In an EFL context, I have found motivating learners the most challenging aspect of my teaching job. If students don’t have motivation, then the teaching- learning process becomes a one sided show (reminds me of what Coleman referred to as ‘puppet show’, from his observation in Thai language classrooms some years back).
I have observed that university students do not invest as much time in learning English as they do in learning their specialist subjects. One of the reasons is that they don’t see English playing a significant role to major in a certain discipline. Any time I ask them why they are not making effort to improve their English they usually say they are not in the university to major in English. I think underlying this view is segregation of knowledge into major and minor or major and support courses.
Students’ approach to EAP depends on their vision of their future identity and career or community they will be part of. There are some who seem to have a better vision of themselves of using English in their future career and they try to learn and improve their English. But then they are discouraged by the students’ culture (of the majority). Any time these students make effort, you can hear others teasing them or laughing at them trying to express their ideas in English. Adult students are particularly too sensitive about their image, so they abandon their goals under the pressure of the inhibitive students’ culture.
The practices of the subject disciplines for which EAP department is catering, is not helpful. Although some teachers do try to emphasise the importance English, others want to apprentice the students into academic tribalism between disciplines and EAP.
The solution for me is to adopt a more integrationist approach in offering EAP courses.
Firstly, specialist subject lecturers, departments and the universities should see clearly the role EAP plays in their students’ academic and professional development. It is also possible to combine EAP content with the specialist courses. For instance, contents in English for management department, such research paper writing, report writing, letter writing, technical writing or oral communication could be integrated into management courses like administrative communication or research methods taught by the specialist subject lecturers. From my knowledge of practices in the UK, I think some aspects of English for specific academic purposes can be team taught by the EAP and specialist subject lecturers. I have myself tried these in my institution. Although I have found some encouraging responses from very open subject lecturers, many still see English and their discipline as totally different tribes.
What is teaching EAP like in your context? Do you face challenges in relation to students’ motivation influenced by students’ culture and academic culture?
Nigussie
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Dear nigussie,
i have broken the ice but very late.please accept my apologies.Many a thanks for raising this question.a dire need of the hour.I bow myself to you!A great idea of combiningof EAP and ESP in universities and colleges.but it should start from the tertiary level itself.it is off too late to train the students for ESP in the university level..it is a hard task for both the teachers and students community. an alarming statistics in a country like india,shows many engineering and arts college students, eventhough academically strong, lose lucrative careers in software companies for poor communicative skills in English.i hope the same condition prevails in other countries too. atleast by now we ought to revamp the academic syllabus right from the higher secondary level by introducing specified tailor end courses like spoken English, functional English and business English
Of course in universities and colleges,specified courses like IELTS and TOEFL can be introduced.those softwares including the hard copies are more than enough for developing placement skills.
Apart from the students who specialize in English the other people have little interest in learning the language for any easthetic ends.the specific goals for the students who learn the language as a main study vastly differ from the rest.majority of the pupils take English only as a transcient period of learning which has no far reaching benefits.but times have changed for procuring a lucrative profession conversing and contracting with a good English.has become mandatory
As a teacher of English my teaching experience in my college is nevertheless peculiar and penetrative.the students were more obsessed with the specific purpose of English rather than the academic purpose.the thin line which separates sanity from insanity as shakesphere has written struck me.it was an uphill task to stike a balance because the academic syllabus did not permit me to teach them with a professional note.
For instance,when the students had a poem or a prose in their subject I was not able to inculcate any communicative skill in them.they expected only a synopsis or a summary of the lessoms from me which had little room for any discussion or interaction.consequently I started handling classes in evening who desired to develop their professional English .however the time was inadequate for me to continue such classes.
After some time students from various sections approached me for acquiring skills in spoken English which was a must in the job market.resultantly,I started my present institution in training my students to cater to the growing needs of the learners in learning and speaking the language with the professional goal.
i think i have given my comments correctly.waiting for your feedback
Regards
Dr.mangay
Dear Dr Mangay
Thanks for your detailed and valuable comment on the challenges of ESP/EAP teaching.
You rightly noted the paradox of teaching English in EFL contexts, it is important to learn if students have long term vision, but not important for them if they have short term vision of taking EAP courses as academic requirements. The major challenge is students’ own lack of motivation due to their very survival or surface level approach to education. I think this could be one factor for your students' insistence on very specific English. As you have indicated the non-English majors feel that English is only a classroom language, they can’t see themselves using it anywhere, they only study to pass the exam.
But still, in India, I think you have an external environment, work place demand for English proficiency as a positive force for teaching ESP. In Ethiopia English is formally a medium of instruction in the secondary and higher education levels. There is a dilemma of whether to insist on using it in every day teaching-learning process. This is because the majority of students, even some lecturers lack the proper level of competence.
You are absolutely right in saying that students should be taught English language and academic skills they require before coming to the university. Practically that is not happening because of lack of good teaching in pre-university. To your surprise, the secondary school teachers blame primary school for not teaching English propoerly. And unfortunately the blame shifting goes on. So we have no choice in the university, except designing English (EAP) courses to remedy the deficiencies.
However, one perennial problem is that English is taught parallel to other specialist courses. This compels students to focus on their major field and ignore EAP courses. There are also many other factors (I have indicated in mp PhD research and articles published elsewhere) leading to EAP marginalization.
I agree with you that students should be taught EAP skills before the university. I am arguing at the moment for changing our approach; I am for experimenting with pre-sessional English, a well established practice in the US and UK, for example. This is an intensive course before students join their field of study and how long they attend it is based on their level of proficiency in academic English (EAP/ESP).
I think your experiment of teaching the skill they want can be explored, perhaps as a tutorial while they are attending their major courses or train them any workplace English before they leave the university and join the workforce.
Thanks again for your contribution.
Nigussie
Dear niguisse,
Please visit my forum and spare your few minutes on commenting the question
regards
dr.mangay