skills, the needs for speaking skills were emphasized. In terms of ESP courses, they wanted a greater variety of English courses and preferred team teaching with an aviation expert and an English education expert. The results of the interview indicated that some of the current English courses were not designed for a specific purpose. Accordingly, this study identified some challenges to designing and implementing an appropriate ESP program matched with future job-related needs.

Investigating medical students’ readiness for technology-mediated autonomous learning situations in ESP programs

The use of technology and learner autonomy are two key issues in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs. This study aimed to investigate Iranian medical students’ readiness to do ESP tasks based on five situations and discover their reasons for choosing each of the situations. Two of the situations (1 and 2) embodied a conventional autonomous learning process, two (3 and 4) represented a technology-mediated autonomous learning process, and one (5) was based on a self-study method. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the students’ choices of the situations in order of priority were situation 2, situation 3, situation 1, situation 5, and situation 4. The themes emerging from the content analysis of the students’ reasons for choosing each of the situations were: Situation 1: concentration, individuality gains, professor, group work problems, and learning gains; Situation 2: professor, information exchange, learning gains, personal contact gains, motivation, confidence, discipline, and Internet problems; Situation 3: professor, information exchange, learning gains, time management, accessibility, face-to-face contact demerits, and discipline; Situation 4: stress free, time and language problems; and Situation 5: concentration, individuality gains, time, and university problems. The study concludes that the majority of the students have a low level of readiness for technology-mediated autonomous learning situations. It suggests that the students’ autonomy be promoted through raising their awareness about, motivation for and confidence in using technology for educational purposes and creating incentives for ESP teachers to foster technology-mediated autonomous learning.

TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SKILLS THROUGH PROBLEM BASED LEARNING: AN ESP PERSPECTIVE

Aimed at exploring such category embodied in pedagogical content knowledge (Grossman, 1990) as knowledge of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instructional strategies useful for teaching content, this paper uses English for Business course offered at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman as its context. While placing given attention to the analysis of how application of content and the process of problem-based learning can help Omani ESP students develop 21st century skills, it provides a detailed information about the integration of problem solving skills development throughout the course curriculum and teaching materials, as well as the processes of students’ learning about how to think and solve problems through facilitated problem solving and self-directed learning. Recommendations for the effective integration of problem-based learning in ESP programs are provided.

The Role of ESP in Fostering EFL Students' English Competence

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has a role in developing the students’ competence if the learning programs and materials are designed and developed based on their needs. Language coverage in ESP in certain cases is different from general English. ESP programs and materials are goal-oriented, therefore it needs to be understood that English has function and role as a tool of communication in conveying thoughts and feelings to others. The well-designed and developed ESP programs and materials are expected to have a role to improve their English competence specifically. Thus, it is expected that the graduates of English language and literature will be able to master their fields and English in other science fields specifically.

The Use of Subtitled Movies for Vocabulary Acquisition in ESP Settings: Insights from an Experimental Study in Algeria

Research in the field of second language acquisition indicates that exposure to subtitled movies as comprehensible input generally enhances the acquisition of vocabulary. This paper reports on an experimental study which seeks to explore the effects of using subtitled movies on the vocabulary acquisition of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) university students in Algeria. The aim is to possibly find empirical evidence using ESP programs in Algeria as a case study. In order to achieve this aim, a sample of participants were recruited for the research and were randomly divided into control group, those who were asked to watch a movie without subtitles, and treatment group, those who were exposed to the movie with subtitles. The two groups were later asked to complete a Vocabulary Test (VT), which involved thirty vocabulary items identified from the movie. The VT was quantitatively analyzed using the one-way ANOVA procedure to determine the statistical significance of vocabulary acquisition. The findings indicate that using subtitled movies clearly enhances the learning of new vocabulary, and that the vocabulary acquisition of the treatment group is much greater than the acquisition of the control group. As a conclusion, it is noted that these results are generally congruent with current theory in the field. It is recommended that ESP teachers in Algeria need to encourage the use of multimedia in their language classrooms towards enhancing their learners’ vocabulary acquisition.