BIP3063

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

GROUP A
SESSION 2017/2018

ASSIGNMENT 1, 2 & 3

GROUP MEMBERS
PHILIP YEOH BOON LENG (D20141066615)
MOHAMMAD FAHMI BIN ZUHARI (D20141066620)
MOHAMAD NASREEN HAKIM BIN CHE MOHAMED (D20141066626)

LECTURER
DR. CHARANJIT KAUR A/P SWARAN SINGH
Table of contents

Content Page
Assignment 1
1.0 Introduction 3
2.0 Needs Analysis 3
2.1 Participants 4
2.2 Target Situational Analysis (TSA) 6
2.3 Model for Needs Analysis 8
3.0 Course and Syllabus Design 9
3.1 Goal of the Course 10
3.2 Syllabus Objectives 10
4.0 Modules and Lesson Plan 11
5.0 Conclusion 24
Reference 25
Appendices 26

Assignment 2
Reflection Essay by Philip Yeoh 29
Reflection Essay by Mohammad Fahmi 32
Reflection Essay by Mohamad Nasreen Hakim 34

Assignment 3
Written Report by Philip Yeoh 37
Written Report by Mohammad Fahmi 39
Written Report by Mohamad Nasreen Hakim 41
 Assignment 1

1.0 Introduction

Over the last eight semesters, we have been exposed on the use of English as a Second
Language (ELS), English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and most recent, English for Specific
Purposes (ESP). These exposures give us many inputs in our application in learning and
teaching of English and the development of our pedagogical skills for this language. In this
assignment, we were exposed to ESP, an English course specifically prepared to focus on the
learners and their needs, the role of the ESP teacher, the choice of text and the design of
materials, aspects of language and appropriate methodology. These issues were highlighted as
a guideline for TESL students to study ESP as a major course subject.

According to Hutchinson and Walters (1987), ESP started because of the demand for a
new brave world in the English language learning, a revolution in linguistics and focus on the
learner. The use of English in the world has allowed various communication needs and wants
to be fulfilled. People from different countries use English their centre of communication in
sending information around the world, attending various international conferences or
meetings and having business negotiations in the market. This led to people from different
countries in the same field to maintain a consistent communication system throughout the
years. Indirectly, a rapid growth of development in science, technology and business
increases the economic power of oil-rich countries.

In this assignment, we were given a group work assignment to develop a suitable

activity in the form of a lesson plan to develop our understanding of the assigned topic using
ESP teaching purposes. We carefully select our participants, analyse their needs, identify the
language problems that they face in their respective professional fields and develop the lesson
plans based on the types of needs analysis and selected approach for the course design. We
took courteous steps in conducting this assignment to determine our activity for the
participants.

2.0 Needs Analysis

In this part, we conducted our needs analysis by selecting our participants. We unanimously
agreed to select UPSI Health Centre’s staff nurses as our participants. An interview was
conducted on two nurses comprising of a male nurse (Aaron) and a female nurse (Ross). The
interview took place on the 2nd of May 2018. The interview for Aaron was conducted in the

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 Assignment 1

Treatment Room while the interview for Ross was conducted in the Sickbay Ward. We
prepared several questions prior to the interview and reviewed with our ESP lecturer. The
questions were as followed:

Questions:

1. If you encounter an English-speaking patient, what are the problems you

face when speaking to them?

2. Do you find it difficult to communicate in English? (If yes, state your

reasons)

3. Do you English during your time as a nursing student? (Share experience)

4. Which do you prefer when writing reports or records? (English or other

languages)

5. If you are given an opportunity to attend a course in improving you

English, what type of course would you like to attend?

6. In your opinion, is English an important language in Malaysia?

7. Does English make any importance in the progress of your nursing career
and studies?

After the interview session was conducted, we carefully determined the type of needs
analysis that we would like to apply on our participants and planned the suitable lesson plans
from the course design of our choice. As they are working adults, we carefully analysed the
backgrounds of our participants by requesting the participants to willingly share their
personal details.

2.1 Participants

(a) First Participant – Aaron

Aaron is staff nurse in UPSI Health Centre. He holds a Diploma in Nursing at

Allianze University of Medical Sciences and graduated in 2012. He is currently 27
years old and married with one newborn son. He is a Malay Muslim and hails from
Kulim, Kedah. He has 6 years of working experience in the nursing field. Prior to
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 Assignment 1

nursing, he was a store associate in 7 Eleven and a Security Officer under Infineon
Technologies Sdn. Bhd.

According to Aaron, his first language is Malay. In the interview, he shared

some of his opinions based on the questions asked. According to Aaron, he feels that
he has problems asking questions to his English-patients during the treatment session.
Sometimes, the patients cannot understand his questions as he admits that he has a
lack of vocabulary understanding and problems in forming simple sentences. Hence,
he tend to face problems in speaking skills. For question 8, we requested him to rank
the language skills from the easiest to the most difficult based on the pyramid chart.
He ranked reading skill as fourth, writing as third, listening as the second and
speaking as the first.

Speaking

Listening

Writing
Reading
(b) Second Participant – Ross

Ross works as a staff nurse in UPSI Health Centre. She holds her Diploma in Nursing
from Pantai College of Nursing and graduated in 2000. She is currently forty years
old and married with three children aged between five and eight years old. She is
Malay Muslim and hails from Sungai Besar, Selangor. She has seventeen years of
working experience in the nursing field. Currently, she is a part-time degree student in

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 Assignment 1

UiTM Shah Alam taking her distance learning in Bachelor of Nursing. Previously, she
was attached to a private hospital for the first five years of her nursing career. She
later worked overseas in Saudi Arabia from 2005 until 2008. She was posted to UPSI
Health Centre in 2009. She shared that the benefits of having a nursing license is that
their qualifications are recognised globally for job opportunities.

According to Ross, her first language is Malay. Based on the interview, she
shared that she has difficulties in understanding the accents of some of the
international students from UPSI. As some of them are also second language users,
she sometimes faces problems to ask questions to the international patients. She
mentions that the international patients do not really understand her questions very
well and cannot seem to follow her instructions. Hence, she tend to face problems
forming sentences when speaking. She shared that she is able to speak English but
often face grammatical errors and wrong choice of sentences when asking questions
and giving instructions. For question 8, we requested Ross to rank the four main skills
of language from the easiest to the most difficult in the pyramid chart. She ranks
reading as the easiest, listening as easy, writing as difficult and speaking as the most
difficult.

Speaking

Writing

Listening

Reading
2.2 Target Situational Analysis (TSA)

In a study conducted by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), ESP is an approach to

language learning and it is based on the learners' needs. This means that ESP does not
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 Assignment 1

necessarily involve any particular kind of language, teaching material or

methodology. The foundation of ESP involves the learners, the required language and
learning contexts based on the primary of needs in ESP. This analysis need to be
conducted by understanding primarily the needs of the learners in order the ensure the
success of this approach

According to Mountford (81), needs refer to the students' study or job

requirement, that is, what they have to be able to do at the end of their language
course. In the case of this assignment, we need to understand the needs of the nurses
in order to plan and ensure that they obtain something beneficial at the end of the
course. As our participants are nurses from UPSI Health Centre, we need to identify
their needs so the course will help improve their English.

As needs analysis is very important, we can plan the lessons and create the
materials that are suitable for our participants. Steven (1980) mentioned that need
analysis is a compulsory first step in specific purposes of language teaching. Through
their needs, we also took in consideration other factors such as their years of
experience, age, level of proficiency and learning objectives as these will play a major
role in preparing the course for these nurses.

There are many approaches that can be used for needs analysis. For our
participants, we selected Target Situation Analysis (TSA) as our framework in
planning the ESP course Target Situation Analysis (TSA) is a needs analysis which
focuses on students' needs at the end of a language course. We propose this analysis
because it fulfils the criterion for our participants. It also helps us to analyse the
possible wants, needs and lacks of our participants when designing the ESP course.

As our lesson plan aims to help our participants in producing good questions
when giving instructions, the framework of Target Situational Analysis (TSA) fulfils
the 5W1H questioning technique which is as followed:

1. Why is the language needed?

2. How will the language be used?

3. What will the content areas be?

4. Who will the learners use the language with?

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 Assignment 1

5. Where will the language be used?

6. When will the language be used?

This analysis allows us to plan the suitable activities based on their experience
and knowledge in their profession field. As their use of language revolves around their
working environment, we can determine their level of proficiency, genre of topic and
necessary materials to plan the activities focusing mainly on their speaking. As we
want the learners (participants) to practice their speaking skills, we ensure that the
framework of Target Situational Analysis (TSA) fulfils the needs for our nurses.

2.3 Model for Needs Analysis

When using the Framework for Target Situational Analysis, we use a model of
ESP needs analysis formulated by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) to analyse the needs
of our participants. We prefer this model because it allows us to evaluate further the
effectiveness of our needs analysis. This model contains three terms which are
necessities, lacks and wants. By looking at the necessities, we can understand the type
of needs for our learners based on the demand of the target situation. As for Lack, we
can decide which necessities that our participants are lacking. Lastly for the wants, we
can fulfil what our participants want to learn at the end of the course. A model is
prepared for our needs analysis.

Necessities To fulfil the suitable use of English To develop their practice of Speaking
in the field of nursing. skills based on the questioning
techniques
Lacks Courses focus mainly on the setting Courses help nursing to improve their
of their working environment. communication with patients and
working staffs
Wants The nurses will be able to The nurses can apply their knowledge
continuously develop their from this course into other main skills
speaking skills in different working such as writing, reading and listening.
environments.

Source: Hutchinson and Waters (1987).

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 Assignment 1

3.0 Course and Syllabus Design

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), course design is the process by which the raw
data about learning need is interpreted in order to produce an integrated series of teaching and
experience in order to produce an integrated series of teaching and experiences whose
ultimate aims is to lead the learners to a particular state of knowledge. We want this approach
to guide our learners so that they can apply their knowledge in various working environment.
Apart from that, it is important to have knowledge as an understanding to develop their
speaking skills.

Before designing any course, we stress upon knowing the different approaches to
course design and basing the last one on one or combination of two or three approaches.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) identified there three main approaches to course design, which
are language-centred, skills centred and learning centred course design. These approaches are
still gaining ground in field of languages course design because they cover in details all the
related aspects, notions and theories that should be taken into consideration before the design
of any course. However, to best suit the needs of our learner, we decided to use the language-
centred approach to design this course.

This approach to course design focuses on making a close link between the material
and content of the course and the analysis of the target situation. It aims at putting the nurses
in a real situation by undertaking a needs analysis that shows his or her needs, lacks and
wants. As it is described by Hutchinson and Waters this approach proceeds by identifying
learners’ target situation and selecting in parallel theoretical views about the language then
identifying the linguistic features of the target situation. Then, creating a syllabus which is
followed by designing materials to exemplify syllabus items. The final step in this approach
is establishing evaluation procedures to test the acquisition of syllabus items.

Hence this approach to course design is a logical process that starts from the
identification of the learners’ target situation to the material design and to the evaluation
procedures. As mentioned in our interview, we asked their opinions on the types of course
that they would like to attend in improving their English. This approach is selected because it
suits the working routines of the nurses. As the nurses are dealing with patients from all
walks of life, they are able to develop their speaking skills through the learning of ESP and it
suits them very well as they have daily communication with patients as well as hospital staffs.
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 Assignment 1

3.1 Goal of the Course

a) To make the right use of the function of the English language for
medical
field or industry.

b) Identification of specific vocabulary related to medical for technology

and science.

3.2 Syllabus Objectives

a) To construct proper questioning using Yes/No or Wh-questions based

on the right context.

b) Inquire and provide information using Yes/No and Wh-questions based

on the given situation.

The course is designed to last for three days by using three modules as shown in the table.

Day Modules Grammar Speaking

1 Healthy Lifestyle Yes/No and Wh-questions.
2 Diseases Yes/No and Wh-questions.
3 Role Play Yes/No and Wh-questions. Role play on communication
based on given situation.

Detailed activities for each day is divided into the modules and time as show below.

Day 1 - Module 1 (Healthy Lifestyle) Time

First Lesson – Introduction to the two types of questions in 9.00 a.m. – 9.30 a.m.
English; Yes/no and Wh-questions. (30 minutes)
Second Lesson – Teaching them Yes/No questions; how to 9.45 a.m. – 10.45 a.m.
construct and answer. (1 hour)
Third Lesson – Practicing; handout on Yes/No questions. 11.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.
Assessment. (1 hour)

Day 2 - Module 2 (Diseases) Time

First Lesson – Teaching them Wh-questions; how to construct 9.00 a.m. – 10.00 a.m.
and answer. (1 hour)
Second Lesson – Practicing; handout on Wh-questions. 10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.
Assessment. (1 hour)
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 Assignment 1

Day 3 - Module 3 (Role play) Time

Lesson – Production; using Yes/No and Wh-questions in 9.00 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.
communicating; Role-play. Assessment. (1 hour and 30
minutes)

4.0 Modules and Lesson Plan

The training modules for the nurses are designed to enhance the speaking skills among the
nurses in terms of constructing questions and questioning appropriately. This language
training modules are constructed based on the language needs of the nurses. Based on the
interview and the analysis of it, researchers found that the nurses are having problem in
communicating with the patients using English language. One of their scopes of job requires
them to seek information from the patients when those patients visit the clinic. Getting
precise information from the patient can only be done through an appropriate questioning.
Unfortunately, when dealing with patient who uses English language, those nurses will be
having problem in seeking accurate information and asking questions in English language.
When they are not capable of asking clear questions to the patient, they will not be getting the
right information that they really want.

In order to help the nurses, we decided to expose them with a language training
modules that will be focusing on questioning. These modules mainly focus on Yes/No
questions and Wh-questions. Basically, the participants which are the nurses will be exposed
with the concept of Yes/No questions and Wh-questions. There are three modules prepared
for the participants. The tentative schedule of the modules can be seen in the table below.

Module Lesson Time

Module 1 First Lesson – Introduction to the two types 9.00 a.m. – 9.30 a.m.
(Day 1) of questions in English; Yes/no and Wh- (30 minutes)
questions.
Second Lesson – Teaching them Yes/No 9.45 a.m. – 10.45 a.m.
questions; how to construct and answer. (1 hour)
Third Lesson – Practicing; handout on 11.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.
Yes/No questions. (1 hour)
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 Assignment 1

Module 2 First Lesson – Teaching them Wh-questions; 9.00 a.m. – 10.00 a.m.
(Day 2) how to construct and answer. (1 hour)
Second Lesson – Practicing; handout on Wh- 10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.
questions. (1 hour)
Module 3 First Lesson – Production; using Yes/No and 9.00 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.
(Day 3) Wh-questions in communicating; Role-play. (1 hour and 30
minutes)

From the table above, it can be seen that this programme will be conducted in three
days so that all the three modules can be exposed to the participants. These three modules
will cover everything that needs to be acquired by the participants and will suit participants’
necessity. As from the table, we can see that Module 1 involves three lessons, while Module 2
involves two lessons and Module 3 also involves two lessons. The descriptions of the activity
in each lesson will be elaborated under the subtopics below.

MODULE 1

The focus of Module 1 is on Yes/No questions. This module will be conducted on the
first day of the programme. This module is designed to expose the participants with the
knowledge of questioning using Yes/No questions. There will be three lessons conducted in
order to complete this module. By the end of this module, participants are expected to be able
to construct Yes/No questions correctly and answer to Yes/No questions properly.

First Lesson

The first lesson of Module 1 will act as an introduction for the participants. The time
allocated for this lesson is 30 minutes. In this lesson, participants will be exposed to the types
of questions in English. Since the focus of this programme is on Yes/No questions and Wh-
questions, these two types of questions will be exposed to the participants. This lesson will be
conducted to achieve two objectives. The first objective of this lesson is to see participants’
previous knowledge on questioning and the second objective is to expose the students with
the two types of questions in English which are the Yes/No questions and Wh-questions. The
procedures of this lesson are as follows;
I. Teacher displays a picture on the screen.
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 Assignment 1

II. Teacher requires the participants to ask questions based on the picture.

III. Teacher writes down all the questions asked by the students on the whiteboard.

IV. The procedures above repeated with different pictures.

V. Teacher chooses and underlines any questions that seem to be either Yes/No
questions or Wh-questions from the questions listed on the whiteboard.

VI. Teacher introduces the two types of questions that the participants will learn
throughout the programme which are the Yes/No questions and Wh-questions.

Second Lesson

Second lesson will be used to expose the participants with the concept of Yes/No
questions. The time allocated for this lesson is one hour. In this lesson, participants will learn
on the Yes/No questions, how to construct it and how to answer it. By the end of this lesson,
participants are expected to be able to construct Yes/No questions correctly and answer the
Yes/No questions properly. The procedures of this lesson are as follows;
I. Teacher provides explanation on the concept of Yes/No questions by using Power
point slides.

II. Participants will be exposed on how to construct Yes/No questions correctly.

III. Teacher gives example on the Yes/No questions construction.

IV. Participants will be exposed on how to answer Yes/No questions properly.

V. Teacher gives example on how to answer Yes/No questions properly.

Third Lesson

Third lesson will be a platform to assess participants’ understanding on what have

they learned from the previous lesson. The time allocated for this lesson is one hour where
the participants will be given handouts and they will be required to answer it before the
teacher discusses the answer. The objective of this lesson is to see participants’ understanding

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 Assignment 1

on Yes/No questions. Teacher wants to see how well they can construct Yes/No questions
based on the statement given. The procedures of this lesson are as follows;
I. Teacher distributes a handout for each participant.

II. Based on the handout, participants are required to construct Yes/No questions
based on the statement given.

III. Teacher discusses the answers with the participants.

MODULE 2

The focus of Module 2 is on Wh-questions. This module will be conducted on the

second day of the programme. This module is designed to expose the participants with the
knowledge of questioning using Wh-questions. There will be two lessons conducted in order
to complete this module. By the end of this module, participants are expected to be able to
construct Wh-questions correctly and answer to Wh-questions properly.

First Lesson

In this lesson, the participants will be exposed with the concept of Wh-questions. The
time allocated for this lesson is one hour. In this lesson, participants will learn on the concept
of Wh-questions, how to construct it and how to answer it. By the end of this lesson,
participants are expected to be able to construct Wh-questions correctly and answer the Wh-
questions properly. The procedures of this lesson are as follows;
I. Teacher provides explanation on the concept of Wh-questions by using Power
point slides.

II. Participants will be exposed on how to construct Wh-questions correctly.

III. Teacher gives example on the Wh- questions construction.

IV. Participants will be exposed on how to answer Wh-questions properly.

V. Teacher gives example on how to answer Wh-questions properly.

Second Lesson
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 Assignment 1

This lesson will be used as a platform to assess participants’ understanding on what

have they learned from the previous lesson. The time allocated for this lesson is one hour
where the participants will be given handouts and they will be required to answer it before the
teacher discusses the answer. The objective of this lesson is to see participants’ understanding
on Wh-questions. Teacher wants to see how well they can construct Wh-questions based on
the statement given. The procedures of this lesson are as follows;
I. Teacher distributes a handout for each participant.

II. Based on the handout, participants are required to construct Wh-questions

based on the statement given.

III. Teacher discusses the answers with the participants.

MODULE 3

Module 3 is where the students will implement the knowledge that they have obtained
regarding Yes/No questions and Wh-questions. In this lesson, participants will be required to
do a role-play in asking and answering questions. They are required to use the Yes/No
questions and Wh-questions correctly in communicating based on what they have learned
previously. In this activity, participants will be instructed to be in pairs. Each pair will be
given a situation and they need to do a role-play based on the situation given.

Lesson Plan

Date: 16th May 2018

Day: Wednesday
Week: 1
Time: 9.00 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.
Number of Students: 20
Level: Lower-intermediate
Skill: Speaking Skill
Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
a) construct at least 6 out of 8 Wh-questions correctly based
on the statements given in the handout.
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 Assignment 1

b) ask and answer questions by using Wh-questions correctly

based on the situation given in pairs.

Language Aspect: Questioning and vocabulary.

Previous Knowledge: Students have already mastered sentence construction.

Moral Values: Cooperating with partner in completing a task and asking
questions in a right manner.
Thinking Skills: How to ask appropriate questions to seek information.
Teaching Aids: A picture, PowerPoint slides, handout and situation cards.

Time/Stages Teaching & Learning Activities Teaching Aids

Set Induction 1. Teacher displays a picture on the Appendix 1: a
screen by using LCD projector. picture
(10 minutes)
2. Based on the picture, teacher
Rationale: requires the students to come out
with a question; any questions that
come in their mind when they see
To introduce the topic of
the picture.
the lesson to the students.
3. Teacher picks students randomly to
say the questions out loud.
4. Teacher writes down the questions
projected by the students on the
whiteboard.
5. Teacher underlines any Wh-
questions that can be found from the
questions given by the students.
6. Teacher introduces the topic of the
lesson which is Wh-questions.
Explanation/Presentation 1. Teacher displays notes about Wh- Appendix 2:
questions by using Power-point notes about
(30 minutes)
slides. Wh-questions.
Rationale: 2. Teacher picks students randomly to

To provide the students read the note before discussing each

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 Assignment 1

with the input of Wh- note on the slide.

questions. 3. Teacher explains further on the
concept of Wh-questions.
4. During the explanation, teacher
provides example that related to
medical terms and also seeks
example from the students.
5. Teacher asks if there is any question
that the students want to ask.
Practice 1. Teacher distributes a handout to each Appendix 3:
student. handout.
(30 minutes)
2. Teacher reads and explains the
Rationale: instruction in the handout.
To allow the students to 3. Students are required to complete

practice the knowledge the handout by constructing Wh-

that they have obtained on questions based on the statements
Wh-questions. given.
4. Students are given 10 minutes to
complete the task.
5. Teacher discusses the answer with
the students.
Production 1. Teacher instructs the students to be Appendix 4:
in pairs. situation card
(40 minutes)
2. Each pair is assigned with a
Rationale: situation.
To allow the students to 3. Based on the situation given,
apply the knowledge that students are required to do a role-
they have obtained from play.
the previous stages. 4. The role-play will be focusing on
questioning and answering by using
Wh-questions.
5. Each pair must include Wh-
questions in their conversation
during the role-play.

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 Assignment 1

6. Students are given 10 minutes to

prepare.
7. Teacher provides feedback for each
pair once they have done role-
playing.
Closure 1. Teacher asks a few questions to the
students.
(10 minutes)
2. The questions are as follows;
Rationale: I. What have you learned from

To recap the lesson. this lesson?

II. Do you think this lesson will
help you in improving your
communicating skills in
English?
III. Would you prefer to use
English language after this?
1. Teacher ends the lesson.
Extended Activity 1. Students are required to practice
Wh-questions at the clinic.

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 Assignment 1

Appendix 1: picture for set induction stage.

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 Assignment 1

Appendix 2: notes about Wh-questions

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Assignment 1

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 Assignment 1

Appendix 3: handout

Instruction: Construct Wh-questions based on the statement below.

1. Previously, I received a treatment at Slim River hospital.

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Doctor Nasreen is the one who gave this medicine to me.

_____________________________________________________________________

3. I usually feel the pain at the back of my head.

_____________________________________________________________________

4. I came here to get a treatment.

_____________________________________________________________________

5. I started to feel the pain in my stomach since yesterday.

_____________________________________________________________________

6. I already received two treatments at this clinic.

_____________________________________________________________________

7. I ate Nasi Lemak this morning.

_____________________________________________________________________

8. I did consume a medicine before I came here, but it didn’t work out.

_____________________________________________________________________

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 Assignment 1

Appendix 4: situation card

A patient comes to the clinic to receive a

treatment. According to the patient,
he/she
6.0
is experiencing stomach ache. The
Conclusion
pain might be caused by food poisoning.
As the nurse who is in charge, ask several
questions to seek information about
his/her condition.
A pregnant woman comes to the clinic to
receive her routine check regarding her
pregnancy. To seek information regarding
her condition, ask several questions by
using Wh-questions.

A patient comes to the clinic claiming that

he/she has mistakenly received medicines
from his/her previous visit to the clinic.
You need information about the medicines
and the treatment that he/she received.
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 Assignment 1

5.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is an important course for TESL students
to take so that we can have a different perspective in the world of education. As we have been
exposed with different learning and teaching approaches, ESP gives us new insights on the
main aspects needed in planning activities for an ESP course. Next, the learning and teaching
of ESP has emphasized us on the importance of understanding the needs of the learners, the
role of the ESP teacher, the choice of text and the design of materials, aspects of language and
appropriate methodology. These aspects are important in ensuring the course designers can
identify and analyse the needs of the learners when organizing ESP courses. Lastly, it gives
us new-found knowledge on the potential of ESP in expanding our fields of teaching career.

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 Assignment 1

Reference

Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes. Cambridge University
Press.

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 Assignment 1

Appendices

An interview session with Ross (Pseudonym Name) while checking on the interview
questions.

An interview session with Aaron (Pseudonym Name) while requesting him to fill in his
details.

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 Assignment 1

Letter of Permission Request

UPSI HEALTH CENTRE

UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS
35900, TANJUNG MALIM,
PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS
35900, TANJUNG MALIM,
PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN 28th April 2018

Attention: Director of UPSI Health Centre

Dear Sir/Madam/Dr./Prof,
PERMISSION REQUEST TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW SESSION WITH
NURSES
Referring to the matter above, we are currently conducting an assignment for our of our
major course, BIP 3063 ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURSOSES and would like to
request the centre’s permission to interview two of the health centre’s nurses for information
collection.

2. The reason for this assignment is because we are conducting a need analysis based on
the context of ESP to help the nurses identify the problems and issues that they face when
using English. We want to analyse the needs that we can cater for the local nurses.

3. Next, we are targeting the centre’s staff nurses because they have experience dealing
with patients in different working environment as well as having constant communication
with medical staffs.

4. We hope to receive a positive feedback from the centre and verify our permission
request.

Yours Sincerely,

………………………………..
MOHAMMAD FAHMI BIN ZUHARI
D20141066620
Student of Faculty of Languages and Communication.

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 ASSIGNMENT 2

REFLECTION ESSAY
 Assignment 2

PHILIP YEOH

After understanding the teaching and learning of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), the
materials that my group has developed for the nurses have its pros and cons when it comes to
the suitability. The suitability of materials can be measured in different types of aspects from
its learning objectives, level of proficiency, amendments of materials, adaptations of
materials, planning of activities and age group of learners.

The materials are suitable for other professions as well. As ESP focuses mainly on
people of different working professions, these materials can be adapted for people who work
in the customer service line. With the growing age of science and technology, people tend to
call the customer service hotline to enquiry on different information. For instance, local banks
in Malaysia such as Maybank, RHB Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Bank Islam and Public
Bank tend to recruit bank tellers as part of the working staffs. This profession is highly
important as the staffs are using their speaking skills through various international and local
phone calls. If ESP courses are prepared, the materials can be used for these bank tellers by
adapting it into a course specifically for the bank tellers. This means the materials must been
amended to suit the context of these bank tellers. As bank tellers are working on shift
systems, they can utilize the learning of ESP course to improve their questioning techniques.
Sometimes, callers from other countries or states have distinct dialects and accents. This
gives difficulties for the bank tellers to initiate communication with their callers. Hence, the
questioning technique can help them to ease the communication barriers between the callers
and call tellers. These materials is adaptable for the call tellers as long as the context is
changed in the lesson plan.

Next, another aspect that I would like to highlight about the suitability of the materials
is that the level of proficiency plays an important role in determining the activities for the
ESP learners. As the materials are mostly focusing on questioning techniques such as Yes/No
questions and 5W1H questions, these materials need to be amended for different activities
based on the level of proficiency. If the learners are generally low proficient speakers, the
materials need to be amended for simpler activities. In the case of high proficient speakers,
the materials might need to be amended for higher level of difficulty of suit the level of
proficiency of the ESP learners. Hence, the level of proficiency of our ESP learners do affect
the suitability of the materials. In the case of planning an ESP course for doctors, high level
of activities need to be planned for them as ESP learners so that the activities match with their

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 Assignment 2

level of proficiency. However, the materials might need to be amended as the activities will
involve high proficient ESP learners. These amendments are important so that the materials
will suit the learning objectives of the ESP course.

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), ESP started because there was a
emergence in the science, technology and business alongside a rapid growth of economic
power in certain oil-rich countries. In line with the development of education, the 21st century
learning and teaching method is a good way to adapt and adopt for the materials used in
Assignment 1. With the use of ICT, various online learning application applications can be
used to adapt these materials into online learning activities. By using the 21 st century learning
and teaching styles, we also evaluate how technology-savvy the learners are with the online
learning activities. Nowadays, there are various online learning applications such Flickers,
Quizzies, Padlet and Kahoot!. These applications are suitable because the materials can
adapted into an online learning assessment. We can also monitor the progress of our ESP
learners’ performance in their language. As English is a very important, adapting the
materials into an online activity can encourage global people to participate in the activities
and gain new understanding of the language aspect. Hence, these materials can be adapted
into the 21st century learning and teaching styles.

The suitability of these materials can also be used to develop further as a course for
graduate communication students. As the materials prepared in assignment 1 are focus on
developing the speaking skills of the nurses, these materials are good to be amended and
adapted as a course designed for the fresh graduates of communication studies. As most
gradates majoring in communications will venture in fields such public relations, broadcast
journalism, human resource and management, these materials can guide the graduates on the
suitable questioning techniques that they can use when dealing with clients from international
and local regions. These materials need to change the context from a hospital setting to a
corporate setting as most of the job scopes of the communication graduates are different than
the nurses. While the nurses are dealing with patients and staffs in the hospital, the
communication graduates might need to attend meetings, negotiate contracts and
communicate with higher position people from the ministers. These materials will need to
amendment for a corporate context.

Hence, I would like give my opinions that the materials that my group has created in
Assignment 1 is a starting platform to determine the benchmark of our materials. We can

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 Assignment 2

further develop what others courses and modules by adapting the materials for other levels of
proficiency and category of professions.

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 Assignment 2

MOHAMMAD FAHMI

One of the tasks that need to be carried out by the students in completing this English for
Specific Purposes course is to write a reflection essay individually. For this second
assignment, each student is required to evaluate and write a two pages reflection essay on the
suitability of materials developed for teaching purposes based on Assignment 1. The focus of
this reflection is on the evaluation of the suitability of materials for teaching purposes. My
own review and critical analysis of the selected suitability of materials developed are
included in this reflection essay based on my own perspectives. All of the materials
developed for teaching purposes are appropriate and suitable with the level of the learners
and the needs of the learners. Before developing the materials, interviews were conducted
with the participants to identify their needs and their level of proficiency. Once all of the
information needed managed to be collected, the development of the materials started. The
analysis of learners’ needs and their proficiency will help in developing suitable materials for
teaching purposes.

Based on the Assignment 1, there are four materials developed for teaching purposes.
These materials are to be used in a lesson to teach English language to the learners focusing
on Wh-questions. The four materials are developed for four stages in the lesson which are the
set induction stage, explanation stage, practice stage and production stage. For the set
induction stage, the material developed is a picture. Since that the rationale of the set
induction is just to introduce the topic of the lesson to the learners, a picture is used to help
the teacher introducing the topic. The material for this particular stage cannot be too complex
since the purpose of this stage is usually to introduce the topic of the lesson. This picture will
be displayed and the learners have to come out with questions based on the picture. The
questions given by the students will be used by the teacher to introduce the topic of the
lesson. It can be seen that this picture is suitable and appropriate to be used in set induction to
introduce the topic of the lesson to the learners. It helps in leading the learners to know the
focus of the lesson. After all, images are helpful in getting the learners’ attraction. On the
other hand, it also helps the teacher to know students’ previous knowledge on Wh-questions
before furthering the lesson. Hence, the use of a picture in the set induction stage is relevant
and suitable.

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 Assignment 2

Material that will be used in explanation stage is the Power Point slides. The slides
consist of the notes regarding Wh-questions. Explanation stage in a lesson normally will be a
platform for a teacher to provide input for the learners. Giving explanation and providing
input for the lower intermediate learners will be easier with the help of materials such as
Power Point slides. While listening to the explanation, the learners will be able to refer to the
notes on the slides. It will be easier for them to catch up with the entire explanation if they
can refer to the notes displayed in front of the class. Teacher will be explaining the concept of
Wh-questions by using the slides. The use of slides is suitable as it will be clearer for the
learners to see compared to a handwritten note on a whiteboard or Mahjong paper. Aside
from being more visible, Power Point slides are also more attractive and can help in getting
the students’ attention. All in all, the suitability of this material for teaching purposes can’t be
argued.

In order to give a chance for the learners to practice the knowledge that they have
obtained from the explanation stage, a handout will be given to each student. In this handout,
students are required to construct Wh-questions based on the statement given. There are eight
statements provided in the handout. The students have to read and go through the statement
carefully and try to come out with suitable Wh-questions. This material is developed to assess
students’ understanding of Wh-questions. Getting the students to construct Wh-questions is
the most proper way to assess their understanding on Wh-questions. When discussing the
answers provided by the learners, teacher can see how well they construct the Wh-questions
and how far their understanding after listening to the explanation of the concept of Wh-
questions. This handout also plays as a preparation for the learners before proceeding to the
next activity.

The activity for production stage is role-play. For this particular activity, learners
will be required to work in pairs and each pair will be given a situation. The situations are
written on a card and these situation cards are the material for this activity. Learners will have
to do a role-play based on the situation given to them. Since that the objective of this lesson is
to improve learners’ speaking skills in questioning by using Wh-questions, they are required
to do role-play by implementing the Wh-questions that they have learned from the previous
stage of the lesson. Teacher will be able to provide a real-life situation for the learners by
doing role-play. Hence, the material and activity designed are suitable with the purpose of the
teaching.

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 Assignment 2

MOHAMAD NASREEN HAKIM

This reflection essay is to evaluate and reflect on the suitability of the materials developed for
the teaching purposes in Assignment 1. This action is important because the result of an
impactful lesson can be seen through the lesson planning as well as the well-prepared
materials for the students.

I will begin with the duration allocated for the lesson. Based on the lesson plan, the
time allocation for the whole lesson is from 9 am to 11 am which spans about two hours. The
duration is enough for the learner to gain the contents of the lesson and finish all the
activities. Moving to the level of the of the learners’ proficiency, it is set to lower-
intermediate. This lesson is intended for the working non-English native speaker and in my
opinion it is suitable to be applied to them as the difficulty of the lesson will not be too
challenging for them. The lesson has two learning objectives which are constructing six out
of eight Wh-questions correctly based on the statements given in the handout and secondly
ask and answer questions by using Wh-questions correctly based on the situation given in
pairs. Suitable with the learners’ proficiency level, the learning objectives are suiting the
learner’s ability. They will be able to achieve the objectives at the end of the lesson.

There are a few materials which are being used in the lesson. These materials are a
picture for the Set Induction stage, PowerPoint slides for the Explanation stage, handouts for
the Practice stage and situation cards for the Production stage. The use of a picture in the set
induction is a good choice of material. As set induction does not have much time allocation
like the other stages, a display of a picture will induce the topic to the learners. In this lesson,
the picture of a patient lying on the bed in a hospital being observed by the hospital staffs will
definitely bring the clear picture to the learner of the topic they are going to learn. Using a
colourful picture is also one of the simplest way to gain the attention of the learners and
prepare them into a state of readiness as well as to motivate the learners and get them
interested in the lesson.

The second material is the PowerPoint slides which is used for the explanation. Right
after the set induction, the learners are introduced to the content of the lesson, which in this
case the questioning. The questioning consists of two types namely Yes/No and Wh-
questions. The types of questions as well as the rules and examples will be displayed within
the PowerPoint slides. As the number of learners are only 20, the use of PowerPoint slides is
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 Assignment 2

practical as the teacher will be able to address the learning content to all of the learner. On the
other hand, PowerPoint slides can be modified to become an interactive learning tool and this
will enhance the learners’ understanding in comprehending questioning.

The third material is the handout for the practice stage. After the learners have grasp
the learning content from the explanation stage, they need to be tested. In this stage, the
students will be given a handout of task sheet based on what they have learned in the
previous stage. This is a good way of evaluating learners’ comprehension on the lesson. The
questions are in the statement form and relatively simple, suit to the level of the learner. The
learners need to construct the questions based on the statement and the expected answers will
be consisted of Wh-questions and this is one of the effective way to test the learner’s
understanding.

The last material is the situation cards for the production stage. After the learners have
acquired the main content of the lesson as well as the objectives, they are expected to be able
to apply what they have learned into the situational context. Learners are required to sit in
pairs so they can act out the roles assigned to each of them. Based on the questioning
technique they have learned in the previous stages, they can apply it in the given situations.
This material is developed in order to prepare the learners with the real world situation. This
is very useful to prepare them before going out and testify with the real person out in the
field. Learners’ performance can be observed here and they will be assessed whether the
course has benefit them.

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 ASSIGNMENT 3

WRITTEN REPORT
 Assignment 3

PHILIP YEOH

In my opinion, one of the approaches that I would like to share in designing activities related
to ESP is language-centred approach. This language-centred approach has been criticised for
only focusing on the specific needs of the learners with limited potential to fully improve
their language. However, this approach does benefit the learners as it can help develop their
understanding of the language from a time to time basis. As this approach is normally used
for ESP courses, ESP learners can benefit from this approach by applying their learning styles
into this approach. One of the factors for using the approach is because of the needs analysis
conducted through various models. The needs analysis is conducted to fulfill the necessities,
lacks and wants of the ESP learners.

I would integrate the language-centred approach with the “Necessities, Lacks and
Wants” model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) as the purpose of the model suits
with the use of this approach. When teaching English to ESP, it is important to cater to their
needs before planning the lessons for an ESP course. This is because identifying the needs is
the most important step in understanding the kind of learning that the ESP learners prefer.
Based on my study on ESP, the language-centre approach may seem a little irrelevant and
outdated as it is not learner-centre. Previous studies have mentioned that the learner is used as
a means of identifying the target situation. However, targeting the situation based on their
own needs does not mean that they cannot further develop their language. In fact, the
knowledge that they gain through the language-centre approach helps them to apply their
understanding to different languages skills. This also allows the learners to apply their skills
in the context of working environment. Although the language-centre approach requires early
planning by investigating and analysing the needs, we can further enhance the approach by
using the model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1987). The model used the target needs
which comprise of necessities, lacks and wants. The “target needs” is something of an
umbrella term which looks at the target situations. I personally agree with this model because
we can see the strength and weakness of an ESP course by looking at the necessities, lacks
and wants.

Through the necessities, we can understand what the course designers need in
designing the course and what the learners need to be proficient in the language. The
necessities can help the course designers and learners to measure if the learning objectives are
achieved. When the lacks are analysed, we can understand the shortcoming that the course

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 Assignment 3

designers might face later in the planing of the ESP courses while the learners can evaluate
the learning that they might not obtain or lacking in when attending the ESP course. The lack
allows the course designers and learners to see how far they understand from learning in an
ESP course. Next, the wants allow the course designers to make a checklist to measure the
effectiveness of the ESP course while the learners can evaluate if their personal goals are
achieved in this ESP course.

In a nutshell, the language-centred approach and the model focusing on the target
situations in terms of necessities, lacks and wants are good integration in planning activities
that are related to ESP. This is because the integration will help the course designers to
measure the rate of effectiveness, attainability of learning objectives and assessment of
activities among the ESP learners.

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 Assignment 3
MOHAMMAD FAHMI

Based on Assignment 1 and 2, students are required to discuss one approach used in
designing activities related to English for Specific Purposes. From the ESP course that we
have gone through, we learned that an ESP practitioner normally will use certain approach in
designing a course design or activity for the learners. When it comes to designing a course, it
is important to know the approach that we want to apply so that the course designs or the
activity that we will be designing suit the learners’ needs. When we have done with the need
analysis, we need to think of the best approach that can be used in order to design activities
for the learner. There are three main types of approaches to ESP course design which are
language-centred, skills-centred and learning-centred. As from Assignment 1, the approach
that we used in designing the activities for the target learners is the language-centred
approach. The interviews with the target learners have helped us in determining the needs of
the learners and the learners target situation. With that, we decided that the best approach that
can be used is the language-centred approach.

The language-centred course design process aims to draw as direct a connection as

possible between the analysis of the target situation and the content of the ESP course. From
the interviews, we realised that the learners are in need of improving their communication
skills especially in asking questions. Thus, it is better to ensure that the content of the course
are very much related to their needs so that they will be able to improve their English
language. In designing the course, we referred to the figure of language-centred approach to
course design suggested by Hutchinson and Waters. According to them, the first step in
designing a course is to identify learners target situation. Once the learners’ needs and
situation managed to be identified, ESP practitioner can proceed with creating the syllabus.
The content of the syllabus will be determined by the analysis of the learners’ needs. After
that, the process continues with the designing of the materials to exemplify syllabus items.

Even though that the language-centred process can be criticised for being a static and
inflexible procedure, it is indeed appears to be systematic. The systematic analysis and
presentation of language data will produce systematic learning in the learner. However, the
fact that knowledge has been systematically analysed and systematically presented does not
in any way imply that it will be systematically learnt. Learners have to make the system

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 Assignment 3
meaningful to themselves. Thus, it is important for the teacher to guide and lead the learners
in making sure that they will learn something from the course designed for them. Teachers
have to make sure that the execution of the activities will be beneficial to the learners. In
summary, a language-centred approach will determine the ESP course for the target learners.
Hence, despite of its weaknesses, it is still appropriate to be used in designing activities and
course design.

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 Assignment 3

MOHAMAD NASREEN HAKIM

Based on the previous assignment, I proposed to integrate and discuss the language-centred
approach used in designing activities in the lesson. The language-centred approach to course
design focuses on making a close link between the material and content of the ESP course
and the analysis of the target situation. It is aiming to locate the ESP learner in a real situation
by undertaking a needs analysis that shows learner’s needs, lacks and wants.

As it is described by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) this approach proceeds by

identifying learners’ target situation and selecting in parallel theoretical views about the
language, then identifying the linguistic features of the target situation. Then, creating a
syllabus which is followed by designing materials to exemplify syllabus items. The final step
in this approach is establishing evaluation procedures to test the acquisition of syllabus items.
This approach to ESP course design is a logical process that starts from the identification of
our learners’ target situation to the material design and to the evaluation procedures.

The downside of the language-centred course design, it is criticised of being a

straightforward process which contradicts with the fact of learning and learners’ thinking
which cannot be always straightforward and logical. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) point out
the weaknesses of language-centred approach as the learning needs of students are not
accounted for at all. It is therefore not learner centred but simply learner restricted. Secondly,
this language centred approach is a static and inflexible procedure which contradicts with the
nature of needs analysis which is an ongoing process and authentic one that should never be
static. Next, the language-centred model gives no acknowledgment to factors playing part in
the creation of the course like the types of texts chosen to be included in the course.

The language-centred approach is not perfect but it cannot be fully rejected and
declared inefficient. In language-centred course, the learning needs of students are not taken
into consideration. It is henceforth not learner centred but simply learner restricted. It is also a
static and inflexible procedure which contradicts with the nature of needs analysis which is an
ongoing process. Therefore depending on the course designer and on the nature of the ESP
learner and what to be achieved from the ESP course this approach can adapted to suit the
context.
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 Assignment 3
In conclusion, I believe that the language-centred approach will support the activities
designed in the lesson by our group. The learning and teaching of ESP has emphasised my
group on the importance of understanding the needs of the learners, the role of the ESP
teacher, the choice of text and the design of materials, aspects of language and appropriate
methodology. The learners will gain the required knowledge suit to their needs and they will
be able to make use of it after they have completed the course. There is no perfect course for
the learners to make use of but with every disadvantages, the course designer will always
continue to improve their courses to fulfil the best teaching and learning experience.

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