Volume 19, No. 3, 2022
Esp Teaching Practices Of English Language Teachers In The Field Of Medicine And Engineering: Perceptions Of Elts And Esp Learners
Mr. Rehmat Ali Yousafzai , Dr. Muhammad Fareed
Abstract
Within the wider academic framework of English language teaching, the conceptual term ‘ESP’ is generally considered to mean “English for Specific Purposes” (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998). ESP is primarily an umbrella term which covers domain specific English literacy skills. For meaningful communication in academic and professional contexts, students of medicine and engineering are required to have context specific English language skills (Niazi, 2012; Venkatraman & Prema, 2007; Sidek et al., 2006; Pendergrass et al., 2001; Tan, 1999). This study attempts to explore the role of English Language Teachers (ELTs) in teaching ESP. A phenomenological research design was used to study the ESP teaching practices of ELTs. The target population of this study constituted one public and two private sector universities of Karachi. The sample size taken for this study constituted10 ELTs sampled through snowball sampling technique and 100 ESP learners with further bifurcation of 50 each from the field of medicine and engineering chosen through purposive sampling. Open ended questionnaire and interview protocols were used in data collection. The collected data were thematically analyzed. The analysis of data suggested English language competence, pedagogic competence and understanding of the ESP learners’ target communicative needs. The analyses of ESP learners’ data suggested the preferred role of ELTs in ESP teaching.
Pages: 268-285
Keywords: ESP, ESP teaching practices, English language teachers (ELTs), ESP learners.