Different Proficiency, Same Class: Tackling Language Instruction in Heterogeneous ESP Courses in Vocational Schools

Y

4

Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English for Special Purposes; Language Proficiency; Learning Experience; Student Attitudes; Vocabulary Development; Teacher Competencies; Language Teachers; Guidelines; Teaching Skills; Vocational Schools; Teaching Methods; Expectation; Foreign Countries; Instructional Materials; Heterogeneous Grouping; Postsecondary Education; Likert Scales

2395-9908

Teaching English as a foreign language in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context requires certain particular skills from teachers. The usual group comprises students with different proficiency levels, learning experiences, and diverse course expectations. Thus, ESP teachers need to achieve broad goals because they need to both develop students' general language proficiency and teach highly specialized technical vocabulary. This article provides accounts of students' concerns and expectations from ESP courses as captured in a small-scale survey. This explanation is followed by practical guidelines for teachers in this particularly demanding educational area. Lastly, this article discusses didactic implications based on classroom observations in Poland.

As Provided

2022

EJ1344243