ESP Course Research Articles

Blended learning challenges of EFL undergraduate students: Student learning experience in an AI-integrated ESP course

Blended learning can facilitate ESP learning, yet challenges in AI-integrated ESP learning are largely unexplored. This study aims to investigate the blended learning challenges of EFL undergraduate students from the perspective of student learning experience in an AI-integrated ESP course. The participants were 57 Thai mixed-level undergraduate students studying English for economics at a public university in Thailand. Using a mixed-method approach, student data were collected and analysed using Microsoft Teams learning analytics and triangulated with a questionnaire and focus group interview data. Study results showed similarities and differences in students’ blended learning challenges in the diverse target participants. Participants generally viewed technological and online learning aspects as the least challenging, in contrast with social aspects as the most challenging, followed by motivation and willingness to participate in the blended learning ESP course. Despite students’ academic achievement, data revealed students’ negative emotions and negative blended learning experiences amongst higher-proficiency students, but lower level of blended learning challenges due to easy learning tasks and lack of teacher support for more advanced language skills. In contrast, lower-proficiency students recorded more positive emotions and blended learning experiences but a higher level of blended learning challenges. Despite lower-level English, lower-proficiency students experienced teacher support both in using AI and ESP. The study highlights the importance of teacher support, which fulfils the incomplete roles of AI in ESP blended learning, and calls for a reconceptualisation of blended learning challenges. Implications for pedagogy and research on AI-integrated blended learning in ESP contexts are provided.

Comparison of Authorial Stance Between Professional and Amateur Writers in Scientific Correspondence Writing

Writing argumentative correspondences is an art requiring linguistic and rhetorical skills to bring forth the ultimate effect of persuading the audience. However, instruction of this critical language art has been underrepresented in Thai tertiary educational contexts. This study is based on an interventional experiment of teaching an ESP-Science course to 40 students majoring in science, with a strong emphasis on linguistic devices for academic interaction, consisting of stance and engagement marking, as elaborated in Hyland (2005a, 2005b). The interventional experiment made use of the 240 correspondences taken from the scientific journal Nature with the duration of 30 hours over a 10-week period. This study reports the findings from a comparison of the students’ writing before and after the intervention and a comparison of the students’ post-experiment writing and the experts’ writing. The analysis is based on content analysis, inter-rater assessment, and descriptive statistics, and shows that a meaningful level of progress has been obtained as a result of the intervention. The progress is evident in not only that students’ post-experiment writing exceeds in quality their pre-experiment writing, but also that students’ post-experiment writing has become similar to the expert writing to a great extent, with respect, in particular, to the strategic patterns of stance and engagement marking. The success of a relatively short intervention, i.e., 10 weeks, calls for implementation of courses using authentic correspondences in ESP-Science classes, or more broadly, in ESP courses in diverse disciplines (237/250).

Taxonomy framework for multiple-attribute decision-making with neutrosophic sets: ESP courses teaching effectiveness case

Taxonomy framework for multiple-attribute decision-making with neutrosophic sets: ESP courses teaching effectiveness case

Boosting Students’ ESP Vocabulary by Utilizing AI Chatbot

Technology integration in foreign language learning is a must today. One of the issues is the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot in English language teaching. Some studies have mentioned the benefits and advantages of using AI Chatbot. Nonetheless, none of the studies examines deeply on hoe ESP vocabulary. To fill the gaps, this study examines the effect of AI Chatbot especially Dialogflow enhanced the ESP vocabulary acquisition. The experimental comparison of two groups—an experience group and a control group—is the backbone of this study in order to accomplish that purpose. Both groups underwent pre-tests and post-tests to assess the effectiveness of utilizing AI chatbot in learning ESP vocabulary. The chatbot content was meticulously constructed to incorporate vocabulary features such as synonyms and concise explanations of word meanings. The study's findings revealed that utilizing chatbots significantly improves the acquisition of ESP vocabulary. It was found that students in the experimental group that used Dialogflow, a chatbot, performed better than students in the control group. To add, the study suggests that chatbots could be utilized in many situations to enhance language learning in general or in specific ESP courses. A chatbot provides a stimulating setting to facilitate positive interactions where the negotiation of meaning occurs explicitly, which appears to greatly benefit learners in advancing their second language lexical development.

English needs analysis of food & beverage employees: A case study of a 5-star resort in Vietnam

In light of globalization and international travel, English plays a predominant role in the tourism and hospitality industries. Hence, effective communication in English becomes a requisite skill for Food and Beverage (F&B) employees, especially in luxury resorts. Nonetheless, there has been limited research into the linguistic needs of these employees. This preliminary study explored the English language needs and problems encountered by F&B staff at a 5-star resort in Vietnam in a post-pandemic context. Data included two sets of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of full-time F&B employees and related stakeholders. In addition, an analysis of Tripadvisor reviews was utilized to understand customers’ opinions about the employees’ English abilities. The findings showed that the F&B employees perform various tasks requiring four English skills in their daily work. Regarding problems, these employees considered listening and writing to be the most difficult skills. Also, the F&B employees expected an ESP course prioritizing speaking and listening skills to mitigate the lack of exposure to English due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its concomitant travel restrictions. Based on the findings, practical course syllabi and pedagogical implications for related ESP courses were developed.

Ict use and instruction modes in pandemic and post-pandemic contexts: A study on ESP students’ motivation and academic performance

The implementation of information and communication technology became crucial amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Several studies have been carried out on the effect of technology-mediated instruction modes on learners from diverse educational backgrounds, yet few articles have discussed the pandemic aftereffects in ESP students. This study seeks to investigate the use of technologies and the impact of the pandemic on ESP students’ motivation and academic outcomes. Data was collected from 116 students assigned to three groups, the Experimental 1 group (N=39) and the Control group (N=48) data was gathered in 2021-2022 post-pandemic context. The Experimental group 2 (N=29) data collection took place in 2020-2021 pandemic context. A medium-impact blend ESP course was implemented with both Experimental groups while the Control group experienced coursebook based traditional instruction. Group comparisons revealed the detrimental effects of the pandemic and the positive impact of the ICT-mediated medium blend implementation on both students’ motivation and academic outcomes. These findings contribute to identify the pandemic aftereffects and the challenges for all of the stakeholders in this particular context.

Students’ stance towards translanguaging in an EFL oral productive assessment task

ABSTRACT Albeit the growing plurilingual research due to the new sociolinguistic realities in education and a reaction to the dominant monolingual bias, few studies have focused on plurilingual assessment and students’ ideologies towards using their plurilingual competence and resources such as translanguaging. A total sample of 36 undergraduates who completed a five-month EMI or ESP course in Catalonia, Spain, participated in our study. We examined their stance-taking discourse on a speaking assessment task in which they could draw upon all their communicative resources if they felt that it would increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their message. Findings suggested that, rather than two clear extreme positions, there is a continuum of positions in favour and against the legitimacy of using their whole plurilingual repertoire. Moreover, our results also showed the dominance of a deeply-ingrained monolingual mindset among the learners which leads them to implicitly or explicitly resist the possibility of translanguaging.

Re-designing ESP Syllabus Design for Pre-Service Teachers in the Physical Education of Elementary Teacher Programs

Technology-cultivated learning opens opportunities to acquire knowledge from various resources. However, languages become a barrier for non-English major students. ESP allows students to familiarise their English with their specific subject. Nevertheless, less research develops PE lessons that integrate specific sports vocabulary and communication skills relevant to the activity. Thus, this study aims to explore the needs of the Physical Education of Elementary Teacher Program (PE-ETP) pre-service teachers. One hundred eighty-eight students participated in this study. The survey, focus group discussion, and interview formulated the findings. The result shows that 42% (80 participants) considered ESP very important as part of the curriculum. 56% (105 participants) consider it essential. Only 2% (3 participants) stated that ESP is not important and cannot be part of the curriculum. Further, eight possible topics were offered in developing ESP courses for the PE-ETP. The topics are teaching PE using English (92.02%), academic English for sports (87.77%), athlete communications (86.70%), referee communications (87.77%), coach communications (90.96%), sports category (91.49%), sports terms (92.55%) and Physiology terms (88.83%). The topics can be developed into specific course units in syllabus design.

Problems and Challenges in Designing ESP Course for Hospitality and Tourism Students of STP Mataram

Problems and Challenges in Designing ESP Course for Hospitality and Tourism Students of STP Mataram

EMPOWERING ESP LEARNERS THROUGH BUSINESS MEETING SIMULATIONS: INSIGHTS ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

In ESP courses, it is important to provide students with authentic and realistic learning activities to improve their communicative competence. This study explores students’ perceptions of the use of business meeting simulation in an ESP course. There are two research questions guiding this study (1) How do the students perceive the use of business meeting simulation in improving their communicative competence? (2) What obstacles are faced by students in conducting the business meeting simulation? This research was conducted at the Port and Shipping Management department of a maritime polytechnic in Indonesia. A questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions and open-ended questions was used to collect data. Twenty-four students in semester seven were involved in completing a questionnaire exploring their perceptions. The quantitative and qualitative data from the questionnaire were recapped and analyzed. The findings of the study showed that most students agreed that the activity of business meeting simulation can improve their communicative competence, especially politeness strategies and various expressions used in a meeting. The study also revealed the obstacles faced by students, i.e., lack of vocabulary mastery and low self-confidence, limited time for preparation, and problems with group work.

Ensuring Equal Opportunities in an English-for-Specific-Purposes Course for Working-While-Studying Technical Students

The number of technical students combining work and studies has increased recently. More and more students decide to gain professional experience as early as possible, resulting in a lower attendance rate. This is highly relevant to master’s degree students who struggle to succeed in both academic and professional activities, necessitating research into academic attainment strategies. The paper describes the types of working students, their needs in English, and proposes a way to improve their academic achievement, including English proficiency. A series of tests and an interview were administered to a sample of 363 master’s degree students learning technical English. The chi-square test, Fisher’s test and the Mann–Whitney Z-test were employed in order to assess the language skills acquired by students in blended learning and offline classes, and to validate the designed blended ESP course featuring an e-course and classroom lessons. The findings of the research indicated that working-while-studying students enrolled in the blended course made more significant progress in their English skills, particularly in reading and writing, compared to non-working students who had only traditional offline lessons. The results provide insights concerning the benefits of blended learning to ensure equal opportunities for working-while-studying students and their ways of adapting to a changing learning environment.

Academic ESP Courses in a Hybrid Mode: Attitudes and Perceptions

Developing academic ESP courses in a hybrid mode has come to the forefront of the educational agenda due to social and economic reasons: technological advance followed by the emergence of new communication, business and education technologies; new generations of learners who grow up in virtual reality rather than in real life; commercialisation of education; changes in workplaces and business organisations; a pandemic that resulted in increased use of the electronic and hybrid modes of interacting and working. In light of these circumstances, the research on the key actors in the educational process – learners and teachers – has gained importance and has become the reason to initiate a study of these actors’ attitudes and perceptions with regard to the academic ESP courses in a hybrid mode. The article presents and discusses the results from a survey conducted within this study and related to the preparation of reference criteria for course design in terms of parameters. Data analysis has implications for the educational sector in terms of language and subject course development, as well as of the introduction of relevant policies in higher education.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLABORATIVE DISTANCE LEARNING IN ESP INSTRUCTION

In post pandemic instruction fueled by digital media and technology, distance learning emerges as a powerful opportunity for higher education collaboration. The Directorate of Students’ Learning, Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia opens opportunities for universities across Indonesia to have collaborative online learning with those students based on underprivileged regions in Indonesia. This research investigates a case of collaborative online learning project between two universities in East Java and East Nusa Tenggara province with two ESP courses designed collaboratively and implemented with shared classes in online mode. Through this case study, two things are explored during the program: challenges and opportunities in the stage of course development and course implementation. Two course developers, four university instructors, and thirteen selected students from both universities were involved in this study. Data collection combined interviews, virtual observations, and instructional documents. Analysis employed thematic layering and triangulation, revealing challenges in four areas: course development, technology readiness, teaching methods, and student support. However, rooms of improvement are there for more prepared future collaboration. Despite the challenges, collaborative distance learning conducted by both universities can be a lesson to learn for a better online instruction in the future amidst the pluralistic backgrounds of the students and problematic technology support.

The Impact of Conceiving an Empirical ESP Course on Undergraduate Engineering Students: A Case Study at Ovidius University of Constanta

The Impact of Conceiving an Empirical ESP Course on Undergraduate Engineering Students: A Case Study at Ovidius University of Constanta

Using Informal Assessments in Project-Based Learning to Motivate Students to Speak Up: A Classroom Action Research Learned from ESP Courses

An assessment is a way of gathering and discussing data from various sources to gain an understanding of what a student knows, understands, and is able to do with their knowledge resulting from their education to improve their future learning. The purposes of this study were to see the motivation of students to learn the English project suggested in the ESP Course, Business Meetings Project, and also measured the student's success in language skills, especially oral communication skills.The study was conducted using an action research method where a questionnaire, students' achievements, and classroom activities were taken as the data. The questionnaire was scored using the Likert scale rating. Students will respond to this scale by rating the motivation factor on a scale. The researchers employed a pre- and post-test to determine how much the students' abilities had improved. The pre-test and post-test mean scores were compared and computed by the researcher using the T-test technique. The participants were 26 students from the Accounting Department of the State Polytechnic Of Malang. The outcome of this study was the successful implementation of the model. The T-test for the first project showed 62,30, the second project had 74,69, and the third project had 79,30.

Teaching English for Tourism in order to Cater to the Specific Requirements of English majors at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade

This study looks at what students need in English for tourism classes at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT). It shows that there are three ways to do a needs analysis: target situation analysis(TSA), present situation analysis(PSA), and holistic analysis. As part of this study, the author polled 180 students online to find out what HUIT English majors need for their English for tourism learning. The results show that the students think they need to work on being able to communicate better in English and learning more about tourism. They plan to include more project work to give students more chances to use the language in real life. The results from this study can be used to modify the present ESP courses to meet the needs of students learning English for tourism at HUIT.

Vocabulary Acquisition through Thesaurus Modelling within ESP Course for Engineering Students

Vocabulary Acquisition through Thesaurus Modelling within ESP Course for Engineering Students

Research on Business English Course Construction in Application-oriented Colleges under the Background of Cross Border E-commerce

With the rapid development of cross border E-commerce, more and more attention is being paid to business English in Chinese students’ employment, students are required to not only have good basic language skills, but also considerable professional knowledge and practical ability in business English. This paper explores the development of business English course in application-oriented colleges by reading and analyzing relative online and offline literature and further puts forward ways to improve the teaching from both theoretical and practical perspectives by conducting questionnaires and interviews. Taken Chongqing College of Mobile Communication as an example, this paper analyzes the current situation of business English course in application-oriented colleges, point out the existing problems, and put forward corresponding solutions, so as to improve the teaching efficiency of business English course and give implications to the further development of ESP courses.

An Analysis of Arab Undergraduate Students’ Writing Performance: Applying SWOT Framework

Writing is an indispensable skill in the academic as well as professional lives of individuals. As such, an in-depth multi-layered delve into the writing of students becomes necessary to gain a better understanding of these texts from different directions. This study explores the writing skill proficiency of undergraduate Arab business students using the SWOT framework: analyzing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The SWOT framework was adopted as an analytical framework for this study to achieve interdisciplinarity between the different fields of knowledge during face-to-face and hybrid sessions. This, in its turn, could contribute to viewing a persisting issue in the field of language teaching and learning, such as students’ writing performance, from a different angle. An analysis of a written corpus of 80 students’ written analytical essays was thoroughly conducted to depict the nature of students’ writing. The participants of the current study were business major students enrolled in an ESP course at the Arab Open University in Kuwait. Data analysis has yielded interesting findings with respect to the internal strengths and weaknesses in the students’ writing in the business field. The data has also provided valuable insights on the future opportunities as well as the pitfalls to avoid in order to improve the quality of students’ writing as external factors that might be affecting their performance in analytical business writing. Such findings could also be helpful for writing instructors when planning, teaching, and assessing their students’ writing.

Needs Analysis of College Students for ESP Under the Scope “New Liberal Arts”

The term “new liberal arts” encourages integrating traditional liberal arts with other disciplines to promote the efficacy of education. It has been well received all around China, especially in higher education. Under such a background, ESP courses must be tailored to equip college students with sufficient knowledge and training that integrates English with professional expertise. The researchers designed a questionnaire to collect data from five perspectives to better gain insight into students’ needs for ESP courses. The central part of the questionnaire adopted 32 items of the Likert scale and one open-ended question, focusing on the evaluation of ESP courses, assessment of students’ current English ability, students’ needs for ESP courses, and what are the main problems hindering current ESP teaching for students and teachers. The questionnaire was distributed to the participants on an online survey platform. The participants were junior or senior undergraduates and ESP teachers from twelve public universities in China. After the survey, the researchers collected 1078 questionnaires for students and 213 for teachers. The results showed that students and teachers did not think positively of current ESP courses and students’ current English ability, and students had the need for ESP courses on different scales. Furthermore, the study also found that there were discrepancies between the students and teachers with regard to specific items. The findings suggest that an interdisciplinary perspective is needed when carrying out ESP courses, and consensus-based collaboration between students and teachers is also indispensable.