Exploring EFL students’ Perception of Evaluation of an ESP Textbook and Practitioners’ Performance

Abstract

The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach has been receiving attention in the field of second/foreign language (L2) teaching and learning in Taiwan. It has recently become popular at tertiary level because it develops learner’s language knowledge and content knowledge simultaneously. Thus, the development of CLIL and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching materials has been growing rapidly to achieve the goal of globalization. However, can one ESP textbook fit all learners? This study aims at exploring the perceptions of 50 non-English major first -year students’ in evaluating one ESP textbook with the use of criteria and the practitioner’s instruction at a public technological university in Taiwan. The participants were majoring in various departments, but all had an interest in the field of hospitality. The results of the questionnaire revealed that 62% of respondents agreed that both content and language portion should be given equal consideration. Meanwhile, they showed their preference to learn more language content (76%) than content knowledge (66%). Regarding the practitioner’s instruction, 76% of respondents agreed that they received training in receptive compensation strategies during an 18-week period to aid in their language learning. Furthermore, this study also addresses learners’ needs and expectations, pedagogical implications, and recommendations.

Keywords

CLIL, ESP, English teaching and learning