VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ HẢI ANH DESIGNING AN ESP NURSING SYLLABUS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT HAIPHONG MEDICAL COLLEGE Thiết kế chương trình tiếng Anh chuyên ngành điều dưỡng cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất trường Cao đẳng Y tế Hải Phòng M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.10 HANOI – 2012 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ HẢI ANH DESIGNING AN ESP NURSING SYLLABUS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT HAIPHONG MEDICAL COLLEGE Thiết kế chương trình tiếng Anh chuyên ngành điều dưỡng cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất trường Cao đẳng Y tế Hải Phòng M.A MINOR THESIS Major: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60. DƯƠNG THỊ NỤ HANOI – 201 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBRAVIATIONS AND TABLES ix TABLE OF CONTENTS v PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. The aims of the study 1 3. The research questions 2 4.
The scope of the study 2 5. The method of the study 2 6. The design of the study 2 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. An overview on syllabus design 4 1.
Definitions of syllabus and syllabus design 4 1. Types of syllabus 5 1. Functional-notinal syllabus 6 1. Task-based syllabus 7 1.
Skill-based syllabus 8 1. Content-based syllabus 8 1. The approaches to syllabus design 9 1. Language-centred approach 9 1.
Skills-centred approach 10 1.3 Learning-centred approach 10 1. The steps in syllabus design 11 1. Needs anlysis 12 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Goals and objectives identifying 14 1.
Content selecting and grading 15 1. Teaching methods suggesting 15 1. An overview on ESP? 16 1. Definitions of ESP 16 1.
Classification of ESP 17 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 2. The teaching and learning conditions 19 2. The current syllabus 19 2. The teaching staff 20 2.
The target students 20 2. Instruments for collecting data 21 2. Analysis from English teachers‟ questionnaire 22 2. Teachers‟ opinions on objectives needed meeting at the end of ESP course 22 2.
Teachers‟ selection of topics needed in the ESP syllabus 23 2. Teachers‟ selection of grammar and structures needed in the ESP syllabus 24 2. Teachers‟ selection of skills and language exercises needed in the ESP syllabus 25 2. Analysis from students‟ questionnaire 27 2.
Students‟ opinions on objectives needed meeting at the end of ESP course 27 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Students‟ selection of topics needed in the ESP syllabus 27 2. Students‟ selection of grammar and structures needed in the ESP syllabus 28 2. Students‟ selection of grammar and structures needed in the syllabus 29 2.
Analysis from special subject teachers‟ questionnaire 30 CHAPTER III: DESIGNING AN ESP NURSING SYLLABUS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT HAIPHONG MEDICAL COLLEGE 3. Selecting a type of syllabus 32 3. Aims and objectives of the syllabus 32 3. Topics in the syllabus 33 3.
Skills and exercises in the syllabus 33 3. Grammatical structures in the syllabus 34 3. Assessment and test 35 3. The organization of the syllabus 35 PART III: CONCLUSION 1.
Limitations of the study 40 4. Suggestions for further research 40 REFERENCES 41 APPENDICES I SAMPLE UNIT X vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, TABLES AND CHARTS EAP English for Academic Purposes ELP English for Legal Purposes EMFE English for Management, Finance, and Economics EMP English for Medical Purposes EOP English for occupational Purposes ESP English for Special Purposes EST English for Science and Technology GE General English MBA Master of Business Administration Table 1. Teachers‟ ranking of the objectives in the ESP course Table 2.Teachers‟ selection of grammar and structures needed in the syllabus Table 3. Teachers‟ selection of skills and language exercises Table 4.Students‟ opinions on objectives needed meeting at the end of ESP course Table 5.
Students‟ selection of grammar and structures needed in the syllabus Chart 1. Teachers‟ selection of topics needed in the ESP syllabus Chart 2. Students‟ needs on learning ESP course Chart 3. Students‟ selection of topics needed in the ESP syllabus Chart 4.
Specialized subject teachers‟ selection of topics needed in the ESP syllabus 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Haiphong Medical College was founded over 50 years ago. In 2007 it was formally upgraded Junior College. Since 2011, the training curriculum has changed, and English for Specific Purposes was added for first year students of Nursing Department.
After completing 60 periods of General English course, the students have to learn 30 ESP periods. Even though ESP courses have become popular recently in Vietnam and many institutions and universities, the current ESP syllabus does not meet the needs of the first year college students, so our students need one suitable ESP nursing syllabus. As teachers, we all know that it is difficult to design an ESP syllabus that can best prepare learners for future professional communication. Firstly, there is no ESP textbook for college students of Nursing Department, so we have to refer many different ESP documents for tertiary level.
Secondly, we were not trained in the field of nursing, which makes our syllabus designing more challenging. Moreover, when completing GE, with basic English, students cannot read ESP documents nor communicate well. For all the above-mentioned reasons, I wish to conduct a study entitled: “Designing an ESP nursing syllabus for the 1st year students at Hai Phong Medical College. The aims of the study In this study, I would like to design an ESP nursing syllabus for the 1st year students at Hai Phong Medical College.
To achieve the aim, we have to achieve the following objectives: - To develop the main theoretical basis related to syllabus design as well as to ESP. - To investigate the needs of the students, the ideas and suggestions of English teachers, specialized subject teachers. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - To propose an appropriate ESP syllabus for students base on their needs and special requirements. The research questions To obtain the above aims and objectives, we have to answer the two following questions: 1.
Why is it necessary to design an ESP syllabus? 2. What components should the proposed syllabus have ? 4. The scope of the study In this study, I direct my attention to design an ESP syllabus- English for Nursing- with 30 periods for the first-year students at the Nursing Department, who have completed 60 periods of General English. The method of the study I use Quantitative method in this study.
The quantitative is used to collect the data by questionnaires. The results of questionnaire 1 are suggestions of English teachers about the objectives, topics, skills and activities in the ESP course. The results of questionnaire 2 are the findings about the needs of the students. The results of questionnaire 3 are the suggestions and ideas of the specialized subject teachers to find out the topics of the lessons in the syllabus.
The design of the study My study consists of three main parts: The first part of my study is Introduction. In this part, the reasons why I chose this subject are explained as the rationale. After that, aims and objectives, research questions, scope, method and design of the study are also mentioned. The second part is the body or the Development of the study which is divided into three chapters.
Chapter I: Literature review presents the overview of syllabus design in ESP. Chapter II: The Study provides the findings of students‟ needs, teachers‟ suggestions for the ESP syllabus. 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Chapter III: The proposal ESP syllabus based on the students‟ needs, teachers‟ suggestions and the course objectives. Conclusion is the last part of the study.
Here, I would give the summary of all the main points in the study, conclusions and some limitations as well as the suggestions for further studies. The last one is the Appendices that comprises of the questionnaires.and a sample unit. 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. An overview on syllabus design 1.
Definitions of syllabus and syllabus design There are several views on the syllabus design basing on the narrow and the broad approach to syllabus design , therefore, it also leads to some disagreement about the nature of “the syllabus”. Widdowson (1984:26) defined that “The syllabus is simply a framework within which activities can be carried out: a teaching device to facilitate learning. It only becomes a threat to pedagogy when it is regarded as absolute rules for determining what is to be learned rather than points of reference from which bearings can be taken.” According to Yalden (1984: 14), “The syllabus replaces the concept of „method‟, and the syllabus is now seen as an instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a degree of „fit‟ between the needs and aims of the learner (as social being and as individual) and the activities which will take place in the classroom.” For her the syllabus is primarily a teacher‟s statement about objectives and content, arrived at after consideration of students‟ needs. Meanwhile, Allen (1984: 61) drew a clear distinction between curriculum and syllabus “Curriculum is a very general concept which involves consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social and administrative factors which contribute to the planning of an educational program.
Syllabus, on the other hand, refers to that subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught (as distinct from how they will be taught, which is a matter for methodology).” 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Like Allen, Hutchinson and Waters (1993: 90) defined that “a syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should) be learnt, it should state out the goals, content, and activities to be carried out in a particular, and well- defined context.” Nunan (1988:5) stated that “syllabus is a statement of content which is used as the basis for planning courses of various kinds, and that the task of the syllabus designer is to select and grade this content.” And he also supposed that “Syllabus design is seen as being concerned essentially with the selection and grading of content.” In document „Threshold Level English‟ (van Ek 1975), van Ek gave a list of necessary components of a language syllabus: - the situations in which the foreign language will be used, including the topics which will be dealt with, - the language activities in which the learner will engage, - the language functions which the learner will fulfill, - what the learner will be able to do with respect to each topic, - the general notions which the learner will be able to handle, - the specific (topic-related) notions which the learner will be able to handle, - the language forms which the learner will be able to use, - the degree of skill with which the learner will be able to perform, In brief, every view on syllabus design has its own strong and weak points. Therefore, I, as well as syllabus designers, should consider and select the best points to design an appropriate syllabus for our students. Types of syllabus There are two major types of syllabuses, product-oriented syllabus and process-oriented syllabus. Nunan pointed that “product syllabuses are those in which the focus is on the knowledge and skills which learner should gain as a 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com result of instruction, while process syllabuses are those which focus on the learning experiences themselves.” The grammatical, functional-notional and situational syllabuses are the examples of the product-oriented syllabus.