000028841 TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIAL FOR STUDENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING AT THE HANOI CIVIL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY HƯỚNG ĐẾN PHÁT TRIỂN TÀI LIỆU CHO SINH VIÊN KỸ THUẬT MÔI TRƯỜNG VÀ KỸ THUẬT XÂY DỰNG TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KỸ THUẬT XÂY DỰNG HÀ NỘI.
Outline o f the t h e s i s
This thesis investigates the teaching and learning of English for students in Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering, analyzes their English language needs, and aims to inform the adaptation and development of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) materials for their courses.
U niversity so that the d em and for their use o f English could be more adequately m et in the future.
This thesis explores the development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials for Vietnam's Civil Engineering University, and is organized into five chapters: Chapter 1 identifies the need for ESP materials in Vietnam and at the Civil Engineering University; Chapter 2 reviews the literature on needs analysis as a driver for curricular design and ESP materials development; Chapter 3 describes the methodology for collecting data through a training needs analysis and presents the results; Chapter 4 discusses how these findings inform the adaptation and development of ESP materials for engineering students; Chapter 5 presents the study's conclusions.
E S P in V ie tn a m
With the end of the Vietnam War and the country's unification, targets for foreign language study were established for Vietnamese secondary schools, aiming for 60% of the student body to study Russian, 25% to study English, and 15% to study French The same policy was applied to foreign language learning in universities.
Russian was the most commonly taught foreign language in Vietnamese schools, especially in the north, reflecting Vietnam’s ties with the former Soviet Union—its major ally that provided substantial economic, military, and training assistance For example, in 1985, 5,000 Vietnamese undergraduate and postgraduate students received scholarships to study in the Soviet Union As political changes swept through the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, aid to Vietnam slowed and finally halted in the late 1980s, at which point Russian began to lose ground to English.
The rise in popularity of English is due very m uch to political and economic of living, now has to turn to W estern science and technology and capital, the access to w hich is through the m edium of English.
W ith the policy known as Econom ic Renovation, or Doi Moi that was introduced in 1986, the Vietnamese econom y has begun to open up to entrepreneurial activity and en c o u ra g e s overseas investment and com m erce Businessm en from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore have com e and started joint-venture projects in which English is used as the m ed iu m of comm unication Scientific and technological publications in English such as books and magazines which are supposed to provide m uch information and knowledge essential for personal developm ent as well as the developm ent of the country have also started com ing into the book markets o f V ietnam
Vietnam has joined ASEAN as its seventh member, signaling a new chapter for the regional bloc Its initial contribution is to staff an English-competent secretariat that can actively participate in ASEAN’s more than 300 annual meetings across Asia.
In 1995, following the lifting of the U.S trade and aid embargo on Vietnam, normal bilateral relations with ASEAN and many Western countries are being re-established Communication with these partners is expected to occur mainly through English, the international language of business, technology, and science.
English has become a crucial means of communication across many areas of people’s lives, including engineering, education, business, and technology In Vietnam, as in English-speaking countries, professionals such as engineers rely on English to access global knowledge, collaborate with international partners, and participate in a wider global community The expanding role of English underscores its function as a bridge for cross-cultural exchange, professional development, and opportunities in today’s interconnected world.
English is highly valued in Vietnam as a strategic asset for growth and global connectivity The government regards English proficiency as a driver of economic modernization and access to international and regional markets, helping Vietnam participate more fully in the global economy For individuals, English skills open doors to better career opportunities, higher earnings, and broader social and educational prospects, making English a key part of personal advancement in Vietnamese society.
English learning has surged, with a greatly increased number of learners About 90% of university students now choose English to fulfill their foreign language requirement ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses have become an essential part of the English curriculum in most non-language-specialized universities, which aim to equip students with ESP so they can use it for their university studies as well as for work after graduation.
Regrettably, ESP courses—English for Specific Purposes—have fallen short of their goals: only a small fraction of students can actually use English for their studies, for example reading in English to access information related to their subject matter; meanwhile, many learners only dream of being able to use English in their future work.
After finishing an ESP course at the university, it is clear that the failure of these ESP courses can, in part, be attributed to the selection, adaptation, and development of the materials used for teaching and learning.
T he teaching and learning o f E S P in V ie tn a m
The teaching and learning o f E SP in H U C E
At HUCE, ESP coursebooks authored by foreign writers are commonly used across faculties, including English for Architecture and Building Construction, a ten-unit text that emphasizes reading skills and vocabulary development However, a syllabus built around students’ needs, deficits, and preferences is rare in these NL SUs, and HUCE is no exception; book selection relies mainly on teachers’ judgments about difficulty rather than on alignment with learner goals There has been little simplification or adaptation, and the accompanying exercises were designed for unclear purposes Because what students need to develop in language skills is not well known, and given ongoing confusion about ESP aims, many teachers simply translate the texts into Vietnamese in ESP lessons, producing lessons that are often boring and ineffective.
To meet the growing demand for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in NLSUs, and in H U C E in particular, the challenge of selecting, adapting, and developing suitable teaching materials must be addressed A good material choice depends on clearly identifying students’ needs, gaps, and preferences In concrete terms, a syllabus with clear aims and objectives based on a training needs analysis should be developed to establish proper criteria for the selection and development of materials, which is the central focus of this study To provide a solid theoretical foundation, the next chapter will present a literature review on needs analysis and material development.
This chapter surveys the literature on needs analysis and its impact on language program design and material development, organized into two sections: Section one provides a concise overview of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) definitions, and Section two surveys the research on needs analysis and its implications for curriculum planning and instructional material adaptation.
Definition and types o f English for specific purposes ( E S P )
Definition o f E S P
When addressing any issue in social or natural sciences, researchers need a clear, or at least broadly acceptable, definition of the problem to orient their work The target issue of this study—English for Specific Purposes (ESP)—is no exception, and it calls for a precise or at least widely accepted definition shaped by the researchers’ standpoints or methodological approaches Robinson (1991) argues that a universally acceptable definition of ESP does not exist.
‘E nglish for specific purposes would imply that what is specific and appropriate in one part of the globe m ay well not be e lsew here’.
Strevens (1980) contends that a definition of ESP that is both simple and airtight is difficult to produce Here I review how ESP has been defined and analyzed by a number of prominent researchers and experts, and I aim to distill the most common elements across those definitions to form the basis of my study.
K e nne dy and Bolitho (1984: 3) when m entioning approaches to ESP believe that
‘E SP has its basis in an investigation of the purposes of the learners and the set of c om m u n ic a tiv e needs arising from those p u rp o se s ’
Munby argues that defining ESP is essential: ESP courses are those whose syllabus and materials are determined almost entirely by a prior analysis of the learner’s actual communication needs In practice, this means the curriculum is designed around authentic language use and real tasks the learner will face, rather than generic grammar or vocabulary Strevens reinforces this needs-based perspective, stressing that the heart of ESP lies in aligning instruction with the specific communicative purposes the learner requires.
According to a 1980 formulation, English for Specific Purposes is a distinct instance of the broader field of special-purpose language teaching The author expands the definition of ESP by outlining four fixed (absolute) characteristics and two flexible (variable) ones, which together capture the core features and adaptable aspects of ESP The absolute traits establish ESP as oriented to a clearly defined target situation and learner need, with its content, methods, and evaluation shaped accordingly; the variable traits acknowledge that ESP can vary with context, learner profiles, and instructional approaches while remaining grounded in the same overarching purpose.
ESP consists of English language teaching which is:
- designed to meet specified needs of the learner;
- related in content (i.e in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities;
- c entered on the language appropriate to those activities, in syntax, lexis, discourse, sem antics, etc;
- in contrast with “G eneral E n g lish ”
V a ria b le C h a ra cteristics o f ESP:
E SP m ay be, but is not necessarily:
- restricted to the language skills to be learned (e.g reading only; speech recognition only, etc);
- taught according to any pre-ordained m ethodology (i.e ESP is not restricted to any particular m ethodology- although com m unicative m ethodology is very often felt to be the m ost appropriate)’
H u tc h in so n and W aters (1987) devote the whole first section titled “W hat is
E SP ?" o f their book “E nglish f o r Specific P urp o ses- A learning- cen tered a p p ro a c h " to thorough analysis o f ESP definition They believe that
As English became the accepted international language of technology and commerce, it created a new generation of learners who knew exactly why they were learning a language: businessmen and women who wanted to sell their products, mechanics who had to read instruction manuals, doctors who needed to keep up with developments in their field, and a wide range of students whose courses included textbooks and journals only available in English All these and many others needed English to participate effectively in global business, industry, and academia.
E nglish and, m ost importantly, they knew why they n e e d ed it”
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F i g u r e 1: The E L T tree by H utchinson and W aters (1987)
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a language‑learning approach rooted in learner needs Its core premise asks a simple question: why does this learner need to learn a foreign language? Building on this, ESP is described as a language‑teaching approach that aims to meet the needs of particular learners.
R obinson (1991), while discussing what is criterial to ESP, points out:
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is normally goal-directed, designed around the actual tasks learners must perform in their specific contexts An ESP course is based on a needs analysis, which aims to specify as precisely as possible what students have to do through the medium of English, considering their academic, professional, or vocational goals This approach aligns curriculum, materials, and assessments with authentic language use, helping learners achieve practical outcomes in their fields.
Robinson (1991) reports that the cited authorities in English Language Teaching and English for Specific Purposes are all in agreement on a core principle: ESP courses must be designed around the learners’ actual needs In short, ESP cannot exist or develop without recognizing and responding to those needs.
The “L o n g m a n Dictionary o f A pplied L inguistic s” (Richards, Platt and W eber, 1985: 94) defines ESP as follows:
English for Special Purposes (ESP), also known as English for Specific Purposes, is the use of English in a language course whose content and aims are determined by the specific needs of a defined group of learners In ESP programs, the curriculum is tailored to the students’ goals, delivering targeted language skills and domain-specific vocabulary essential for their field For example, courses in English for Business, English for Academic Purposes, or English for Healthcare train learners to communicate effectively in professional settings, ensuring practical competence in real-world contexts.
A c a d e m ic Purposes, English for Science and Technology, and English for N u r s in g ’.
Types o f E S P
ESP must meet the learners’ needs, and it is obvious that different people pursue different purposes and have different needs Therefore, there must be different types of ESP to address this variety of aims and requirements In this discussion, we turn to the types of ESP and how they align with diverse learner goals.
EO P S im ultaneous/In-service
F ig u r e 2 : The “ ESP fam ily tre e ” by R obinson (1991).
ESP p re ex p e rien c e pre-study
(pre-sectional) occupational academ ic sim ultaneous post experience discipline- based school subject in-study independent integrated
F igure 3 : Types of ESP (from Strevens, 1977)
R obinson (1991) when com m enting on her ‘ESP fa m ily tre e’ (see figure2) says :
A key distinction in English for specific purposes is between English for Occupational Purposes (EOP), which targets work-related language needs and job-specific communication, and English for Academic Purposes (EAP), which supports study, research, and learning across academic contexts English for Science and Technology (EST) sits across these domains, delivering specialized vocabulary and discourse skills for scientific and technical work Together, these frameworks help learners choose the right pathway for workplace success, academic achievement, or scientific communication.
Applying Robinson's ESP family tree (1991) to our ESP teaching practice shows that most ESP courses taught in Vietnamese universities and colleges, including HUCE, are offered as independent EEP/EAP subjects rather than integrated into broader curricula This pattern highlights the need to align ESP and EAP course design with real-world professional and academic contexts to improve relevance and learning outcomes for Vietnamese learners.
‘There are two main divisions, which help to distinguish ESP situations:
English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for A cadem ic
Purposes of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP): EOP is taught in contexts where learners need to use English as part of their work or profession, while EAP is taught broadly within educational institutions to students who require English for their studies.
Apart from the two “ divisions” , they suggest English for Science and T echnology (EST), which is ‘an important branch of ES P ’ (K ennedy and Bolitho, 1984: 4).
K ennedy and Bolitho and m any other researchers have w arned against confusing ESP and EST T hey have pointed out that EST deals with scientific content whereas
‘There are m any important content areas in ESP which are not concerned with science- the law and c om m erce, for e x a m p le ’ (K ennedy and Bolitho, 1984: 6).
T o m ake it easier to know the position o f each branch and type of ESP we can refer to the ESP diagram proposed by Strevens in 1997 (see figure3).
The ESP Tree, drawn by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) and shown in Figure 1, offers the clearest visualization of the branches (types) of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Its top branches denote the most specific ESP content areas, though not all ESP domains can be represented on the tree The diagram functions as a proposed framework for classifying ESP types and areas rather than an exhaustive taxonomy A chosen branch can be developed into more specialized fields—for example, starting from “English for Medical Studies” and expanding into more targeted subfields.
Pediatricians” “ English for Surgeons” , “ English for O phthalm ologists” etc
In short, depending on the concrete c onte nt of a target field of educational, cultural occupation, scientific and technical activities, one needs a special type of ESP for
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is designed to meet the needs of a particular group of learners whose educational, occupational, or scientific fields require English The choice of ESP type depends on the specific activities and contexts in which they will use English, which in turn determines the required content—grammar, vocabulary, and language skills—so instruction is aligned with those real-world purposes.
However, it would be wrong to say that General English courses do not meet learners' needs Any educational or training course, including language teaching, must be designed to meet someone's needs This author totally agrees with Hutchinson's view on tailoring language education to learners' needs.
& W a t e r s ’(1987)point t h a t : ‘W hat distinguishes ESO from G eneral English is not the e x iste n ce of a need as such but rather an aw areness of the n e e d ’.
Professional English teachers working in non-language-training institutions who are responsible for ESP teaching must always uphold this awareness To truly understand what we, our students, and the education management officials of our institutions need and expect from the ESP courses we provide, we must conduct a rigorous needs analysis of their requirements.
N eeds a n a ly s is
The role o f needs analysis in a language p r o g r a m
As mentioned above, ESP courses and materials are designed to serve learners' needs, so an ESP designer must analyze those needs before shaping the course or materials Yet identifying what a particular group of learners requires is not easy Brindley (1989) argues that needs do not have an objective reality of their own, while Lawson (1979) identifies needs as a matter for agreement and judgment, with different people often holding different views Consequently, needs analysis is generally regarded as a criterion in ESP Robinson (1991) notes that needs analysis is a central component of ESP practice, guiding how courses are planned and evaluated.
Needs identified for a particular group of students are the outcome of a needs-analysis project and are shaped by the analysts’ ideological preconceptions A different analysis team working with the same students, bringing different views on teaching and learning, would very likely produce a different set of needs.
N eeds analysis physical activities situation which of the 4 skills which functions are used degree of utilization of code degree o f accuracy o f code required notions em ployed
Know ledge of the subject matter
A nalysis level of ability resources views on language learning and teaching
R o b in so n , P (1 9 8 5 ) N eeds A nalysis: From Product to Process, in Cornu, A -m ,
Vanparrija, J., D elah aye, M and Baten, 1 (ed s) Beads or Bracelet? H ow to we approach LSP S elected Papers from the Fifth European Sym posium on LSP
A num ber o f people (for exam ple Berwick (55), Brtindley (57), iMountford (81),
W iddoson (326)) have discussed the different m eanings or types o f needs:
Goal-oriented needs define what students must be able to do at the end of a language course, emphasizing the end results and the specific competencies learners should demonstrate This approach is a goal-oriented definition of needs, as described by Widdowson (line 326 and page 2), and in this sense needs are perhaps more accurately described as 'objectives'.
- “N e e d s ” can m ean “ what the user-institution or society at large regards as necessary or desirable to be le a m t from a program o f language instruction”
Process-oriented needs describe what the learner must do to actually acquire a language, centering on the practical actions and strategies that facilitate real language development This process-oriented definition of needs ties them to transitional behaviors—the means by which learners bridge the gap between their current abilities and their target proficiency.
- “ Needs that implicate what the students them selves w ould like to gain from the language c o u rse ”
Considering the contrast between objective and subjective needs, objective needs are the most important because they are closely linked to motivation The most decisive factor determining how hard a student works to learn English is how successful they are on end-of-course exams, including English exams, which are vitally important for students Exam results can secure scholarships or allow them to choose the most favorable engineering branch to pursue, thereby shaping their future careers In non-language institutes, English exam results during the first two academic years account for about 20–25% of the overall grade.
The fourth type of learning needs, as described earlier, concerns what learners want to study and achieve, and it overlaps significantly with the first type In practice, most students aim to pass exams with as high marks as possible, which drives their preference for working through targeted practice exercises As a result, the most desirable macro-skills and micro-skills to develop are the ones that align with these exam-focused learning goals and student motivations.
A n u m b er o f writers on need a nalysis pay some attention to the distinction betw een “ ob jec tiv e ” and “ s u b je c tiv e '’ needs Brindley( 1984) suggest that “ objective” needs are those w hich can be d ia g n o s e d by teachers on the basic o f the analysis of personal data a bout learners along w ith inform ation about their language proficiency and patterns of lan g u a g e use “ Su b je ctiv e ” needs (which are often referred to as “ w a n ts” ,
“d e riv e s” , “e x p e c ta tio n ” or other p s y c h o lo g ic al m anifestation o f a lack) can not be diagnosed as e a s ily ” (p310).
Further on, b lindly identifying objective needs with content (i.e linguistic input) and subject needs with lea rn in g process, and draws support for this view from
W id d o w so n (1981) w h o diffe re ntia te s b e tw e e n goal-oriented needs (which relate to term inal behavior and proce ss-o rien te d n eeds relating to the m eans o f achieving that term inal behavior) H ow ever, it is d isp u ta b le w hether, in fact, he is m ak in g the sam e point as Brindley B rindley is d istin g u is h in g b e tw e e n two different types o f analysis, whereas
Widdowson questions the postulation of a direct one-to-one correlation between input and methodology in language learning, arguing that the relationship is not simply determined by input alone His critique underscores the need to view input and method as intertwined rather than sequentially linked This point is revisited later in the article, in the section on input specification, where the role of input is re-examined in relation to methodological choices.
There are two distinct dimensions to consider: the objective/subjective dimension and the content/methodology dimension, and both are depicted in Figure 2.
The diagram shows that language learning needs comprise two related dimensions: content needs, where learners decide what they want to learn, and methodology or objective needs, where teachers decide how the content should be learned Each dimension is depicted as a continuum of gradations rather than fixed categories, underscoring that needs can fluctuate along a spectrum and are interconnected Hutchinson and Waters (1987) affirmed this view, arguing that recognizing both learner-driven content goals and teacher-defined instructional goals offers a more flexible, integrated approach to curriculum design and needs analysis.
When learners, sponsors, and teachers understand why English is needed, that awareness shapes what content is considered relevant and acceptable in the language curriculum This alignment ensures course materials, activities, and assessments reflect real goals and practical use By focusing on purposes such as communication, study, or work, the curriculum becomes more effective and engaging for learners Clear articulation of learner needs guides content decisions, enabling targeted instruction and improved language outcomes.
If we take this statement, for the correct (I do, by the way) we should “ a djust” the available or even com pulsory materials to m ake them m eet the needs
It is here reasonable to raise a question “ what do the learners need on com pleting an
An English course should be designed around the learner’s target needs Hutchinson and Waters (1987) suggest examining the target situation in terms of necessities, lacks and wants In short, these three elements are: what the learner must do in the target context (necessities), the gaps between current ability and required performance (lacks), and the additional outcomes the learner hopes to achieve beyond the basics (wants).
• Necessities: the type of needs determ ined by the dem ands of the target situation.
• Lacks: the gap b etw een the target proficiency and existing proficiency of the learner.
• W ants: the lea rn er’s view as to what their needs are, i.e the subjective determ inations of needs.
W e have already pointed out several features of need analysis which is better presented in Table 1
(i.e as perceived by course designers)
Necessities The English needed for success
To reluctantly cope with a second- best situation.
Lacks (Presumably) areas of English needed for Construction or Architecture Studies and W orks.
M eans of doing Studies and W orks.
W ants To succeed in Construction or
To undertake Construction Studies and Works.
The simple fram ew ork above outlines the kind of information that the course de sig n e r needs to gather from an analysis of target needs.
Thus far, we have considered the different types of needs in isolation In this section, we examine how authors classify these needs and how those classifications reveal the procedures used to analyze them.
Robinson (1991) compares target situation analysis (TSA), present situation analysis (PSA), and the language audit, placing them alongside Hutchinson and Waters’ distinction between target needs and learning needs All of these frameworks aim to identify what learners will ultimately need to do in the target language, but they differ in emphasis, terminology, and the specific problems they address Robinson defines target situation analysis as a needs analysis that concentrates on students’ needs at the end of a language course, highlighting its focus on final communicative objectives In short, TSA, PSA, and the language audit share a forward‑looking goal of preparing learners for real‑world use, yet they apply different labels and methods to the same core question of language needs.
N eeds analysis and materials a da pta tion and d e v e lo p m e n t
In the process of historical d e v e lo p m e n t o f m a n k in d different historical, e conom ic, political, social and diplom atic, etc Factors have gradually tu rn e d E nglish language into such a m edium
In ESP teaching, materials often feel static while the teaching and learning process is dynamic, and bridging this gap between static resources and dynamic classroom practice is a core task for those involved in English for Specific Purposes Beyond material development by a small group of highly qualified professionals, ESP teachers must evaluate and adapt teaching materials to fit their particular teaching situation In this portion, I would examine the factors to be considered when adapting teaching materials within specific classroom contexts where there is a perceived need for change and manipulation of certain design features There is a direct relationship between evaluating and adapting materials, both in terms of the reasons for doing so and the criteria used: we will first set the scene for a discussion of adaptation by clarifying how the concept can be understood, then enumerate the reasons why teachers might need to adapt their teaching materials, and finally analyze these reasons in terms of the procedures commonly used in adaptation.
A practical starting point for aligning evaluation and adaptation is to think in terms of adoption and adaptation A decision about whether to use a specific coursebook in a given teaching situation can be based on a set of evaluative criteria When adapting materials, authenticity should be a core consideration; it is more realistic to accept that, no matter how carefully the materials are designed or how thorough the evaluation process is, some changes will be necessary in most teaching contexts In this view, adaptation is a process that follows adoption and depends on it Moreover, adaptation involves not only the whole coursebook but also the individual components that comprise it.
Adaptation is a far more widespread and necessary activity for teachers The smaller-scale process of changing or adjusting the various parts of a course book is, as we shall see, more closely related to the reality of dealing with learners in the dynamic classroom environment.
With a broader perspective and as a starting point for considering the process of adaptation, it is useful to slightly extend the criteria for what counts as “external” and “internal” factors External factors include not only the general claims made about materials but, more significantly for this chapter, the characteristics of specific teaching situations Internal factors concern the content, organization, and consistency.
External (what we have) - Internal (what the m aterials offer)
L earner characteristics choice of topics
Class size grading of exercises
Adaptation means bringing together the components of a lesson under each heading or combination so they fit together as closely as possible Madsen and Bowen describe this matching as the principle of congruence and note that effective adaptation is simply a matter of achieving congruence A good teacher continually strives for congruence among related variables: teaching materials, methodology, students, course objectives, the target language and its context, and the teacher’s own personality and teaching style.
Adaptation is the process of matching teaching materials to the local context Its goal is to maximize the relevance and usability of resources by adjusting certain internal features of a coursebook to better fit our specific circumstances, making teaching materials more appropriate for the classroom and instructional goals.
26 shall now look in more detail at possible reasons for adaptation, and at some of the procedures c o m m o n ly used.
There are clear reasons to modify our teaching materials, and the changes we want to make depend on the full range of variables in our situation, with teachers’ priorities potentially differing greatly from one context to another, yet across many classrooms there are general trends: materials are increasingly expected to be flexible, relevant, and accessible, so they support diverse learner needs, accommodate various teaching approaches, and enhance engagement while aiding assessment.
Both 'communicative' and 'authentic' are contextual, subjective ideas whose meanings shift with audience and purpose Priorities in communication are relative, and there is no universal standard of right or wrong, nor a single way to interpret these terms; understanding depends on context, objectives, and perspective.
Comparing our own reasons with those in the following list can help reveal where our thinking diverges The list is not exhaustive, but it highlights common areas of misalignment (non-congruence) that teachers often identify and that can be addressed by adapting instructional methods and materials Recognizing these misalignments enables educators to adjust approaches, tasks, and assessments to better align objectives with practice, leading to more effective teaching and learning.
“ Inadequate g ra m m a r coverage in general.
Inadequate practice of gram m ar points of particular difficulty to these learners.
The com m unicative focus means that grammar is presented unsystem atically.
R e a d in g passages contain too m uch unknown vocabulary.
C om prehe nsion questions are too easy or too difficult, because the answ ers can be lifted directly from the text with no real understanding.
L istening passages are inauthentic, because they sound too m uch like written m aterials being read out.
N ot e n ough guidance on pronunciation.
Subject m atter inappropriate for learners o f this age and intellectual level.
Photographs and other illustrative materials not culturally acceptable.
A m o u n t of m aterials too great/ too little to cover in the time allocated to activities with a large class.
Dialogues too formal, and not really representative o f everyday speech.
A udio materials difficult to use because of problem s to do with room size and technical equipment.
Too m uch or too little variety in the activities.
Vocabulary list and a key to exercises would be helpful.
A c c o m p an y in g test nee d ed ”
In our practice at H U CE, we have to overcom e the following weak points:
8 departm ents studying different specialist subject and areas use the only coursebook.
The absence of support materials.
M aterials written cannot take into accounts PSA, TSA and learning needs.
That is w hy materials cannot mobilize on the potential of the learners and ca n n o t cover w hat the learner still lacks for.
Undoubtedly, much more could be added to this list, but it already illustrates the range of possibilities The language classroom can cover all aspects of language use, skills, classroom organization, and supplementary materials, as shown by the examples above.
* P rin c ip le a n d procedu res
Content adaptation refers to modifying what is taught—whether through exercises and activities, texts, instructions, or tests—to fit a particular teaching environment The core idea is to assess what the learning materials contain against the requirements of that environment, with changes that improve fit and learning uptake This often manifests as the need to personalize, individualize, or localize content to enhance appropriation and relevance By personalizing content, we mean increasing its relevance to learners’ interests and their academic, educational, or professional needs.
W e shall now look at questions o f procedure at the m ain techniques th at can be applied to content in order to bring about change.
Techniques can be used individually or in combination with others, so the range of possibilities spans from straightforward to quite complex These points will be revisited during the discussion of each technique.
T he techniques that we shall cover are as follows.
A dding, including e xpanding and extending.
Deleting, including subtracting and abridging.
M odifying, including rewriting and re- structuring.
The concept of addition is straightforward: it means supplementing materials by adding more, while taking into account the practical impact on time allocation When applied, this idea requires weighing the benefits of extra input against the time and resources required, ensuring that additional material delivers meaningful value without unduly extending timelines.
Deletion is clearly the opposite process t that o f addition, and s such need no further clarification as a term.
Modification, in its broad sense, is a general term for any change To open up more possibilities for adaptation, this discussion narrows the meaning to an internal change in the approach—focusing on how an exercise or other materials are addressed and applied.
This final procedure enables educators to reorder the parts of a coursebook, either by adjusting the sequence within a unit or by choosing a different overall order of units While some flexibility can tailor the material to a class, there are practical limits to how much rearrangement is advisable, since too many changes can disrupt coherence and flow, effectively amounting to an almost complete reworking of the coursebook.
M e th o d o l o g y
The s u b je c t s
325 people participated in this study o f w hich 300 were students of the de pa rtm e nts of E nvironm ental and Civil E ng in e erin g o f H anoi U niversity of Civil
Engineering students aged 20 to 23 have already fulfilled their English requirements, including a 60-hour ESP course; for a detailed description of the materials covered, see section 1.3 The remaining group comprises 25 engineers aged between 23 and 50 who are currently employed in construction advisory firms and offices Some of these engineers work on the Bach Mai Hospital construction site Across all participants, English is used in their work to varying degrees.
The q u e s tio n n a ires
Two questionnaires were designed to collect data for the study Questionnaire A (QA) evaluated the ESP material used in ESP courses for environmental and civil engineering students Questionnaire B (QB) gathered information on the language and study skills these engineers need in their work A copy of both questionnaires is provided in Appendix 1 The results from QA and QB, presented in the following section, will inform the selection, adaptation, and development of appropriate material for future courses for these engineering students.
T h e re s u lts
Table 2 summarizes the students’ remarks on the material covered in their ESP courses at HU CE The data indicate that approximately 50% of respondents perceived many components of the material as neither easy nor difficult, suggesting a neutral perception of difficulty across the course content.
Among the components of the ESP course, grammatical structures, scientific and technological knowledge, and listening activities were difficult for roughly 18% to 38% of the students Other elements of the ESP course material were reported difficult by many students: writing, reading, and speaking activities, and terminology, at 21%, 25%, 25%, and 40%, respectively As mentioned in Chapter One, many exercises were designed on the teachers’ assumptions and abilities rather than on the students’ needs, lacks, and wants; these comments were not addressed.
It's not surprising at all that needs analysis should guide course design For teachers and course designers, the moment has arrived to treat needs analysis as a central step in designing courses and in selecting and developing instructional material.
TABLE 2: Students' evaluation of the material in terms of level of difficulty
TABLE 3: Students’ evaluation of the material in terms of the amount of input
Table 3 presents a summary of students’ comments on the amount of input provided by the material they have covered At least 50% of students reported not having enough input for the practice and development of all components of the material Reading activities were reported 'not enough' by the highest number of students (86%), followed by Listening and Writing activities (84%) Terminology and
A majority of students (78%) reported that writing activities did not provide enough input to develop their language and study skills, which the material was supposed to foster This shortfall may be due to two factors: first, the ESP syllabus and, consequently, the materials were not designed or selected to the extent that they could effectively support students' language development and study skills.
As mentioned earlier, this cannot be achieved without a training needs analysis The second challenge is time: sixty hours is not enough for an ESP course, and the total hours allocated to the English subject are determined by the relevant ministry.
Education and Training: the solution to this problem may be to cut down on the hours spent on general English In other words, start the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course as soon as possible.
TABLE 4: Students' self-assessm ent on the improvement of their language and study skills.
Not im proved Ability to read Civil e n g in e e rin g m ate ria ls in
A bility to c o m m u n ic a te in E n g lish about
E n v iro n m e n t & Civil E ng in e erin g
Ability to write about E n v iro n m e n t & Civil
E ng in e erin g — related m atters
Table 4 presents students’ self-assessment of the improvement in their language and study skills Two general conclusions emerge from these data First, many students reported improvements in most of the skills surveyed, and given that reading skills (and translating) are typically targeted in ESP courses, it is not surprising that most participants reported improved reading abilities—about 82% Second, stronger reading skills may have contributed to some improvements in writing skills.
38 and term inology which were reported by about 55% and 47% (respectively) of the
In this study, nearly 72% of students reported only minimal improvement in communication skills, while writing skills and the terminology used by many students also require more emphasis—41% and 50% respectively.
In sum m ary, the evaluation o f the book ‘English for A rchitecture and Building
Feedback from the students who participated in this study offers valuable input for ESP course designers and instructors working with environmental and civil engineering students The study shows that while the book has helped develop students’ reading skills to a certain extent, many supplementary materials must be selected and developed for future ESP courses at HUCE to improve the language and study skills needed for both academic work and future engineering careers This requires a thorough needs analysis to identify students’ gaps and expectations, which is why a questionnaire was administered to 25 civil engineers to obtain a more objective assessment of student needs The results of this questionnaire are presented in Table 4.
Table 4: Engineers’ assessment of the English language and study skills needed in their work
To read civil engineering m aterials in English 50% 14% 32% 5%
To co m m u n ic a te in English in every da y life, on your w ork - on construction site
To write in English reports or research reports 5% 32% 23% 37%
To listen to English face to face 9% 55% 27% 14%
As can be seen from the table, although all the four m acro skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking were found either the most important, very important or im portant by m ost of the engineers in this study, reading and speaking seem to be the m o st needed in these e n g in e e rs’ work This has suggested that in designing and im plem enting an ESP course for engineering students at H U C E (this would o f course include choosing appropriate material), integration of the four skills with a stronger focus o n reading and speaking is essential if the course is to m eet the stu d e n ts’ requirem ents The results have also shown that the material used (English for A rchitecture and Building Construction) m ay not be able to give the students what they want from an English course.
In conclusion, the results of the questionnaires have shown how im portant a training needs analysis in designing and implem enting an ESP course including selecting material They have also provided the necessary input for de velopm ent of an ESP course and consequently for the selection o f material used in the course for environm ental and civil engineering students at HUCE A proposed ESP syllabus for these students which will provide som e input for the de velopm ent of the criteria for material selection and developm ent, and a sam ple lesson will be presented in the next chapter.