000067614 AN EVALUATION OF THE ESP READING MATERIALS FOR THE THIRD YEAR STUDENTS AT BIOTECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY ĐÁNH GIÁ TÀI LIỆU ĐỌC THÊM ESP DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA KHOA CÔNG NGHỆ SINH HỌC, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI

000067614 AN EVALUATION OF THE ESP READING MATERIALS FOR THE THIRD YEAR STUDENTS AT BIOTECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY ĐÁNH GIÁ TÀI LIỆU ĐỌC THÊM ESP DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA KHOA CÔNG NGHỆ SINH HỌC, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI

IN TR O D U C TIO N

Background to the stu d y

The opening section offers an overview of English language teaching and learning at the Biotechnology Faculty of Hanoi Open University, outlining the context for ESP (English for Specific Purposes) instruction It provides a general description of the ESP materials used by students and characterizes the ESP learners, and it explains the rationale for evaluating these materials.

1.1.1 An overview of English teaching and learning

Hanoi Open University, a public university established in 1993, operates under the Ministry of Education and Training Over the past 15 years, it has developed 15 faculties, including Electronics-Information Technology, Foreign Languages, Law, Tourism, Economics, Biotechnology, Distance Training, Informatics, Industrial Design, and Finance and Banking, among others The university offers diverse training programs—full-time, in-service, and distance training—to help develop the country’s skilled workforce.

Although the university's Biotechnology Faculty has made substantial progress toward its stated teaching and learning objectives, it has not yet been ranked among the top-ranked faculties for training quality Consequently, there is a sustained emphasis on enhancing teaching methods and students' learning outcomes, along with various other requirements, to raise overall educational quality and performance.

English is an essential subject for students and teachers in the Biotechnology Faculty because mastering English enables access to the latest advances published globally Biotechnology in Vietnam has not yet reached the development level of many other countries, so Vietnamese biotechnology engineers and lecturers must study advanced techniques from abroad that are commonly documented in English Even after graduation, these professionals need to read English-language biotechnology documents to apply new methods and pursue further study For these reasons, English is taught as a compulsory subject in the Biotechnology Faculty to support innovation, research, and ongoing professional development.

About 280 students enroll in the Biotechnology Faculty each year, and English is one of the compulsory subjects The English training program has two stages: General English (GE) in the first four semesters and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in a subsequent semester The GE stage uses Headway Pre-Intermediate by John and Liz Soars and aims to provide students with basic English words and structures so that they reach the pre-intermediate level, having covered essential grammar and a core general vocabulary After completing GE, third-year students begin ESP in the following semester, and the ESP program continues to develop the students’ language skills to meet their specific academic needs.

Provide students a big am ount o f specialized English vocabulary in Biotechnology

Help students read and com prehend different texts on Biotechnology issues Help students read and translate a text on Biotechnology w ith a length o f 250

In order to m eet these aims, ESP materials were developed and used by the ESP teachers as reading m aterials for the students at Biotechnology Faculty

Since 2009, the current ESP materials have served as the core resources for Biotechnology students They were selected by a group of ESP teachers teaching at this faculty and Hanoi University of Technique The materials comprise a collection of texts drawn from diverse sources, including textbooks from Hanoi University of Technique, previously used teacher materials, and online resources Each item was chosen to meet the course aims and to support effective learning.

1.1.3 The ESP students of Biotechnology

ESP students have completed the general English (GE) stage in four terms and, by the end of GE, are presumed to have reached a pre-intermediate level of proficiency sufficient to move into the ESP stage Consequently, students at this point share similar English background knowledge regardless of how many years they studied English During this period, they have also learned basic scientific subjects such as math, chemistry, and physics, but in terms of specialist knowledge they remain beginners in biotechnology with only some basic biotech topics In the fifth semester, they begin to encounter and study specialized subjects Thus, at this stage in ESP study, students still do not possess a strong grounding in their biotechnology field However, most students recognize the importance of English and ESP for their future study and career, which leads them to devote considerable attention to the ESP stage.

Statement o f the problem

Materials play a crucial role in language teaching and learning by stimulating engagement, helping learners achieve their goals, and enhancing instructional effectiveness For a language teaching program to succeed, the teaching materials—whether selected or designed—must be carefully evaluated after selection to ensure they effectively support both teaching and learning.

Since 2009, ESP materials have been used at the Biotechnology Faculty of HOU They were selected by teachers with little consideration of students' needs due to teachers' limited experience and time in preparing the course These materials have never been evaluated to determine whether they meet course demands and students' needs The researcher found problems in the materials, including texts that are hard for students to understand and topics that fail to engage learners Given these issues, it is reasonable to evaluate the materials for their suitability to students' needs and to formulate improvement recommendations based on the evaluation results.

Aims o f the S tu d y

This study evaluates the current ESP materials used by Biotechnology students at the Faculty of HOU to determine whether they meet students’ needs, analyzing content relevance, alignment with program objectives, and feedback from learners and instructors to identify gaps and strengths Based on the findings, the study will propose practical recommendations to improve the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of ESP resources for this faculty To achieve these aims, the researcher conducts a systematic review of existing ESP materials, collects and interprets needs data, and synthesizes results into targeted improvements for curriculum developers and instructors at HOU.

1 To conduct a needs analysis to get inform ation on the subjective needs (the students’ target needs and learning needs)

2 To analyse the existing materials to find out the objective needs.

Research Q uestions

The study will be conducted to answer the following research questions:

1 W hat are the students’ needs?

2 How do the m aterials match the students’ needs?

This study is of great importance to both the researcher and the ESP teaching and learning context within the Biotechnology faculty For the researcher, it enhances his ESP teaching practice and provides valuable knowledge for designing and evaluating a document to determine its suitability for students, easing the assessment of other instructional materials For the Biotechnology faculty, the overall evaluation of current ESP materials will identify strengths and weaknesses and drive improvements in quality to promote effective ESP instruction The evaluation will yield reliable evidence to align materials with students’ needs and the course objectives, guiding necessary material changes Finally, the study offers concrete insights for designing a responsive ESP course syllabus tailored to the Biotechnology context.

Evaluating m aterials is a com plicated process based on different criteria In this study the researcher focuses on the three criteria by Hutchinson and W aters (1987) including aims, content and methodology.

The study consists o f five chapters: Introduction, Literature review, M ethodology, Results and Discussion, and Recom m endations and Conclusion.

Chapter One - Introduction - introduces the background o f the study, statem ents o f the problem , aims o f the study, research questions, scope and significance o f the study are also presented.

Chapter Two of the literature review synthesizes foundational theories of reading and reading materials, surveys how these theories inform the selection and design of texts for language learners, and explains how needs analysis in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) guides material development It further examines theoretical approaches to ESP materials evaluation, highlighting criteria, methods, and scales used to judge suitability, authenticity, and alignment with learner goals The chapter concludes with a review of previous research on ESP reading materials evaluation, identifying trends, gaps, and implications for future study and practice.

Chapter Three outlines the study's methodology, detailing the data collection instruments used and describing the subjects who participated It also explains the procedures followed for data collection and presents the analytic techniques applied to interpret the results.

Chapter Four - Results and Discussions - presents the results, data analysis, discussions o f the results, m atching process and sum m ary o f the m ajor findings.

Chapter Five, titled 'Conclusions and Recommendations,' presents actionable recommendations for improving the material and outlines the study's limitations It also offers suggestions for future research and ends with a concise summary of the main findings.

Scope o f the S tu d y

Evaluating m aterials is a com plicated process based on different criteria In this study the researcher focuses on the three criteria by Hutchinson and W aters (1987) including aims, content and methodology.

Organization o f the th e sis

The study consists o f five chapters: Introduction, Literature review, M ethodology, Results and Discussion, and Recom m endations and Conclusion.

Chapter One - Introduction - introduces the background o f the study, statem ents o f the problem , aims o f the study, research questions, scope and significance o f the study are also presented.

Chapter Two, the Literature Review, is organized into three sections: the first provides an overview of theories related to reading and reading materials; the second discusses theories concerning needs analysis in ESP; the third concentrates on ESP materials evaluation The final section surveys prior research on ESP reading materials evaluation.

Chapter Three, Methodology, describes the methodology employed in this study and provides an overview of the research design It details the data collection instruments, the subjects of the study, the procedures for data collection, and the data analysis methods used to interpret the findings.

Chapter Four - Results and Discussions - presents the results, data analysis, discussions o f the results, m atching process and sum m ary o f the m ajor findings.

Chapter Five provides conclusions and recommendations aimed at improving the material It acknowledges the study’s limitations and outlines suggestions for future research The chapter closes with a concise summary of the main findings, offering a clear path for practical improvement and further inquiry.

LITERATURE R E V IE W

An overview o f reading m aterials

Definitions of reading converge on the idea that it is the process of extracting meaning from a written text As Nuttall (1996, p 4) puts it, reading is getting a message from a written text, and Williams (1990, p 2) adds that it is a process in which one looks at and understands what has been written Wallace (1992) further frames reading as interpreting and reacting to a written text as a piece of communication Collectively, these views describe reading as recognition, interpretation, and perception of printed materials.

Reading isn't limited to books and other print materials; we also read the world around us We scan the sky to gauge the weather, interpret someone's facial expressions and body language to understand what they're thinking or feeling, and assess unpredictable situations to determine the best course of action In addition to gathering information, reading also means interpreting, analyzing, and even trying to predict what might happen next.

Reading comprehension plays a central role in teaching and learning, especially when acquiring a foreign language It is generally understood as the process of constructing meaning from text, or understanding written material as it is read In essence, reading comprehension involves decoding the writer's words and drawing on background knowledge to form an approximate understanding of the writer's message.

Reading is a complex interaction among the text, the reader, and the purposes for reading, shaped by the reader's prior knowledge and experiences, the reader's knowledge about reading and language, and the reader's culturally and socially situated language community Reading means different things to different people: for some it is recognizing written words, while for others it is an opportunity to practice speaking The reasons for reading depend on the intended purpose, with three main categories: survival, pleasure, or learning Reading for survival responds to the environment and day-to-day needs, often requiring an immediate response; reading for pleasure is optional; and reading for learning is typically classroom-based and goal-oriented—the focus of this study.

Wallace (1992) argues that reading for learning serves to extend our general knowledge of the world, and she suggests this activity can be closely related to schooling Reading for learning takes place in academic contexts where readers pursue explicit learning goals, whether to gather information, develop reading skills, or enrich their knowledge—spanning both general and professional domains.

Biotechnology students engage in reading to enrich their knowledge of general English and English for Biotechnology, and they also develop a range of reading skills to help them understand specialized materials in English encountered during their studies.

Therefore, the m aterials designed for them should be appropriate to their purposes and level.

Readers have a purpose for reading in mind and they utilize appropriate reading sub skills in their reading process to achieve that purpose According to M unby (1978, p 126-

131) reading involves a variety o f sub-skills among w hich the m ain reading sub-skills include:

• G uessing m eaning o f unknown words through word formation and contextual clues

• Skim m ing to obtain the gist o f the text

• Scanning to locate specifically required information

• U nderstanding relations within the sentence especially elem ents o f sentence m odification structure (pre/post m odification), negation, modal auxiliaries

• U nderstanding cohesion between parts o f a text through gram m atical and lexical cohesion devices

• Recognizing discourse m arkers for introducing, developing, concluding an idea, transition to another idea

• D istinguishing the main idea from supporting details

• Basic reference skill o f understanding and use o f headings, tables o f contents

• Transcoding inform ation presented in diagrammatic display or to diagrammatic display, through interpretation or com pletion o f diagrams, tables or graphs

The reading sub-skills described above are effective tools that facilitate the reading process and help readers achieve diverse reading objectives, while also serving as valuable references for foreign language course designers to select the most appropriate reading sub-skills for their target students To understand how these sub-skills are used, a thorough description of each is presented in the following section.

Guessing the m eaning and use o f unknown words through word fo rm a tio n and contextual clues

Readers can recognize word formation through root words or affixes (i.e., prefixes and suffixes such as un-, in-, dis-, -ation, -ness) Nation (1990, cited in Gu, 2003, p.12) states three steps needed to make use of affixation, including breaking a new word into parts so that the affixes and roots are revealed and knowing the meaning of the parts.

3) being able to connect the m eaning o f the parts w ith the meaning o f the word.

To infer the meaning of unknown words from contextual clues, readers rely on their schemata—world knowledge that narrows the possibilities for a concept that fits the new term Nation and Coady (1988, cited in Hedge, 2000, p 194) propose a five-step sequence for guessing word meaning from context: first, identify the parts of speech of the unfamiliar word; second, examine and simplify the immediate context around the unknown word; third, analyze the relationship between the clause containing the unknown word and the surrounding clauses and sentences; fourth, infer the likely meaning of the unknown word; and fifth, verify that the guess is correct.

Skim m ing to obtain the gist o f the text

According to Grellet (1992, p 4), skimming is the rapid running of one’s eyes over a text to grasp the gist or a general impression Readers skim because they do not need to know details; they want a broad idea of the chapter or article, such as its main topic or overall message Skimming is a valuable technique for reviewing material or for determining whether it warrants more detailed investigation.

Often, you don’t need to read the entire passage; readers typically skim to locate a specific piece of information or a particular word Scanning is a fast, targeted way of looking through a text to locate that information, a reading approach commonly used when checking a railway timetable or the table of contents in a magazine.

U nderstanding relations within the sentence

According to Munby (1978, p.180), understanding the relations within a sentence means grasping the elements of sentence structure, including the modification structure—pre-modification, post-modification, and adjuncts—as well as negation and modal auxiliaries To analyze the relations within sentences, readers should first identify the core of the sentence and then examine the other structural elements that modify or contextualize it.

U nderstanding relations between the parts o f a text through gram m atical and lexical cohesion devices

Cohesion is the formal link that binds sentences and clauses, as defined by Halliday and Hasan (1976) and Wallace (1992) To understand the meaning of a text, readers must recognize and interpret cohesive devices, including lexical cohesion (repetition, synonymy, collocation) and grammatical cohesion (reference, substitution, ellipsis, and comparison).

Hedge (2000) notes that readers may use discourse markers of various kinds to navigate a text; discourse markers are a specific type of cohesive device that signal the structure of the discourse and help introduce, develop, or conclude ideas, as well as emphasize, explain, or clarify points already made They include several functions and examples: example markers (for example, like, as, for instance), sequence markers (then, next, after that, moreover), time markers (when, while, after, before, during), and cause-and-effect markers (therefore, hence, as a result, thus, so, because).

D istinguishing the m ain idea fr o m supporting details

Munby (1978, p 129) argues that to distinguish the main idea from supporting details, readers must differentiate primary from secondary significance, the whole from its parts, a process from its stages, a category from an exponent, a statement from an example, a fact from an opinion, and a proposition from its argument.

Needs A n aly sis

Needs analysis is the most important part of an ESP course, a core ESP principle that “ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner,” a view supported by leading scholars such as Dudley-Evans Richards (2001) defines needs analysis as the process of collecting information about learners’ needs, while Dudley-Evans & St John (1998) describe it more specifically as the process of establishing what the course should cover and how it should be delivered.

Needs analysis comprises the activities involved in gathering information that will form the basis for developing a curriculum that meets the learning needs of a particular group of students (Brown, 1995, p 35) It is defined as the process of determining the language needs of learners or groups of learners and arranging these needs according to priorities (Richards, Platt, and Weber, 1985, p 189) In ESP course design, the goal of needs analysis is to identify the specific language requirements of the learners and to prioritize them to guide the development of targeted, relevant instruction (Richards, 2001, p 52).

• To find out w hat language skills a learner needs in order to perform a particular role, such as a sales manager, tour guide, or university student.

• To determine if an existing course, adequately addresses the needs of potential students

• To identify a change o f direction that people in a reference group feel is im portant

• To identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they need to be able to do

• To collect inform ation about particular problem s learners are experiencing

Essentially, a needs analysis collects information about learners' learning needs, wants, goals, and aspirations to guide instructional design It can be formal, extensive, and time‑consuming, or informal, narrowly focused, and quick, depending on the context and resources available Typical sources include surveys and questionnaires, test scores, and interviews, which together help identify gaps, priorities, and preferred learning approaches to tailor effective instruction.

Different students have distinct language needs, so instruction should be tailored to what each learner requires Because these needs are specific, they must be identified in order to shape the course content effectively.

The definition o f needs has been considered through various perspectives and various interpretations have been proposed accordingly Robinson (1991, p 7) cites different opinions on needs from W indowson (1981) and M ountford (1981) as follows:

Needs in language education can be understood from multiple perspectives: a goal-oriented view that frames needs as students’ study or job requirements to be met by the end of the course; a societal or institutional view that considers what is necessary or desirable to learn from a language program; a learner-action view that specifies what the learner must do to actually acquire the language; a personal-desire view that reflects what learners themselves would like to gain from the course; and a lack view that treats needs as gaps in knowledge or skills in English Together, these definitions underpin needs analysis in language instruction, guiding curriculum design, learning outcomes, and assessment strategies.

To understand N eeds more, types o f Needs should be mentioned.

Researchers have proposed several dichotomies of needs Brindley (1989, p 65) divides needs into objective and subjective categories, offering a lens to distinguish what is externally observable from what individuals internally experience Berwich expands on this by classifying needs as perceived and felt, emphasizing the gap between awareness of a need and its emotional or affective expression Together, these taxonomies provide a flexible framework for analyzing motivations across contexts and guiding the design of interventions, programs, and assessments that address both observable requirements and personal experiences.

(1989, p 55) and as goal-oriented and process-oriented needs by W iddowson (1981, p.67) H utchinson and W aters (1987, p 54) divide needs into two groups: target needs

Language learning planning hinges on two interconnected ideas: what the learner must do in the target situation and what the learner must do in order to learn, i.e., the learning needs Across the literature, various authors have introduced different types of needs to explain this distinction, yet there is no single agreed definition Richterich (1987, p 2) notes the difficulty of reaching an agreed definition of “language needs,” stating that the concept has never been clearly defined and remains at best ambiguous.

According to Kavaliauskiene and Uzpaliene (2003, p 2), the concepts of 'target needs' and 'learning needs' have been widely used in the literature, and consequently this study aligns with Hutchinson and Waters' classification of needs.

Target needs and learning needs

According to H utchinson and Waters (1987, p.54), ‘target needs is som ething o f an um brella term, w hich in practice hides a num ber o f im portant distinctions’ It is defined as ‘what the learner needs to do in the target situation’ Hutchinson and Waters (1987) also classify target needs into three terms: necessities, lacks and wants.

Necessities are what the learner has to know in order to function effectively in the target situations By observing the target situations and analyzing the constituent parts o f them, we can gather inform ation about necessities For exam ple, a student o f Biotechnology is going to read docum ents in English for their study o f specialist subjects, he or she might need to know how to read to understand those docum ents, accordingly, it is necessary for him or her to be able to deal with necessary reading skills, gram m ar structures, specialist vocabulary, etc com m only used in those docum ents.

Lacks are the gap betw een the existing proficiency and the target proficiency o f learners

Biotechnology students often struggle to read specialized documents because they may lack essential reading skills or encounter unfamiliar grammar structures To identify these challenges, it is essential to assess their current reading proficiency and pinpoint their specific reading difficulties, enabling targeted support that helps science students comprehend technical texts more effectively.

Wants are the learners’ perceived needs, and they may diverge from the necessities identified by sponsors or ESP teachers, with such misalignment potentially destabilizing motivation ESP course designers and teachers must acknowledge these differences and adjust materials and methodologies accordingly to better integrate learner desires with sponsor requirements (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987).

Defining the target needs for an ESP course starts with evaluating the learner’s current starting point—the gaps or lacks—and the destination—the essential competencies and outcomes the course must deliver, while acknowledging any disagreement about which destination should be pursued (the wants) By identifying the relevant learning needs, you can clarify both the starting point and the destination and design the course accordingly.

Learning needs, as defined by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), are a journey in which the task is the starting point, the necessities (the destination) may be debated as to what the destination should be (the wants), and the question “how are we going to get from the starting point to the destination?” marks the learning needs In practical terms, learning needs are what the learner must do in the short term to learn While the analysis of target situation needs can reveal what learners need to know to function effectively in a given context—covering language items, skills, strategies, and subject knowledge—it cannot show how learners learn to perform in that situation; that aspect belongs to the analysis of learning needs.

The follow ing fram ew ork for analyzing learning needs is provided by Hutchinson and

1 Why are the learners taking the course? 4 Who are the learners?

2 H ow do the learners learn? 5 Where will the ESP course take place?

3 What resources are available? 6 When will the ESP course take place?

This compulsory course requires all students to attend, so there is no need to ask learners why they are taking it The ESP reading course will be conducted in the university classrooms, so the researcher does not need to determine its location As a result, questions 1 and 5 will no longer require responses.

For the above reasons, the researcher w ould like to answer Q uestions 2, 3, 4, 6 Question

Evaluation o f ESP reading m aterials

Evaluation is a term defined by a broad body of researchers, and many people equate it with testing, assuming that student testing itself represents evaluation In reality, testing is only one component of the larger evaluation process, which includes planning, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and the use of findings to improve programs and learning outcomes.

There have been different ideas on evaluation According to Dudley-Evans & St John

Evaluation is a complete process that begins with determining what information to gather and ends with bringing about change in current activities or guiding future ones, i.e., judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose Brown defines evaluation as the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to promote curriculum improvement and assess its effectiveness within the context of the institutions involved Hutchinson and Waters describe evaluation as a matching process designed to establish the degree of fit between needs and available solutions, emphasizing the importance of analyzing needs and solutions separately to maintain objectivity, and noting that an ESP textbook must suit the needs of teachers, students, and sponsors, so subjective factors should not obscure objectivity in the early stages of analysis.

Evaluation has no absolute good or bad; it rests on relative merit and degrees of fitness for the required purpose A good evaluation emphasizes successes while also discussing less successful aspects Seen as a holistic process, evaluation begins with determining what information to gather and ends with bringing about change in current activities or influencing future ones.

Materials evaluation, according to Brown (1995, p 159), is the process o f determining

Brown’s definition focuses on the suitability of materials for a particular program, even though the term “needs” is not explicitly mentioned The key idea is that suitability hinges on how well the materials’ aims, content, methodology, layout, and timing align with the program’s requirements and objectives, ensuring that each element supports the program as a cohesive whole.

Materials evaluation, according to Tomlinson (2003), is a systematic procedure for measuring the value or potential value of a set of learning materials It involves making judgments about the effects of those materials on the people who use them, and it seeks to measure some or all of the possible impacts the materials may have.

- the appeal o f the m aterials to the learners

-th e credibility o f the materials to the learners, teachers and adm inistrators (p 15)

Hutchinson, Waters, and Brown all emphasize the central role of needs analysis in evaluating instructional materials, offering researchers a practical framework for material assessment Building on this guidance, the present study evaluates the material based on identified needs and their implications for practice The analysis focuses on three core dimensions—aims, content, and methodology—to determine how well the material aligns with learning objectives, covers relevant topics, and employs appropriate instructional approaches This grounded evaluation supports evidence-based judgments about the material’s suitability and suggests potential improvements.

Each researcher has their own classification o f materials evaluation According to Ellis

Materials evaluation is categorized into two primary types: predictive evaluation and retrospective evaluation Predictive evaluation analyzes the materials available to determine which are best suited for the intended applications, while retrospective evaluation examines the materials that were actually used to assess their performance and outcomes.

Robinson (1991, pp 54–64) identifies ESP materials evaluation as comprising three parts: preliminary, formative, and summative Preliminary evaluation occurs before a course begins and involves selecting the most suitable publications from the available options, with the aim of identifying which aspects of the published materials should be adapted to fit the course’s objectives Summative evaluation takes place at the end of the course, or sometimes after it has been implemented, to assess overall effectiveness.

Formative evaluation provides information to determine whether the materials and pedagogy used are effective, efficient, and successful in achieving learning outcomes It takes place during the ongoing curriculum development process, enabling ongoing feedback and timely adjustments The aim of this type of evaluation is to collect and analyze data that will help improve the curriculum, refine instructional materials, and enhance teaching and learning experiences.

1995) Richards (2001, cited in Thuy, 2005, p 16) suggests that form ative evaluation

During process development or program development, this evaluation is carried out to identify what is working well, what isn’t, and which problems must be addressed to improve performance The insights gained guide improvements and help prioritize actions to enhance outcomes.

Coursebook evaluation, as outlined by Cunningsworth (1995, p 14), comprises pre-use, in-use, and post-use stages Pre-use evaluation is the most challenging because there is no actual experience with the book yet In-use evaluation occurs during the material’s deployment and represents an “evaluation for suitability” (Yani, 2007, p 28), involving aligning the course book with learners’ objectives, backgrounds, and the available resources (Cunningsworth, 1995, p 15) Post-use evaluation assesses a textbook’s fitness over sustained use and is practical for deciding whether to reuse the same textbook in future occasions.

Different terms are used for materials evaluation, but they converge on one purpose: preliminary, predictive, and pre-use evaluations identify Biotechnology course materials that best meet the learning objectives, while summative, retrospective, and post-use evaluations examine materials after they have been used This study assesses whether the educational materials provided to Biotechnology students match their needs, and the findings can inform better material selection, curriculum alignment, and instructional decision-making in biotechnology education.

“m odification to and fine tuning” (Brown, 1995, p 225) o f the materials, thus the type o f evaluation chosen to be adapted was in-use or form ative evaluation.

To carry out the study, the researcher will survey the models proposed by Ellis (1997),

M cDonough and Shaw (1993) and Hutchinson and Waters (1987).

Ellis' model centers evaluation at the task level within language teaching methodology, with the aim of identifying the match between the task as planned and the task as it is used in practice The framework emphasizes aligning task design with actual task performance in classroom settings and comprises seven steps that guide practitioners from planning through implementation and assessment of language learning tasks.

2) describing the task which requires the specification o f the content o f a task in term s o f input, procedures, language activities and outcom e

3) planning the evaluation with reference to the above dim ension

4) collecting the inform ation for the evaluation (before the task is used, while it is being used and/or on com pletion o f the task) about how the task was performed, what learning took place as a result o f perform ing the task, and teachers’ and learners’ opinions about the task

6) reaching conclusions relating to what has been discovered as result o f the evaluation o f the task and m aking recom mendations

Unlike Ellis’s model, McDonough and Shaw (1993) propose a two-stage framework for course-book evaluation that enables a detailed analysis of the material The external stage provides a brief overview from the outside—cover, blurb, introduction, and table of contents—and considers factors such as the use of visual/audio equipment, course-book layout, topic bias, publication date, course-book provisions, and time factors The internal stage then assesses how well these external features align with the internal organization and coherence of the materials as stated by the author or publisher, focusing on skill presentation, the grading and sequencing of materials, the inclusion of natural language elements, the relationship of tests and exercises to the materials and learners, and the suitability for teachers and different learner learning styles.

Previous research on ESP reading m aterials evaluation

Substantial research has been conducted on the evaluation of language teaching and learning materials, both overseas and in our country Most studies employed a range of evaluation models, and their findings produced practical recommendations for improving these materials.

Macro-material evaluation at Bilkent University in Turkey, conducted by Atkin and Guceri (2001), aimed to identify the suitability of the materials for learners, their alignment with course objectives, and their compatibility with a task-based syllabus The study focused on evaluating how well the materials support learner needs and the intended course outcomes.

Fourteen teachers and five hundred students were invited to provide feedback on the instructional materials across multiple criteria, including timing, the suitability of the teacher’s notes, the layout of the materials, usefulness, interest, and motivation, as well as the variety of tasks and activities and the alignment of materials with course objectives and learning outcomes Data were collected through teacher and student questionnaires, teacher interviews, and observations.

The studies cited above focus on materials evaluation, with each employing different evaluation methods and a range of evaluation criteria The evidence suggests that the materials evaluation process has relied on existing evaluation checklists and evaluation sheets (Atkins, 2001), or on criteria selected and combined from the diverse viewpoints of scholars (Wang, 1996).

In 2001, Atkins evaluated the Passport course book used for oral communication at a privately funded senior high school in Japan to determine if it could be adapted to meet the course aims, student needs, and teacher beliefs, using McDonough and Shaw’s model supplemented by a visual review based on Sheldon’s textbook evaluation sheet External and internal analyses were conducted, revealing several weaknesses but concluding that with focused edits and adaptations the book could become a usable course book, while some units that were not highly relevant to students were recommended for omission.

Wang (1998) conducts an evaluation study of the EFL textbook A New English Course used by university English major students in China, with the aim of evaluating, selecting, and adapting teaching materials to meet both teaching and learners’ needs The study presents a case analysis of an EFL course book in China to illuminate how teaching materials function in practice After outlining the context of EFL teaching materials in China and describing the course book itself, the evaluation examines one unit from both micro and macro perspectives The micro analysis dissects each unit component—basic structures, language structure practice, dialogues, reading comprehension, guided writing, and interaction activities—critiquing their features The macro analysis considers the unit’s overall impression, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses The findings indicate that the textbook exhibits multiple problems, signaling a need for modifications to the existing materials to better support teaching and learning outcomes.

To date in Vietnam, numerous studies have evaluated ESP materials, driving improvements in textbooks, teaching materials, and ESP courses Notable researchers include Vo Thi Anh Dao (2004), Dong Thi Hien (2006), and Hoang Thi Tham (2007), who conducted evaluations across ESP programs such as Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Marine Studies, Information Technology, and Medicine Vo Thi Anh Dao (2004) evaluated the ESP textbook used for Husbandry and Veterinary Science since 2000; Vu Thi Lua (2005) critically reviewed ESP course books for Business and Management students at Hanoi UBM and proposed recommendations for better use; and Dong Thi Hien (2006) evaluated ESP materials used by second-year Security students at the People’s Security Academy.

In 2005, Hoang Hoa Lien conducted an evaluation of ESP materials used by third-year architecture students at Hanoi Architectural University The study aimed to assess the materials’ aims, content, and instructional methodology, and to determine whether they were appropriate for the students’ English proficiency level, applying defined criteria to gauge alignment with learning objectives and overall suitability.

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) selected a study design that used three data collection instruments: document analysis, teacher interviews, and student questionnaires The findings showed that the material met some of the course requirements, but revisions are needed to improve its effectiveness for future use A major strength of the study is its triangulation, combining three data sources to yield reliable and convincing results, and several of the recommendations are clear and practical.

In the same year o f 2005, another m aterials evaluation was carried out by Tran Thi Thuy

N ga at N ha Trang Navy Academy The study was aimed at exam ining if the materials

English for Marine Cadets aligns with the course objectives and meets the course requirements in terms of content and methodology The data collection instruments used were document analysis and questionnaires The evaluation process was based on established assessment criteria and a systematic review of the collected data to determine how well the program satisfied its objectives.

Guided by Hutchinson and Waters’ model, the study conducted a subjective analysis by evaluating a syllabus designed around the marine students’ needs analysis The evaluation successfully identified the strengths and weaknesses of the materials, and the findings produced practical recommendations for adapting the materials to better meet learners’ requirements.

In 2006, Nguyen Thanh Liem conducted an evaluation of television-specialist materials for students at the College of Television The study was grounded in the detailed theoretical frameworks proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) and by Cunningsworth, employing these models to assess material quality, alignment with learning objectives, and overall suitability for the curriculum.

Drawing on the works cited from 1995 and Celce-Murcia (2001), the study aimed to determine whether the materials in use matched her students’ English level and their specialized background knowledge A combination of two qualitative methods—document analysis and a questionnaire completed by former students—was employed The findings showed that, overall, the authentic materials were suitable for the students at CTV, but there were some inappropriate features, such as a number of unfamiliar words, some new grammatical structures, and newly introduced skills in the texts.

While Liem's study is well presented, it relies on only two data collection instruments—document analysis and a questionnaire—which seems insufficient and subjective Including interviews with teachers would provide more in-depth opinions on the materials at CTV, enriching the data and insights Consequently, many of the study's recommendations for improving the materials appear unsatisfactory, as they are too general and lack the specificity needed by practitioners to enhance the evaluated syllabus.

Across the reviewed research on materials evaluation, the process can be based on different models and criteria and is shaped by the context and purpose of the evaluation This study adopts Hutchinson and Waters’ model as its framework to guide the investigation.

M E T H O D O L O G Y

Data collection in stru m en ts

Building on the literature review, several data collection instruments used in materials evaluation can provide important information, including document analysis, questionnaires, and interviews To gather reliable data, the researcher decided to employ a combination of the three main instruments: (1) document analysis; (2) questionnaires administered to third-year students, former students, and ESP teachers at the Biotechnology Faculty of HOU; and (3) interviews.

(3) fo llo w -u p interviews w ith all three above groups.

Document analysis was the first collection instrument used in the study It involves the systematic examination of instructional documents—such as syllabi, assignments, lecture notes, and course evaluations—to identify instructional needs and challenges and to describe an instructional activity Robinson (1991) argues that examining existing documents can provide valuable information for evaluation and constitutes a central data source in evaluation exercises He also notes that in the ESP context, documents used for evaluation can include original planning documents, statements of needs, objectives derived from the syllabus, and the teaching materials themselves.

Document analysis was used as a data collection method in this study As Patton (1987) notes, document analysis can provide convincing and systematic background information for the evaluation process and help to increase the objectivity of a qualitative research project, especially when the focus is on participants' attitudes toward the course This study's objectives aligned with these strengths, aiming to evaluate the current ESP reading materials for students in the Biotechnology faculty Consequently, the documents analyzed comprised the curriculum document and the current ESP materials used by Biotechnology students.

3.1.1.1 T he analysis o f the curriculum document

Curriculum documents to be analyzed include the Training Curriculum of the Biotechnology Faculty, regulated by the Ministry of Education and Training, and the English Language Training Curriculum for biotechnology students This analysis aims to examine the training goals of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for third-year Biotechnology students and how these curricula jointly support the development of professional English competencies in the field.

An analysis of the Biotechnology faculty’s training curriculum was conducted to gather information about students’ background knowledge and to determine whether the material aligns with learners’ needs and whether the specialized concepts are familiar to students The evaluation examined two main components: the stated training goals within the curriculum and the specialized subjects that students have learned in Vietnamese during the first four terms of the Biotechnology program.

- The English Language Training Curriculum was analyzed to get inform ation about the training goals and requirem ents o f the ESP course.

An analysis of the curriculum documents yielded evidence of the course's stated objectives and the materials in use This allowed the researcher to design and develop questionnaires for evaluating ESP materials, ensuring alignment between curriculum goals and assessment tools.

3.1.1.2 The analysis o f the ESP materials

The next major document to be analyzed was the current ESP material used by third-year students in the Biotechnology faculty The analysis aimed to collect data and factual information from the material, focusing on its aims, content, and methodology to answer the research questions.

Criteria developed by H utchinson and Waters (1987) include aims, language content and m ethodology and w ere selected in order to examine w hether the material in use matches the students’ needs.

This study conducts a linguistic analysis of selected specialist texts by examining core linguistic aspects, including vocabulary choices and grammatical features, as well as the tasks and exercises embedded in the texts, and the reading sub-skills required for comprehension; it also explains how these sub-skills can be developed using the material, highlighting the potential for targeted language-competency development in professional contexts.

To sum m arize, the analysis o f the ESP material aimed to determine w hether the material was appropriate to the students’ needs as well as aims, content and methodology o f the course.

Questionnaires were employed as one of the main data collection instruments in this study because they offer several advantages As Robert-Holmes (2005) notes, they are a useful and relatively cheap method for rapidly gathering a wide range of views and are well suited to small-scale projects; similarly, Wallace (1998) argues that questionnaires save time and money while enabling data collection from many respondents simultaneously In addition, questionnaires yield quantitative data that can be analyzed quickly (Gabr, 2001) They are also particularly effective for capturing phenomena that are not easily observed—such as attitudes, motivation, and self-concept—while respondents tend to feel more comfortable and willing to respond to written rather than in-person questions (Gilham, 2000) The present study adopted questionnaires for these reasons.

Originating from the thesis objective to evaluate the textbook material used by students in language learning, this study aims to explore students' opinions and attitudes toward the material Accordingly, employing this instrument provides an effective approach for collecting data on student perceptions, enabling a clearer assessment of the textbook's role in language education.

Secondly, students can complete the questionnaires at their convenience, reducing the pressure to respond immediately They are allowed to finish the questionnaires within several days, giving them time to reflect on their answers, which results in more detailed and accurate information.

Thirdly, it is a cheap and easy way to get information from a lot o f people very quickly.

Fourthly, the researcher can collect data for doing a hypothesis by constructing questionnaires.

Lastly, questionnaires will make respondents more or less avoid interview er bias.

To investigate students' needs, the study administered two questionnaires The first questionnaire was designed and administered to 78 third-year students from two randomly selected classes, 0801-G1 and 0801-G2.

Questionnaire 2 w as for 32 ex-students who have learnt a Biotechnology course and they have just graduated from Biotechnology faculty The questionnaires were written in English (See A ppendices 1 and 2)

Questionnaire 1 consists o f two parts: Part A and Part B.

Part A of the questionnaire was designed to collect third-year students' background information, including age, gender, place of birth, and years of studying English These straightforward questions were intended to put participants at ease and help them start the survey smoothly.

Part B o f the questionnaire was designed to find out needs analysis

Question 1 seeks inform ation about the third-year students’ attitudes towards the ESP course they were going to take.

Question 2 and 3 w ere designed on a five-point Likert scale (5 = very interested,

4=interested, 3=neutral, 2=not interested, l= not interested at all) They gather information about the types o f materials and types o f texts students are interested in learning in the ESP reading course.

The next questions (from question 4 to question 10), except for question 5, in this part were designed on a five-point Likert scale (5 = very difficult, 4 = difficult, 3 = neutral, 2 not difficult, 1= not difficult at all).

Question 4 investigates students’ interesting topics.

Question 5 aims to w ork out the suitability o f technical words w hen the students learn

Question 6 seeks inform ation about students’ difficulties w ith reading sub-skills.

Question 7 refers to students’ difficulties w ith gram m ar structures.

Question 9 refers to stud ents’ difficulties in doing different tasks/activities.

Question JO collects inform ation about the students’ learning style preferences.

Questionnaire 2 for ex-students is to seek inform ation on target needs as well as their comments on the m aterials This questionnaire will also be divided into two parts: Part A and Part B.

Part A o f the questionnaire was designed to collect inform ation about the ex-students’ personal inform ation including their year o f graduation, current em ployer and job title.

Part B o f the questionnaire consists o f 6 questions collecting inform ation about the third- year students’ target needs (necessities).

Question 1 gathers inform ation about ex-students’ frequency o f reading specialist materials in their current jobs This question provides inform ation about the role o f reading skill in the target situation.

The subjects o f the s tu d y

Third-year students, ex-students, and ESP teachers took part in and provided data in the study.

The first questionnaire has been applied to 78 students o f Biotechnology who are going to take the B iotechnology course this year They are the third-year students, aged from 21 to

23 They learnt 240 periods o f General English for four sem esters in their first and second years Before starting the G E course they had been asked to sit for a placem ent test at Elementary level T he successful students were able to attend the course in their first sem ester in their first year They have fulfilled New H eadway Pre-Interm ediate By the time the students w ere asked to complete the questionnaire, they had finished the GE course and had learnt basic professional knowledge This group o f students may provide a reliable source o f data on their wants, their current reading skills/strategies, level o f language, and difficulties in reading, their motivation and their preferences.

They were 32 ex-students o f Biotechnology who have ju st graduated from Biotechnology Faculty this year T heir ages ranged from 23 to 26 The ex-students working in different fields, such as: food processing, engineering, teaching, environm ental treatm ent, m edicine processing, chem ical producing, etc were asked to com plete the questionnaire on frequency o f reading English specialist materials in their current jobs The ex-students helped the researcher have useful information on target needs, such as how English was used in their study, necessary sub-reading skills that students should obtain Also, the researcher hoped to find out com m on topics included in the docum ents they read as well as difficulties they faced w hen reading On the other hand, these subjects provided helpful inform ation on their attitudes towards the materials they have learnt.

The 5 ESP teachers involved in the study were from the Biotechnology Faculty, Hanoi Open University T hey had at least 5 years’ experience in teaching All o f them had a

This article examines a Master’s course in English Questionnaires and follow-up interviews with teachers yielded their evaluations of the course materials, while the interviewer sought teachers’ recommendations for improving these materials to better support students at the Biotechnology Faculty, Hanoi Open University.

Data collection procedu re

Data were collected from three sources—questionnaires, follow-up interviews, and document analysis The data collection procedures were carried out in a structured sequence of steps.

An analysis of the document on the training curriculum for third-year Biotechnology students was conducted to collect detailed information about their prior knowledge of the subject matter, specifically the material they had learned in Vietnamese before taking the ESP reading course.

- The current English language training program for students o f the Biotechnology faculty was collected and analyzed to find the training goals.

Selected specialist materials and a set of randomly chosen texts within them were collected and analyzed to reveal both the linguistic content, including grammar items, reading sub-skills, and language functions, and the topical content, i.e., the topics that third-year students need to know to understand these texts.

Following the analytical results of the document, the researcher developed the main items for the three questionnaires and the follow-up interviews The ex-students questionnaire was used to validate the data obtained from the document analysis, while the follow-up interviews were used to confirm the responses of the third-year students A checklist for the document analysis will also be developed to strengthen the study’s methodological rigor.

- The first version o f the three questionnaires and follow-up interview s was sent to the thesis supervisor and for com m ents and correction.

Copies of the questionnaires were distributed to third-year students and alumni with the help of class monitors All respondents were informed about the purpose of the study and were asked to complete the survey carefully and honestly, bearing in mind that there were no right or wrong answers.

- The follow-up interview s were carried out.

- The ESP reading m aterial will be analyzed based on the m entioned-above checklist.

- The results o f the questionnaires and the interviews will be com pared with the results o f the docum ent analysis.

- Finally, the major findings will be presented and discussed.

In this chapter, the researcher outlines the data collection instruments—document analysis, a questionnaire, and follow-up interviews—and describes the study subjects and the data collection procedures This information establishes a solid foundation for interpreting the data and for discussing the results in the next chapter.

Data analysis (applied to all questionnaires)

To ensure coherent and time-efficient presentation of the collected data, this study outlines specific data analysis methods Notably, responses to questions not designed on a five-point Likert scale—for example, inquiries into third-year students' preferred learning approaches—will be tallied and reported as percentages.

O ther questions such as the question asking students what topics they are interested in learning in the ESP reading course, the researcher used a 5-4-3-2-1 Likert Scale in which

5 = very interested, 4 = interested, 3 = neutral, 2 = not interested, 1 = not interested at all

To establish the data analysis for these 5-point Likert scale, the researcher made use o f the m ean score m ethod o f descriptive statistics.

According to Tilley (1990, p.66), the mean of a set of scores, commonly called the average, is the sum of the scores divided by the number of scores The mean score for all responses to a single item is calculated, and that average is then compared with the standard points of scale (5-4-3-2-1) to determine whether respondents found the item very interesting, interesting, neutral, or not interesting, and so on.

On a Likert-type scale, a mean score above 3 indicates a positive distribution and reflects favorable opinions among respondents, while a mean score below 3 indicates a negative distribution and reflects unfavorable opinions Items with negative mean scores deserve closer discussion during interpretation, whereas items with positive means highlight areas of approval The neutral point of the scale is 3, which marks the boundary between positive and negative sentiments, and standard scale points are used to categorize responses accordingly.

• Positive scores (from 3.0 up to 5.0)

- A m ean score from 4.5 up to 5.0 means 'very interested ’

- A mean score from 3.5 up to 4.4 means 'interested'

- A mean score from 3.0 up to 3.4 means ‘n e u tra l'

• Negative scores (from 2.9 down to 1.0)

- A m ean score from 2.9 down to 1.4 means 'not very interested’

- A m ean score from 1.4 down to 1.0 means 'not interested at all ’

What has been presented above will be made clearer in the following example:

Question: W hich o f the following class activities are you interested in?, for item 1 with

‘Learning through pictures, diagrams and charts’, am ong 78 students, 31 students ticked

On a five-point Likert scale, the responses show 5 students chose 5 (very interested), 29 chose 4 (interested), 13 chose 3 (neutral), 4 chose 2 (not interested), and 1 chose 1 (not interested at all), totaling 52 respondents The mean score is 189/52 ≈ 3.63, indicating overall moderate-to-high interest among the students.

Comparing the mean score with the principles mentioned above shows that the class activity was regarded as interesting by the students, making it a strong candidate for inclusion in ESP reading materials.

This chapter presents the results, the related discussion, the matching process, and a summary of the major findings These elements are organized into four sections—4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4—that cover the results, the discussion, the matching process, and the overall conclusions.

Results from the analysis o f the ESP program ’s outline and the current materials.46

Within the Biotechnology Faculty, the English program for Biotech students allocates a total of 330 periods to the ESP stage, with 90 periods dedicated to the ESP reading course The term lasts 18 weeks, during which students have one English class per week totaling five periods After completing the 18 weeks of study, students take a final 90-minute test.

According to the outline o f the ESP program for students o f Biotechnology at Biotechnology faculty o f Hanoi Open University, the ESP program aims to:

Provide students with a big amount o f specialized English vocabulary in Biotechnology

- Help students read and comprehend different texts on Biotechnology issues Help students read and translate a text on Biotechnology w ith a length o f 250

Analysis indicates that the materials originate mainly from three sources: the Internet, technical books, and journal and magazine articles intended for academic use, as mentioned above.

No T ypes of m aterials F req u en cy of a p p e a ra n c e

Table 4.1: Appearance 'frequency o f m aterial types

Internet resources frequently appear in ESP reading instruction because they are popular, easy for both teachers and students to access, and continually updated, which makes them increasingly common Journal and magazine articles, along with technical books, are also frequently used, providing substantial learning opportunities for students These materials are valuable for student learning, and their use enables teachers to broaden their own knowledge as they prepare them Other types of materials are much less commonly used.

4.1.2.2 Text types of the materials

Document analysis shows a diverse range of specialist materials, including journal and magazine articles, instructors’ manuals, catalogs, technical books, reports, and online resources; the text types found in these materials are mainly instructional, informative, descriptive, and visual.

No Types o f texts Frequency of appearance

Table 4.2: Text types o f the materials

Biotech texts stand out from those in other fields largely because they are densely illustrated with pictures, diagrams, and charts, and these visual elements help readers understand the material more easily The accompanying table shows that instructive, informative, descriptive, and visual texts occur more frequently than other types in this domain.

The ESP program for Biotechnology students at Hanoi Open University’s Faculty of Biotechnology centers on three core topics—Food Technology, Biotech Applications in the Environment, and Biotech Applications in Agriculture—providing focused, practical knowledge in these key biotechnology domains.

An analysis of the ESP program materials—catalogues, manuals, journals, technical books, and reports—reveals a diverse range of topics After conducting the document analysis, the researcher identified 18 topics that were used to teach during the course.

3 Biotech for Energy Efficiency 12 A llergic reactions

5 G reenhouse effect 14 Ferm entation technology

7 Sew age-treatm ent 16 Global nutrition

Table 4.3: The topics o f the current materials

The researcher presented a set of topics to two groups—current students and alumni—to gauge both interest and real-world relevance Students were asked whether they liked the topics, while alumni were asked whether they regularly read or encounter these topics in their jobs This approach aimed to compare student preferences with actual reading habits in the workforce, informing curriculum decisions and assessing workplace applicability.

The follow ing 6 random ly chosen texts taken from the above-m entioned materials were analyzed to find the am ount o f technical w ords/term s presented in an English specialist text.

No T exts No of words

2 Making yogurt 385 oJ Bio-react 615

Table 4.4: The specialist texts being analyzed

This is the result o f 6 specialist texts’ vocabulary analysis

Text Total no o f words No o f technical words/term s in Biotech texts

Table 4.5: Specialist vocabulary in texts on Biotechnology

From the table, texts 1 and 2 contain a small number of technical words, texts 3 and 4 contain a medium number of technical words, and texts 5 and 6 contain a large number of technical words.

Grammar items typically play an important role in any English course Six previously mentioned specialist texts drawn from the specialist materials were analyzed to identify the grammar structures they contain The table below presents the frequency of these grammar structures in ESP texts.

Linguistic elements Frequency of appearance

Average frequency of appearance/ texts

Table 4.6: The frequency o f appearance o f grammar structures in ESP texts

An analysis of biotechnology reading materials shows that the most common grammatical features are simple sentences, the present simple tense, and active voice, which are used to describe processes, organisms, steps, and reactions Following these come compound and complex sentences, modal verbs, word formation, passive voice, and conjunctions, which frequently appear to connect ideas and elaborate procedures Other grammar items occur occasionally, and among the six texts analyzed there was no indirect speech.

Language functions were also analyzed, and the researcher analyzed the 6 specialist texts m entioned above to find out the appearance’s frequency o f the language functions The results are as following table.

No L an g u ag e functions F req u en cy of a p p e a ra n c e

2 M aking com parisons and contrasts 2

Jo Giving explanations or definitions 8

Table 4 7: The freq u en cy o f appearance o f language functions in specialist texts

The table shows that the m ost com mon language functions found in specialist texts are:

M aking a list, Giving explanations or definitions, Describing com ponents, Describing principles and operations, Giving instructions, Giving exam ples, D escribing characteristics, Describing sequence o f events, Describing diagram s and charts,

Expressing causes and effects, Describing functions, and Expressing purposes These language functions usually appear because processes, organisms, steps, reactions, etc were introduced and described much in the materials.

To ensure the reliability o f the results, these language functions w ould later be used in the questionnaires for the third-year students and interview for ESP teachers.

4.1.3 The methodology of the materials

In term o f the m ethodology o f the materials, the study concentrated on the types o f tasks/exercises The analysis o f the m aterials indicated the following results:

No T ypes of task s/ activities F req u en cy of a p p ea ran ce

2 Choosing one o f the tittles that best fit the text 12 oJ Identifying the topic o f a paragraph 13

4 C onstructing a diagram based on the content o f a reading text

5 M atching a w ord with its appropriate definition 8

9 Com pleting a text using information from a diagram

10 Com pleting sentences using underlined technical terms in a text

11 Indicating the constituent parts o f sentences

12 Putting the w ords in brackets in the right form 8

15 Finding the synonym o f a given word in a paragraph or text

Table 4.8: Types o f tasks/exercises appear in the texts

From the table, the materials concentrate on two main areas: vocabulary exercises and reading comprehension, with grammar practice often appearing as sentence transformation Vocabulary activities include matching a word to its correct definition, completing sentences using underlined technical terms in a text, forming the correct word form from given brackets, and identifying synonyms within a paragraph or text Reading comprehension tasks involve selecting the best title for the passage, identifying the topic of a paragraph, answering multiple-choice and comprehension questions, and completing a text using information from a diagram.

Results from the questionnaires for the 3rd-year students and the ESP teachers

Question 2 o f the part B in the interview w as designed to find out the aims o f the current materials The ESP teachers gave their opinions on aim s o f the materials The results are presented in the table 4.9 below:

No Aims of m aterials M ean score

1 Provide students with a big amount o f specialized

2 Help students read and comprehend different texts on B iotechnology issues?

3 Help students read and translate a text on

Improve students' reading sub-skills for dealing with biotech books and documents by focusing on skimming to capture main ideas, scanning for specific details, and guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words through word-formation strategies and contextual clues This approach helps learners navigate biotechnology texts—from textbooks and journal articles to lab reports—by building domain vocabulary, enhancing reading comprehension, and boosting overall reading fluency.

Table 4.9: Opinions o f the ESP teachers on the aim s o f the m aterials

The table shows that the aim of Material 4 was rated as 'very much' and the aim of Material 1 was rated as 'much' by ESP teachers, while the aims of Materials 2 and 3 were regarded as 'not much'.

Results indicate that ESP teachers agreed with the first aim of the materials but did not agree with the second and third aims, arguing that these aims were too common In contrast, the fourth aim received strong agreement from the teachers, underscoring its perceived relevance to learners’ needs.

78 copies o f questionnaire were distributed to the third-year students and the researcher had the following results on students’ information.

The group consists of students aged 20 to 23, with female students outnumbering male students About two-thirds come from districts and remote areas Most of the students have studied English for nine years, while the rest have about five years, so the knowledge gap between them is not large The small gap in English proficiency has been bridged to some extent after the GE stage, and this reduced gap will make teaching ESP materials easier.

4.2.2.1 The students’ and ESP teachers’ attitudes towards the ESP reading course

* Results front questionnaire fo r the third-year students

The students’ attitudes towards the ESP reading course are presented in the chart below:

Chart 4.1: The third-year stu den ts’ attitudes towards the ESP reading course

The above chart shows the results that tw enty nine students am ong seventy eight being surveyed (37.2%) w ere very interested and thirty six students (46.2% ) were interested in

Among the students surveyed about attitudes toward the ESP reading course, seven students (8.9%) expressed a neutral stance, four students (5.2%) were not interested, and two students (2.6%) were not interested at all In total, 16.7% of the students held a negative attitude toward the course they were going to take.

* Results from the questionnaire for ESP teachers

The results o f the interview are shown in the chart below:

Chart 4.2: The ESP teachers ’ attitudes towards the ESP reading course

Based on a survey of five ESP teachers, 20% (one teacher) judged the ESP reading course to be very necessary for students, while 80% regarded it as necessary These results suggest that ESP reading instruction should be taught to students, highlighting the need to include an ESP reading course in the curriculum.

Based on the two preceding results, the researcher concludes that a large majority of students (83.4%) and all ESP teachers (100%) share positive attitudes toward the ESP reading course Both groups recognize that ESP reading is essential for students' current studies and their future careers As students continue their studies at school, teachers actively support and guide them in developing their ESP reading skills to meet academic and professional demands.

Positive attitudes toward learning help students gain knowledge and build the skills they need to prepare for their future jobs When students realize the value of studying, they put in their best effort, strive to learn harder, and continuously improve, which boosts both their academic performance and readiness for careers.

Although most students have a positive attitude toward the course, about 16.7% still hold negative views, possibly because they lack clear learning goals, see little relevance, or find the lessons unengaging Teachers need to identify these causes and provide targeted support to help these students overcome negative feelings, since a persistent negative attitude toward learning can limit proficiency (Bull, Bear, Harrist & Kimball, 2001) To address this, students were invited to offer suggestions for ESP reading materials and ESP reading lessons to boost their motivation and engagement.

4.2.2.2 The types o f m aterials for the ESP reading course

* Results fr o m questionnaires (for the third-year students and the ex-students)

Results from the question on the types o f materials o f the questionnaires I was presented a§ follow:

Table 4.10: The types o f m aterials preferred learning by the third-year students and freq u en tly read by ex-students in their current jo b

Among the material types examined, Internet materials had the highest mean score of 4.5, indicating strong interest from third-year students Journal and magazine articles, instructors’ manuals, and catalogues followed with mean scores of 4.0, showing notable interest as well Type 3 and Type 4 materials fall into the neutral category Mean scores of 2.6 indicate that the current students were not interested in technical books and reports.

Ex-students reported that reading English specialist materials was a common part of their work, with Internet materials showing the highest mean score of 4.2, meaning they were the most frequently read Other material types (type 1, type 2, and type 5) fell into an 'interested' category, and these materials were also read by ex-students in the course of their jobs In contrast, instructors’ manuals and catalogs were rarely encountered, with mean scores of 2.1 and 2.0, respectively.

4.2.2.3 T he types o f texts for the ESP reading course

* R esults fro m questionnaires (for the third-year students and ex-students)

Question 3 of Questionnaire I and Question 3 of Questionnaire II each comprise six items that ask students about the types of texts they prefer to read, and about the types of texts ex-students encounter in their jobs Table 4.11 presents the results of these questions in the form of mean scores.

Table 4.11: The types o f texts preferred learning by the third-year students and frequently rea d by ex-students in their current jo b s

It’s easy to realize the results from the table that type o f text 1, type o f text 2, type o f text

In this study, text types 3, 5, 6 and 7 were categorized as 'interested', indicating that third-year students were interested in these types of texts A mean score of 2.7 shows that current students were not interested in persuasive texts.

The results from the table show that the type o f text 1, type o f text 2, type o f text 3, type o f text 5 and type o f text 6 belong to ‘interested’ category This means the ex-students were interested in these types o f texts They read them frequently H owever, they were not interested in simplified texts and persuasive ones with the mean score o f 2.6 and 2.0.

4.2.2.4 T he students’ learning style preferences

* R esults fr o m questionnaire (for the third-year students and the E S P teachers)

M atching p ro cess

Based on the results obtained from students’ needs analysis and the analysis o f the m aterial, m atching process was conducted to find out whether the m aterial matches the students’ needs in term s o f aims, content and methodology.

4.3.1 The aims of the course

Sections 4.1.1 show that the ESP program aims to equip students with a substantial amount of specialized English vocabulary in Biotechnology, enable them to read and comprehend a range of biotechnology texts, and help them read and translate a Biotechnology text of 250–400 words Section 4.2.1 reveals that ESP teachers agree the materials provide the required Biotechnology vocabulary; however, they do not concur with the other two aims—reading/comprehension and translation Consequently, the materials do not fully align with students’ needs in terms of aims.

Although ESP teachers broadly agreed with the aims outlined in the questionnaires—namely to improve students’ reading sub-skills for handling biotech texts and documents by developing abilities such as skimming, scanning, guessing word meanings through word formation and contextual clues, and using unknown words efficiently—the sub-skills themselves were viewed as essential for understanding the material and increasing reading speed The program emphasized reading, with translation treated as only one type of exercise rather than a core skill In practice, some teachers asked students to translate into Vietnamese because it seemed the easiest teaching method, but this did not improve reading performance The ESP teachers also believed the materials should help students revise and deepen their knowledge of biotech issues, and that these broader aims would make reading biotech materials easier.

4.3.2.1 Types o f materials and text types

Sections 4.1.2.1 and 4.2.2.3 indicate that the materials students prefer align with those examined, namely journal and magazine articles, technical books, instructors’ manuals, catalogues, and Internet materials However, the needs reported by both third-year students and ex-students reveal that reports are the materials the third-year students dislike learning, while ex-students typically encounter reports in the workplace.

Question Question Question Question Question Question

Chart 4.5: The comparison between types o f materials preferred learning by the third-year students and types o f materials frequently read by ex-students in their current jobs

Results show that the three types of materials preferred by third-year students closely align with those commonly read by ex-students in their jobs Internet materials received high mean scores of 4.5 from third-year students and 4.2 from ex-students, indicating strong interest among current students and frequent use by graduates for job-related information Journal and magazine articles also posted high mean scores around 4.0 for both groups.

At work, professionals encounter a wide range of materials They regularly read journal and magazine articles as well as online resources, because these sources provide a wealth of updated, varied information to help them keep pace with rapid changes in the computer industry In addition, workplace computers are typically connected to the internet, making it easy to search for and download the information they need Catalogues also serve as a valuable source, offering detailed procedures with accompanying pictures and diagrams to guide users in isolating problems, removing or replacing computer components, and maintaining various computer systems.

Students share the same view as former students because teachers emphasize the importance of these materials in class, so learners recognize their value and try to read them as much as possible Today’s students are highly proactive, with easy access to computers and the Internet that lets them update information quickly Materials from online sources, journals, magazines, and catalogs often include abundant pictures, diagrams, and charts to illustrate concepts, making these texts more engaging and easier to understand than other formats.

There are differences between third-year students and ex-students in how they view technical books, instructor manuals, catalogues, and reports: third-year students place technical books in the 'not interested' category, while ex-students frequently read these materials; current students say they did not realize that technical books can provide in-depth and highly specialized information in their field; and third-year students generally see technical books as long, tiring, and difficult to understand.

Third-year students categorized instructor manuals and catalogues as “interested” because their abundant pictures, diagrams, and charts made the texts more engaging, readable, and easier to understand than other materials They preferred the visuals, finding the content clearer and more appealing for studying By contrast, former students were not interested in these materials, perceiving them as lacking useful, job-relevant detail needed in professional contexts.

Among the groups studied, third-year students produced reports that earned the lowest mean score, 2.6 They felt reading these reports was unengaging because they merely listed events and problems By contrast, former students saw reports as valuable because they provide management with data that supports decision-making and problem solving In their current jobs, these ex-students typically prepare reports for meetings and conferences, making reporting a critical skill in professional settings. -**Support Pollinations.AI:** -🌸 **Ad** 🌸Powered by Pollinations.AI free text APIs [Support our mission](https://pollinations.ai/redirect/kofi) to keep AI accessible for everyone.

Analysis of sections 4.1.2.2 and 4.2.2.4 shows that instructional, informational, descriptive, authentic, and visual texts align with students' needs, motivating learners and leading current students and alumni to engage with them frequently In contrast, persuasive and simplified texts appear less useful for this audience Data from both current students and alumni were compared in Chart 4.6 to provide a clearer view of the two data sources.

Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6 Type 7

Chart 4.6: The comparison between the types o f texts preferred learning by the third-year students and the types o f texts frequently read by ex-students in their current jobs

From the chart, it is evident that visual, authentic, instructive, informative, and descriptive texts earned high or very high mean scores from both current students and ex-students In contrast, persuasive texts were not favored by either group, who noted that these texts often blend facts with fictional elements intended to influence readers, making them more complicated and difficult to understand.

Simplified texts are usually easy to read and understand, which makes them appealing to third-year students who enjoy learning through reading These students often have limited informatics background knowledge and relatively low English proficiency as non-English majors, so simplified texts are the best option because they use simpler vocabulary and grammar structures than authentic materials, making the content easier to grasp and more enjoyable to read However, former students do not frequently continue reading these types of materials once they enter the workforce, where job-related reading demands may differ.

An analysis of sections 4.1.2.3 and 4.2.3.6 shows that third-year students are especially interested in two main topic areas—Food Technology and Biotech Applications in the Environment The current materials consist of 18 units covering 18 topics, and a table presents the mapping between the topics of interest and the existing topics to reveal the alignment and any gaps in the curriculum.

Table 4.19: The m atch betw een the interesting topics and the current ones

B iotechnology Bio-react Biotech for Energy Efficiency Ethanol-industry

C hlorophyll Sew age-treatm ent Enzyme engineering Enzym e therapy

A llergic reactions Imm une system Ferm entation technology

From the table above detailing 18 current topics, three do not align with the two main topics preferred by students: Biotech for Energy Efficiency, Enzyme Therapy, and Bio-oil.

It can com e to conclusion that the current topics match the students’ needs quite much, except for the three topics: Biotech for Energy Efficiency, Enzyme therapy, and Bio-oil.

Summary o f the major findings

1 The aims: the materials did not really match with the students’ needs in term s o f aims.

- Types o f m aterials: the types o f m aterials were sim ilar to those the students were interested in.

Types o f texts: the texts (instructive, informative, descriptive, authentic and visual ones) m atched the students ’ needs.

- Topics: the current topics m atched the students’ needs quite much, except for the three topics: Biotech for Energy Efficiency, Enzyme therapy, and Bio-oil

Vocabulary: the m aterials did not really m atch the students’ needs.

Reading sub-skills: the material did not well meet the aim o f developing students’ reading sub-skills.

- G rammar structures: the materials matched the students’ needs in term of gramm ar structures.

While the materials meet students' needs in some fields, they do not cover several crucial language functions These missing functions include making classifications, making comparisons and contrasts, and describing experiments.

3 The m ethodology: the m aterials were really suitable to the students’ needs in term s o f m ethodology.

This chapter presents recommendations regarding the material, discusses the study's limitations, and concludes with the overall findings It begins with targeted recommendations about material choices and their practical implications, followed by a clear discussion of limitations that may affect generalizability and reliability, and ends with a concise set of conclusions that summarize the study's key findings and their implications.

R ecom m endations

It is clear that instructional materials must be used in specific teaching contexts rather than in all situations, and the biotechnology materials currently in use are no exception, which has led to a number of problems that fail to meet the needs of biotechnology students and the requirements of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course.

Based on the results obtained from the matching process:', som e recom m endations for im proving the m aterials are introduced in three categories: aim, content and m ethodology.

The aims of the course should retain the first item, while the second and third items are revised to: improve students' reading sub-skills for dealing with biotechnology books and documents—skimming, scanning, guessing word meaning, and using unknown words through word formation and contextual cues; and help students revise and deepen their knowledge of biotechnology issues.

Chapter 4 of the study shows that the materials successfully provide students with a substantial amount of specialist vocabulary, though a number of terms are not highly relevant to the learners, reflecting the topics covered in the materials To enhance relevance and usability, it is recommended to include a list of technical words at the end of each unit and to provide a bilingual gloss ary at the end of the materials.

An assessment of the materials shows alignment with the students' specialist subjects However, Biotech for Energy Efficiency, Enzyme Therapy, and Bio-oil should be omitted from the ESP program, and the remaining three topics should be added to the materials focusing on Food Technology and Biotech Applications in the Environment.

Designing effective reading practice in language courses starts with shorter, student-friendly texts Limiting each passage to roughly 300 to 500 words keeps content accessible while preserving essential ideas, vocabulary, and sentence variety This length is comfortable for learners to read at a steady pace, reducing frustration and sustaining engagement across a sequence of activities When texts stay within this range, instructors can introduce a larger number of passages without extending overall course time, enabling more frequent reading exercises and a wider range of topics More practice opportunities help students encounter the same core skills in different contexts, reinforcing strategies such as predicting content, skimming for gist, and reading for detail It also makes it practical to pair each text with a structured set of tasks—pre-reading prompts, while-reading questions, and post-reading activities—that target sub-skills like identifying main ideas and supporting details, drawing inferences, recognizing the author’s stance, and summarizing Shorter texts support iterative practice cycles that begin with quick comprehension checks and build toward deeper analysis, helping students gain confidence and autonomy in their reading The increased volume of texts, managed within the same course duration, creates opportunities for differentiated learning, allowing slower readers to revisit familiar structures while faster readers tackle more challenging questions From a curriculum perspective, this approach supports clearer measurement of progress, as gains can be tracked across a broader sample of readings rather than a few long passages It also aligns with aims of developing transferable reading strategies that students can apply across subjects, such as identifying main ideas, mapping text organization, and evaluating evidence In practice, adopting a 300–500 word text-length standard can streamline planning, enable more frequent assessment, and foster a reading culture where students practice regularly, build sub-skills incrementally, and gain confidence in handling authentic texts within the course framework.

Suggestions on reading sub-skills show that the sub-skill exercises were varied and useful for developing students' reading skills, especially the sub-skills needed for study; although these exercises aim to equip students with the necessary tools, many still find them challenging and fail to apply the taught strategies, as indicated by responses from former students and second-year students; the implications focus on language-learning methodology, and it may be useful to explore students' beliefs about reading and their reading strategies to tailor instruction more effectively.

To better prepare students for real-world use, ESP teachers should develop additional materials covering complex sentences, the present perfect, the past simple, participles, word formation, and indirect speech While students currently do not encounter many difficulties with materials featuring easy grammar structures, they are likely to face challenges when reading texts with more difficult grammar structures once they enter the workforce.

The researcher recommends modifying the material by adding two additional aims and replacing the three topics cited earlier, to better reflect the intended learning outcomes It also suggests incorporating a broader range of reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary exercises that are aligned with the content and methodology, ensuring they meet students’ needs.

Aside from grammar exercises, the reading and vocabulary activities align well with students’ needs; therefore, more types of grammar exercises focusing on the structures students find difficult should be added.

For effective learning, exercises should be prepared individually at home, then discussed in small groups and reviewed with the whole class; alternatively, tasks can be completed in pairs or other small groups.

Another suggestion focuses on providing the students with opportunities to practice reading w ith speaking and listening by encouraging them to do some exercises orally.

L im itations

Aiming at evaluating the material the study has already obtained certain results However, there exist some limitations.

First, the data collection instruments carried out in the study w ere restricted, ju st docum ent analysis, questionnaires and interview.

Second, the data were gathered from a limited num ber o f subjects.

The study relied solely on a student questionnaire to gauge English proficiency, with no formal assessment conducted Consequently, the results may not accurately reflect students' true English level before entering the ESP course, nor their General English reading ability or ESP-specific reading skills.

Due to limited time and the scope of this study, not all criteria for evaluating teaching materials were examined The analysis focused on three criteria—aims, content, and methodology—and within these, only selected fields were assessed, including grammar structures, specialized vocabulary, reading sub-skills, topics, types of materials, text types, language functions, teaching–learning techniques, and various tasks or exercises As a result, many other potentially relevant dimensions of materials evaluation were not explored Future research could employ additional approaches, such as assessing the level of ESP teachers, vocabulary knowledge, and the volume of homework exercises, to generate more in-depth results and a more comprehensive evaluation of instructional materials.

C o n clu sio n

Materials evaluation plays a key role in the development of English Language Teaching (ELT) and, more specifically, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at universities It helps select the most appropriate materials for students and for the teaching and learning of English and ESP, while also revealing the strengths and weaknesses of each resource to inform timely and targeted improvements that enhance effectiveness This study investigates whether the current ESP materials for Biotechnology students meet the course aims and address students’ needs in terms of objectives, content, and instructional methodology.

The study results indicate that the materials meet most students' needs, providing new vocabulary and technical terms related to their majors and helping students revise and broaden their knowledge on biotech topics They also satisfy students' requirements for language content and teaching methodology The exercises for improving vocabulary and reading skills are varied and useful, and the materials feature many engaging topics.

However, the materials failed to provide effective grammar exercises that would help students revise the targeted grammar structures Additionally, the exercises lacked variety, making it hard for students to practice and reinforce the more challenging grammar structures.

Based on the findings, some suggestions have been given by the researcher in order to improve the m aterials for the students o f Biotechnology faculty o f HOU.

Atkins, A.'s 2001 study provides an evaluation of the course book used for Oral Communication One at a privately funded senior high school in Japan The document was retrieved on October 2, 2007 from the World Wide Web and is available as a PDF from the University of Birmingham's Centre for English Language Studies at http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/resources/essays/atkins3.pdf.

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