2 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TỐNG THỊ THANH HƯỜNG DESIGNING AN ESP SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS AT TUYEN QUANG MEDICAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH CHO HỌC SINH NGÀNH Y TÁ, ĐIỀU DƯỠNG NĂM THỨ HAI TRƯỜNG TRUNG CẤP Y TẾ TUYÊN QUANG M. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN THỤY PHƯƠNG LAN, M.A HANOI, 2011 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration…………………………………………….……………………… iii Table of contents……………………….………………… iv List of abbreviations………………………. vii List of tables and figures ………………………………………………….……………… viii PART A: INTRODUCTION…………. Aim of the study……………………….
Scope of the study …………………………. Methods of the study………………………………. Significance of the study…………………………. Design of the study ……………………………….
An overview of ESP………………………………………. Definitions of ESP……………………………………………………. Types of ESP………………………………………………………. ESP teacher’s role in course design ………………….
Current views on ESP syllabus design…………………. Definitions of syllabus………………………………………. Approaches to ESP syllabus design……………………………. A language-centered approach…………………………….
A skill-centered approach…………………………………. A learning-centered approach………………………………. Types of syllabus…………………………………………………. Content – based syllabus………………………………….
Skill – based syllabus…………………………. Method – based syllabus……………………………….………… 12 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Steps to syllabus design………………………. Needs analysis in syllabus design…………………………….
Goals and Objectives of the syllabus………………………. Selection of content…………. NEEDS ANALYSIS AT TUYEN QUANG MEDICAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL…………. The ESP teaching and learning situation at Tuyen Quang Medical Vocational School………….
The teaching staff……………………. Instruments for collecting data……………………………. Data analysis and major findings………………………. Data from Questionnaires……………………….
Main tasks for a nurse……………………. Skills for a nurse to fill the main tasks…………. Language skills and learning activities…………. Data from Interviews………………………….
Language skills and learning activities …………. Time allotment for the ENP course……. 34 36 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. DESIGNING AN ESP SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS AT TUYEN QUANG MEDICAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL 36 3.
Aims and Objectives of the syllabus………………………. Topics in the syllabus………………………. Language skills and learning tasks…………………. Functions in the syllabus……………………………….
Timing of the syllabus ………………………. The proposed ESP syllabus for the 2nd year nursing students at Tuyen 39 Quang Medical Vocational School………………………. Summary of the study ………………………………. Limitation and suggestion for further study…….
41 REFERENCES APPENDICES A SAMPLE UNIT TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TQMVS Tuyen Quang Medical Vocational School GE General English ESP English for specific purposes ENP English for nursing purposes EAP English for Academic Purposes EOP English for Occupational Purposes MOET Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 10 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1.1: ESP classification by professional area 6 Table 2.1: The students’ & graduates’ ranking the course objectives in order of 25 importance Table 2.2: The students’ (S), graduates’ (G) and subject teachers’ (T) ranking 28 the necessity of nursing tasks Figure 2.1: Subject teachers’ perception of the necessity of skills for a nurse 29 Figure 2.2: Students’ wants of language skills for the course.3: Student’ ranking of the importance of language skills 31 Table 2.3: Students’ wants of learning activities or tasks. 32 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 11 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has developed rapidly since the development of the globalization. People with good English proficiency are extensively needed in many areas, such as, tourism, economics, nursing, banking, etc.
In Vietnam, ESP teaching and learning are getting more and more attention in order to provide students the best preparation for their future career to meet the growing demand for professional communication. ESP is a compulsory subject in the teaching curriculum for students at Tuyen Quang Medical Vocational School (TQMVS) and it has been taught there for a few years. However, the ESP teaching and learning at TQMVS has experienced a number of difficulties such as lack of materials, inappropriate contents, lack of experienced ESP teachers and so on. Among these, the lack of an appropriate ESP course book for the nursing students seems to be most urgent because the current course book, a teacher self- made material without surveying or analyzing students‟ needs has revealed unsuitable to its learners.
Moreover, English for Nursing Purpose (ENP) materials are either not very available in Vietnam or too difficult for my students to learn due to their low English proficiency. To enhance the quality of ESP teaching and learning to meet the demands of students in the globalization of trade and economy, it is necessary to carefully consider ESP materials as well as teachers‟ methodologies, facilities for teaching, teachers‟ and students‟ difficulties in ESP teaching and learning. Indeed, “materials are significant in the ESP context” because they are used “as a source of language, as a learning support, for motivation and stimulation, and for reference” (Dudley-Evans and Jo St John, 1998:170). Therefore, priority must be given to developing materials.
TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 12 Furthermore, it is suggested that “teaching materials should have relevance to the learning goals and be of appropriate difficulty level to the students concerned, a variety of learning tasks should be presented properly with realistic goals and effective strategies in reaching those goals” (Ames, 1992; Dornyei & Csizer, 1998, McMillan & Forsyth, 1991, cited in Wang, 2007: 3). As such, the design of a suitable material or course book which meets learners‟ specific learning objectives, level of proficiency, needs, wants and lacks plays a very crucial role in the success of an English course. Because of the above reasons, I choose “Designing an ESP Syllabus for the Second-year nursing Students at Tuyen Quang Medical Vocational School” as the theme of my minor thesis. It is hoped that the study can be the point of departure in solving one of the problems facing ESP teachers at TQMVS, be beneficial to both the ESP teachers and the students at TQMVS, and make contribution to the growing understanding of ESP teaching which is very important to the nursing students.
Aim & Objectives of the study The study aims at designing an appropriate ESP syllabus for the 2 nd year nursing students at TQMVS. To achieve this aim, the following objectives are set to be obtained: (1) To identify the 2 nd year nursing students‟ needs as perceived by ESP teachers, ESP students, subject teachers and graduates. (2) To propose an appropriate ESP syllabus for the target students based on the relevant theories and the Needs Analysis. To achieve the aim & objectives, the following research questions are to be answered: 1) What are the students‟ needs as perceived by the ESP teachers, ESP students, subject teachers and graduates? 2) What should be included in the ESP syllabus for the 2nd year nursing students at TQMVS as perceived by the ESP teachers, ESP students, subject teachers and graduates? TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Scope of the study The study limits itself to design an ESP syllabus of elementary level in English for the 2nd year nursing students at TQMVS. The author of the study is concerned with the 2nd year nursing students who are being trained to reach the intermediate level in nursing, subject teachers, teachers of ESP and graduate students at TQMVS. Other approaches to syllabus design intended for students and other subjects at any other levels of English language proficiency would be beyond the scope. Methods of the study A survey approach was conducted for this research with questionnaires and interviews.
Three questionnaires were administered to the targeted students, graduate students and subject teachers. The questionnaires aims at exploring the students‟ needs and expectations of the ESP course; particularly identifying useful topics for the syllabus, appropriate language skills and learning activities for the course; and finding out the required ESP for TQMVS graduates in their future workplace. Interviews were also conducted to elicit appropriate language skills, learning tasks and activities for the course from 3 ESP teachers. Additionally, informal interviews with the students, the subject teachers and the graduates were also touched on in order to clarify and supplement information collected from survey questionnaires.
In this study, therefore, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Significance of the study The study is hoped to be beneficial to both the ESP teachers and the nursing students at TQMVS in several ways. First, it increases the knowledge and understanding of individual English teachers regarding the importance of ESP syllabus design. Second, it sets up an ESP syllabus that is urgently necessary for the 2 nd year nursing students at TQMVS.
Third, it helps the teachers understand the students‟ needs, interests in ESP learning and, therefore, can adjust their ways of teaching the ESP subject and provide their students opportunities to learn. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Design of the study The study consists of three parts: Part A (Introduction) presents the rationale, the aim, the scope, the method, the significance, and the design of the study. Part B (Development) consists of three chapters: - Chapter 1 reviews the related theoretical background such as definitions of ESP and syllabus, approaches to ESP syllabus design and types of syllabus.
- Chapter 2 describes current ESP teaching and learning situation at TQMVS, data collection instruments and analysis of the results. - Chapter 3 proposes an ESP syllabus for the 2nd year nursing students at TQMVS. Part C (Conclusion) gives some conclusions on the research and makes suggestions for further study. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 15 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter looks into definitions of ESP, types of ESP, and the role of ESP teacher in course design.
This chapter also focuses on exploring various approaches to ESP syllabus design, different types of syllabus, steps in syllabus design in which analyzing needs is considered as the starting step. AN OVERVIEW OF ESP 1. Definitions of ESP Many authors have defined ESP so far. Hutchinson & Waters (1987:19) theorize “ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner‟s reason for learning” and state that “the foundation of all ESP is the simple question: Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language?”.
This means that ESP teaching should be really based on learner need, the language required and the learning context. Dudley-Evans and St John (1998:4) gave an extended definition of ESP in terms of “absolute” and “variable” characteristics: * Absolute characteristics: 1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of learners; 2. ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves; 3.
ESP is centered on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities. 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; TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at 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; 5. Most ESP course assume some basic knowledge of the language systems, but it can be used with beginners. From the above definitions of ESP, it can be said that teaching ESP must be based on learners‟ needs.
Types of ESP The two main types of ESP that have traditionally been divided by famous authors are English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) (Robinson 1991: 3-4; Dudley-Evans and Jo St John 1998: 6; Strevens, 1977a). The former involves work-related needs and training while the later involves academic study. They are further divided in terms of discipline or professional area (as can be seen from figure 1.