Key Issues In English For Specific Purposes In Higher Education

This volume offers research-based studies on English for Specific Purposes in higher education from across the world. By drawing on international studies, the book brings together diverse ESP practices and aspects of relevant issues in the development of ESP programs, teachers and learners in a coherent fashion. There is a growing need for undergraduate students to develop their proficiency of ESP skills and knowledge in the increasingly globalized world. Knowledge of ESP is an important factor in subject matter learning by students, and also closely related to the performance of university graduates in the relevant sectors. Careful planning and efficient implementation are essential to ensure the quality of the language learning process. For a variety of reasons, it proves difficult to maintain ESP instruction in higher education. These reasons include the incompetence of teachers, lack of materials for that specific context, as well as lack of opportunities for ESP teachers to develop their skills. The chapters in this book, taken from a wide variety of countries, shed light on the diversity of current practices and issues surrounding ESP.

English language teaching (ELT) in higher education serves mainly to enhance the professional language competences of students. It can take several forms, including English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Academic English (AE). The objectives of ESP courses in higher education are to prepare students for their professional lives by developing communicative language skills. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology offers the potential to combine the learning of a foreign language with the content of professional subjects. Moreover, it also offers a new dimension in thinking and deepening foreign language competences within non-linguistic subjects. These aspects contribute towards ELT modernization with the aim of developing a learner’s autonomy and building bridges between educational institutions and the professional world. This book focuses on applying CLIL methodology within the context of ESP classes, highlighting the possible benefits that might be applicable in any higher educational institution.

This edited book focuses on current practices, challenges and innovations in the emerging field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). By combining diverse, empirically-proven and innovative ESP practices from all over the world with inspiring theoretical input and reflections from experienced practitioners, the authors in this volume examine both best-practice examples and ESP programmes which by various metrics are deemed to have failed. This book will be of interest to practitioners, teacher educators and researchers working in the field of ESP, as well as readers interested in language education and curriculum development more broadly.

"This book highlights the centrality of political and ideological issues as they relate to the positioning and practice of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), demonstrating that EAP cannot flourish as a profession or a discipline without an awareness of the macro- and meso-level political shifts that impact the wider university. The volume states that the practices of EAP are, in fact, political acts and examines these as yet unexplored power dynamics. The volume begins by considering key influences that have shaped universities and their governance and management over the last three decades and how these relate to the role and practice of EAP. These influences include neoliberal economic policies, governmental demands for widening participation, globalization, entrepreneurial approaches to higher education, students as clients and therapeutism in universities. Following consideration of these broader contextual issues, specific chapters focus on politics and policies surrounding the recruitment and participation of international, fee-paying students, their positioning and identity within English-medium universities, including issues relating to English language, standards and academic integrity. Further chapters then consider more local influences that shape EAP programmes, such as their strategic roles within universities, their management, their teaching and wider academic impact."--

This book delves into the realm of effective language education programs, examining them from both macro and micro-policy-making perspectives. It unravels the distinguishing features of exemplary language programs and explores how these programs are implemented in diverse international contexts. The book comprehensively explores various facets of language education programs, encompassing well-crafted language education policies, robust curriculum and syllabus design, impactful teaching materials, effective approaches to English for specific purposes (ESP), English as a medium of instruction (EMI), content and language integrated learning (CLIL), and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-informed instruction. The book also delves into fruitful school/institute-university partnerships, the judicious use of technology, strategies for teacher recruitment and professional development, as well as efficient policies for learner assessment, among other topics of significance. The contributions within this book are firmly grounded in data, incorporating findings from empirical studies. The insights provided draw upon valuable data obtained from a range of diverse contexts in which effective language education programs have been implemented.

This present book addresses language and its diverse forms in an array of professional and practical contexts. Besides discussing the intricacies of specialized settings such as legal, medical, technical or corporate, the collection also focuses on the role of education in relation to professional contexts ranging from challenges in professional university teaching and translation didactics to business environment requirements.

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an increasingly popular educational approach given its dual focus on enabling learners to acquire subject-matter through an additional language, while learning this second language in tandem with content. This Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of recent CLIL developments, illustrating how CLIL has been uniquely conceptualised and practised across educational and geographical contexts. Divided into six sections, covering language and language teaching, core topics and issues, contexts and learners, CLIL in practice, CLIL around the world, and a final section looking forward to future research directions, every chapter provides a balanced discussion of the benefits, challenges and implications of this approach. Representing the same diversity and intercultural understanding that CLIL features, the chapters are authored by established as well as early-career academics based around the world. The Routledge Handbook of Content and Language Integrated Learning is the essential guide to CLIL for advanced students and researchers of applied linguistics, education and TESOL.

As Languages for Specific Purposes have always been defined as student-oriented, the rationale behind this volume is to use the rather neglected niche of the other necessary agent of language instruction and thus focus on the LSP practitioner. This turn towards the instructor has been motivated by the fact that a great number of LSP practitioners enter their jobs without previous expertise. They lack LSP education, or they may not even have a background in applied linguistics. This motivation has proven valid as many of the volume’s contributors have faced this particular situation in their professional lives. For insights into the LSP field and guidelines on the best practices, they must rely on their colleagues who offer to share their experience through workshops, conferences, or papers, which is what this volume provides. The primary goal of this volume is to present considerations of what challenges LSP practitioners face and should be prepared for in their jobs and to provide practice-tested methodological guidelines on such demanding teaching techniques as blended and flipped learning or tandem learning. All papers have been written by LSP practitioners and researchers in higher education. Thus, this volume provides both guidance and self-reflection. In other words, it is written by experienced LSP practitioners for aspiring LSP practitioners about how they see themselves and what effort they make to meet the challenges of their jobs. As proof that LSP practice is a global challenge, papers have been collected from many European countries, the USA, Uruguay. Even though most papers are naturally concerned with English, being the lingua franca of today, the collection also features guidelines for teaching Spanish, French and Dutch for specific purposes. Moreover, the target disciplines these languages are taught for encompass business, engineering, sociology or medicine, thus supporting the assumption of the universal character of problems LSP practitioners deal with.