Challenges in Teaching ESP: Teaching Resources and Students’ Needs

Medrea, Nicoleta; Rus, Dana

doi:10.1016/s2212-5671(12)00291-2

Cited by 22 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…However, on the practical level, several considerable problems which mostly occur in multiple layers for Indonesian ESP teachers. At the institutional level, limited teaching and learning resource have been the major issue (Medrea & Rus, 2012) as well as the number of class participants that can exceed more than 50 students. At human resource level, ESP teachers seem to have inadequate professional development opportunities to cope with the challenges and demands nowadays (Khanh, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Project-Based Learning on L2 Spoken Performance of Undergraduate Students in English for Business Class

Wahyudin¹

2017

Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Applied Linguistics (CONAPLIN 9)

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Abstract-Project-based Learning (PBL) has become the central part of ESP practice in higher education. The present study tried to confirm the questions whether the students' foreign language (L2) oral performance in English for Business (EFB) Class is significantly affected after PBL is tailored. The study conducted for a semester used an experimental design with the total of 60 students as participants. Before the learning process began, the students were assigned randomly to experimental class (learning EFB through PBL) and control class (learning EFB through Presentation, Practice, Production). In both classes, a business presentation was employed as an oral test in order to reveal the difference of the L2 spoken performance between experimental class and control class. The finding in this study pointed out that the students who learn EFB through PBL outperformed the students who learned EFB through PPP. Since the finding of this study confirms numerous previous studies conducted in the same area, it is recommended that practitioners apply PBL as an alternative way to teach ESP class, especially at the undergraduate level.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Project-Based Learning on L2 Spoken Performance of Undergraduate Students in English for Business Class

Wahyudin¹

2017

Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Applied Linguistics (CONAPLIN 9)

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“…A similar view is presented by Hutchinson and Waters (1987:161), who argue that teachers trained for teaching General English may "feel a sense of utter inadequacy at their ability to cope" with highly specialised ESP materials. All things considered, ESP teachers have to face the situations in which they will become learners themselves (Medrea and Rus, 2012).…”

Section: Esp Teachers and Their Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Issues Affecting Selection and Evaluation of ESP Teaching Materials

Pašalić

Plančić

2018

ToMS

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The paper will point out a range of obstacles and challenges English lecturers encounter when teaching English for Specific purposes (ESP) and when deciding which course book and teaching materials would best suit their students in tertiary education. Other issues relating to ESP will also be considered such as what exactly ESP means, main characteristics of ESP courses, their teachers and students. This paper will also include analysis of actions that need to be taken in the evaluation of ESP materials as suggested by various authors on the subject. There will be an example of the specific requirements of teaching materials in Maritime English and their evaluation. The aim is to give an overview of theoretical perspectives and methodologies for the evaluation of teaching materials and to encourage ESP teachers to design evaluation techniques for their type of ESP course.

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“…Studies of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) have acknowledged the existing complexities in meeting the needs of students from various academic disciplines in English language teaching (see Bhatia, 2007;Medrea & Rus, 2012;Popescu, 2012). With the revised engineering accreditation criteria, the English language educators not only need to be familiar with communication in English, but also English for engineering contexts and the kinds of problems engineers have to solve.…”

Section: The Expectations Of English Language Teaching In Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to knowledge and understandings of teaching ESP, the availability of resources is crucial for ESL educators, particularly when their knowledge about a particular discipline is limited (Medrea & Rus, 2012). The lack of knowledge, understandings and resources suggest potential challenges and constraints for EL educators in teaching ESP in higher education institutions.…”

Section: Discipline-specific English Language Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While they would need to learn about teaching English language, they would also be expected to address the demands and expectations of teaching English at this university. The literature review raised questions about teaching English for specific purposes or a specific discipline whereby different sets of knowledge were required as teaching was not only about the language but also about other skills such as communication and problem solving skills (see Alexander, 2012;Medrea & Rus, 2012). This led to further analysis of how EL educators drew on their teacher training about teaching English in school contexts and transformed this to teaching language for specific purposes and a specific discipline in an adult learning environment.…”

Section: Qualifications and Teaching Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing the complexities of English language teaching in engineering

Mohamed¹

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In this 21 st century, engineering employers seek professional engineers who have excellent scientific knowledge and are able to demonstrate good communication and problem solving skills.With this focus on job demands, engineering education has been restructured, balancing the emphasis between scientific knowledge and soft skills. This shift in focus has not only affected the teaching and learning in engineering education, but also English Language (EL) educators who are involved in teaching non-technical components within an engineering education curriculum.This shift in focus has raised the demand for ESP which include teaching communication skills in English language discourse used in engineering, and teaching problem solving skills in English language teaching. With this demand, challenges are inevitable among EL educators who are generally prepared for teaching English for generic purposes in school settings and who bring with them pedagogical knowledge and beliefs in English language teaching, as well as identities they have developed from their previous to their new workplace. This shift also raises questions about the ways in which English language teaching is positioned, the role of English language courses within an engineering-specific context and the implications of this positioning on the design of the English language courses.The main aim of this study was to investigate how EL educators managed the complexities in teaching English at one technical university in Malaysia. In addressing the research questions, a case study design was developed to highlight the complexities within that context and the ways in which EL educators managed these complexities. The data for this study were collected through qualitative and quantitative methods to unpack the complex process of teaching English for engineering which included teaching problem solving and communication skills. These methods obtained insights into the ways in which EL educators conceptualised English language teaching, positioned themselves and framed their teaching in an engineering context. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire involving 12 EL educators. The data from the questionnaire were used to profile the EL educators at the English Language Department of this university. Based on the profiling, four EL educators teaching undergraduate engineering students were selected for the main study. The qualitative data were collected through document study, individual semistructured interviews, classroom observations, video recording of classroom observations and stimulated recall protocols.This study found that there were disconnections between English language teaching and the engineering discipline at this university. These disconnections were due to the dissemination process of the engineering accreditation requirements whereby these requirements went through ii multiple layers of interpretation, adaptation and translation before they reached the EL educators, causing ambiguities in positioning English language ...

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Challenges in Teaching ESP: Teaching Resources and Students’ Needs

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

The Effect of Project-Based Learning on L2 Spoken Performance of Undergraduate Students in English for Business Class

The Effect of Project-Based Learning on L2 Spoken Performance of Undergraduate Students in English for Business Class

Issues Affecting Selection and Evaluation of ESP Teaching Materials

Managing the complexities of English language teaching in engineering

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