Lesson 1: Contextualizing ESP Figure 1: Branches and Sub Branches of ESP

Situating ESP in English Language Teaching (ELT) and What are the characteristic features of ESP?
Learning (ELL)
ESP is:
What is English for Specific Purposes? 1. a learner-centered approach,
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is an approach to language How will the language items, activities, and explanations
teaching that targets the current and/or future academic or ultimately help the learners meet
occupational needs of learners, focuses on the necessary their current and/or future ‘non-linguistic’ target needs?
language, genres, and skills to address these needs, and assists 2. a multidisciplinary approach, and
learners in meeting these needs through the use of general The ESP practitioner can draw on insights of researchers in
and/or discipline-specific teaching materials and methods. other disciplines and may also engage with researchers in other
disciplines through teaching.
Academic 3. an attention to theory and practice.
These are the needs of learners in a school, university, or other Theoretical Language and Learning Principles and Pedagogic
setting where the primary goal is learning. Practices work hand in hand.
• For example, Technical Writing for pre-service teachers or
students of business administration.

Occupational Needs
These are the needs of learners in a workplace setting such as a
hospital, factory, or restaurant.
• In the Philippines, for example, BPOs train agents how to
respond appropriately to irate customers. Introducing the Four Pillars of ESP
The four (4) Pillars are:
Language 1. Needs Analysis,
Broadly refers to lexis, morphology, syntax, semantics, These are the necessities, lacks, and wants of the target
pragmatics, and phonology. learners, as well as questions about the environment in which
the learning will take place.
Genres 2. Learning Objectives,
The spoken or written product of language like research What language, genres, and skills the learners might be
presentation, business letter, and prescription. expected to use in a target situation?
What learning strategy objectives should be established for the
Skills class.
Refer not only to traditional abilities like reading, writing, 3. Materials and Methods, and
listening, and speaking, but also metacognitive skills such as Should you use an existing material? Or develop your own?
planning, noticing, problem solving, evaluating, and correcting. What teaching methodology should be used based on the
• Examples include classic grammar-translation method, audio- results of the needs analysis?
lingual method, case study, CLT, or TBLT. 4. Evaluation.
How much have the learners improved as a result of the course?
What are the Branches of ESP? How successful was the ESP course itself, and also the quality
The two branches of ESP: of Instruction?
1. English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and
2. English for Occupational Purposes (EOP).

Remember:
ESP = EOP and EAP, EOP ≠ EAP
Lesson 2: Identifying Needs in the Design of ESP Courses and Ranking of Learning Objectives in Diagnostic View of Needs:
Programs Why is it important to rank objectives?
What objective do you think is at the top of all the objectives
Basic Concepts in Needs Analysis for an EOP course on correspondences for Office Staff at a state
university?
What is ‘Needs Analysis’ in ESP?
Needs Analysis is the systematic collection and analysis of all Discrepancy View of Needs
information used for defining and validating a defensible • These needs correspond to the lacks, discrepancies, or gaps
curriculum. between what the learners can currently do in the language
and what they will need to do in the target setting.
A defensible curriculum is one that can be successfully
explained to and accepted by all stakeholders, including Who do you think can provide you the information regarding
learners, instructors, and administrators, and even present and these lacks, discrepancies, or gaps for an EAP?
future employers. How about EOP?
For EAP, experienced instructors while, for EOP, administrators
What sort of ‘Needs’? or the management.
Needs depend on the stakeholder and the context they are in.
What type of test is probably best for identifying discrepancy
What other terms do you think are used to refer to these needs?
‘needs’? Placement tests, which is used to determine the current levels
Terms like wants, desires, necessities, lacks, gaps, expectations, of learners and assign them to different streams or ability
motivations, deficiencies, requirements, requests, prerequisites, groupings, and in the case of EOP settings, even different work
essentials, next step, and ‘x + 1’. sections.

Views of ‘Needs’ Democratic View of Needs

Based on these terms, there are 4 different views of ‘needs’. • These needs correspond to what the different stakeholders
These are: want, desire, expect, or request from the ESP course.
1. Diagnostic View
2. Discrepancy View Who do you think can provide you the information regarding
3. Democratic View these want, desire, expect, or request from an EAP? How about
4. Analytic View EOP?
Learners, who universally want their courses to be interesting,
Diagnostic View of Needs enjoyable, manageable, and relevant to their future goals.
• These needs correspond to language, genres, and skills that
are considered necessities, essentials, or prerequisites for Do learners really know what, where, when, and how they will
success in the target setting. use English in the target academic or occupational setting?

Who do you think can provide you the information regarding Analytic View of Needs
these necessities, essentials, or prerequisites for an EAP? How • These needs correspond to elements that Second Language
about EOP? Acquisition (SLA) theory and ELT research and practice have
For EAP, experienced instructors may provide the most shown to be the necessary next step in the learning process.
valuable information while the learners themselves may
provide the most valuable information for EOP. Who do you think are best to consult with regarding these
needs?
Ranking of Learning Objectives in Diagnostic View of Needs: You may want to review literature on SLA and ELT and consult
Objectives that must be achieved at the top; with teachers who are familiar with learning theory and
Objectives that are less important at the middle; and, practice.
Objectives that are irrelevant and can be ignored at the bottom.
Views of ‘Needs’ Needs Analysis started to have a basis either explicitly or
Considering all the views of needs, can an ESP practitioner implicitly, in theory, and also in principle.
capture a comprehensive list of needs for an ESP course? Why The type of information sought during a needs analysis is
or why not? usually closely related to the approach to teaching and learning
• In conducting a needs analysis, aim for Current Best Shot and to syllabus design followed by the analysts.
(CBS), which is one that captures the most useful information
for planning a course but makes no claim of being the complete The Notional-Functional Syllabus Design by Wilkins (1976)
picture.

Conducting Needs Analysis

There are two ways to conduct a Needs Analysis:
1. large-scale, detailed needs analysis, and
2. small-scale ‘just in time’ needs analysis.

Conducting a Large-Scale, Detailed Needs Analysis Design Approach of the Notional-Functional Syllabus Design
by Wilkins (1976)
Needs Analysis as Part of a Process: Skills-Based Approach
Ex.
For an ESP course for Marketing students, the syllabus may be
defined by the oral skills (speaking) but the actual content
would be expressed by functions like persuading, negotiating,
and so on.

Present Situation Analysis (1997)

• PSA draws attention to the gap between what students are
able to do with language at the beginning of the course and
what they need to do at the end of the course.

Approaches in Conducting Needs Analyses:

PSA also encompasses other aspects pertaining to the
There are several approaches, including:
prevailing situation, including:
1. Functional Analyses,
1. personal information about the learners, like:
2. Register Analysis,
a) Factors which may affect the way they learn such as previous
3. Task-Based Analysis,
learning experiences,
4. Ethnographically-Oriented Analysis
b) Cultural information,
c) Reasons for attending the course, and
REGISTER ANALYSIS
d) Expectations of it and attitude to English.
Barber’s Lexicostatistical Analysis (1985)
2. Information about the language teaching environment, like:
• Lexicostatistical’s attention is paid to grammatical structures
a) Resources, and
such as the forms and use of the passive.
b) Administration Matters.
For example, the topics and questions addressed to hotel
employees are generally restricted to a narrow semantic field.
TSA vs PSA
In an ESP course for hotel employees, the course would revolve
Needs Analysis is a combination of TSA and PSA.
around the identified semantic field.
But why? Because you are likely to seek and find information
relating to both the TSA and PSA simultaneous
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
Target Situation Analysis (1970s)
Task-Based Analysis (2005)
• TSA determines what learners are required to do with the
• Reflect the dynamic qualities of the target discourse, thus
foreign or second language in the target situation.
revealing more than static, product - oriented text - based
analyses. Task-based Syllabi promote a more holistic analytical The use of repeated observation and collection of sufficient
syllabus. data over a period of time.
TBA rose due to the more reliable data provided by job 3. Participant Verification:
descriptions, performance standards, and required tasks than The analysis is discussed with participants and its “reality”
data provided by teachers and applied linguists. verified by them.

Ethnographically Oriented Analysis (2006) Conducting a Small-Scale, 'Just in Time' Needs Analysis
It seeks to achieve the following: Consider the following actions to establish the needs of the
1. Comprehensive, Detailed and “Thick” description, stakeholders:
2. Portray an insider’s perspective, which gives precedence to • Discuss briefly with the course coordinators their views of
the meaning of the event or situation to participants, and learners and what they expect learners to study in class. Use
3. Provide an account grounded in data collected from multiple these views as an initial guide for understanding learner
sources that develops a conceptual framework. necessities and lacks, as well as administrative wants.
• If the course is already established but has a vague or generic
SOURCES AND METHODS title (e.g. English I ), work with administrators to reach a
consensus on the goals of the course and your freedom to
Sources interpret these after meeting the learners. Use these
The following can be used as sources: discussions to improve your understanding of the different
1. Published and unpublished literature, stakeholders’ necessities, lacks, and wants.
2. Learners, • Briefly review any provided materials for the course. Again,
3. Teachers and Applied Linguists, use these as an initial guide to the different stakeholders’
4. Domain Experts, and necessities, lacks, and wants.
5. Triangulated Sources • Make every effort to obtain samples of learners’ outputs
from previous iterations of the class. Analyze these samples
Methods with the aim of establishing a more detailed and accurate set of
There are two types of methods in conducting the Needs necessities and lacks of learners. If there is an obvious
Analysis: mismatch between the wants of the administrators and the
1. Inductive necessities and lacks of previous learners, raise the issue with
a. Expert Intuition, the management team and reach a consensus on how the
b. Participant and Non-Participant Observation, and course should proceed.
c. Unstructured Interview • At the start of the first class, provide learners with a brief
2. Deductive: overview of what you see as their necessities, lacks, and wants
a. Surveys and Questionnaires, and explain how you arrived at your decision. Monitor their
b. Structured Interviews, and reactions to see if they agree with your opinions. If they appear
c. Criterion-referenced Performance Test to disagree with you, give them an opportunity to express what
3. Others: their needs are.
a. Surveys and Questionnaires, • If you are unsure that the course correctly addresses the
b. Structured Interviews, and learners’ necessities, lacks, and wants, in the first class, ask the
c. Criterion-referenced Performance Test learners to complete a short survey on what they hope to learn
in class. Alternatively, or in addition to a survey, ask them to
Validity and Reliability produce a sample of their intended language output and
quickly diagnose to what extent they can already achieve this
Validity and Reliability in Needs Analysis procedures can be goal.
achieved through: • In each class, continue to monitor the learners’ performances
1. Triangulation: and expressions of motivation. If a new necessity, lack, or want
Conclusions are developed using a range of data sources, becomes apparent, be willing and flexible to adjust your
research methods or investigators. teaching accordingly.
2. Prolonged Engagement:
Conducting a Large-Scale, Detailed Needs Analysis What is Register Analysis as a theoretical-grounded principle
- print - in ESP?
Register analysis is an analysis of the grammatical, vocabulary,
Evaluating a Needs Analysis and lexical features of the language form used in a specific
A needs analysis must ultimately be useful in terms of the social setting. This approach is used to assess the linguistic
insights it provides on curriculum design (Nation and foundations of the language we use in a given situation and
Macalister, 2010). how the language we speak or write varies depending on the
• To ensure the value of a needs analysis, it should be designed situation. Besides, register analysis as a theoretical-grounded
in a similar way to a test, making sure that it is reliable, valid, principle in ESP is a functional variant of language that enables
and practical (Brown, 1989). us to uncover how language is changed to make meaning in
order to make the ESP a course more relevant to the learners'
A reliable needs analysis should produce the same results if needs.
repeated.
A valid needs analysis reveals the individuals’ different What is Rhetorical (Discourse) Analysis?
perspectives on needs, and not some unrelated other factor. Discourse analysis is the process of defining and knowing
A practical needs analysis is designed in a way that allows it to sentence structure to meet the specific needs of learners. It is a
be carried out within a reasonable time and cost. research approach for investigating and understanding the
underlying meaning of spoken and written words. It focuses on
Balancing Scope, Cost, and Time: interaction and looks beyond the context of language. In
general, discourse analysis is a research method that involves
the study of language beyond the sentence level to understand
how it functions in a social context.

How is Rhetorical (Discourse) Analysis different from Register

Analysis?
Discourse Analysis focuses on how sentences and paragraphs
were constructed in order to draw meaning in context and
construct complete spoken or written text. It is the study of the
cohesive links between sentences, paragraphs, or the structure
How is ESP important in our increasingly globalized world? of the whole text whereas, Register Analysis focuses on
English for Specific Purposes is important in our increasingly identifying the characteristic features of grammar and
globalized world because it allows professionals to assess vocabulary in a particular setting. It is the study of language
students and meet their needs. One feature of ESP is the used to determine the authenticity of a language.
multidisciplinary approach, which allows us to reach out to
professors and researchers and allow them to contribute and What is Genre Analysis?
assess the needs of the students. Also, through ESP, we will be Genre analysis is the analysis of how language is used within a
able to use the English language, whether it is for English particular context. It studies how contextual parameters,
Academic Purposes in the school system or English for discourse structures, and language interrelate. Besides, genre
Occupational Purposes in the workplace. ESP will also analysis is an approach used in identifying the communicative
encourage us to interact with others, whether for professional purpose, structure, style, content, and intended audience of
or personal reasons, because the English language is beneficial certain texts. It focuses on language functions and key
in every career. structures and patterns that distinguish a specific type of text
from another.
How can Register Analysis, Rhetorical Analysis, and Genre Do you think an ESP Course with Learning Objectives NOT
Analysis help in deciding Learning Objectives in ESP? derived from the results of a Needs Analysis will be successful?
These three approaches in conducting needs analysis can help Why or why not?
instructors decide learning objectives in ESP by analyzing the No. I truly believe that an ESP course with a learning objective
learners' target language context and identifying their current that did not derive from the results of a need analysis would
or future academic and occupational needs. Using Register not be successful because in deciding learning objectives,
Analysis, it enables instructors to incorporate grammar rules stakeholders must first come up with the results of the need
and vocabulary items into learners' learning passages in ESP analysis in order for the learning objectives to be appropriate in
courses. Along these, instructors can help the learners in the needs of the learners and be able to address their wants
developing their own rhetorical awareness, which they can and the lacks that needed to focus on.
apply in comprehending written texts. Using Genre Analysis,
instructors can create a course and objectives that will ensure In teaching an ESP Course, should your students be made
the learners' understanding of the features of a language that aware of its Learning Objectives? Why or why not?
will help them identify the structure, purpose, and context of Yes, students should be made aware of the learning objectives
the language in a specific text. in the ESP course so that they will become aware of their needs
and lacks and will have strong views about what they want to
Language Learning can be Cognitive, Behavioral, and/or achieve from the course. Learning objectives in an ESP course
Affective. How can Language Learning be Affective? are important for students to be aware of what they need to
Language Learning can be Affective when learners are improve in the course, find out the skills they need to focus on,
influenced by their emotions while learning, as well as how and identify the real context for the vocabulary and structures
their learning experiences influence their attitudes and of the ESP.
behavior. Also, it is a learning experience that is closely linked
to the learner's interests, motivation, and willingness to
participate in class discussions, and also their commitment and
involvement in a particular situation.

Language Learning can be Cognitive, Behavioral, and/or

Affective. How can Language Learning be Behavioral?
Language Learning can be Behavioral when students learn
through interaction with their enviroment and experiences in
the school setting. Through this, learners' behavior has been
influenced by their attitude, which influences how they react
and behave in the classroom, making language learned
behavioral.

How important do you think is a successful Needs Analysis in

deciding Learning Objectives?
A successful needs analysis is important for stakeholders
because it allows them to identify the learners' wants, needs,
and lacks of language skills, which will be beneficial in deciding
appropriate learning objectives in the ESP course. Instructors
can also use this to determine the best teaching methods that
are truly relevant to the learners need, from which they can
develop appropriate learning objectives for the course that will
enhance the students' learning and prioritize the learners'
needs.