English For Specific Purposes Paper

Introduction

I have chosen the communicative context English for Specific Purposes(ESP) for my Communicative Contexts Paper. ESP is geared toward students interested in specific instruction such as needed job skills or an academic goal such as attending a 4-year university in the United States or English-speaking country. The materials used are generally authentic in that they are replicating real life situations that ELLs can learn from. A distinct component of ESP is a needs assessment done before and during instruction. This allows the instructor to engage the needs of the students in their goals academically or professionally. The instructor emphasizes the needs of the students on an ongoing basis. Dudley-Evans and St. John define a needs assessment as “the cornerstone of ESP-and it leads to a very focused course” (as cited in Johns & Price, 2014, p. 472). I chose the communicative context ESP because I feel its wide scope in SLA is expanding exponentially and therefore, important to study ESP as an instructional practice. I also chose ESP because I have seen the value of it in classes I have taught or observed. Last, I chose ESP because its many variations are interesting to me.

Key Principles of Language Acquisition English for Specific Purposes has four main characteristics according to our textbook Teaching

The program combines Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) and Integrated Education and Skills Training (I-BEST). In a special class, two instructors teach ESP and specific skills for a certain field. In 2016, students in a VESL Personal Care Assistant program graduated after learning both vocabulary and speaking skills in addition to job related skills. The program shows ESP is successful because of students completing a class and then moving on transition into more advanced classes such as health care or higher ESL levels (Price & Gallegos,