CC BY-ND
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Journal of Language & Education
Volume 1, Issue 4, 2015
ESP in Polish tertiary language courses - in search of definition
Agnieszka Dzi^ciol-P^dich
School ofForeign Languages, University of Biaiystok
In the Polish educational system it is mainly institutions of higher education that conduct English for Specific Purpose (ESP) courses, partly because of the regulations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which stipulate that a B.A. graduate should know a foreign language at least at the B2 level of CEFR and its specialized variety* 1. This article presents an analysis of Polish ministerial and faculty documents such as ministerial teaching standards and faculty learning outcomes that influence the teaching of ESP at tertiary level in Poland. It also presents an analysis of ESP syllabi from eight higher education institutions published at Internet websites of faculties of economics and management. The aim of the analysis was to see how ministerial and faculty documents define ESP and what type of ESP students of economics and management learn and what are the main course materials for syllabus design for students of economics, management and their various specializations. All the documents and syllabi were subject to qualitative analysis which showed that neither teaching standards nor faculty learning outcomes provide a clear indication of what language for professional or specific purposes is supposed to be. Furthermore, it showed that while teaching students of economics and management, language teachers reach for business English course books which offer a general set of topics and skills, and use one and the same course books with students of different specialties. This shows that the lack of clear guidelines from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education makes it difficult for teachers to provide ESP courses beyond a certain level of generality.
Keywords: ESP syllabi, tertiary education, ministerial and faculty documents, definition of ESP, economics and management
Introduction
In the 1980s and 1990s the knowledge of foreign languages in Poland was relatively low, so language courses, both in public and private institutions, were aimed mainly at beginner or intermediate students. Advanced courses were attended by a small number
Agnieszka Dzi^ciol-P^dich (PhD) works as a teacher of English in the School of Foreign Languages at the University of Biaiystok. Her research interests include the development of the Communicative Approach and its implementation in different cultures around the world, intercultural competence, and teach-ingbusiness English at tertiary level.
E-mail: [email protected]
1 The term ‘specialized variety of a foreign language’ is a literal translation from Polish ministerial documents where it is not defined in any detail (which is one of the problems analyzed in this article).
of philology or international trade students, as well as some scientists and researchers.
Since the beginning of the 2000s the average level of foreign languages has been increasing. Furthermore, the beginning of the 2000s marks an increase in the number and type of language courses for professional or specific purposes (Komorowska, 2007, p. 251).
In the public sector of education it is mainly institutions of higher education that offer language courses for specific or professional purposes. There are several reasons for this situation. Firstly, institutions of higher education are obliged to follow the regulations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which stipulate that a B.A. graduate is required to know a foreign language at least at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Additionally, he or she has to know a specialized variety of the language he or she has been learning. The ministerial regulations do not specify what language students will learn, but it seems that English is the most frequently
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ESP IN POLISH TERTIARY LANGUAGE COURSES - IN SEARCH OF DEFINITION
chosen one. Similarly, the level of the specialized variety of the language has not been specified. The second reason why institutions of higher education offer language courses for professional or specific purposes is the fact that an increasing level of knowledge of foreign languages among Polish learners creates solid linguistic foundations on which languages for specific purposes can be developed. Thirdly, first-year students had been learning a foreign language for several years. Consequently, higher education institutions offer language courses for specific purposes so as to avoid teaching the same linguistic content for the second or third time. Finally, it seems that B.A. graduates who have good command of a foreign language and additionally know a language for specific or professional purposes are better prepared for the labor market. Nowadays, B.A. graduates find it hard to get a job, which is why they might prefer to pursue studies in a field that is likely to be attractive for future employers. Consequently, those institutions of higher education which better prepare their students for a successful career are more valued by secondary school graduates. All these factors show why language courses for professional or specific purposes are important both for B.A. graduates and institutions for higher education. However, the process of teaching languages for professional or specific purposes at tertiary level in Poland is not easy, since Polish language teachers struggle to choose skills and competences while teaching ESP courses.
Background
Descriptions of general and particular communicative competences for general language courses can be found in CEFR, a document which was meant to be the basis for the development of language syllabi and curriculum guidelines, the design of didactic materials and the assessment of foreign language proficiency.
Had it not been for the Polish ministerial requirements, syllabus and curriculum designers could also refer to the Global Scale of English (GSE) - a standardized, granular scale, the aim of which is to measure language proficiency. GSE can also be used, similarly to CEFR, as a benchmark for the design of language courses and language assessment. The GSE has been psychometrically aligned to CEFR, but it contains an extended number and range of the so-called ‘Can Do Statements’ originally developed for the purposes of CEFR. However, there are no such documents as CEFR or GSE that could serve as a point of reference for specialized syllabus and curriculum designers. This means that language course providers in Poland have to look for purpose or meaning of language for professional or specific purposes.
Either in professional literature, or to decide themselves how they understand it before choosing skills and competencies to be included in a syllabus.
Definitions of ESP
Hutchinson and Waters (1991, p.19) define English for specific purposes (ESP) as an approach to teaching a language in which every decision concerning the choice of content and method is dictated by learners’ reasons for learning. ESP is also thought to be an approach the aim of which is to prepare learners for effective functioning in their target situation (Chabmers 1980, Basturkmen 2010, Bruce 2011). Dudley-Evans and St John (1998, p.4-5) observe that ESP is designed to meet specific language needs learners bring into the classroom. In their definition of ESP, they use absolute and variable characteristics.
Absolute characteristics:
ESP uses the underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves;
Language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities are the focal point of ESP.
Variable characteristics:
ESP might be related to or designed for specific disciplines;
In specific teaching situations, ESP might make use of a different methodology from that of general English;
ESP is usually designed for adult learners who either study or who already work. In certain contexts, ESP could be designed for secondary school learners;
Dudley-Evans and St John (1998, p. 6) further argue that ESP can be divided into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) (see Figure 1).
Thus, English for Management, Finance and Economics belongs to English for Academic Purposes, whereas English for Business Purposes belongs to English for Occupational Purposes. Obviously, the distinction is not clear-cut, as people are likely to work and study at the same time. Hutchinson and Waters (1991, p. 16) stress that language structures meant to be used in a study environment can be used, for instance, when students start working. However, the distinction seems to imply different sets of vocabulary items and language skills. Students learning English for Management, Finance and Economics are more likely to read long (specialized) texts and learn vocabulary that describe general theories and phenomena, that seem to be independent of the workplace. Although these language items have a longer ‘shelf-life’ than the so-
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English for Specific Purposes
English for Academic Purposes English for Occupation Purposes
English for (Academic) Science and Technology
English for (Academic) Medical Purposes
English for (Academic) Legal Purposes
English for Management, Finance and Economics
English for Professional Purposes
English English
for Medical for Business
Purposes Purposes
English for Vocational Purposes
Pre-Vocational Vocational
English English
Figure 1. Classification ofESP accordingto Dudley-Evans and St John.
called Business English, they are mostly useful in academic contexts. On the other hand, Business English is strongly context-dependent - much of the vocabulary and phrases used in professional environments belong to a professional jargon specific for a given company or profession. As regards writing, students’ written discourse has to conform to an academic style imposed by a given institution of higher education, which is not identical to that used in professional contexts.
These definitions of ESP can be found in the literature. The question is how Polish teachers of ESP understand it, especially with regard to Business English (see Table 1).
As survey of ESP courses taught in Polish higher education institutions
A survey of ESP courses offered in Polish higher education institutions was conducted. Table 1 presents an analysis of the survey of ESP syllabi in public and private institutions of higher education. The choice of the syllabi for analysis was mainly based on availability. In theory universities are obliged to publish their syllabi online, but many fail to do so. The syllabi used for analysis were the ones which could be obtained from publicly available courses. The only higher education institutions that were included in the study were those with the status of a university or technical university. A number of smaller tertiary education institutions exist in Poland and they vary greatly in size and quality of education. Including all of them would go beyond the scope of this study. As it turned out only one of the syllabi obtained for the study came from a private university - University of Business and Administration in Gdynia.
The aim of the analysis was to see what type of ESP students of economics and management learn and what are the main course materials for syllabus design for students of economics, management and
their various specializations. It should be stressed that not every faculty where a student can study economics and management and other similar specializations offers ESP courses. Surprisingly, contrary to the content subject, ESP language syllabi are not easy to find on facultywebsites.
The analysis of English language syllabi prepared for the needs of tertiary language courses shows that what students learn is not English for Management, Finance and Economics but Business English. If it were otherwise, syllabi analysis would have shown the use of language materials more closely correlated with content subjects. Moreover, the analysis shows that in the majority of cases tertiary language teachers use general Business English course books available on the market as the basis for their course design. In some cases, however, course designers try to use course books, the content of which reflects, at least to a degree, various specializations within economics and management; e.g. University of Science and Technology in Cracow or University of Business and Administration in Gdynia.
The reliance on general English course books seems to suggest that language teachers accept the vision of Business English as understood by course book authors. Business English course books are designed mainly for people who already have some experience of the world of business, although their authors claim that their course books might also be used by students at tertiary level or by people preparing for a career in business. Business English course books are general in nature, i.e. topics seem to represent the areas of widest possible interest to the majority of students and provide a general overview of the world of business. Some of the course books have been developed in cooperation with business newspapers e.g. the Market Leader series draws from the Financial Times and the Intelligent Business series draws from the Economist to make the learning content as authentic and up-to-date as possible.
Course books develop four language skills (the greatest emphasis is put on speaking and the least
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Table 1
Analysis of course materials in ESP syllabi for students of economics and management
Institution of higher education Faculty Specialization Course materials Length of the course / semester Level and types of studies
1. Technical University of Bialystok Management Management Market Leader Intermediate D.Cotton ,D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 120h (1 teaching hours lasts 45 minutes) /2,3,4,5 B.A. level / daytime studies
2. Technical University of Bialystok Management Production Management Market Leader Intermediate D.Cotton ,D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 150h/2,3,4,5,6 B.A. level / daytime studies
3. Jagiellonian University Management and Social Communication Economics International Economics Finance Banking Insurance New English File Upper-Intermediate C. Oxenden, C. Latham-Koening. OUP The Business Upper-Intermediate J. Allison, J. Townend P. Emmerson. Macmillan 120h/ 3,4,5,6 B.A. level / daytime studies
4. Jagiellonian University Management and Social Communication Management Company Management, Personnel Management, International Management Business Result Intermediate J. Hughes, J. Naunton. OUP Supplementary course books: English for Business Studies I. MacKenzie. CUP Business Vocabulary in Use B. Mascull. CUP Head for Business Intermediate J. Naunton. OUP New Insights into Business G. Tullis, T. Trappe. Pearson Longman Intelligent Business Intermediate G. Tullis, T. Trappe. Pearson Longman Market Leader New Edition D. Cotton, D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman Business Words D. Howard-Williams, C. Herd. Macmillan In Company M. Powell, S.Clarke. Macmillan Test Your Business English J.S. McKellen. Pearson Education 120h/ 3,4,5,6 B.A. level / daytime studies
5. The John Paul Catholic University of Lublin Social Sciences Economics (a specialized language course) The Business Pre-Intermediate J. Allison et al. Macmillan Business Benchmark Intermediate N. Whitby. CUP Market Leader Pre-Intermediate D. Cotton, D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 120h/l,2,3,4 B.A. level/ daytime studies
6. The John Paul Catholic University of Lublin Social Sciences Management (a specialized language course) The Business Pre-Intermediate J. Allison et al. Macmillan Business Benchmark Intermediate N. Whitby CUP Market Leader Pre-Intermediate D. Cotton, D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 120h/ 1,2,3,4 BA level / daytime studies
ESP IN POLISH TERTIARY LANGUAGE COURSES - IN SEARCH OF DEFINITION
Institution of higher education Faculty Specialization Course materials Length of the course / semester Level and types of studies
7. University of Science and Technology (Cracow) Management IT in Management, Innovation Management Quality Management, Production Management, Finance Management, Human Resources Management, Company Management, Marketing, Management in Tourism, Financial English. Ian MacKenzie. CUP Business Vocabulary in Use. B. Mascull. CUP English for Business. K.Luto-Lach, M. Ganczar. Pol-text. English for Sales and Purchasing. L.Gutjahr, S.Mahoney. EDU Business English Management. M. Warzala-Wojtasiak, W. Wojtasiak. Super memo world Handbook of Production Management Methods. G.Halevi. Butterworth-Heineman. Quality Management: Theory and Application P. D. Mauch. CRC Press 30 (from 15 to 30 hours for weekend students depending on the decision of the faculty authorities) / 2 MA level (daytime and evening studies)
8. University of Business and Administration in Gdynia Management and Marketing Management The Business Elementary to Advanced J. Allison et al. Macmillan Business English Handbook Pre-intermediate to Avanced P. Emmerson Macmillan In Company Upper Intermediate to Advanced M. Powell, S. Clark, P. Sharma Macmillan Market Leader Elementary to Upper Intermediate D. Cotton, S. Kent, D. Falvey Macmillan First Insights into Business S. Robbins Pearson Longman New Insights into Business G. Tuttis, T. Trappe Pearson Longman Model Business Letters, E-mails & Other Busienss Documents S. Taylor Pearson Longman Business Correspondence L. Lougheed Pearson Longman Business Basics D. Grant, R. McLarty OUP New Headway Beginner to Upper-intermediate Liz & John Soars OUP 240h/l,2,3,4,5,6 B.A. level/day time studies
9. Technical University of Opole Economics and Management Management Intelligent Business Intermediate G. Tullis, T. Trappe. Pearson Longman The Business Intermediate J. Allison, J. Townend P. Emmerson. Macmillan Business Vocabulary in Use Advanced B. Mascull. CUP In Company M. Powell, S.Clarke. Macmillan Market Leader D.Cotton ,D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 120h /3,4,5,6 B.A. level / daytime studies
10. University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz Management Management in Administration Management in an organization Management in commerce and services Profile 2 J.Nauton, M.Tulip. OUP Janusz Siuda 120h /3,4,5,6 B.A. level / daytimes studies
11. University of Szczecin Management and Economics of Services Economics Finance and Accountancy Logistics Tourism and Recreation Management Market Leader Intermediate D.Cotton ,D. Falvey, S. Kent. Pearson Longman 20h / not given B.A. level / daytimes studies
AGNIESZKA DZIljCIOL-PljDICH
ESP IN POLISH TERTIARY LANGUAGE COURSES - IN SEARCH OF DEFINITION
on writing), as well as vocabulary and grammar. As regards speaking, students develop their communication skills usually for use in presentations, meetings, negotiations, telephoning, and social English. Writing tasks aim to reflect correspondence of the business world.
There are usually case studies after each chapter which are based on realistic business problems and which consolidate and recycle what has been learnt. Some course books contain sections devoted to doing business in different cultures which introduce key intercultural concepts and which develop intercultural awareness and skills necessary for effective communication in international professional situations.
Summing up, Business English course books offer a balanced approach to the development of language skills and various (e.g. sociocultural, strategic or intercultural) competencies. However, pre-service students who use such course books might get a distorted picture of the business world. A strong emphasis on speaking creates a false impression that business is mostly conducted orally, while in fact a lot of actual business communication is written. As for speaking, students get the impression that the international world of business speaks only British English with a variety of accents, as no other Englishes are presented in the course books. Speakers’ accents seem to be the only linguistic indication that the world of business is “truly international”. In the course books, non-native speakers of English use the language the same way as native speakers and yet contemporary organizations are characterized by verbal diversity: employees come from different cultures and possess different language competence levels that enable them to achieve effective communication during business interactions (Ayoko et al., 2004, p. 157). Moreover, communication in course books does not differ across various levels of hierarchy.
Business English course books and needs analysis in tertiary ESP courses
Despite these flaws, business English course books are widely used in institutions of higher education in Poland. Extensive reliance on course books might suggest that language teachers do not know how to identify ESP needs of their students. One of the reasons might be that language teachers are not trained specialists in economics and management and would rather defer to the expertise of course book authors. The fact that one and the same course book is used with students of various specialties (as is the case, for instance, at the Technical University of Bialystok or the John Paul Catholic University of Lublin - see Table 1) might suggest that language teachers do not know their students’ academic, linguistic and professional
needs. Moreover, the language courses being planned in advance (as in the case of, for instance, the Jagiel-lonian University - see Table 1), rather than designed anew every year, or even every semester, suggests that teachers may not conduct needs analysis which should be a part of every ESP course.
However, in the context of Polish institutions of higher education such a situation is hardly surprising. Language courses usually start when students are in their first year or second year (see Table 1) - this means that they are pre-service learners who know little about various aspects and branches of economics, management or finances they are studying. People who have never had contact with the world of business might find it difficult to tell what their professional needs might be in the future. Moreover, it is impossible to predict whether the job students find in the future will require them to use English, as this language is still not widely used in the Polish labor market. For that reason, it might happen that students who learn only ESP during language courses acquire skills they will never use when they start their professional career. It is also difficult to predict what English language skills (if any) students are more likely to use in their potential jobs: will they need English for preparing written documents or will they have contact with the general public? Finally, since most students finish their ESP course with their third year of studies (see Table 1), it is at least 2+ years (two years to M.A plus an unpredictable period of job searching) until they have a chance to put those skills into practice, at which point they may have all but forgotten them.
Extensive reliance on course books also seems to suggest that language teachers are not required by faculty or university authorities to design language courses so that they reflect the content of other subjects. Furthermore, it appears that, due to their high workload, English teachers cannot afford to design all course materials and have to rely on course books whether they like them or not.
Ministerial documents and faculty learning outcomes
One could argue that, instead of relying on course books, Polish ESP teachers could refer to ministerial documents that shape language courses at the tertiary level. The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education developed teaching standards for 108 scholarly areas. These standards set requirement, among others, for obligatory topics which have to be covered when teaching economics, law, history etc. They also stipulate that a B.A. graduate is supposed to know a foreign language and its specialized variety. For instance, teaching standards for information technology, fi-
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nance and accountancy, physics, history, or gardening stipulate that a B.A. graduate should be able to use a specialized variety of a foreign language related to the field she/he studied; teaching standards for information and library science, journalism and social communication, or national security stipulate that a B.A. graduate should know a specialized variety of a foreign language necessary for work. These are the only pieces of information concerning languages for professional or specific purposes that can be found in the teaching standards developed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. They are very general in nature and are not helpful in defining what a language for professional or specific purposes really is or how it should be taught. Surprisingly, as regards economics, teaching standards stipulate only that a B.A. graduate should know a foreign language at the B2 level of CEFR. Nothing is mentioned about a language for professional or specific purposes. Another document which shapes the didactic process in institutions of higher education is the qualification framework developed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which describes expected learning outcomes for a given field of study. Qualification frameworks show what students know, understand and are able to do on the basis of a given qualification. They also show how the various qualifications interact at the tertiary level and how students can move between qualifications.
Ministerial learning outcomes are the basis for faculty learning outcomes, which are developed by each institution of higher education independently. They describe knowledge, skills and social competences both for content subjects and for foreign languages. For example, learning outcomes for students of economics at the Faculty of Management and Social Communication of the Jagiellonian University (Zalqcznik nr 2...2012, p. 1-4) stipulate that as far as foreign languages are concerned a B.A. graduate is able to prepare short, typical written texts (e.g. essays) or presentations on economic events independently of the teacher. He or she is also able to prepare oral presentations concerning both current and hypothetical economic events. Similar learning outcomes for students of economics have been developed by the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Opole University of Technology (Efekty ksztalcenia..., p. 7). In this case a B.A. graduate is able to prepare written texts in a foreign language concerning economic issues from a theoretical perspective using a variety of sources. He or she is able to prepare oral presentations in a foreign language concerning economic issues from a theoretical perspective using a variety of sources. The Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdansk (Efekty ksztalcenia..., p. 4) also has very similar learning outcomes for students of economics. According to these outcomes a B.A. graduate is able to prepare written texts typical of the field of eco-
nomics, which are devoted to specific issues and which demonstrate awareness of basic economic theories and the skills of gathering, describing and interpreting data and drawing conclusions from specialist literature. He or she is also able to prepare oral presentations typical for the field of economics which are devoted to specific issues and which demonstrate awareness of basic economic theories and the skills of gathering, describing and interpreting data and drawing conclusions from specialist literature.
Other examples of learning outcomes as developed by faculties are as follows:
- a B.A. graduate is able to use basic economic terminology in a foreign language - the Jagiellonian University, the Faculty of Management and Social Communication (Zalqcznik nr 2...2012, p. 1-4)
- a B.A. graduate is able to prepare typical written texts and oral presentations devoted to contemporary problems of economics and management in Polish and in a foreign language on the basis of academic literature and journalistic texts without violating copyrights - the School of Computer Science and Economics in Cracow (Projekt efektow ksztalcenia..., p.4)
- a B.A. graduate is able to prepare typical written texts and oral presentations devoted to contemporary problems of economics and management in Polish and in a foreign language and is able to use specialized vocabulary from the field of management in a foreign language - the School of Computer Science and Economics in Cracow (Projekt efektow ksztalcenia..., p.4)
- a B.A. graduate is able to prepare written texts and oral presentations in a foreign language (English) at B2 level in a way that is characteristic for business practices - the Nicolaus Copernicus University, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management (Zalqczniknr. 8.1...2012, p.2 )
- a B.A. graduate is able to use a foreign language in the field of Economic Sciences at B2 level -the Nicolaus Copernicus University, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management (Zalqcznik nr.8.1...2012,p.2)
The skills described in these faculty learning outcomes are basically the same. The more detailed the descriptions of learning outcomes, the greater the emphasis on students being able to use these skills in academic rather than professional contexts. Interestingly, students are often expected to have the same skills in a foreign language and their mother tongue. Such an aim is relatively easy to achieve for Polish, because this is more or less what students do for three years in more theoretically-oriented content subjects. The question is how to reach this goal when it comes to foreign languages in view of the fact that Business English language syllabi are frequently developed on
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ESP IN POLISH TERTIARY LANGUAGE COURSES - IN SEARCH OF DEFINITION
Table 2
Basic similarities and differences in faculty learning outcomes concerning foreign languages Similarities Differences
- B.A. graduates should be able to prepare written texts or oral presentations characteristic for a given specialization in a foreign language concerning economic or management issues from a theoretical perspective using a variety of sources, among other journalistic texts
- B.A. graduates should have a knowledge of specialized terminology from the field of economics or management
- B.A. graduates know how to describe problems of contemporary economics or management in a foreign language
- B.A. graduates should be able to use specialist literature in a foreign language
- B.A. graduates should be able to work independently of their teachers
- B.A. graduates should not violate copyrights
- B.A. graduates should demonstrate the skills of gathering, describing and interpreting data and drawing conclusions
- B.A. graduate is able to use a foreign language at B2 level
- B.A. graduate should be able to describe hypothetical economic events in a foreign language
the basis of commercial course books, which develop skills intended to be used in professional settings.
Dudley-Evans and St John (1998, p. 5) stipulate that in certain contexts ESP might make use of a different methodology from that of general English, which means that, depending on their needs, students might concentrate only on developing, for instance, reading skills. Similarly, Strevens (1988, p. 2) observes that ESP ‘may be restricted to the learning skills to be learned (e.g. reading only)’. However, there seems to be no reason to assume, as the authors of the learning outcomes appear to be doing, that students will predominantly use speaking and writing skills. This may be due to the fact that, as it was mentioned before, the learning outcomes list the same productive skills in Polish and in English. However, this seems to ignore the obvious fact that students’ mastery of basic receptive and productive skills in their mother tongue greatly surpasses their mastery of the same skills in English. Therefore, the productive skills listed as learning outcomes measuring students’ grasp of content subjects fail as a measure of the student’s mastery of a foreign language, even in the context of ESP. Learning outcomes for a foreign language, be it general purpose or ESP must include productive and receptive skills, although the degree to which they should be developed may vary depending on the context. However, any teacher attempting to extrapolate the purpose of ESP from these learning outcomes will be led to false conclusions, which are artifacts of the way in which learning outcomes are created, rather than the effect of concern for the actual purpose of ESP. This seems to suggest that ESP teachers are not consulted when faculty learning outcomes are drafted.
Teaching standards developed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education require B.A. graduates to know a foreign language at the B2 level of
CEFR and to know a specialized variety of the foreign language, but they do not clearly state what the level of this specialized variety should be. One might assume that it should also be B2, but it is unclear whether this system even applies to languages for professional or specific purposes and at the same time no analogues frameworks for languages for professional or specific purposes exist. One clue can be found in some faulty learning outcomes, which state that a B.A. graduate should know basic specialized terminology. This is consistent with the scope of the course, which usually lasts only 120 teaching hours (up to 240) and is offered to students with no previous knowledge of ESP. It is unclear to what extent the simple phrase “basic economic vocabulary” reflects the actual complexity of ESP. Neither do such phrases as basic economic terminology, management terminology, finance terminology adequately reflect the complexities of the learning content of various specialties available to students of economics, management or finance and accounting.
Conclusion
ESP teachers are obliged by various ministerial and faculty requirements to teach students a language for professional or specific purposes. However, neither teaching standards nor faculty learning outcomes seem to provide a clear indication of what this language for professional or specific purposes is supposed to be. Consequently, language teachers reach for course books which offer a general set of topics and skills and use one and the same course books with students of different specialties e.g. within the field of economics or management (see Table 1). On the one hand, since various specialties have different content subjects and graduates
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are likely to work in different jobs they should similarly have different content of ESP. However, considering the relatively basic level of ESP that can be introduced within these courses, it is uncertain whether this is in fact possible or practical. The range of vocabulary and skills within these narrower branches of ESP might actually be very similar at this level. One should also remember that learning any one type of ESP will probably improve students’ ability to learn whatever types of ESP they might need in the future. Therefore, it is worth considering whether it might not be beneficial to abandon teaching business English as presented by the course books in favor of academic English for economics, management and finance, which has the added benefit of allowing students to actually use these skills immediately, for example while writing their B.A. theses. All this goes back to the essential question of whether the point of teaching English at tertiary level is to prepare students to use English in their future professional career, to use English for the purpose of their studies and education or to simply improve upon whatever mastery of general English they gained in their secondary school.
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