The ESP Journal最新文献

The article examines the applicability of an approach employed in the Open University's four-stage “Group Study Skills” sessions to ESP textbook analysis and evaluation (TAE) during a teacher education course. The major factors affecting on-course TAE procedure are suggested, and the OU's approach to study skills sessions is set out. It is suggested that on-course TAE factors lend themselves to the OU approach.

The author describes a recent attempt to apply the four-stage OU approach to TAE during a teacher education course in Manila, the Philippines. In particular, an example is given of a TAE “script” used, and an evaluation is made of the TAE procedure in practice. It is concluded that this four-stage procedure is a distinct advance over the inflexible, predetermined “check-list” approach, and may indeed be equally applicable to other components of teacher education courses.

While extensive use of the passive is shown by frequency counts of verb tense and aspect which are performed on corpora combining texts from a variety of scientific and technical fields, significantly different results may be obtained when one compares the frequency of the passive and active voices within a single scientific or technical field. In this paper we examine the frequency of the active and passive verb forms in two astrophysics journal articles, finding that we plus an active verb occurs at least as frequently as the passive in both articles. On the basis of consultation with an informant in astrophysics, we propose four rhetorical functions of the passive as opposed to we plus an active verb: (1) we indicates the author's unique procedural choice, while the passive indicates an established or standard procedure; (2) we is used to describe the author's own work and the passive to describe the work of others, unless that work is not mentioned in contrast to the author's, in which case the active is used; (3) the passive is used to describe the author's proposed studies; and (4) the use of the active or the passive is determined by focus due to the length of an element or the need for emphasis.

A number of factors are ensuring that the theory and practice of specific purpose language teaching continue to develop and evolve. One of the major factors is economic in origin, bringing with it the need for ESP program designers to answer to financing bodies as to the effectiveness of their programs. Enthusiasm and positive claims may not be enough to ensure the continued support for existing programs and the launching of new ones by budget-troubled administrators. Evidence of success may become the end product required of the design team, as opposed to merely the prepared materials and the verbal assurance that they are superior to what preceded them.

The demand for accountability requires that the ESP specialist add evaluation techniques to his repertoire of skills. It is important that the evaluator does not confuse research and evaluation. The former tests inferences based on observation and phrased as hypotheses; the latter, i.e., evaluation, has as its purpose the provision of those in authority with information which can be used in making decisions about improving or modifying the program. A case study demonstrates an approach to determining the effectiveness of a specific ESP-type program and provides a comprehensive framework within which practicable ESP evaluations can be conceived and carried out.

A number of verbs used internationally by pilots are analysed. It is shown that their lexical composition is changed in such a way that special features (like +/- own power, +/- contact to the ground) become important. This gives the verbs a special meaning which is related to the general meaning of everyday usage in the same way in which scientifically planned and controlled movements (of a plane) are related to natural movements (of people and things). The analysis is to show that language for special purposes rests on a scientific view of reality in the same way as general language rests on everyday assumptions and encyclopedic knowledge of its users.

Reference to the now extensive literature on EST syllabus and textbook design gives rise to serious doubts as to whether the present EST textbooks are likely to be capable of fulfilling the claims made for them and the expectations they arouse. An enquiry is reported into the teaching contents of ten representative texts, based on parameters which include the extent to which the teaching points dealt with in each textbook cover the main communicative features of formal scientific and technological discourse, the amount and relevance of the explanations and examples given, the number, coverage and adequacy of the exercises provided, and the kinds and extent of the supplementary aids for teachers and students supplied (visuals, notes, glossaries, etc.). The results reveal that there are serious and widespread deficiencies in all the textbooks studied, and the implications for the present and future state of EST/ESP are drawn. Possible reasons which have led to this situation are discussed and tentative solutions indicated.