A needs based evaluation of materials used in an ESP course for nautical students at a maritime university in viet nam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER A NEEDS-BASED EVALUATION OF MATERIALS USED IN AN ESP COURSE FOR NAUTICAL STUDENTS AT A MARITIME UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM Supervisor: Lê Thị Hồng Duyên, Ph.D Student: Hoàng Minh Anh Course: QH2017.F.1.E1 HÀ NỘI – 2021 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP ĐÁNH GIÁ TÀI LIỆU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH HÀNG HẢI TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI Ở VIỆT NAM DỰA TRÊN NHU CẦU CỦA SINH VIÊN Giáo viên hướng dẫn: TS Lê Thị Hồng Duyên Sinh viên: Hồng Minh Anh Khóa: QH2017.F.1.E1 HÀ NỘI – 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study could not have been completed without the guidance and support of several individuals whose contributions are gratefully appreciated by the researcher First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to Mrs Le Thi Hong Duyen, my researcher supervisor, who always supported and guided me unconditionally Thanks to her comprehensive insight into the field of ESP in general and research skills in particular as well as continuous supervision, I was able to conduct my research and finalize my thesis paper Moreover, profound knowledge and constructive advice from my ESP teacher, Mrs Nguyen Thuy Phuong Lan are of such great help that without her valuable support, I could not have had such a deep understanding of ESP Furthermore, I also want to acknowledge the help willingly provided by all the participants, who come from a nautical university in Vietnam Without their cooperation in completing the survey and interviews, the success of my research would not have been accomplished My special thanks are extended to all members from QH2017.E1 and my precious family members They never failed to provide me with technical and mental support so as to overcome all the difficulties that arose Last but not least, I would love to express our thankfulness to my fellow, Ta Minh Loan, who made relentless efforts to motivate and accompany me on the completion of my thesis paper i I hereby state that I: Hoàng Minh Anh, 17E1 being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Language Teaching accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper Hà Nội, 04/05/2021 Signature Hoàng Minh Anh ii ABSTRACT Materials evaluation, including textbook evaluation, plays an important role in any English language teaching courses as well as English for Specific purposes courses, as it helps to identify the effectiveness of the materials in meeting the needs of learners This study aims to evaluate an ESP textbook used for students at a nautical university in Vietnam based on the analysis of the needs of 40 students studying the major Global studies and Maritime Affairs, on the grounds that the in-use material is directly imported from a university in America, whose culture might contrast sharply with ours A mixed-methods approach was adopted: 40 questionnaires were administered to students who have just completed the course “Foreign language 1”; semi-structured interviews were conducted with students, and a teacher; and document analysis was employed as a subsidiary research method Thanks to the triangulation of data collection tools, significant findings have been drawn from the responses Firstly, the textbook is a satisfactory option for students in terms of audience, aims and content Secondly, there is still a mismatch between students’ real needs and the available resources in certain aspects The aspects that require further modifications and adaptations in the future include the display of content in the textbook, the procedure of an ESP lesson and the orientation towards communicative approach in teaching and learning this subject The results are of paramount importance for designers and lecturers at this university as they reflect the real needs of students and the effectiveness of the textbook in fulfilling those needs Further research should be done on other stakeholders like teachers, textbook designers or employers to better improve the quality of learning and teaching ESP there iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Abstract List of figures, tables, and abbreviations CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Research aims and research questions 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Contributions of the research 1.5 Research methods of the study CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 2.1.1 Definition of ESP 2.1.2 Classification of ESP 2.1.3 English for Global studies and Maritime Affairs 10 2.2 Needs analysis 11 2.2.1 Definition of Needs 11 2.2.2 Types of Needs 11 2.2.3 Needs analysis 12 2.3 Material Evaluation 13 2.3.1 Definition of materials 13 2.3.2 Material Evaluation 14 2.3.2.1 Definition of material evaluation 14 2.3.2.2 The aims of material evaluation 14 2.3.2.3 Types of material evaluation 15 2.3.2.4 Models of material evaluation 16 2.3.2.5 Techniques for material evaluation 17 2.4 Review of previous studies 17 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 19 3.1 Research setting 19 3.2 Research participants and sampling 21 3.3 Data collection procedure and methods 22 iv 3.4 Data analysis procedure and methods 24 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 26 4.1 Research question 1: What are the students’ English language needs as perceived by students at a maritime university in Vietnam? 26 4.2 Research question 2: To what extent are these needs addressed in the current ESP material? 35 4.3 Major findings and discussion 47 4.4 Recommendations for adaptation 48 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 53 REFERENCES APPENDIX Checklist of criteria for objective and subjective analyses (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987) APPENDIX Questionnaire for the students (English version) APPENDIX Questionnaire for the students (Vietnamese version) APPENDIX Guided interview questions for teachers APPENDIX Guided interview questions for students APPENDIX Interview Transcripts APPENDIX An extract of unit from the textbook “Foreign language – Global studies and Maritime affairs” v LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND ABBREVIATIONS List of figures Figure ESP classification by experience Figure ESP classification by professional area Figure The material evaluation process 16 Figure Students’ levels of English 26 Figure Students’ understanding levels of their specialized subjects 27 Figure Students’ views on the importance of the course “Foreign language 1” 28 Figure Students’ views on the proportion of language skills in the textbook “Foreign language 1” 41 Figure Students’ views on the number of technical vocabularies in each topic in the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 42 Figure Students’ views on the number of grammatical points in the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 43 Figure 10 Students’ views on the level of difficulty of the textbook’s content 45 List of tables Table Students’ expectations of the course “Foreign language in Global Studies and Maritime Affairs” 29 Table Students’ views on the aims of the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 30 Table Students’ views on the topics of the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 32 Table Students’ views on the skills of the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 33 Table Students’ views on the methodology of the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 34 Table Students’ level of satisfaction of the aims in the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 36 Table The students’ level of satisfaction with the how the topics were developed in the textbook “Foreign Language 1” 38 Table Students’ level of satisfaction with the use of methodology in the textbook “Foreign language 1” 46 vi List of abbreviations ESP English for Specific Purposes ELT English Language Teaching EAP English for Academic Purposes EOP English for Occupational Purposes EPP English for Professional Purposes EVP English for Vocational Purposes EST English for Science and Technology EMP English for Medical Purposes ELP English for Legal Purpose CEFR Common European Framework of Reference for Languages DVD Digital Video Disc ISE International School of Education GMA Global studies and Maritime affairs IELTS International English Language Testing System vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION This chapter will provide a brief introduction of this research paper, including the rationale for the study, the scope and research methods of the study as well as expected contributions More importantly, an insight into research aims and research questions is also offered in this chapter 1.1 Rationale for the study Globalization paves the way for global integration in numerous aspects: economy, social, politics, and culture In this context, Vietnam has gradually shifted from a centrally planned to an open, competitive market by means of builing up bilateral relations in trade and entering into multilateral trade agreements in those areas Vietnam’s internationally economic climate has been accelerated explosively under a protocol to comply with international rules and standards of global economy and security One of the fundamental fields that Vietnam’s government puts an emphasis on is Maritime Vietnam is endowed with a territory that stretches over three thousand kilometers on the western edge of the South China Sea as well as a territorial sea area of over one million square kilometers It goes without saying that the Vietnam Sea is of paramount importance to the ecology and biodiversity of the East Sea and surrounding regions It also serves as “an exclusive transitional zone between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in terms of biological and maritime geography” (Duong and Dong, 2019) It is inevitable that a modernized and industrialized economy must be developed in connection with boosting the potential of the ocean, especially when Vietnam has enormous benefits in sea space resources However, such competitive advantages also require Vietnam to devote assiduous attention to the policy of defence and security lest any issues related to regional peace and national interest arise Vietnam’s participation in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has led to the creation and development of fine-tuned laws on maritime APPENDIX Questionnaire For The Students (Vietnamese version) Thân gửi bạn, Bảng khảo sát thiết kế cho nghiên cứu “Đánh giá dựa nhu cầu tài liệu tiếng anh chuyên ngành hàng hải cho sinh viên trường đại học Hàng Hải Việt Nam” Mình chân thành cảm ơn bạn đồng ý tham gia nghiên cứu Thông tin mà bạn cung cấp từ bảng khảo sát liệu quan trọng cho việc phân tích phát triển nghiên cứu Các câu trả lời khơng có đáp án sai; mà mục đích câu hỏi để tìm nhu cầu đánh giá bạn tài liệu “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1” mà bạn sử dụng Mọi thông tin từ bảng khảo sát bảo mật tuyệt đối phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu Một lần nữa, xin chân thành cảm ơn bạn đồng ý tham gia nghiên cứu Trân trọng! PHẦN 1: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Tuổi: Giới tính: Nữ Nam Đánh dấu (x) vào thích hợp thể trình độ Tiếng Anh bạn? Bậc – A1: Có thể hiểu, sử dụng cấu trúc quen thuộc thường nhật; từ ngữ đáp ứng nhu cầu giao tiếp cụ thể Có thể tự giới thiệu thân người khác; trả lời thông tin thân nơi sinh sống, người thân/bạn bè v.v… Có thể giao tiếp đơn giản người đối thoại nói chậm, rõ ràng sẵn sàng hợp tác giúp đỡ Bậc – A2: Có thể hiểu câu cấu trúc sử dụng thường xuyên liên quan đến nhu cầu giao tiếp (VD: thơng tin gia đình, thân, mua hàng, hỏi đường) Có thể trao đổi thơng tin chủ đề đơn giản, quen thuộc ngày Có thể mơ tả đơn giản thân, môi trường xung quanh vấn đề thuộc nhu cầu thiết yếu Bậc – B1: Có thể hiểu nội dung đoạn văn hay phát biểu trình bày với giọng chuẩn, rõ ràng chủ đề quen thuộc công việc, trường học, giải trí, v.v Có thể xử lý hầu hết tình xảy đến địa 68 điểm sử dụng tiếng Anh Có thể viết đoạn văn đơn giản liên quan đến chủ đề quen thuộc thân có quan tâm Có thể nói trải nghiệm, kiện, kể ước mơ, hy vọng, trình bày ngắn gọn lý do, giải thích cho ý kiến kế hoạch thân Bậc – B2: Có thể hiểu ý văn phức tạp chủ đề cụ thể trừu tượng, bao gồm trao đổi lĩnh vực chuyên môn thân Có thể giao tiếp mức độ trơi chảy, tự nhiên với người ngữ Có thể viết văn rõ ràng, chi tiết nhiều chủ đề khác; giải thích quan điểm thân, nêu ưu điểm, nhược điểm phương án lựa chọn khác Bậc – C1: Có thể hiểu nhận biết hàm ý văn dài với phạm vi rộng Có thể diễn đạt trơi chảy, phản ứng nhanh, khơng gặp khó khăn việc tìm từ ngữ diễn đạt Có thể sử dụng ngôn ngữ linh hoạt hiệu phục vụ mục đích xã hội, học thuật chun mơn Có thể viết rõ ràng, chặt chẽ, chi tiết chủ đề phức tạp, thể khả tổ chức văn bản, sử dụng tốt từ ngữ nối câu công cụ liên kết Bậc – C2: Có thể hiểu cách dễ dàng hầu hết văn nói viết Có thể tóm tắt nguồn thơng tin nói viết, xếp lại thơng tin trình bày lại cách logic Có thể diễn đạt trơi chảy xác mà khơng cần có chuẩn bị, phân biệt ngụ ý tinh tế khác tình phức tạp Bạn thi lấy chứng Tiếng Anh chưa? Có Khơng Nếu có, bạn cung cấp tên chứng điểm khơng: (VD IELTS - 7.0) Đánh dấu (x) vào thích hợp thể mức độ hiểu biết bạn môn chuyên ngành thuộc ngành Kinh tế hàng hải tồn cầu hóa: Rất Kém Trung Bình Tốt Rất tốt PHẦN 2: SỰ KỲ VỌNG CỦA NGƯỜI HỌC Vui lòng đánh dấu (x) vào ô miêu tả câu trả lời bạn: Đánh giá bạn tầm quan trọng môn học “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1” việc học tập công việc tương lai: Rất quan trọng Quan trọng Ít quan trọng 69 Không quan trọng Đánh giá mức độ kỳ vọng bạn cho môn học “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1”: Mục tiêu Kỳ vọng bạn Cao TB Thấp 7.1 Môn học giúp giao tiếp trôi chảy với đồng nghiệp khách hàng người nước ngồi 7.2 Mơn học trang bị kiến thức thuật ngữ liên quan đến chuyên ngành 7.3 Môn học giúp đọc hiểu tài liệu chuyên ngành 7.4 Môn học giúp thực thuyết trình phát biểu trước đám đông tiếng Anh 7.5 Môn học giúp viết thư điện tử, báo cáo tài liệu khác liên quan đến chuyên ngành tiếng Anh 7.6 Môn học giúp hiểu biết sâu khác biệt văn hóa quốc gia có giao thương với Việt Nam 7.7 Môn học giúp trang bị kỹ để giải tình thực tế giao tiếp với khách hàng người nước 7.8 Khác: Ghi rõ _ PHẦN 3: NHU CẦU VÀ ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA NGƯỜI HỌC Từ câu hỏi 8-11 đây, khoanh tròn vào số thứ tự tương ứng với câu hỏi để đánh giá mức độ quan trọng chúng mức độ hài lịng mà bạn có từ việc sử dụng giáo trình “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1” MỨC ĐỘ QUAN TRỌNG: – Không quan trọng – Ít quan trọng – Quan trọng vừa phải – Quan trọng – Rất quan trọng MỨC ĐỘ HÀI LỊNG: – Rất khơng hài lịng – Khơng hài lịng – Phân vân – Hài lòng – Rất hài lòng Đánh giá mức độ quan trọng mức độ hài lòng bạn mục tiêu sau từ giáo trình “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1”: 70 Mục tiêu Mức độ quan trọng Mức độ hài lịng 8.1 Giáo trình cung cấp thuật ngữ tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 5 8.2 Giáo trình giúp bạn cải thiện kiến thức khả sử dụng ngữ pháp tiếng Anh 5 8.3 Giáo trình giúp bạn phát triển kĩ dịch thuật 5 8.4 Giáo trình giúp bạn phát triển kĩ giao tiếp 5 8.5 Giáo trình giúp bạn phát triển kĩ đọc hiểu 5 8.6 Giáo trình giúp bạn học chức ngơn ngữ để áp dụng vào tình thực tiễn (Ví dụ: Hỏi – đáp thơng tin; Đưa lí giải thích; Thể quan điểm; Đưa đề xuất…) 5 8.7 Khác: Ghi rõ 5 Đánh giá mức độ quan trọng mức độ hài lòng bạn chủ đề sau từ giáo trình “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1”: Mức độ quan trọng Items Mức độ hài lòng 9.1 Dịch vụ hàng hải bên liên quan (Maritime services and stakeholders) 5 9.2 Phân loại tàu (Shipping classification) 5 9.3 Kết cấu tàu cách tổ chức (Ship structure and organization) 5 9.4 Các loại vận chuyển (Different kinds of shipping) 5 9.5 Dung tích hàng hóa trọng tải (Cargo space and tonnage) 5 9.6 Phương tiện vận chuyển (Modes of transport) 5 9.7 Các loại cảng cho tàu (Different kinds of ports for ships) 5 71 9.8 Nhân lực cảng (Port labour) 5 9.9 Khu vực khai thác cảng (Port operation areas) 5 9.10 Thiết bị xếp dỡ hàng hóa tàu cảng (Cargo handling equipment on board and in port) 5 9.11 Điểm thông quan nội địa (Inland container depot) 5 9.12 Các mơ hình quản lý cảng (Port management models) 5 10 Đánh giá mức độ quan trọng mức độ hài lịng bạn kĩ ngơn ngữ sau từ giáo trình “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1”: Kĩ Mức độ quan trọng Mức độ hài lòng 10.1 Kĩ nghe 5 10.2 Kĩ đọc 5 10.3 Kĩ nói 5 10.4 Kĩ viết 5 10.5 Tích hợp kĩ 5 11 Đánh giá mức độ quan trọng mức độ hài lòng bạn phương pháp giảng dạy từ giáo trình “Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 1”: Phương pháp Mức độ quan trọng Mức độ hài lòng 11.1 Giáo trình tập trung vào việc giao tiếp tiếng Anh chuyên ngành 5 11.2 Giáo trình cung cấp tỷ lệ cân loại tập (VD: tập nhận biết – tập yêu cầu kĩ sản sinh ngôn ngữ) 5 11.3 Các hoạt động giúp người học luyện tập giao tiếp chủ để liên quan đến chuyên ngành 5 72 11.4 Hoạt động bao gồm hoạt động cá nhân, theo cặp theo nhóm 5 11.5 Các chủ điểm từ vựng ngữ pháp cung cấp ngữ cảnh thực tế công việc 5 11.6 Các hoạt động khuyến khích cách làm sáng tạo, mẻ 5 11.7 Giáo trình cung cấp luyện tập cách phát âm chuẩn, tự nhiên 5 Từ câu hỏi 12-16 đây, đánh dấu (x) vào ô thể đánh giá bạn về: 12 Số lượng thuật ngữ chuyên ngành có đơn vị học: Rất Đủ Ít Nhiều Rất nhiều Nhiều Rất nhiều Phù hợp Rất phù 13 Số lượng kiến thức ngữ pháp có đơn vị học: Rất Đủ Ít 14 Cách xếp thứ tự chủ đề giáo trình: Rất khơng phù hợp Khơng phù hợp Phân vân hợp 15 Sự phân chia tỉ lệ kĩ Nghe, Nói, Đọc, Viết giáo trình: Rất khơng phù hợp Không phù hợp Phân vân Phù hợp Rất phù Vừa phải Khó Rất khó hợp 16 Mức độ khó nội dung giáo trình: Rất dễ Dễ 17 Khía cạnh nội dung bạn cảm thấy khó học: (Bạn chọn nhiều 1) Từ vựng Ngữ pháp Kỹ ngôn ngữ Kiến thức chuyên ngành Xin cảm ơn đóng góp bạn! 73 APPENDIX Guided interview questions for teachers What objectives does the ESP textbook cover? What is your opinion of these objectives? What kinds of text-types should the students be taught? Of the four skills of English (listening, reading, speaking and writing), which skill is included most in an ESP lesson? What is your evaluation of the current proportion? Do you want to make any changes? What you think of the methodology adopted in the textbook? Do you find the materials easy to supplement or modify? How can you conduct an ESP lesson? What are language testing and assessment types adopted in the course? To what extent are you satisfied with the textbook? 74 APPENDIX Guided interview questions for students What is the procedure of an ESP lesson? How were you assessed in the ESP course? Of the four skills of English (listening, reading, speaking and writing), which skill did you find most necessary? What is your evaluation of the current proportion? Do you want to make any changes? What you think of the methodology adopted in the textbook? To what extent are you satisfied with the textbook? 75 APPENDIX Interview Transcripts APPENDIX 7.1: Student I: Just to start us off then, a very general question What is the normal procedure of an ESP lesson that you learned in the previous semester? S.1: Our course covers 12 topics that lasted for 12 weeks, three more weeks were spent on assessment For each lesson, we had to read the materials beforehand and present what we had read in the class The teacher then summarized the knowledge and clarified some points that needed emphasizing I: Can you elaborate more on what types of exercises and assessment you done in the course? S.1: We had to reading and vocabulary exercises as our homework, and the teacher scored those exercises to serve as attendance scores For the testing, we had mid-term and final-term test, which mainly focused on technical vocabularies, knowledge and reading skill I: What you think of the proportion of language skills in the textbook? S.1: I think that the textbook as well as the course forced us to so many reading exercises while ignoring other skills, which is one problem that it should be improved on However, the reading texts and exercises in the textbook really enabled me to comprehend and recall all the knowledge easily I hope that there could be more room for other language skills, especially listening skill I: Are you satisfied with the number of vocabularies presented in the textbook? S.1: I’m quite pleased, though it is hard sometimes for me to remember all those new words I: What about the number of grammatical points? S.1: Although we have been taught basic knowledge of grammatical rules during our first year at university, it would be better that we could have the chance to review some grammatical points like passive voice and prepositions This is because the required reading exercises require a good command of such grammatical knowledge and without it, we could not have completed our tasks successfully I: What you think of the textbook and the course in general? I mean what you like and what you want to change? 76 S.1: For each presentation, we made every effort to present the information in the most interesting way The fact that we communicated completely in English made the class an ideal environment to learn English However, we did hope that the lecturer could make the lessons themselves more engaging to us by means of visual aids like pictures and videos I: Thank you very much It’s the end of the interview Thanks again for your cooperation S.1: You are welcome APPENDIX 7.2: Student I: Good morning It is my honor today to have you in the interview S.2: Good morning I hope that I can help you as much as possible I: Thank you First I would like to ask you about the normal procedure of an ESP lesson? S.2: Prior to each lesson, we were required to pre-read the reading texts and work in groups to prepare a presentation to report what we had read so far After that, the lecturer helped us to explain some key terms, summarize the reading texts and correct the reading exercises I: Do you find the teacher’s explanations of the key terms satisfactory? S.2: As the teacher only used English in class without the help of any visual aids, I sometimes had difficulty in fully understanding the new terms Besides, I hoped that there would be a glossary of new words at the end of the textbook so that I could revise the vocabulary in a more organized way I: Is it true that your English level cannot help you to keep up with the lesson? S.2: It is not because of my proficiency level but the way the new words were presented is hard to us to follow due to the lack of pictures and careful explanation Besides, the topics of the textbook are of maritime field, our specialized knowledge, unlike what we had learnt in the previous semesters Before attending the course “Foreign language 1”, all of the students are required to take two courses of General English, in which students learn necessary knowledge of grammatical points as well as four language skills on the basis of common everyday topics 77 I: I see What you think of the proportion of language skills in the textbook? Are you satisfied or not? S.2: In this English course, we had the chance to practice reading and speaking skills a lot We had to pre-read our reading texts before the class and present it in front of our fellow classmates, which greatly improved our speaking skill However, it is a pity that listening and writing skills were not covered in the textbook I: What can be the reasons why you think that listening and writing skills should be covered as well? S.2: I have the chance to an intership at a logistics company, I have to deal with customers on a daily basis mainly through emails and phone calls I have a tons of difficulties at first because I cannot figure out what they are talking and writing because of the key terms Hence, I wish that I had been taught using those key terms in listening and writing skills APPENDIX 7.3: Student I: Good morning! I am so grateful that you accept my invitation to the interview S.3: Not a big deal I: I can see that you are one of the few students who have reached B2 level of English and also taken an IELTS test With such a high level of proficiency, you encounter any difficulty in learning “Foreign language 1”? S.3: Although I have reached B2 proficiency level of English as my IELTS score is 6.0, I found it quite hard to fully understand all the new words in the textbook Hence, specialized knowledge presented in the reading texts was also a nuisance for me because I could not learn the new words well in the first place I: What you think led to such problems in learning new words? S.3: In the class, the teacher only explained the technical terms and gave some reading exercises for us to recall the knowledge However, we expected the lessons to be more attractive For example, there could be some mini games instead of doing reading exercises all the time Maybe because of the way new words were introduced, I found it quite boring to learn them; hence, that’s the reason why I had trouble in remembering them 78 I: Besides the problem of learning new words, what aspects of the textbook that you think should be improved? S.3: I think everything else is OK I: Are you satisfied with the proportion of skills presented in the textbook? S.3: It quite met my needs, as I wanted to obtain more knowledge about my major without focusing too much on English skills I: I see your point Thank you very much APPENDIX 7.4: Teacher I: Good morning, teacher! It is my honor that you accepted my invitation to the interview T: You are welcome I: Firstly, I want to start the interview with a question about what objectives this ESP course covers Can you tell me specifically about those objectives? T: If you read the description about the major “Global studies and maritime affairs” on our website, you will immediately see that the objectives for the output are set in accordance with the requirements from the employers And the ESP course “Foreign Language 1” and “Foreign language 2” provide the basic knowledge of key terms in the major for students before they learn their specialized subjects I: Do you think that the textbooks are suitable for achieving those goals? T: Absolutely yes They perfectly meet objectives I: To what extent are you satisfied with the textbook? T: Overall, I think that the textbook suits our students’ needs and equips them with necessary knowledge to be ready for further studies as well as future careers We, as teachers, have little difficulty in utilizing the textbook and designing classroom activities for students; although we also have to resort to other sources to create additional exercises I have no other comments I: Thank you very much I am very grateful that you gave me such useful comments Thanks again for your cooperation! 79 APPENDIX An extract of unit from the textbook “Foreign language – Global studies and Maritime affairs” 80 81 82 ... study aims to evaluate an ESP textbook used for students at a nautical university in Vietnam based on the analysis of the needs of 40 students studying the major Global studies and Maritime Affairs,... biggest maritime universities in Vietnam, all the materials for the course “Global studies and Maritime affairs” are directly imported and adapted from the materials in a Maritime Academy in America,... foundation for ESP McDonough (1984) also shares the primacy of need analysis in designing an ESP course by stating that “the idea of analysing the language needs of the learner as a basis for course