ĐÁNH GIÁ của SINH VIÊN NGÀNH kỹ sư xây DỰNG về CHƯƠNG TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH tại TRƯỜNG đại

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1. RATIONALE

The status of English has turned a significant percentage of the world’s population.

In addition to General English, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been gaining an

increasing importance and it has grown to become one of the most prominent areas of the

Teaching of English as Foreign or Second Language (TEFL/TESL). Ewer (1976: 247)

believes that “the teaching of English for scientific, technological and technical purposes is

of comparatively recent growth as specialized activity, but it is now emerging as one of the

most rapidly expanding and important branches of TEFL/TESL today”.

To meet the demand of the learners, many ESP programmes have been designed.

Together with the worldwide trend to learn ESP, the teaching staff of Foreign Languages

Department at Vinh University collected documents and designed some ESP programmes

for some specific fields, including the ESP programme for Construction which was first

taught for K.46 Construction Engineering students at Vinh University.

Besides an effort to offer the learners with the ESP programme according to their

specific needs, it is necessary to implement an evaluation. Furthermore, the fact is that the

ESP programme for Construction designed by the teaching staff of Foreign Languages at

Vinh University was first taught for K.46 Construction Engineering students at Vinh

University and it received some learners’ evaluative comments while it was in the progress.

Therefore, it is necessary to have an evaluation on the ESP programme for Construction at

Vinh University carried out by the learners themselves as Wallace (1991: 163)‘s thought

“One source of evaluation will obviously be the trainees themselves”.

2. AIMS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is aimed at researching Construction Engineering students’ evaluation on

the ESP programme at Vinh University in terms of audience, aims, time allocation,

contents and methodology in order to determine whether the ESP programme for

Construction is suitable to the learners’ abilities and needs.

Significantly, the process of this ESP programme evaluation can be seen as a way

of developing our understanding of the ways in which it works and, in doing so, of

contributing to both acquisition theory and pedagogic practices. Hence, the teachers would

1

find ways to do interesting things in their teaching ESP in order to realize all the potentials

embedded in the programme.

It is hoped that the findings of this study and some suggestions would contribute in

improving the ESP programme for Construction at Vinh University to make it more

suitable for the learners’ needs and abilities in the coming years.

3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study aims to find out the answers to the following questions:

1) What are the learners’ evaluative comments on the ESP programme for

Construction at Vinh University?

2) What are the learners’ needs for learning ESP at Vinh University?

3) How should the ESP programme for Construction at Vinh University be

improved to make it more suitable to the learners’ abilities and needs?

4. METHOD OF THE STUDY

This minor thesis uses a number of books concerning ESP and evaluation. The

research method used is the survey. The data collection instrument is questionnaire. The

practical data from K46 Construction Engineering students at Vinh University forms basis

for this study.

5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Within its scope, this research mainly focuses on the learners’ evaluation of the ESP

programme at Vinh University such as: the time allocation, the topics of the ESP reading

texts, the length of the ESP reading texts, the amount of technical vocabulary contained in

each ESP reading text, the level of difficulty in grammar, the usefulness of exercises, the

most difficult type of exercises, the satisfaction towards practice through exercises, the

achievements after finishing the programme, and the satisfaction towards needs after

finishing the programme.

Basing on the findings and the learners’ needs, it provides some suggestions to

improve the ESP programme for Construction at Vinh University.

Its major object is K46 Construction Engineering students of Technology

Department at Vinh University.

2

6. DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The minor thesis is composed of three main parts: introduction, development and

conclusion.

The introduction presents the rationale, aims and significance, research questions,

method of the study, scope of the study, as well as design of the study.

The development consists of three chapters:

- Chapter I, “Literature Review”, provides the relevant theories: an overview of

ESP (definition of ESP, classification of ESP and the development of ESP), evaluation

(terminology definition, types of programme evaluation, purposes for evaluation, criteria

for evaluation and central questions in programme evaluation design) and learner￾centeredness in ESP.

- Chapter II, “An overview of English for Construction at Vinh University”,

presents background information about English for Construction at Vinh University,

including in the teaching and learning situation, a description of current ESP programme

for Construction and the learners at Vinh University.

- Chapter III, “The study”, describes the methodology employed to collect data for

this thesis at first (participants, data collection instrument and procedure). Then it reports

on the learners’ evaluation of the ESP programme for Construction at Vinh University and

their needs, and shows the major findings. Finally, it provides some suggestions to improve

the ESP programme for Construction at Vinh University.

The conclusion presents what have been found out from the study and the

limitations and suggestions for further study.

3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter aims to provide a theoretical base to develop an operational framework

for programme evaluation. The first part presents an overview of ESP with regards to

definition, the classification and the development of the ESP. The second part discusses

about evaluation, concerning in terminology definition, types of programme evaluation,

purposes for evaluation, criteria for evaluation and central questions in programme

evaluation design. The third part relates to the learner-centeredness in ESP.

1.1. AN OVERVIEW OF ESP

1.1.1. Definition of ESP

ESP has been defined by different researchers as well as scholars’ different views.

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 19), ESP must be seen as an approach,

not as a product. In their opinion, ESP is not a particular kind of language or methodology,

nor does it consist of a particular type of teaching material.

However, Strevens (1988) defines ESP by making a distinction between four

absolute characteristics and two variable characteristics:

- The absolute characteristics are that ESP consists of ELT (English Language

Teaching) which is:

• designed to meet specified needs of the learners;

• related in content (that is in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines,

occupations and activities;

• centred on language appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis,

discourse, semantics and so on, and analysis of the discourse;

• in contrast with ‘General English’.

- The variable characteristics are that ESP

• may be restricted as to the learning skills to be learned (for example

reading only);

• may not be taught according to any pre-ordained methodology.

4