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Implications of Current Research in ESP for ESL/ESP Teacher Training

Implications of Current Research in ESP for ESL/ESP Teacher Training. Amina Gaye Assistant Professor, GRU Department Fatima College of Health Sciences Abu Dhabi, UAE amina.gaye@fchs.ac.a e ESP Oxford International Conference (IESPTA)

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Implications of Current Research in ESP for ESL/ESP Teacher Training

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  1. Implications of Current Research in ESP for ESL/ESP Teacher Training Amina Gaye Assistant Professor, GRU Department Fatima College of Health Sciences Abu Dhabi, UAE amina.gaye@fchs.ac.ae ESP Oxford International Conference (IESPTA) Oxford University, England 2 June 2018

  2. Outline • Introduction and Background • Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study • Research Questions, Design and Methods • Findings and Analysis • Recommendations for Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

  3. Introduction • Need for ESP • Development of ESP

  4. Competencies Required • Conduct a Needs Analysis effectively (Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998) • Collaboratewith content experts (Ferguson, 1997; Evans and St John, 1998; Kone, 2007; Maleki, 2011) • Understand that ESP learners are “the most readily available sources of specialist knowledge” (Belcher, 2009, p.13) • Use Authentic Materials

  5. However, there are several constraining factors to the progress of ESP as a component of ELT

  6. Most Constraining Factor • Lack of EFL instructors’ training in ESP (Swales, 1985) - Awareness of their role as ESP Practitioners - Transition from ESL instructor to ESP Practitioner • Limiting ESP to the teaching of vocabulary - Genre Analysis (Bhatia, 1999) - Cultural awareness (Swales, 1990)

  7. Background to the Study • Field of Tourism • Field of Business

  8. Background to the Study Despite its unofficial status in Senegal, English plays an important role in the professional area

  9. Statement of the Problem Gap between the achievements of the English instructional program and the labor market’s requirements

  10. Statement of the Problem • The majority of those professionals need training oriented towards the acquisition and the practice of the English language in a specialized context. • However, shifts in curriculum are not accompanied with teacher preparation

  11. Purpose of the Study • Highlight the need and significance of ESP Teacher Training • Come up with recommendations that can help Senegalese instructors working in content-specific areas better understand their roles in order to produce graduates that meet the labor market’s requirements and expectations.

  12. Research Questions What do such teachers actually know about ESP?  Are Senegalese instructors working in content-specific areas familiar with ESP? Do they know how to use ESP in their teaching? Are those teachers trained in ESP? 

  13. Research Design and Methods • Qualitative Approach that builds on the works of Bhatia (1999) and Mahapatra (2011). “Training for ESP instructors is highly context-specific and time-bound, and should be designed on the basis of the needs of the teachers under focus.” (Mahapatra, 2011) • Survey • 92 EFL instructors working in content-specific areas (high school and undergrads) • 6 public universities, 7 technical high schools

  14. Findings and Analysis “Are the learners’ needs at all taken into consideration?”

  15. Needs Analysis • Only 27% consider future professional needs as perceived by learners/ and or employers. • Grammar and vocabulary rather than practicing authentic material.

  16. Types of learners taught Mostly teach high school students and undergrads Most of them have little to no professional experience yet.

  17. Content Knowledge

  18. Collaboration with Content Experts • The opportunity seems to exist but… • they don’t seize it.

  19. Materials Used

  20. Teaching Methods • Students are not often engaged in oral activities • Only 12% content-based instruction • Only 08% task-based learning methods

  21. Knowledge of ESP

  22. Perceptions of their constraints • 81% mentioned some other barriers like the class size, the duration and frequency of class meetings, etc. • For 87% it is the lack of materials

  23. Do Senegalese ESL Instructors know how to use ESP in their teaching? Criteria/ Requirements Survey Results • Needs Analysis • Syllabus designed accordingly • Collaboration with content expert • Teaching Material Developed • No needs analysis • No Syllabus required • Opportunity exists but is not seized • No, lack of materials mentioned as a barrier

  24. What do such teachers actually know about ESP? Survey Results Interpretation • Seem to be pretty much familiar with the field • Teaching of vocabulary and grammar • Lack of consistency which shows that they are not • Teaching of Genres (Bhatia, 1999) and practicing authentic meaningful communication

  25. Are those instructors trained in ESP? Survey Result Interpretation • 93% of the instructors surveyed never took any classes in ESP • Although most of them attended a teacher training school • ESP is not taught as a subject

  26. Are Senegalese EFL instructors working in content-areas familiar with ESP? No, they are not familiar with the field of ESP and do not know how to use it in their teaching

  27. Recommendations for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) • ESP should be taught as a subject in the Departments of English • A pre-service ESP teacher training course designed for graduates of the English departments who enter FASTEF • Instructors accompanied in their role of ESP practitioners through in-service workshops

  28. References • Abdulaziz, M., Shah, S. K., Mahmood, R., & Fazal e Haq, H. M. (2012). Change from a general English teacher to an ESP practitioner: Issues and challenges in Pakistan. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4(1), 434–465. • Belcher, D. (2009). What ESP is and can be: An introduction. In D. Belcher (Ed.), English for specific purposes in theory and practice. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. • Bhatia, V. K. (1999). Analysing genre: An applied linguistic perspective. Keynote address given at the 12th World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Tokyo, Japan. • Chostelidou, D., Griva, E., & Taskiridou, E. (2009). A record of the training needs of ESP practitioners in vocational education. Selected Papers from the 18th ISTAL (pp. 131–143). Retrieved from http://www.enl.auth.gr/symposium18/papers/14_chostelidou_griva_tsakiridou.pdf • Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes. A learning-centred approach. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. • Mahapatra, S. K. (2011). Teacher training in ESP: A historical review. English for Specific Purposes World, 33(11). • Swales, J. (1985). Episodes in ESP: A source and reference book on the development of English for science and technology, Volume 1. Oxford, England: Pergamon Institute of English. • Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

  29. Thank you for listening! ELT ESP amina.gaye@fchs.ac.ae

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