Designing a thermal engineering English reading syllabus for workers in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant = Thiết kế chương trình đọc hiểu tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nhiệ

University of languages and national studies Post graduate STUDIES TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG Designing a Thermal Engineering English Reading Syllabus for workers in Uong Bi Thermal Power Pla

University of languages and national studies

Post graduate STUDIES

TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG

Designing a Thermal Engineering English Reading Syllabus for workers

in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: Methodology Code: 60 14 10

hµ néi , N¨m 2010

in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor: Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Ph.D

hµ néi , N¨m 2010

Designing a Thermal Engineering

English Reading Syllabus for workers

in UongBi Thermal Power Plant

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Acknowledgements

List of tables

List of figures

Abbreviations Roman symbols Greek symbols

Abstract

PART A: INTRODUCTION

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

I.1 An overview of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 4

I.2.2 Approaches to language syllabus design 9

I.3 Needs analysis in syllabus design 11

I.3.1 Target needs 11

I.4.1 Concepts of reading 13

II.1 The setting of the study 17

II.2.1 Data collection instruments and procedures 18 II.2.2 Material analysis 18

II.3 Result analysis and major findings 20

CHAPTER III: A PROPOSED THERMAL ENGINEERING ENGLISH

READING SYLLABUS FOR WORKERS IN UB TPP

III.1.2 Tasks and activities in the syllabus 33

III.3 Suggestions for teaching ESP at UB TPP 37

References

Appendixes

- Questionnaire for the workers in UB TPP

- Questionnaire for ESP teachers at Faculty of Fundamental Science

- Interview with Subject teachers at Faculty of Energy

- A sample unit

- A sample of authentic material

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as Foreign Language

EGP: English for General Purposes

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

EOP: English for Occupational Purposes

ESL: English as a Second Language

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

EST: English for Science and Technology

ETE: English for Thermal Engineering

GE: General English

FFS: Faculty of Fundamental Science

FE: Faculty of Energy

EPU: Electric Power University

UB TTP: Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant

LIST OF TABLES

TALBE 1 Teachers’ expectations of reading skills/ techniques TALBE 2 Teachers’ expectations of sub-reading skills/ techniques TABLE 3 Teachers’ expectations of Grammar and structure TABLE 4 Teachers’ expectations of tasks/ activities

TABLE 5: Learners’ needs of ETE reading course

TABLE 6 Learners’ goals and objectives of ETE reading course TABLE 7.Learners’ wants of topics

TABLE 8 Learners’ wants of sub-topics

TABLE 9 Learners’ wants of reading skills

TABLE 10 Learners’ wants of sub-reading skills

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

From the early 1960's, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has grown to become one of the most prominent areas of EFL teaching today Its development is reflected in the increasing number of universities offering an MA in ESP and in the number of ESP courses offered to students at universities

In Vietnam too, the ESP movement has shown a slow but definite growth over the past few years At Electric Power University, teaching ESP also plays an integral role in training students to become good technicians and engineers In the previous years, EPU was successful

in educating hundreds of students to become technicians in Power System, Hydro Power and Thermal Power, etc…The University has also cooperated with many thermal power plants in the North of Vietnam in general, and in Quang Ninh in particular, in providing English, especially ESP supplementary courses for their workers for many years The main purpose is

to help the workers improve their English for Thermal to use and communicate in their work effectively However, no available Thermal Engineering English course books are appropriate for these target students The current English textbook for Thermal Engineering is designed with great effort of the English teachers can not meet the demand of the learner‟s needs When providing English supplementary courses in other plants such as Son Dong thermal power plant, Cam Pha TPP, etc…teachers and learners had to face up with the same problems Although, the important role of syllabuses in providing practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time as well as telling the teachers and learners what should be learned can not be denied, such a syllabus has not been designed as the teachers have not equipped themselves enough knowledge of syllabus design and have found it hard to select materials appropriate to learners‟ English proficiency level Therefore, a new and appropriate ESP reading syllabus is of great necessity and significance That is the rationale for the author to conduct a study to design a workable ETE reading syllabus for workers in Uong Bi TPP

2 Aims of the study

The ultimate aim of the study is to design an appropriate Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus for a supplementary course for workers in Uong Bi TPP To achieve this aim, there are two specific objectives as follows:

 To find out the target needs and learning needs of workers in UB TPP for a thermal engineering English course

 To suggest a Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus for workers in UB TPP according to their needs

3 Scope of the study

Within its scope, this research paper only focuses on designing process for an English supplementary course, not all the theories relating to syllabus design It major sources of information/ informants are subject teachers, the teachers of ESP and the learners /workers in

UB TPP who take part in the supplementary course, not all of workers

4 Research methods

Qualitative methodology, survey method is used mainly to collect data via questionnaires and informal interviews, aims at exploring the needs of the learners, their expectations and opinions about the ESP course

 The first questionnaire is designed for learners/ workers in UB TPP who take part in the supplementary course to find out target needs and learning needs for an ETE reading course

 The second questionnaire is designed for ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their suggestions about reading skills grammar/ structures and tasks/ activities and suitable methodology for the course, etc

In addition to that, several informal interviews with subject teachers at Faculty of Energy, Electric Power University (EPU), and with five graduated learners/ technicians are carried out

to get suggestions about topic areas and reading skills

Also, the quantitative method is used as the supporting method so that data will be collected through material and document analysis

The results of the study will be interpreted based on the analysis of the collected numbers and ratios after gathering and analyzing necessary data Then the important factors relating to the reading syllabus for learners/ workers in UB TPP are worked out

5 Organization of the thesis

The thesis is comprised of 3 major parts:

- Part A is the Introduction, which presents the rationale, aims and objectives, the scope as

well as methodology and design of the study

- Part B is the Development, which consists of

+ Chapter I: Literature review, provides the theories concerning ESP, approaches to syllabus

design and reading theories

+ Chapter II: Needs Analysis, describes and comments on situation analysis, subjects of the

study, the instruments for collecting data, analyzes learner‟s target needs and learning needs and presents the findings of the study

+ Chapter III: A Proposed Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus, suggests two

types of syllabus: the general syllabus and the pedagogic one The first included the topics and tasks; the second is about the functions, grammar, vocabulary….It also offers some suggestions for teaching ETE in UB TPP as well as for other supplementary courses outside the university

- Part C is the Conclusion containing the summary, the main ideas of the study, the

contribution and limitations of the thesis

References

Appendixes include the questionnaires, interviews, a sample unit and a sample of authentic material

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I LITERATURE REVIEW

I.1 An overview of ESP

I.1.1 Definition of ESP

Nowadays, the ESP area proves to be in great demand for a global community of people speaking different languages, where efficient command of English can help to contribute to professional as well as personal development of each individual learner So far, there have been different views about what ESP is Some people described ESP as simply being the teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified Others, however, were more precise, describing it as the teaching of English used in academic studies or the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes

Firstly, Munby (1978) states that ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are determined in all essentials by the prior analysis of the communication needs of the learners This view is shared by Hutchinson and Waters (1987): “ESP is an approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners” and “ESP should properly be seen not as any particular language product but as an approach to language teaching which is directed by specific and apparent reasons for learning”

Those definitions show the importance of the learners‟ needs element of ESP, as Kenedy and Bolitho (1984) also emphasize: “ESP has its basis in an investigation of the purposes of the learners and the set of communication needs arising from those purposes”

And Robinson (1991) also claims that: “An ESP course is based on a needs analysis, which aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English”

In 1997, Dudley-Evans, Tony set out in his one hour speech to clarify the meaning of ESP, giving an extended definition of ESP in terms of 'absolute' and 'variable' characteristics

Definition of ESP (Dudley-Evans, 1997)

Absolute Characteristics

1 ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners

2 ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves

3 ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre

Variable Characteristics

1 ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines

2 ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English

3 ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level

4 ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students

5 Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems

The definition Dudley-Evans offers is clearly influenced by that of Strevens (1988:1): “ESP

is a particular case of the general category of special-purpose language teaching” and his definition of ESP makes a distinction between four absolute characteristics and two variable characteristics, although Dudley-Evans has improved it substantially by removing the absolute characteristic that ESP is "in contrast with 'General English‟, and has included more variable characteristics

The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP From Dudley-Evans' definition, one can see that ESP can be (though not necessarily so) concerned with a specific discipline, nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range ESP should be seen simply as an 'approach' to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an attitude of mind This is a similar conclusion to that made by Hutchinson and Waters (1987:19) who state, "ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner‟s reason for learning."

A broader definition of ESP is that provided by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) who theorize ESP as an approach to language teaching which takes into account the learners' reasons for learning in making decisions related to content and method Commenting on this definition, Anthony (1997) states that it is not clear where GPA fends and ESP starts Numerous non-specialist ESL instructors use an ESP approach in that their syllabuses are based on analysis of learner needs and their own personal specialist knowledge of using English for real communication

I.1.2 Types of ESP

Carver, D (1983) identifies three types of ESP: English as a Restricted Language, English for Academic and Occupational Purposes (EAOP), and English with Specific Topics

According to this, language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of English as a restricted language

Mackay and Mountford (1978: 4-5) clearly illustrate the difference between restricted language and language with this statement:

"… the language of international air-traffic control could be regarded as 'special', in the sense that the repertoire required by the controller is strictly limited and can be accurately determined situationally, as might be the linguistic needs of a dining-room waiter or air-hostess However, such restricted repertoires are not languages, just as a tourist phrase book is not grammar Knowing a restricted 'language' would not allow the speaker to communicate effectively in novel situation, or in contexts outside the vocational environment."

The second type of ESP is English for Academic and Occupational Purposes Carver (1983) indicates that this English should be at the heart of ESP although he refrains from developing

it any further

Hutchinson and Waters (1987), on the other hand, have developed a "Tree of ELT" in which the subdivisions of ESP are clearly illustrated ESP is broken down into three branches: English for Science and Technology (EST), English for Business and Economics (EBE), and English for Social Studies (ESS)

Each of these subject areas is further divided into two branches:

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) An example of EOP for the EST branch is "English for Technicians" whereas an example of EAP for the EST branch is "English for Medical Studies."

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) do note that there is not a clear-cut distinction between EAP and EOP on the basis of the considerations that (i) people can work and study simultaneously, and that (ii) the language learnt in a teaching setting for academic purposes can be useful and employed by the learner in the occupational environment when he/she takes up, or returns to, a job This may explain why EAP and EOP have been categorized under the same type of ESP Kennedy and Bolitho (1984) also explain the two areas quite clearly: “EOP is taught in a situation in which learners need to use English as part of their work or profession Instances of EOP students would be doctors in casualty or technicians servicing equipment They need English, in the first case, to talk and respond to patients and other staff, and in the second, to read technical manuals” (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984:4)

And “EAP is taught generally within educational institutions to students needing English in their studies The language taught may be based in particular disciplines at higher levels of education when the student is specializing (in-study) or intends to specialize (pre-study) in a particular subject” (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984:4)

The final one, according to Carver, D (1983), English with Specific Topics is the third and final type of ESP It differs from other types of ESP in the sense that focus shifts from purpose

to topic That is, the focus is on topics that are in agreement with the anticipated future English needs of learners such as scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending conferences or working in foreign institutions It has been argued, however, that this type should not be viewed as a separate type of ESP but rather an integral component of ESP courses or programs with focus on situational language This situational language has been determined based on the interpretation of results from needs analysis of authentic language used in target workplace settings

In conclusion, though the classifications of ESP are expressed differently and each researcher has their own points, the most common view is that ESP can be divided into EAP

and EOP From the point of view of the author, English for Thermal Engineering in this minor thesis can be considered as a branch of English for Science and Technology

I.2 Syllabus design

I.2.1 Definition of the syllabus

To define syllabus, researchers give distinctions between it and other terms, such as curriculum and methodology

Specialists who advocate of broad view as Yalden (1984:14) points out that: “Syllabus replaces the concept of “method”, and the syllabus is now seen as an instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a degree of “fit” between the needs and the aims of the learners (as social being and as individual), and the activities which will take place in the classroom”

With the same view, Breen (1984:49) states that: “any syllabus will express- however indirectly-certain assumptions about language about the psychological process of learning, and about the pedagogic and social process within a classroom” For those, with the advent

of communicative language teaching, the distinction between content and tasks is difficult

to sustain

In contrast, some other researchers who adopt the narrow view ague that syllabus and methodology should be two distinctive separate parts as Hutchinson and Waters (1987:80) when they claim: “ A syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should)

be learnt”

Supporting this view, Nunan (1988) defines syllabus as follows: “Syllabus design is seen

as being concerned essentially with the selection and grading of content, while methodology is concerned with the selection of learning tasks and activities.”

Another distinction is between syllabus and curriculum According to Krahnke, K (1987:2), “A syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a curriculum may contain a number of syllabi” Having idea on this distinction, Nunan (1988:8) concludes that: “Curriculum is concerned with the planning, implementation, evaluation, management, and administration of education programs Syllabus, on the other

hand, focuses more narrowly on the selection and grading of content” In the existing literature on language education, the terms „curriculum‟ and „syllabus‟ are sometimes used interchangeably, sometimes differentiated, and sometimes misused and misunderstood In this paper, syllabus and curriculum are differentiated

In brief, the term „syllabus‟ has been defined either narrowly or broadly in this thesis With the aim of designing an ESP reading syllabus for the workers, the author will follow the broader view

I.2.2 Approaches to language syllabus design

A language teaching syllabus involves the integration of subject matter (what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it); that is, the actual matter that makes up teaching Choices of syllabi can range from the more or less purely linguistic, where the content of instruction is the grammatical and lexical forms of the language, to the purely semantic or informational, where the content of instruction is some skill or information and only incidentally the form of the language To design a syllabus is to decide what gets taught and in what order Therefore it is very necessary to look over approaches to course design Hutchinson and Waters (1993) identify three major kinds as: the language-centered, skills-centered and learning centered

a Language-centred approach

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1993; 65, 66): “this is the simplest kind of course design process and is probably the one most familiar to English teachers The language-centered 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” However, there are some weaknesses of this approach should be taken into consideration As Nunan (1993:6) states that: “It fails to recognize the fact that learners being people, language is not a straightforward, logical process” Instead of taking the whole of English and teaching it to the learners, only a restricted are of the language is taught The basic units of language are vocabulary and grammar

b Skill-centred approach

This approach focuses on “certain skills and strategies, which the learners use in order to produce or comprehend discourse” (Hutchinson & Waters 1993:69) Its aim is to help learners to develop skills and strategies which will continue to develop after the ESP course itself Yalden (1983) also gives an example of a skill syllabus of reading skills including basic reference skills, scanning, skimming, etc The weakness of this approach is shown when it “still approaches the learner as a user of language rather than as a learner of language The processes it is concerned with are the processes of language use not of language learning.”

of theoretical view of learning and learner Therefore, it provides a more flexible process

of designing a language program than the two above approaches

In brief, learning-centred must consider the learner at every stage, while the skill-centred approach does not fully consider to learner because it is too dependent on the target situation For language-centred model, it is learner-restricted Each approach has their own advantages and drawbacks Thus, the author intends to use interactive approach to apply in designing ESP reading syllabus for workers in UB TPP with the desire to maximize the strengths and minimize the drawbacks of the above-mentioned models

I.2.3 Steps to design a syllabus

Designing a syllabus can be archived according to the following steps:

(1) Needs analysis

(2) Goals and objectives determining

(3) Content selecting and grading

(4) Teaching methods suggesting

(5) Testing and evaluation forming

I.3 Needs Analysis in ESP

As students in ESP classes often have restricted time to learn English, it makes sense to teach them only the English they need Thus the task of the ESP course developer is generally seen to be to identify the needs of the learners and design a course around them Needs analysis may take place prior to, or after a language program This is the process of gathering information from and about learners to understand as much about them as possible, in order to establish realistic and acceptable objectives A number of needs analysis studies have been reported in the ESP literature However, this study will focus on the distinction between two kinds of needs: target needs and learning needs according to Hutchinson & Waters (1987)

I.3.1 Target Needs

Hutchinson & Waters (1987:54) define target needs as “what the learners need to do in the target situation in which the learners will use the language they are learning” To understand more about target needs, it is useful to look at the target situation in such the terms as Necessities, Lacks and Wants

I.3.1.1 Necessities

It is “the type of need determined by the demands of the target situation, that is, what the learner has to know in order to function effectively in the target situation” (Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 55) For instance, a worker needs to understand manual instructions, diagrams or to communicate with other people who have the same profession He or she needs to know linguistic features such as discourse, functional, structural, lexical which are commonly used in the situation identified

I.3.1.2 Lacks

According to what the learner already knows, we decide what necessities are missing There is a gap between the existing proficiency and the target proficiency as Hutchinson &

Waters (1987: 55) state: “the target proficiency needs to be matched against the existing proficiency of the learners The gap between the two can be referred to as the learners‟ lacks” One of useful methods to know the learners‟ lacks is interview teachers and the learners should be tested before an ESP course

I.3.1.3 Wants

In practice, different learners have different wants Their wants consists of their goal, their objectives and what they want to learn “Learners may well have a clear idea of the necessities of the target situation: they will certainly have a view as to their lacks But it is quite possible that the learners‟ views will conflict with the perceptions of other interested parties: course designers, sponsors and teachers” (Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 56) Rosbinson (1991:12) suggests of using questionnaires to get information from a large group of learners about their wants

In short, target needs is like the umbrella term, which in practice hides a number of important distinctions The analysis of target needs involves far more than simply identifying the linguistic features of the target situation As Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 59) comment : “ The analysis of target situation needs is in essence a matter of asking questions about the target situation and the attitudes towards that situation of the various participants in the learning process” There are different ways in which information can be gathered about needs such as questionnaires, interviews, observation, data collection and informal consultations The choice will depend on the time and resources available And needs analysis is not a once-for-all activity It should be a continuing process

I.3.2 Learning needs

Using our analogy of the ESP course as a journey, what we have done so far is to consider the starting point (lacks) and the destination (necessities) and where the destination should be (wants) What we have not considered yet is the route “How are we going to get from our starting point to the destination? - This is learning needs” - Tom Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 61) The whole ESP process is concerned not with knowing

or doing, but with learning Therefore, many factors need to be concerned on the route in order to have a successful journey According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 61), “it is nạve to base a course design simply on the target objectives, just as it is nạve to think hat

a journey can be planned solely in terms of the starting point and the destination The needs, potential and constrains of the route (i.e the learning situation) must also be taken into account, if we are going to have any useful analysis of learner needs” To analyze learning needs, we can use the same methods of gathering information about needs as those used for target situation analysis

In conclusion, both target needs and learning needs must be paid attention to and combined harmoniously in the process of designing a syllabus As Tom Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 62) state: “the target situation analysis can determine the destination; it can also act as a compass on the journey to give general available (i.e the conditions of the learning situation), the existing roads within the learner‟s mind (i.e their knowledge, skills and strategies) and the learners‟ motivation for traveling”

I.4 READING

I.4.1 Concepts of reading

Establishing a clear definition of reading provides an important perspective for evaluating approaches to teaching word-identification skills Most educators would agree that the major purpose of reading should be the construction of meaning — comprehending and actively responding to what is read Two of the most widely cited and agreed-upon definitions of reading are the following:

“Reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts It is a complex skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information” (Anderson and Urquhart, 1984)”.Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction among: (1) the reader‟s existing knowledge; (2) the information suggested by the text being read; and (3) the context of the reading situation” (Wixson, Peters, Weber,

& Roeber, 1987) According to Alderson and Urquhart (1984: xvi), reading involves two necessary elements: the reader and the text, and they identify the writer as a third

important and influential elements In fact, a definition of reading reflects its author‟s particular view of reading process However, the process of reading has three elements involved: the text that is read, the background knowledge of the readers and the contextual aspects relevant to interpret the text

The main difference between general reading and EAP/ESP reading is the purpose General reading is usually for pleasure (literature) or to find out information (news etc), whereas ESP reading is for developing knowledge and understanding of a subject Although students or people at work may enjoy what they read, they are usually going to

do something with it

1.4.2 Reading skills

There are different styles of reading for different situations The technique you choose will depend on the purpose for reading Many kinds of reading skills are discussed in current literature However, in this section, the author only refer to four main skills

1 Skimming: is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text When you read the

newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word; instead you're scanning the text Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research

There are many strategies that can be used when skimming Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph This technique is useful when you're seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension Skimming works well

to find dates, names, and places It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts

2 Scanning: is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book

or dictionary You search for key words or ideas In most cases, you know what you're

looking for, so you're concentrating on finding a particular answer Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions Once you've scanned the document, you might go back and skim it

3 Extensive: means the readers have general understanding of a text without necessarily

understanding every word The objective of this kind of reading is to cover the greatest possible amount of text in the shortest possible time

4 Intensive: means reading to extract specific information This is an accuracy activity

involving reading for details

1.4.3 Learning and Teaching foreign language reading

Teaching reading can be an arduous task as it is often difficult to know how to improve student skills These different types of skills are used quite naturally when reading in a mother tongue As being a teacher, I have often noticed that students insist on understanding every word and find it difficult to take my advice of reading for the general idea, or only looking for required information Students studying a foreign language often feel that if they don't understand each and every word they are somehow not completing the exercise Few people stop to analyze the skills used in the different kinds of reading they do in their native language Most adult students of EFL are familiar with the Roman Script before they embark on English Language Courses General course books capitalize

on this familiar ground by using written texts as the main vehicle for developing both spoken & written skills

In the early stages of learning, the main aim is often to present and practise a body of lexis, grammatical forms and language functions This serves to give students entry points into the new language - a simple core to assist in the communication (reception and expression)

of basic concepts such as number, quantity, spatial relationships, time and modal meaning

When teachers of second language reading recognize that each reader brings to the reading process a unique set of past experiences, emotional and mental processes, level of cognitive development, and interest level in the topic, they also recognize that not all teaching strategies will be effective for all students When isolating the most effective teaching strategies to use with a group of students, the second language teacher must also consider the reader strategies that are not necessarily related to content schemata

Another step in effectively teaching students how to read materials written in a second language is helping the individual reader to identify effective reading strategies based on text variables One important part of this step is alerting the readers to significant aspects

of text variables that will affect second language reading For example, pointing out the differences between a fairy tale and a newspaper article helps the reader to recognize the different text types and to prepare for the uncomplicated sentence structure, high-frequency vocabulary, and, in most cases, happy ending that typically characterize a fairy tale On the other hand, the same reader would need to prepare very differently to read a newspaper article about the technicalities involved in negotiating a disarmament treaty In this case, the vocabulary would be very specialized and the sentence structure more complicated

To encourage students to use effective strategies when reading in a second language, the teachers can develop simple exercises to elicit information via targeted strategies These exercises can be divided by the stage of reading at which they occur

CHAPTER II: ANALYZING NEEDS IN UONG BI

THERMAL POWER PLANT (UB TPP)

II.1 The setting of the study

Electric Power University is a newly upgraded university However, when it was a vocational school, EPU was successful at training hundreds of learners to become technicians in Power System As a university belongs to EVN group, EPU has co-operated with many Power Plants, both in Hydro Power and Thermal Power Plants to provide supplementary courses or in-site training courses for workers in these plants Nowadays, the demand for English of the well-trained workers in Power plants becomes higher and higher They need English to get information from manual instructions, to communicate at work and to use it as a useful tool in the period of integration of globalization UB TTP is one of the oldest TPP of the North of Vietnam UB TPP No2-extension has been constructed completely, combined with UB TPP I Both plants expect a large number of young but well-trained workers Recognizing the importance of English to improve the working ability of young workers, almost every 2 years, the plants require new workers have to take a supplementary course of GE and ESP before the beginning of their work The course will be held inside the plant area with the teachers from EPU The workers who graduated from high school or vocational school must experience two stages of English study as follow:

Stage 1: They learn GE with 120 periods

Stage 2: They learn an equivalent ESP course in 68 periods

The material used for GE is New Headway (pre-intermediate) At the first stage, the New Headway provides learners with basic skills, focus mainly on grammar The next stage, learners will approach their specialized knowledge in English by studying ESP materials However, there are still a lot of difficulties during the process of teaching and learning, the learning conditions are not good enough, the learners’ different levels of English, the time limitation of the course, the teachers’ and learners’ lack of certain specialization knowledge about the field, the inappropriate content of the course book…These lead to the result that, to some extent, the reading competence and the knowledge of the learners about their specialized

subject remain unimproved Therefore, the ambition of the author in this minor thesis is to carry out a feasible and practical ESP reading syllabus

II.2 Description of data collection

II.2.1 Data collection instruments and procedures

A variety of procedures can be used in conducting needs analysis and the kind of information obtained is often dependent on the type of procedure selected Robinson suggests four techniques for investigating needs: questionnaires, interviews, observation and gathering materials The main technique to collect data in this thesis is questionnaire because it “will seek information for both the target situation analysis and the present situation analysis…It can be sent fairly easily to a large number of people”( Robinson (1991:12))

 The first questionnaire was designed for 50 learners/ workers in UB TPP, (age 19-21) who took the supplementary course to find out target needs and learning needs for an ETE reading course The questionnaire was written in Vietnamese and finished in 40 minutes (one period)

 The second questionnaire was designed for 10 ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their suggestions about reading skills, grammar/ structures and tasks/ activities and suitable methodology for the course, etc The questionnaire was formulated in English and collected right after 20 minutes

In addition, informal interviews with 5 subject teachers at Faculty of Energy, Electric Power University (EPU), and with 5 graduated learners/ technicians from the previous courses, were carried out to get suggestions about topic areas and reading skills The results of the interviews were shown briefly with some significant information

II.2.2 Material analysis

In order to improve English ability of workers/ technicians, the UB TPP and EPU has operated in opening English supplementary courses in UB TPP The EPU is responsible for the content of the course with the agreement of UB TPP The course will cover GE and ESP for learners in 3 months Teaching ESP mainly focuses on mastering ESP reading skills

co-Since this course aims to prepare a group of learners/ workers in a wide range of ESP reading skills for a supplementary course, it is assumed that no single course book would be able to cover all what the course is determined to offer and no common course book would be appropriate for all learners Therefore, the materials exploited as input in this syllabus will be selected from a variety of sources according to their effectiveness in achieving the purposes of the course, their appropriateness for the learners and workers, and their practicalities (Graves

1996, and Scarino, Vale, McKay, and Clark 1988)

In UB TPP, the workers/ technicians usually read authentic materials such as notes, notices, instruction manuals, safety precaution warnings and some articles related to their specialist These reading texts share some same features

In terms of grammar, the imperative, related clauses and passive voice are used most in the texts

In terms of language, the reading texts mostly express the operation principles or power schemes, hence the vocabulary are usually semi-technical and theoretical science Some quantity expressions mathematics symbols and formulas, numbers are also employed

Besides, some rhetorical techniques are often used in thermal articles such as cause-effects, problem-solution, phenomenon- reason, etc…

Basing on material analysis, teachers can focus on some topics and reading skills that

learners can apply in their work

II.2.3 The subjects

The subjects in a needs analysis refers to the people about whom information will be collected Typically, in language programs these will be language learners or potential language learners, but others are also often involved depending on whether they can provide information useful in meeting the purposes of the needs analysis In this study, the questionnaire was given to a class consisted of 50 learners (age 19-21), working in UB TPP and they had different English levels but finished a GE course at the first stage of the supplementary course Another questionnaire was administered to a group of 10 English teachers (age 27-37), who have been teaching both GE and ESP at FFS, EPU Most of them

got MA degree from University of Languages and National Studies and had experiences in teaching English supplementary courses outside university Five randomly selected teachers at

FE, EPU are in some informal interviews They have been in charge of teaching thermal subjects at EPU for many years The author also interviewed five technicians who graduated from previous English courses in UB TPP and now they are working in different groups in this plant Two of them come from operation group, two are from technical group and one is in repairing group

II.3.Result analysis and major findings

II.3.1.In terms of target needs

TEACHERS’ OPINIONS:

The results of the interviews were shown briefly with some significant information

Topics and sub-topics chosen by subject teachers

The interview with five subject teachers from FE, EPU aims at gathering information about topics and sub-topics needed to be included in ETE reading syllabus for learners in UB TPP, based on the limitation of the course in terms of time duration Firstly, according to all the

subject teachers (100%), the topics about boiler, turbines and heat recovery steam generator

should be included in the syllabus, because they are mot common devices in thermal plants

The topic to introduce thermal energy and SCADA is also necessary to learners in order to

provide themselves further information, but they are not very important (60%) Secondly, for

sub-topics, 100 percent of the teachers agreed to choose component parts, application, operation principles as well as use are most necessary ones They also suggest new inventions and classification should be included as extra-information (40%) In addition, the subject teachers (20%) admit that historical development and definition are not important part in the

syllabus

When asking five graduated learners from previous course, they all (100%) shared the same

idea about topic area with subject teachers that the most important topics are boiler, turbines and heat recovery steam generator

2 Teachers’ opinions on reading skills and sub-reading skill/techniques

In this part of questionnaires, 10 English teachers in FFS, EPU were asked to rank

reading skills and sub-reading skills from “very necessary” to “not necessary”

TALBE 1 Teachers’ expectations of reading skills/ techniques

It can be seen from the first table, the most necessary skill is identify the topic and organization of the text, according to teachers’ opinion (70%) The skill of skimming and scanning are also considered being important in reading techniques, account for 60% each In ESP, the contents of the texts consist of a lot of new words Therefore, skills of predicting and previewing as well as guessing the meaning of new words should be practiced fluently by learners (50%) Using non-context information is also consider as necessary skill (40%), whereas skill number 7 & 8 are claimed to be “not necessary” with percentage about 20% & 30% respectively

Reading Skills/ techniques Very

necessary

Necessary Fairly

necessary

Not necessary

1 Predicting and previewing 5 (50%) 4 (40%) 1 (10%)

2 Identifying the topics and organization of

the text

7 (70%) 3 (30%)

3 Skimming for main ideas 6 (60%) 4 (40%)

4 Scanning for specific information 6 (60%) 3 (30%) 1 (10%)

5 Guessing the meaning of new words from

the context

5 (50%) 5 (50%)

6 Using non-text information 4 (40%) 4 (40%) 2 (20%)

7 Translating to get through understanding of

the text

2 (20%) 3 (30%) 3 (30%) 2 (20%)

8 Interpreting discourse markers 2 (20%) 2 (20%) 3 (30%) 3 (30%) Others………