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ESP World
ISSN 1682-3257
http://esp-world.info
English for Specific Purposes
|
rld Ourania A. Katsara
Department of Business
Administration of Agricultural Products and Foods
Ourania Katsara
is an EFL/ESP teacher at the
This article reports on the findings of a
survey on students views of the ESP course in University. The findings of this
paper indicated that there is a consistency over time on certain issues
identified in the previous two stages of the research ( in depth interviews,
content analysis of essays) The results are illuminated by focus group
interviews further exploring in depth data gathered previously. The evidence
suggests that there are problems regarding policies of foreign language
teaching in the state sector and culture specific attitudes concerning English
language learning. It is apparent that more adequate and descriptive
information on the ESP course is required both to students and to academic
staff of university departments. Co-operation among all appears to facilitate
an effort to make the ESP course useful and worth attending in University.
Keywords
Focus group Interviews, Qualitative analysis,
English for Specific Purposes, Greek students, needs analysis, motivation
Introduction
Students opinions on ESP courses are vital in
designing teaching materials and in improving teaching techniques. Many studies
were undertaken in order to define students views on courses using
quantitative and qualitative methods (Hadzigiannoglou
Xenodohidis, T, 2002, Graham, J. S, 2004, Evans, S.
and Green, C, 2007 etc)
This paper uses qualitative analysis to arrive
at some conclusions. Strauss and Corbin (1990) argued that qualitative analysis
begins with identification of the themes emerging form the raw data. They call
this process open coding. During this
process, the researcher should identify the conceptual categories into which
the phenomena observed would be grouped. The aim is to create multi categories,
which will determine the framework for analysis. The raw data should be broken
down and the researcher must undertake an
audit trail, that is providing a scheme which identifies the data according
to speaker and context. Then axial coding
must be applied to re-examine the identified categories. The purpose is to
describe and acquire an understanding of a phenomenon of interest. The final
stage involves the development of the conceptual model so that others can
understand it.
According to the above model offered by Strauss
and Corbin (1990), the current research was undertaken using three stages. In
particular, this paper describes the third stage that is how the use of focus
groups helped in arriving to some conclusions regarding students views of the
ESP course.
The previous two stages were based on the use of
deductive and inductive analysis. Holloway (1997) interpreted deductive
analysis as involving moving from the general to the specific and Schwandt (1997)
defined inductive analysis as working from the data of specific cases to a more
general conclusion. Specifically, deductive analysis was particularly apposite
in the analysis of the initial in depth interviews leading to categorisizing
students specific experiences. This analysis led to the use of inductive
analysis to help the researcher draw conclusions and frame the structure of the
next stage of the research which was content analysis of the essays.
It is important for the researcher to be aware
of techniques for enhancing the quality of analysis of results in research. Marshall& Rossman (1995) argued that when categories and patterns become clear, the
researcher should evaluate these patterns by developing hypotheses and testing
them further. The design of the study is based on this continuous evaluation
process. Hypotheses developed from the in depth interviews were tested through
the analysis of the essays, which were further tested through focus group
interviews.
The choice of focus
group Interviews
The paper describes the whole process of the
analysis of the focus group interviews. In developing the study, the views of
Krueger& Casey (2000) proved valuable in establishing the context and the
structure of the groups. According to Krueger Casey (2000: 4):
A focus group is a special type of group in terms of purpose, size,
composition and procedures. It is a way to better understand how people feel or
think about an issue, product or service.
The objectives were: a) to reinforce some of
the information gathered from the in depth interviews and the essays and b) to
explore in more depth the ideas that had been put forward.
According to Krueger (1994), focus groups are
essentially homogeneous but with variations among participants so that
different opinions will be raised. This homogeneity is often defined in terms
of age, gender, education, occupation etc. In this study all the students that
took part in the focus group sessions were students studying in the
This study checked the consistency of students
experiences over time. In particular, this study used triangulation of
qualitative data sources. According to Patton (1990) this means comparing and
cross-checking the consistency of information derived at different times and by
different means by qualitative methods. This study used in depth interviews,
analysis of essays and focus group interviews to reinforce the most fruitful
lines of inquiry and explore further certain issues. Patton (1990) argued that
striving for consistency in overall patterns of data from different sources and
explanations for differences in data from divergent sources contributes to the
credibility of findings.
Questions in the focus
group interviews
As said earlier, the focus group interviews
were held in order to gain information about a specific issue. The researcher
gave a copy with a summary of the results of the previous two phases of the research,
that is the in depth interviews and the analysis of the essays to the
participants of the focus group interviews (see Appendix A)
Based on the results of the two phases the
topics of the discussion were predetermined and arranged in a logical sequence.
The discussions were focused but there was scope for individual perspectives. According to Krueger (1994) this approach is
called the interview guide which
provides subject areas within which the interviewer can freely explore and ask
questions that will illuminate those specific subjects. The questions of the
focus group interviews were:
a)
What do you think of the delivery of
the English course in University?
b)
Describe your experiences in
learning English in University.
c)
What do you think are the problems
that exist in English language teaching in University?
d)
What are your suggestions on effective
English teaching in University?
Results
The researcher conducted four focus group
interviews after analyzing the data from the 40 initial in depth interviews and
after the content analysis which was drawn from the collection of 112 essays
from students of the
First focus group
interview
The first focus group comprised 5 students. All
of them were from the Department of Business Administration of Agricultural
Products and Foods. The focus group interview was conducted in March
During the session, students cited a number of
issues relating to English language teaching in Universities. Most of the
students reported that the English course in University is not taken seriously.
The issue of quality was expressed in different ways with attention placed more
on the need for individual care on the part of the teachers in each Department.
They suggested that since each department has
its own rules regarding course content and delivery and since the course content
can de decided in the General Assembly of the Department, they could reach to
an agreement with the English teacher and suggest ways to make the teaching
materials useful and more motivating.
Interestingly students had different opinions
about the usefulness of the specialized English course in University.
I want to be taught skills that will help me get prepared for the
I dont need to be taught ESP and EAP. I will not need all this later.
All I need is to get the Proficiency certificate in order to get a job.
Students are immature and they do not want to co-operate with the
teacher and learn. It is daft. In state school and university they do not pay
for tuition. However, they do not pay attention to the lesson and prefer to go
in a private institution and pay to learn.
Obviously students were not satisfied with the
education system regarding foreign language teaching and would have liked more
organization in the state section.
State schools and Universities do not cater for foreign language
tuition. In some universities students have to pay for the course-book. For
other courses, the books are free I dont understand why this is happening.
I really think that there should be more teaching hours in the
curriculum. It is impossible to learn if the course is only three hours a week.
I think that English teachers do not care to teach because they are
frustrated by all this mentality.
Comments made by students indicated that
internal regulations in each department cause many problems with regard to a
proper organization of the students needs.
.
The regulations concerning assessment of the English course varies in
Universities. In some universities students are exempted from the English
course if they are holders of Proficiency certificates. In other departments
the mark of the examination of English does not count and in other department
students are not even given a mark. The results of the examinations indicate
either pass or fail. This is the reason why students do not care about English.
I think that an English teacher is strict if he/ she dont agree on this
policy of getting an exemption of the course if students are holders of the
Proficiency certificate.
The departmental curriculum cannot include many courses of English
because other courses should be incorporated. These logistics cause problems.
Comments showed that students think that the
Ministry of Education should make an adjustment of a modified policy regarding
foreign language teaching.
I think that English should be taught properly in primary and secondary
school. The Ministry of Education should make a decision to incorporate more
hours on the teaching of English in schools.
I think that everyone is upset for his/her own reasons. Students are
upset because they have to pay to learn English in private centres and teachers
are upset because students do not take them and their teaching seriously.
Second Focus group
Interview
In the second focus group interview, the
participants were 5 students from the department of Environmental and Natural
Resource Management. The meeting was held in the researchers office and it was
tape recorded. Students discussed issues relating to their experiences of
studying English in
The discussion has shown that students proved
willing to discuss features that would make English teaching in their
department effective. Practicalities regarding the English course were raised.
It is a good idea to mark group work in class. In this way students are
getting into a habit of doing various tasks as part of their assessment of the
course.
I think that group work in class can motivate students to participate
and help the teacher as well to do his/her job.
Some students though do not help when the teacher assigns us a task.
They expect everything from the other members of the group. I think that the
teacher should check on us continuously and not give a mark to students who are
slackers.
Comments by students indicated that students
were prepared to acknowledge various issues and propose solutions which they
would have found useful.
Doing some oral discussions could be useful as well. Speaking is a major
problem. The teacher should encourage us to speak even if we are making
mistakes.
It is important for the students to feel relaxed in class. The teacher
should praise us and make us feel good about our performance.
Our fear is examinations. Our teacher should prepare us for the exams
and tell us exactly what we have to study.
Homework is fine. However it should be of average difficulty because
otherwise there will be cases where students will cheat.
Maybe it should be a good idea to
offer various examination questions in the
final exam. There should be easy, of
average difficulty and difficult questions.
Students views revealed that marking is a
factor that needs to be considered in relation to teaching. Some of their
comments neatly encapsulate the view that students are aware of the need to be
taught properly and that they would appreciate such teaching provided for them.
I know that there is huge problem in foreign language teaching in state
institutions. However what I have found most disturbing from my fellow students
is the misconception that English language teaching in state institutions comes
as a refreshing and a lot easier alternative to foreign language teaching in
the private sector. This tendency has an immediate effect on students believing
that:
The tutor has to treat us with more lenience because we are not studying
English Language and Literature.
The pathetic Greek tendency to dismiss whatever we cannot attain as
useless or beneath our standards.
This mentality influences English tutors who being burned out are forced
to do away with easy solutions which means passing students who did not deserve
to pass or humiliating the English course by offering a ridiculous syllabus
It is high time to be honest with ourselves and realize that education
is not a game of hide and seek and that everyone is responsible of his/her own
actions. This stupidity of doing nothing about it and continuing this
ill-tradition has to stop. Students have to study and teachers have to teach!
Students seem to show that they would have
liked more information on the academic culture of the department they are
studying.
Knowing what are the rules of each department is instrumental. Not all
students know that the General Assembly of each department can modify or
incorporate new courses.
Being a student in University of Ioannina for 4 years now I have
realized that in every department there is certain culture regarding teaching,
marking etc. Unfortunately this plays an important role in our studies. The
motto temporary becomes permanent is for sure a bad habit.
Third Focus group
Interview
In the third focus group interview, the
participants were 5 students from
Comments indicated that students are aware that
due to linguistic deficiency plagiarism can create problems in learning.
We all know that some students are cheating
in order to pass the course. They
lift information from the Internet or other books and they hand it in as
their own piece of work.
This is very bad. I know some students who pay an English teacher to
write their essays.
This is happening because students have forgotten English and it is
impossible to learn enough to pass the course in a three hour session in a
semester.
There was more evidence that students were
unaware of study skills relating to an ESP/EAP course. On the positive side,
students seem to admit that this ignorance could be avoided.
I dont know how to write an essay. In the
private centre I was taught how to
write a composition.
Critical thinking is important. Being able to comment on articles and
writing our opinion based on literature of the field we are studying is
crucial. Academic writing skills can even help in other courses.
We all have to realize that attending an ESP/EAP course at University is
different than attending a private centre and get prepared to sit the exams for
the Proficiency certificate.
It is shown that students were not aware of the
different demands made on them by an English teacher in University.
Some English teachers in some Universities
are not permanent staff and work
on a contract basis. This influences the way they teach. Some of them
are vulnerable since all they care about is to become permanent.
The English course content differs
in Universities. Every English teacher can
choose his/her own teaching
materials and thus there is confusion of what is
expected from us.
Comments made by students indicated that the
mentality of ineffective teaching of foreign languages in state institutions is
also recognized by the other academic staff in departments in Universities.
Other University teachers do not care about the English course at
University and thus they decide on the General Assembly that students can get
an exemption of the course if they hold the Proficiency certificate.
Some students are encouraged not to pay attention to the English course
in University if the other academic staff show indifference and sometimes irony
towards the English teaching.
Forth Focus Group
Interview
The forth focus group interview was also tape
recorded in the researchers office and comprised 5 students from the
Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Management. Students were
asked to express their ideas on teaching a foreign language.
Issues that arose from this discussion were
very interesting and somewhat surprising, given that the opinions of English
tutors indicate that students do have persistent problems especially with
speaking English and academic writing. Students views indicate that there is a
continuous tendency to overestimate language ability.
I am a holder of the Proficiency Certificate. I master the language. I
do not need to be taught ESP and EAP.
I can teach in the private sector with Proficiency. I do not need
anything else to learn.
Several students agreed that learning a
language requires time and effort and realized that their ignorance of
different teaching fields of the language caused them problems.
Learning a language requires a process of
continuous study.
I did not know what ESP and EAP stands for and that those fields of
English teaching exist.
Students have this idea that specialized language is not what they
should be taught at Universities because as they think those aspects of
teaching are applicable only for students studying English Language and
Literature.
Students noted that adjustment in tertiary
education affects foreign language teaching and learning.
Entering University is a very tiring process. Students have to sit exams
in many subjects which do not interest them. English or any other foreign
language is not one of these subjects examined. Thus, students leave behind
that subject. When they enter University English is again not a priority since
finally they can study subjects they are interested in. Besides the Certificate
of Proficiency has an expiry date within a two year period and if they want to
use it they should get it within that certain time period. In addition, English
is usually taught during the first two years of study which lessens students
motivation.
Besides ESP or EAP are not qualifications which are required in job
seeking and therefore useless in that sense.
There were comments regarding the teachers
qualifications. Students cited that they do not feel that all teachers are
qualified to teach in a University.
I have heard that not all English tutors in Universities are qualified.
Not all of them hold an MA or a PhD.
Some teachers do not love their job and this affects the quality of
their teaching. Some seem not to care to extend their knowledge for their own
benefit. It seems that they see their job profession solely as a way to earn
their living.
Some Key Interpretations
from the focus group Interviews
The four follow-up series of focus group
interviews showed that the main thrust of the information coming from the focus
group confirmed that there was an opportunity to expand some of the specific
points made. Most of the students comments in the findings from the focus
group interviews accorded with the students comments in the previous two
stages of the research that is the in depth interviews and the analysis of the
essays( Katsara, 2007, Katsara, 2008).
Clearly, students have serious concerns
regarding foreign language teaching in Universities. Foremost among the
features were the factors relating to regulations and culture specific
attitudes. There is considerable uniformity in the information and the opinions
gathered. Students cited specific examples of desirable action. Each students
comment was based on his/her own past experience.
Students thought that internal regulations in
University department affect proper organization of English courses and that
the Ministry of Education should modify the existing policy of foreign language
education in state institutions. There is a need for Academic teaching staff at
Universities to be informed of the difference in teaching methodology between
general EFL courses and ESP courses. Identification of the academic culture in
a University is essential when it comes to departmental curriculum design. Students
comments indicated that students are not aware of the nature of a specialized
language course and motivation to attend the specialized course is lessened.
The status of English competency in
The implication is that students would welcome more
adequate and descriptive information about the ESP course in University. There
is a need to find ways of making the course interesting meeting simultaneously
students needs. What stands out of the results is that there are false
expectations concerning academic rules which seem to be a result of
insufficient organization regarding foreign language teaching in state
institutions. It would be useful if the Ministry of Education placed more significance
on the usefulness of the English course in state institutions and modify the
existing policy.
The ESP teacher has a crucial role to play
ensuring that students are offered appropriate teaching tailored to their
needs. The teacher has the responsibility to remedy the situation regarding
inadequate organization regarding foreign language teaching. Students comments
reveal that in tertiary education opinions of a course are formed as a result
of an agreement among the teaching staff in each department. This indicates that care is needed on the
part of the English teachers to co-operate with the other staff of each
department and offer enough courses which can ensure that students learn
English properly. Therefore, it is implied that needs analysis having as a purpose
the design of a useful language course is necessary.
It would be particularly useful for the other academic
staff to use their influence to encourage students to be motivated to study
English offered in University. Academic staff should be given more awareness
training to help students adjust to their new academic environment and to be
more informed about the different English academic courses. It is particularly important
if they are able to explain clearly to all students that when it comes to ESP
teaching, students are expected to take more responsibility for their own
learning and that a premium is placed on the development of critical thinking.
Furthermore, the results indicated that
students seem to recognize that they have a substantial responsibility to
ensure that they make the most of their studies. They should realistically assess their English
skills and in co-operation with the English teacher and the other teaching
staff incorporate EFL courses in the departmental curriculum to ensure that
students can improve their general English proficiency. This is very important
and should be taken seriously in order to avoid failures later on in the
academic year. They should be realistic and expect to have both good and bad
experiences in the new academic environment. Since tertiary education is
different from secondary education, they should be willing to adjust and to
take more responsibility for their own studies and to be aware that they can
obtain support from their personal tutor with regard to academic or personal
problems.
Conclusion
This paper sought to identify some key issues
and identify students views of the ESP course in University. Inevitably, as
the English language is a global language which is spoken by many more speakers
every year, more people will be spending a portion of their formative years in
studying the language. There is a huge responsibility on teachers and on all
those who are involved in the teaching sector, to ensure that a system is in
place to provide an adequate teaching system for all those learners.
The results of this study indicate that there
is an emerging recognition of how important this is, but there is a lot more to
be done before there is sufficient understanding of the issues leading to
appropriate measures. The findings might point the way to realizing the
usefulness of co-operation and honesty among the teaching staff and the
students to ensure that the educational experience is rewarding for all.
References
Corbin, J & Strauss, A. L (1990). Grounded Theory Research:
Procedures, Canons and Evaluative Criteria. Qualitative
Sociology, 13 (1), 3-21.
Evans, S. and Green, C. (2007). Why EAP is necessary: A survey of
Hong Kong Tertiary students. English for
Academic Purposes, 6(1), 3-17.
Graham, S.J (2004.) Giving up on Modern
Languages? Students perceptions of Learning French. The Modern Language Journal, 88(2), 171-191.
Hadzigiannoglou Xenodohidis, T. (2002). An ESP Curriculum for Greek EFL students of
Computing: A New Approach. English for
Specific Purposes Journal, 2(1). Retrieved October 3
2002 from
Http://esp-world.7p./Articles_2/ESP%20%Curriculum.html,
Holloway,
Katsara, O. (2007). Perceptions
of Language Learning in the
Katsara, O. (in press). The impact of the
education system on students learning preferences, TESOL Greece Newsletter
Krueger, R. A. (1994). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research, 2nd
edn.
Krueger, R. A & Casey.
(2000). Focus Groups: A practical Guide
for Applied Research, 3rd edn.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods,
Appendix A
Summary of Findings of the in depth interviews
(paper published in TESOL Greece Newsletter, No96, October-December 2007)
Participants: 40 students ( 12 from the
Department of Business Administration of Agricultural Products and Foods, 17
students form the Department of Environmental and Natural resource Management
and 12 students from the Department of Cultural Environment and New
Technologies Management).
Interview questions
A)
General Information on students age, sex, department of University,
year of study, EFL certificates obtained.
B)
Attitudes towards learning English and difficulties in EFL
C)
Suggestions on the course needs and motivation enhancing.
Results
Students reported that they were instrumentally
oriented to learn English and this tendency made them feel hostile towards
learning the language
The top answers regarding attitudes towards EFL
learning were:
a)
Family pressure to learn English
b)
Job seeking requires holding EFL
certificates
c)
Importance to learn a foreign
language
The top answers regarding difficulties in EFL
were:
a)
Understanding and speaking the
foreign language
b)
Academic Writing
Students commented on language courses offered
in Universities. The top answers on this issue were:
a)
Language courses in University are
not helpful as they do not offer any certificate upon completion
b)
The language course should be taken
seriously in University aiming at offering teaching of terminology relevant to
their field of study.
c)
There should be more teaching hours
in the departmental curriculum and the teaching should be done in small numbered
classes.
Students suggestions on course design included
the following top answers:
a)
The education system regarding
foreign language teaching needs to be modified
b)
Relationship between the tutor and
students makes the course interesting
c)
Students themselves play a role in
their success
Summary of the findings of the content analysis
of the essays (in press: TESOL Greece Newsletter)
Participants: 112 students from the Departments of
University of Ioannina: Department of Business Administration of Agricultural Products and Foods,
Department of Environmental and Natural resource Management and Department of
Cultural Heritage Management.
Essay Topic: Aspirations regarding tertiary
education compare to secondary education. Students learning preferences with
regard to the English course.
Results
Students appear to be dissatisfied regarding
the quality of tuition offered in secondary education. The top answers
regarding this view were:
a)
Tuition in school is a waste of time
since the quality is deficient. They attend private lessons in private
institutions in order to succeed in Panhellenic exams.
b)
Students felt pressured in school to
study courses they are not interested in
c)
The relationship with school
teachers is poor since they feel that teachers downgrade their personality and
treat them as children.
Students noted that they have mores specific
aspirations in tertiary education. The top answers included:
a)
Vocational rehabilitation seems to
be students first priority upon completion of their studies.
b)
Students felt that university
teachers play a crucial role in their success. They liked the fact that they
treated them as adults. Their comments also revealed that they are concerned
about justice in marking.
c)
The findings indicated that students
expect advanced courses from experienced professional teachers.
Students opinions on the learning preferences
regarding the English course were also mentioned by students. Their top
opinions were:
a)
Students have forgotten English
because they stopped studying the language since they focused on passing the
Panhellenic exams.
b)
The use of electronic media could
make the teaching more effective.
c)
Teaching methods such as workshops,
face to face tutorials were considered useful when it comes to the development of
critical thinking.
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