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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

End-of-Course Assignment Course: English for Specific Purposes Instructor: B Qu, Med. Student: O TH DUNG Date of birth: 20/09/1985 Place of birth: Son La Tel: 0987.959.679 E-mail: memory05.dt@gmail.com Cohort: PG12

ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

Hanoi, 28/07/2011

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my teacher Dr. Do Ba Quy for his teaching and helping me understand what English for Specific Purposes is and how to apply it in the field of language teaching. I also thank Hanoi National University, Post-graduate Studies Department for organizing this training teacher course and bringing me the opportunities to be learnt further with native English professors. Last but not least, I would like to show my thanks to my colleagues for their strong support and encouragement.

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement.....................................................................................page 1 I: INTRODUCTIONpage 5 II: SITUATIONAL FACTORS..page 5 1. The target situation 2. The teacher 3. The learner III: LOGISTICAL FACTORSpage 6 1. Is the cost of the book within the institutes/ learners budget? 2. What additional investment is required? 3. How easily can the book be bought both now and later? 4. Does the book fit local schedule requirements? IV: PEDAGOGICAL FACTORSpage 6 1. How is the rationale of the book realised? 2. Does the rationale of the book fit that of the local curriculum? 3. How do the different components tie together?
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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT 4. What language is covered? 5. Does the book recycle language frequently enough? 6. What skills are covered? 7. What tasks are covered? 8. What topics are covered? 9. How authentic is the material? 10. What is the books approach to testing? 11. What is missing from the book? V: HUMAN FACTORSpage 7 1. What teachers are expected to use the book? 2. What is the teachers role? 3. What guidance does the book give to teachers? 4. How easily can the book be adapted? 5. How frequently do teachers need to prepare tests? 6. Will the book appeal to and motivate our students? 7. How easily can students find their way around the book? 8. Will our teachers use the book in the way envisaged? VI: CONCLUSIONpage 8

References
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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

Name of the book:

Business Basics
David Grant and Robert McLarty Hai Phong 2008

Authors: Publisher: Year of Publication:

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

I: INTRODUCTION

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is known as a learner-centered approach to teaching English as a foreign or second language. It meets the needs of (mostly) adult learners who need to learn a foreign language for use in their specific fields, such as science, technology, medicine, leisure, and academic learning. This course is recommended for graduate students and foreign and second language professionals who wish to learn how to design ESP courses and programs in an area of specialization such as English for business, for Civil Engineering, for Academic Purposes, and for health service purposes. In the study, I have selected the book with the title BUSINESS BASICS that is being used for teaching and learning in the university of industry as the material to evaluate. There are many factors to be taken into account when evaluating the book. However, I take five main factors for evaluation. Those factors are situational factors, logistical factors, pedagogical factors and human factors.

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

II: SITUATIONAL FACTORS

In this section, in order to evaluate the book we consider three factors: the target situation, the teacher, and the learner. The book business basics is being used for teachers of English and the student in the university of industry as an official material for teaching and learning in the professional field of accounting. The ESP learners are the second year students who are major in accounting. However, this material is designed for all people who do business to help them develope four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing not only in daily communication but also in trading environment, as a result, the content of the book is too broad. So, that is the books drawback. The ESP teachers are not wellqualified with ESP subject matter, however, they can teach ESP subject if they have a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the subject area; a positive attitude towards the ESP content; an awareness of how much they probably already know.

III: LOGISTICAL FACTORS

The cost of the book within the learners budget. It is quite cheap. You can easily buy it at any book shop in Vietnam. The book is attached to two Audio CDs or Cassettes. This book does not fit local schedule requirements, that is, the material needs one year to teach but it just takes three months for ESP course to finish. Consequently, the ESP learners can not make use of improving skills.

IV: PEDAGOGICAL FACTORS

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

The rationale of the book is realised through communicative situations. In other words, the material reflects the stated rationale of the authors and publishers. However, the rationale of the book does not fit the local curriculum because the local curriculum of the ESP course is for accountants while the book is designed for business people. Moreover, the time is needed to finish the book is a year while the time for the ESP course is three months. The exercises, units tie together but students book, teachers book and reference books do not tie together. Besides, the book give the students adequate practice in the language they are required to master. In contrast, the book does not recycle language frequently enough. It only appears once so the learners do not comprehend. After this course the learners gain four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing but not much. A part from, the book does not meet the curriculums requirement, for example, the tasks, the activities are not various, the topics are general, not apparently included in the curriculum. The material gives students realistic exposure to the language. Because it is written by native speakers, so the listening section is more often. In addition to that, the book does not meet the local testing requirements, because the local testing is based on grammar and structures while the book is mostly for four skills and there is not any kinds of test in the book. It means the teacher has to give students tests such as achievement tests. This book is quite good in general. Its content is designed clearly and logically. The book concentrates on communicative ability so the learners have a chance to develop communicative skills. However, it does not meet the curriculums requirements for this ESP course. Firstly, the material needs one year to teach but it just takes three months for ESP course to finish. Secondly, the content of the book is too broad, it is designed for all people who do business not just for accountants. Next, there isnt any kinds of test in the book so the teacher
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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

has to design tests on her own. The book has many shortcomings which outweigh its advantages.

V: HUMAN FACTORS
I am confident to say that I can teach this material. The book is not aimed at teachers similar to those employed. The teachers who have a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the subject area; a positive attitude towards the ESP content and an awareness of how much they probably already know can teach the ESP basic book. Besides, the book does not require teachers to adopt unfamiliar roles but teachers themselve have to improve knowledge about ESP. There is no the teachers book for this book. Thus, teachers find it difficult to design lesson plan. The book can be adapted easily in order to be suitable with the curriculums requirements of the ESP course. The teacher can design more grammar exercises and can choose a unit at random to teach learners. In addition, the books appearance and content arrangement does not appeal and motivate students because the writings are so small and there are so few illustrated pictures.

VI: CONCLUSION
ESP material evaluation is a necessary task for evaluating a relative merit of the authors and it is one of the most significant decisions facing a teacher of English who is in the position to be given the responsibility of teaching English to a given group of students. This is an opportunity for us to have the right awareness about the value of the material after finishing the course English for Specific Purposes. English for Specific Purposes offers the teacher a new perspective on
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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

this important field. The main concern is effective learning and how this can best be achieved in ESP courses. And choosing the suitable material for ESP course is very important. However, the book I am evaluating has a lot of shortcomings. It does not meet the need of the ESP students but some universities or colleges have been using it as the ESP material for students who are majoring in accounting.

References

Basturkmen, H. (1998). Refining procedures: A needs analysis project at Kuwait University. English Teaching Forum, 36(4). Also available at: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol36/no4/p2.htm Bhatia, V. K. (1997). Applied genre analysis and ESP. In T. Miller (Ed.), Functional approaches to written text: Classroom applications (pp. 134-149). English Language Programs: United States Information Agency. Also available at: http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/pubs/BR/functionalsec4_1 0.htm Dudley-Evans, Tony (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press. (Forthcoming)

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

Hutchinson, Tom & Waters, Alan (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A learner-centered approach. Cambridge University Press. Johns, Ann M. & Dudley-Evans, Tony (1991). English for Specific Purposes: International in Scope, Specific in Purpose. TESOL Quarterly 25:2, 297-314.

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ESP MATERIALS EVALUATION REPORT

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