scholarly journals English for Specific Purposes: Designing an EAP Course for Computer Science Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Isra Irshad ◽  
Behzad Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Language Needs

<p><em>The aim of this study was to design English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for University students enrolled in the Computer Science Department. For this purpose, academic English language needs of the students were analyzed by using a 5 point Likert scale questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with four faculty members of the department and the data were analyzed qualitatively. Thus, mixed methods were used for collection and analyses of data. The results of the analysis of questionnaire and interviews indicate that the four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing are frequently used in students’ academic context and among the four, speaking is the most frequently used skill. Students are deficient in writing and speaking skills as compared to listening and reading; therefore, speaking and writing should be given preference while designing the syllabus.</em></p>

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles ◽  
Language Needs

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

scholarly journals English for Academic Purposes: Theory, Trends and Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Gopal Prasad Pandey
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Intercultural Awareness ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Professional Needs ◽  
English Speaking

English for academic purpose (EAP) emerged as a branch of English for specific purposes in the early 1980s. EAP grounds English language teaching in the linguistic demands of academic context, tailoring instruction to specific rather than general purposes. There is a growth of interest in EAP in the recent years. The interest in EAP developed in response to the growing need for intercultural awareness and of English as a lingua franca (ELF). EAP has become a major area of research in applied linguistics and focus of the courses studied worldwide by a large number of students preparing for study in colleges and universities. The increase in students’ undertaking tertiary studies in English-speaking countries has led to a steady demand for the courses tailored to meet the immediate, specific vocational and professional needs. Thus, most universities in the present day world prioritize the role of academic skills. The aim of the paper is to examine the key approaches to the teaching of English for academic purposes, current trends in teaching EAP, and to argue the centrality and significance of EAP in the academia. The paper concludes by arguing that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on methodology in EAP.

scholarly journals Investigating the English Language Needs of the Female Students at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Fadel ◽  
Hussam Rajab
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
King Abdulaziz University ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
English Language Skills

In the field of computer science, specific English language skills are needed to facilitate the students’ academic progress. Needs analysis is generally believed to be an important element in ESP/EAP context because it enables the practitioners and curriculum designers determine the learners’ needs in a particular academic context. In this regard, this paper, adopting a quantitative research design, reports on a survey conducted to investigate the English language needs of the female students studying in the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FCIT) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The study aims at identifying the students’ perceptions about the importance of the English language skills, the frequency of using those skills, their ability levels in performing such skills, and their preferences regarding the English language course. The participants in this study are 135 female undergraduates who are studying at the third, fourth, and fifth year at the FCIT, during the academic year 2013-2014. The study identifies the students’ English language necessities, lacks, wants, and their perceptions of the current English course. The paper concludes with several pedagogical implications which seek to improve the current course structure and contents so as to cater for the students’ academic English language needs.

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
pp. 20-28
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles ◽  
Language Needs

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

scholarly journals English for Specific Purposes: A Study Investigating the Mismatch between the “Cutting Edge” Course Book and the Needs of Prince Sultan Air Base Students

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Abdulrahman M. Alshabeb ◽  
Fhaid H. Alsubaie ◽  
Abdulaziz Z. Albasheer
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
Practical Performance ◽  
Linguistic Input ◽  
Collection Methods

Needs analysis is generally believed to be important in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context because it enables practitioners and material writers to find out about their learners’ needs. Thus, the main research question focuses on the perceived English language needs of the learners at Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), and the study involves an investigation into the mismatch between the Cutting Edge course book and the needs of PSAB students. A total of 70 students from different technical sections at Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), Saudi Arabia participated in the study. Two types of data collection methods were used in this study: quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews). The results obtained reveal that the current course book being used at PSAB does not meet their needs because the activities provided are not relevant to the specific context of their field, which is mainly military and aviation. Finding and adapting a textbook that is clearly linked to these students’ needs and to the course objectives is suggested as one possible solution. In the context of PSAB, data from the interviews and surveys shows the need to assess the content of the course book in relation to the needs of the learners. It also indicates the strong demand of the students for supplementary materials that provide linguistic input to match their needs. Finally, offering supplementary materials and content-based instructions for those students would help to bridge the gap between language training and practical performance needs in real situations.

scholarly journals ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL COMPENENCE OF PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENTS IN THE ACADEMIC ENGLISH COURSE

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (18) ◽  
pp. 84-89
Author(s):  
Oksana Kovalenko ◽  
Olga Afanasenko
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Selection For

The paper presents the ideas on integration of English language academic writing into the training of Mater of Pharmacy students. The academic literature demonstrates a powerful didactic potential for the development of both language and professional competence of students majoring in pharmacy. This fact is evidenced by the empirical study that demonstrates the finding reflected in students’ graduation academic project performance. As a measurement tools we employed assessment rubrics of the graduate project, content analysis and questionnaire on teachers’ feedback. The participants of the study were students from the Pharmacy faculty and teachers of English for Academic Purposes in cooperation with teachers of pharmacy. Together they outlined the criteria for the texts selection. According to the results, students mastered not only academic writing skills, but also the skills of information processing and evaluation, critical thinking, presentation of information and academic integrity. The paper also presents methodological recommendations on academic texts selection for pharmaceutical students and forms of teachingacademic writing to students of non-linguistic specialties. The results of the study allow to draw the conclusion academic writing course will enhance professional competence and reduce students’ misinterpreting of academic language.

scholarly journals Content Analysis of an EAP Coursebook in an Islamic University

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
Agus Husein As Sabiq ◽  
Muflihah Muflihah
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Good Teaching ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Unit Of Analysis ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
High Level

Evaluating a coursebook is necessary to find the strengths and weaknesses to improve the quality of sources and professional development. This study aimed to investigate the suitability of EAP coursebook materials with the criteria for good teaching materials and the English language needs of IAIN Purwokerto students. The study engaged 83 second-semester students at IAIN Purwokerto, who were randomly drawn from each study program at IAIN Purwokerto. The researchers employed a content analysis procedure:  the unit of analysis covering places, actors, activities, research variables in the form of teaching materials in EAP courses, and data collection using a checklist. The analysis of the research is based on the criteria of good teaching materials and the students' English needs which cover the target requirement component for needs analysis, consisting of the students’ needs, shortcomings, and desires. The researchers found that the suitability of the coursebook with the criteria for good text teaching materials has average level of relevance of 50.13%, which is quite appropriate in the category. There were some weaknesses or shortcomings that made this EAP course book not classified as a high level of relevance. English language needs of IAIN Purwokerto students tend to learn integrated language skills, especially speaking and listening.

scholarly journals Engineering Students' EFL Needs at the Tertiary Level of Education in Bangladesh: Expectations and Existence

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-126
Author(s):  
Md. Habibur Rahman ◽  
Md. Musrifur Jelane
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
Mixed Approach

Conducting needs analysis is a prevalent phenomenon in designing curriculum in language teaching and learning. This paper explored the English language needs of engineering students at the tertiary level of education in Bangladesh vis-à-vis four basic language skills. Moreover, this paper tried to shed some light on the gaps between learners’ present level of competence and target needs. This study followed the mixed approach (both quantitative approach and qualitative approach) to collect data through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Under the random stratified sampling method, the study collected data from 99 undergraduate engineering students and 15 EFL teachers from different universities in Bangladesh. The findings of the study revealed that engineering students felt the ardent need for all the four major language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The findings also addressed the needs of the subskills regarding each language skill. Additionally, the offered courses were not adequately addressing the language needs of the students. Moreover, the duration and number of English language classes were not sufficient to meet the needs of the engineering students. Based on the findings, this study made some recommendations to minimize the gaps between engineering students’ present and target needs of the English language.

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