University of languages and national studies Post graduate STUDIES TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG Designing a Thermal Engineering English Reading Syllabus for workers in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ) M. MINOR THESIS Field: Methodology Code: 60 14 10 hµ néi , N¨m 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com University of languages and national studies Post graduate studies TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG Designing a Thermal Engineering English Reading Syllabus for workers in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ) M. MINOR THESIS Field: Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Ph.D hµ néi , N¨m 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Designing a Thermal Engineering English Reading Syllabus for workers in UongBi Thermal Power Plant TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements List of tables List of figures Abbreviations Roman symbols Greek symbols Abstract PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Aims of the study 2 3.
Scope of the study 2 4. Methodology of the study 2 5. Organization of the thesis 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 I. An overview of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 4 I.
Definition of ESP 4 I. Types of ESP 6 I. Definition of the syllabus 8 I. Approaches to language syllabus design 9 I.
Steps to design a syllabus 10 I. Needs analysis in syllabus design 11 I. Concepts of reading 13 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Learning and teaching foreign language reading 15 CHAPTER II: ANALYZING NEEDS IN UONG BI THERMAL POWER PLANT II.
The setting of the study 17 II. Description of data collection 18 II. Data collection instruments and procedures 18 II. Material analysis 18 II.3 The subjects 19 II.
Result analysis and major findings 20 II. Target needs 20 II. Learning needs 28 II. Concluding remarks 30 CHAPTER III: A PROPOSED THERMAL ENGINEERING ENGLISH READING SYLLABUS FOR WORKERS IN UB TPP III.
The General Syllabus 31 III. Topics in the syllabus 32 III. Tasks and activities in the syllabus 33 III. The Pedagogic syllabus 33 III.
Suggestions for teaching ESP at UB TPP 37 PART C: CONCLUSIONS 38 References Appendixes - Questionnaire for the workers in UB TPP - Questionnaire for ESP teachers at Faculty of Fundamental Science - Interview with Subject teachers at Faculty of Energy - A sample unit - A sample of authentic material LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language EGP: English for General Purposes EAP: English for Academic Purposes EOP: English for Occupational Purposes ESL: English as a Second Language ESP: English for Specific Purposes EST: English for Science and Technology ETE: English for Thermal Engineering GE: General English FFS: Faculty of Fundamental Science FE: Faculty of Energy EPU: Electric Power University UB TTP: Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES TALBE 1. Teachers’ expectations of reading skills/ techniques TALBE 2. Teachers’ expectations of sub-reading skills/ techniques TABLE 3. Teachers’ expectations of Grammar and structure TABLE 4.
Teachers’ expectations of tasks/ activities TABLE 5: Learners’ needs of ETE reading course TABLE 6. Learners’ goals and objectives of ETE reading course TABLE 7.Learners’ wants of topics TABLE 8. Learners’ wants of sub-topics TABLE 9. Learners’ wants of reading skills TABLE 10.
Learners’ wants of sub-reading skills LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale From the early 1960's, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has grown to become one of the most prominent areas of EFL teaching today. Its development is reflected in the increasing number of universities offering an MA in ESP and in the number of ESP courses offered to students at universities. In Vietnam too, the ESP movement has shown a slow but definite growth over the past few years.
At Electric Power University, teaching ESP also plays an integral role in training students to become good technicians and engineers. In the previous years, EPU was successful in educating hundreds of students to become technicians in Power System, Hydro Power and Thermal Power, etc…The University has also cooperated with many thermal power plants in the North of Vietnam in general, and in Quang Ninh in particular, in providing English, especially ESP supplementary courses for their workers for many years. The main purpose is to help the workers improve their English for Thermal to use and communicate in their work effectively. However, no available Thermal Engineering English course books are appropriate for these target students.
The current English textbook for Thermal Engineering is designed with great effort of the English teachers can not meet the demand of the learner‟s needs. When providing English supplementary courses in other plants such as Son Dong thermal power plant, Cam Pha TPP, etc…teachers and learners had to face up with the same problems. Although, the important role of syllabuses in providing practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time as well as telling the teachers and learners what should be learned can not be denied, such a syllabus has not been designed as the teachers have not equipped themselves enough knowledge of syllabus design and have found it hard to select materials appropriate to learners‟ English proficiency level. Therefore, a new and appropriate ESP reading syllabus is of great necessity and significance.
That is the rationale for the author to conduct a study to design a workable ETE reading syllabus for workers in Uong Bi TPP. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aims of the study The ultimate aim of the study is to design an appropriate Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus for a supplementary course for workers in Uong Bi TPP. To achieve this aim, there are two specific objectives as follows: To find out the target needs and learning needs of workers in UB TPP for a thermal engineering English course To suggest a Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus for workers in UB TPP according to their needs 3.
Scope of the study Within its scope, this research paper only focuses on designing process for an English supplementary course, not all the theories relating to syllabus design. It major sources of information/ informants are subject teachers, the teachers of ESP and the learners /workers in UB TPP who take part in the supplementary course, not all of workers. Research methods Qualitative methodology, survey method is used mainly to collect data via questionnaires and informal interviews, aims at exploring the needs of the learners, their expectations and opinions about the ESP course. The first questionnaire is designed for learners/ workers in UB TPP who take part in the supplementary course to find out target needs and learning needs for an ETE reading course.
The second questionnaire is designed for ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their suggestions about reading skills grammar/ structures and tasks/ activities and suitable methodology for the course, etc. In addition to that, several informal interviews with subject teachers at Faculty of Energy, Electric Power University (EPU), and with five graduated learners/ technicians are carried out to get suggestions about topic areas and reading skills. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 Also, the quantitative method is used as the supporting method so that data will be collected through material and document analysis. The results of the study will be interpreted based on the analysis of the collected numbers and ratios after gathering and analyzing necessary data.
Then the important factors relating to the reading syllabus for learners/ workers in UB TPP are worked out. Organization of the thesis The thesis is comprised of 3 major parts: - Part A is the Introduction, which presents the rationale, aims and objectives, the scope as well as methodology and design of the study - Part B is the Development, which consists of + Chapter I: Literature review, provides the theories concerning ESP, approaches to syllabus design and reading theories + Chapter II: Needs Analysis, describes and comments on situation analysis, subjects of the study, the instruments for collecting data, analyzes learner‟s target needs and learning needs and presents the findings of the study. + Chapter III: A Proposed Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus, suggests two types of syllabus: the general syllabus and the pedagogic one. The first included the topics and tasks; the second is about the functions, grammar, vocabulary….It also offers some suggestions for teaching ETE in UB TPP as well as for other supplementary courses outside the university - Part C is the Conclusion containing the summary, the main ideas of the study, the contribution and limitations of the thesis.
References Appendixes include the questionnaires, interviews, a sample unit and a sample of authentic material. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I. An overview of ESP I. Definition of ESP Nowadays, the ESP area proves to be in great demand for a global community of people speaking different languages, where efficient command of English can help to contribute to professional as well as personal development of each individual learner.
So far, there have been different views about what ESP is. Some people described ESP as simply being the teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified. Others, however, were more precise, describing it as the teaching of English used in academic studies or the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes. Firstly, Munby (1978) states that ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are determined in all essentials by the prior analysis of the communication needs of the learners.
This view is shared by Hutchinson and Waters (1987): “ESP is an approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners” and “ESP should properly be seen not as any particular language product but as an approach to language teaching which is directed by specific and apparent reasons for learning” Those definitions show the importance of the learners‟ needs element of ESP, as Kenedy and Bolitho (1984) also emphasize: “ESP has its basis in an investigation of the purposes of the learners and the set of communication needs arising from those purposes” And Robinson (1991) also claims that: “An ESP course is based on a needs analysis, which aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English” In 1997, Dudley-Evans, Tony set out in his one hour speech to clarify the meaning of ESP, giving an extended definition of ESP in terms of 'absolute' and 'variable' characteristics Definition of ESP (Dudley-Evans, 1997) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 Absolute Characteristics 1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners 2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves 3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre.
ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines 2. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English 3. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level 4.
ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.