1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Hạnh DESIGNING AN ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AT HOA LU UNIVERSITY (Thiết kế chương trình đọc tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ hai chuyên ngành Việt Nam học tại trường Đại học Hoa Lư) M. Minor Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2010 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 6 LIST OF ABREVIATION.
9 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. Aims and objectives. Scope of the study. Methods of the study.
Design of the study. 13 PART II: DEVELOPMENT. 14 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. An overview of ESP.
Definition of ESP. Types of ESP. An overview of syllabus design. Types of syllabus .1 Content-based syllabus.
Skills-based syllabus. Method-based syllabus. Approaches to ESP syllabus design. Language-centred approach.
Skills-centred approach. Learning-centred approach. Steps to design a syllabus. 22 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Theories of reading. Reading in ESP. Reading skills and strategies in ESP. 25 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY.
The teaching and learning English situation at Hoa Lu University. The target students. The teaching staff of the English section. Instruments for collecting data.
Needs perceived by the teachers of the English section. Needs perceived by the subject teachers. Needs perceived by the target students. 36 CHAPTER 3: DESIGNING AN ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AT HOA LU UNIVERSITY.
Aims and objectives of the reading syllabus. Selecting the type of ESP syllabus. Sequencing the content and the tasks in the syllabus. Selecting the content.
Topics in the syllabus. Reading skills and reading exercises. Grammar and structures. Grading the items in the syllabus.
The organization of the syllabus. 43 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 9 LIST OF ABREVIATION EAP: English for Academic Purposes EGP: English for General Purposes EGAP: English for General Academic Purposes EGBP: English for General Business Purposes ELT: English Language Teaching EOP: English for Occupational Purposes ESP: English for Specific Purposes GE: General English HLU: Hoa Lu University LSP: Languages for specific purposes TALO: Text As a Linguistic Object TAVI: Text As a Vehicle of Information TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 10 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1: Continuum of ELT course types. 5-6 Table 1: Teachers’ expectations of the ESP reading course .XI Table 2: Teachers’ ranking of topics relating to Vietnamese Handicraft Villages….XII Table 3: Teachers’ ranking of grammar and structures needed for the syllabus……….XIII Table 4: Reading skills and exercises needed for reading comprehension perceived by the teachers .XIV Table 5: Students’ expectations of the ESP reading course .XVI Table 6: Students’ ranking of topics relating to Vietnamese Handicraft Villages.XVII Table 7: Reading skills and exercises needed for reading comprehension perceived by the students………………………………………………………………………………XVIII TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 11 PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale The most significant feature of the rapidly developing field of English language teaching over the past decades has been the importance attached to English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which is part of a more general movement of teaching Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP).
In fact, the teaching of ESP was pioneered in the 1950s and 1960s (Dudley-Evans & St. However, the enterprise became a vital and innovative activity within the teaching of English in the 1970s. Today, with the globalization of trade and economy and the continuing increase of international communication in various fields, the demand for ESP is expanding, especially in countries where English is taught as a foreign language. In Vietnam, the teaching and learning of ESP are getting more and more attention in order for the learners to get the best preparation for their future career.
There are many colleges and universities in which ESP is compulsory in the curriculum. At Hoa Lu University (HLU), different ESP courses are taught to students of different majors. Students of Vietnamese studies, after completing a 150 – period General English course, will progress to the ESP stage which includes two courses, namely English for Hotels and Tourist Industry and English for Vietnamese Handicraft Villages. In preparing for this stage, teachers of the English section, especially those who are asked to teach English for Vietnamese Handicraft Villages Module, face a lot of difficulties due to the lack of an appropriate ESP teaching syllabus.
Since no really suitable published material is available for the identified needs, they have no choice but to provide the material for the course. Being one member of the ESP teachers who are in charge of this challenging task I realized that designing an appropriate ESP reading syllabus is of great necessity and significance given the time allotment of the course, the students’ English proficiency and the fact that developing reading skills for specialized texts is of great importance to ESP students. This is the main reason why the topic “Designing an ESP reading syllabus for the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at Hoa Lu University” is chosen for my thesis. Aims and objectives The study aims at designing an appropriate ESP reading syllabus for the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at HLU.
To achieve this aim, the following objectives are TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.University 12 established: (1) To develop a theoretical framework related to ESP reading syllabus design (2) To identify the needs perceived by the ESP teachers, the ESP students and the subject teachers toward an appropriate reading syllabus for the target students. (3) To propose a reading syllabus based on the relevant theories and the needs analysis 3. Research questions In order to attain the above aims and objectives of the study, the researcher developed the following research questions: (1) What are the students’ learning needs and target needs from the perspective of the ESP students, the ESP teachers and the subject teachers? (2) What should be included in the syllabus? The answer to these questions will help to develop an appropriate ESP reading syllabus for the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at HLU. Scope of the study This study is initiated and developed from the urgent need to design an appropriate ESP syllabus for the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at HLU.
Due to the general institutional academic situation, priority is given to reading skill. Within the scope of a minor thesis, this research paper focuses on the designing process itself; only the basic theories related to ESP, syllabus design and reading are presented. The study’s major objects are the teachers of the English section, the subject teachers, and the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at Hoa Lu University. Methods of the study Both qualitative and quantitative methods are employed in this study.
The quantitative method, which is used to collect data by means of questionnaires, aims at identifying the needs for the ESP syllabus from a broad view. The questionnaires are administered to the teachers of the English section and the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at HLU. Besides, the qualitative method is used to collect in-depth data through interviews with the subject teachers of the Social-Tourism Faculty as well as through informal discussions with colleagues.University TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Design of the study The study contains three main parts: Part I – Introduction presents the rationale, aims and objectives, research questions, scopes, methods and the design of the study.
Part II – Development, which is the main part of the study, consists of three chapters: Chapter 1 reviews the literature concerning ESP, syllabus design, needs analysis and reading theories Chapter 2 describes in details the study including its background, subjects, instruments for collecting data and the findings of the study Chapter 3 proposes a reading syllabus for the second-year students of Vietnamese Studies at HLU Part III – Conclusion offers a summary of the study, limitations and suggestions for further research.University TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.University 14 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. An overview of ESP 1. Definition of ESP English for Specific Purposes (ESP) or English for Special Purposes arose as a term in the 1960s as it became increasingly aware that General English courses frequently did not meet learners or employers wants. From the outset this term was already a source of contention with many arguments as to what exactly ESP was.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) define ESP as an approach rather than a product – meaning that ESP does not involve a particular kind of language, teaching material or methodology. They suggest that the foundation of ESP involves the learners, the language required and the learning context, which are based on the primacy of needs in ESP. Strevens (1988) formulates a more detailed definition of ESP, which makes a distinction between four absolute characteristics (ESP consists of English language teaching designed to meet specific needs of the learner; related in content to particular disciplines, occupations and activities; centered on the language appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, etc., and analysis of this discourse; in contrast with General English) and two variable characteristics (ESP may be restricted to the language skills to be learned, e. reading only; and not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology).
Ten years later, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) modified Strevens’ definition of ESP to form their own. The revised definition they postulate is as follows: 1) Absolute characteristics: - ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner; - ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves; - ESP is centred on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse, and genres appropriate to these activities. 2) Variable characteristics: - ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines; - ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of general English; - ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a (LUAN.University TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.University 15 professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level; - ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.
Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used with beginners. 4-5) Dudley-Evans and St. John have removed the absolute characteristic that “ESP is in contrast with General English” and added more variable characteristics. They assert that ESP is not necessarily related to a specific discipline.
Furthermore, ESP is likely to be used with adult learners although it could be used with young adults in a secondary school setting. This modified definition of Dudley-Evans and St John is very helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP, and therefore is adopted in this thesis. Types of ESP ESP has traditionally been divided into two classified main areas: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). Robinson (1991:21) devises a tree diagram for ESP, which divides EAP and EOP according to when they take place while Dudley-Evans and St John (1998:6) divide EAP and EOP according to discipline or professional area.
The use of classification trees, in Dudley-Evans and St John’s (1998:8) opinion, creates numerous problems by failing to capture fluid nature of the various types of ESP teaching and “the degree of overlap between “common-core” EAP and General English”. They, therefore, suggest that the presentation of the whole of ELT should be on a continuum which runs from General English courses to very specific ESP courses as illustrated below.