Volume 9 Issue 3 July - September 2019
Research Paper
Developing a Vocational English for Specific Purposes Curriculum for the Department of Electric and Energy
Gökhan Öztürk* , Betül Bal-Gezegin**
*Department of Foreign Language Education, Anadolu University, Turkey.
** Department of English Language Teaching, Amasya University, Turkey.
Öztürk, G., & Bal-Gezegin, B. (2019). Developing a Vocational English for Specific Purposes Curriculum for the Department of Electric and Energy. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 9(3), 16-26. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.9.3.16127
Abstract
This paper outlines the process of the design of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course in an EFL context based on learners' real-world needs and perceptions of various stakeholders on these needs. The specific course chosen for this study is called “Vocational English Course” (called VEC hereafter) for the department of Electric and Energy. The target group enrolled in the course consists of undergraduate students from a vocational school at a state university in Turkey. In order to identify the needs specific to the target context, an environment (situation) and a needs analysis were carried out with questionnaires and interviews to gather information related to the context, language needs, and methods of language teaching and learning. The results of the surveys and the interviews indicated the variety of students' needs which had not been realized previously. By focusing on both students' needs, learning styles and perceptions as well as other stakeholders' expectations and views, and by strengthening the connection between the learner and the target workplace, the content was improved for an ESP course based on the curriculum design model of Nation and Macalister in their book Language Curriculum Design. In the light of the findings of this study, conclusions are drawn, and suggestions are made regarding the development of a needs-based curriculum for vocational English courses.
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