1. Implications of Current Research in ESP for ESL/ESP Teacher Training
Amina Gaye
Assistant Professor, GRU Department
Fatima College of Health Sciences
Abu Dhabi, UAE
ESP Oxford International Conference (IESPTA)
Oxford University, England June 2018

2. Outline Introduction and Background
Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study
Research Questions, Design and Methods
Findings and Analysis
Recommendations for Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

3. Introduction
Need for ESP
Development of ESP

4. Competencies Required
Conduct a Needs Analysis effectively (Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998)
Collaborate with content experts (Ferguson, 1997; Evans and St John, 1998; Kone, 2007; Maleki, 2011)
Understand that ESP learners are “the most readily available sources of specialist knowledge” (Belcher, 2009, p.13)
Use Authentic Materials

5. However, there are several constraining factors to the progress of ESP as a component of ELT

6. Most Constraining Factor
Lack of EFL instructors’ training in ESP (Swales, 1985)
- Awareness of their role as ESP Practitioners
- Transition from ESL instructor to ESP Practitioner
Limiting ESP to the teaching of vocabulary
- Genre Analysis (Bhatia, 1999)
- Cultural awareness (Swales, 1990)

7. Background to the Study
Field of Tourism
Field of Business

8. Background to the Study
Despite its unofficial status in Senegal, English plays an important role in the professional area

9. Statement of the Problem
Gap between the achievements of the English instructional program and the labor market’s requirements

10. Statement of the Problem
The majority of those professionals need training oriented towards the acquisition and the practice of the English language in a specialized context.
However, shifts in curriculum are not accompanied with teacher preparation

11. Purpose of the Study
Highlight the need and significance of ESP Teacher Training
Come up with recommendations that can help Senegalese instructors working in content-specific areas better understand their roles in order to produce graduates that meet the labor market’s requirements and expectations.

12. Research Questions
What do such teachers actually know about ESP? 
Are Senegalese instructors working in content-specific areas familiar with ESP?
Do they know how to use ESP in their teaching?
Are those teachers trained in ESP? 

13. Research Design and Methods
Qualitative Approach that builds on the works of Bhatia (1999) and Mahapatra (2011).
“Training for ESP instructors is highly context-specific and time-bound, and should be designed on the basis of the needs of the teachers under focus.” (Mahapatra, 2011)
Survey
92 EFL instructors working in content-specific areas (high school and undergrads)
6 public universities, 7 technical high schools

14. Findings and Analysis
“Are the learners’ needs at all taken into consideration?”

15. Needs Analysis
Only 27% consider future professional needs as perceived by learners/ and or employers.
Grammar and vocabulary rather than practicing authentic material.

16. Types of learners taught
Mostly teach high school students and undergrads
Most of them have little to no professional experience yet.

17. Content Knowledge

18. Collaboration with Content Experts
The opportunity seems to exist but…
they don’t seize it.

19. Materials Used

20. Teaching Methods Students are not often engaged in oral activities
Only 12% content-based instruction
Only 08% task-based learning methods

21. Knowledge of ESP

22. Perceptions of their constraints
81% mentioned some other barriers like the class size, the duration and frequency of class meetings, etc.
For 87% it is the lack of materials

23. Do Senegalese ESL Instructors know how to use ESP in their teaching?
Criteria/ Requirements
Survey Results
Needs Analysis
Syllabus designed accordingly
Collaboration with content expert
Teaching Material Developed
No needs analysis
No Syllabus required
Opportunity exists but is not seized
No, lack of materials mentioned as a barrier

24. What do such teachers actually know about ESP?
Survey Results
Interpretation
Seem to be pretty much familiar with the field
Teaching of vocabulary and grammar
Lack of consistency which shows that they are not
Teaching of Genres (Bhatia, 1999) and practicing authentic meaningful communication

25. Are those instructors trained in ESP?
Survey Result
Interpretation
93% of the instructors surveyed never took any classes in ESP
Although most of them attended a teacher training school
ESP is not taught as a subject

26. Are Senegalese EFL instructors working in content-areas familiar with ESP?
No, they are not familiar with the field of ESP and do not know how to use it in their teaching

27. Recommendations for Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
ESP should be taught as a subject in the Departments of English
A pre-service ESP teacher training course designed for graduates of the English departments who enter FASTEF
Instructors accompanied in their role of ESP practitioners through in-service workshops

28. References
Abdulaziz, M., Shah, S. K., Mahmood, R., & Fazal e Haq, H. M. (2012). Change from a general English
teacher to an ESP practitioner: Issues and challenges in Pakistan. Interdisciplinary Journal of
Contemporary Research in Business, 4(1), 434–465.
Belcher, D. (2009). What ESP is and can be: An introduction. In D. Belcher (Ed.), English for specific
purposes in theory and practice. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Bhatia, V. K. (1999). Analysing genre: An applied linguistic perspective. Keynote address given at the
12th World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Tokyo, Japan.
Chostelidou, D., Griva, E., & Taskiridou, E. (2009). A record of the training needs of ESP practitioners
in vocational education. Selected Papers from the 18th ISTAL (pp. 131–143). Retrieved from
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes. A learning-centred approach.
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Mahapatra, S. K. (2011). Teacher training in ESP: A historical review. English for Specific Purposes
World, 33(11).
Swales, J. (1985). Episodes in ESP: A source and reference book on the development of English for
science and technology, Volume 1. Oxford, England: Pergamon Institute of English.
Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press.

29. Thank you for listening!
ELT
ESP