关于韦博国际英语的专门用途课程的反思：实践与局限性

陈慧端

[Abstract：This paper is a reflection on an ESP course that the author worked as Educational Manager at Xiamen Web International English Center against the common theories of ESP teaching.Web International English Xiamen Center integrated Computer-assisted Language Learning（CALL），ESL teachers，private classes and salon classes to improve adult learnerscommunicative competence.Qualitative research methodologies were employed to record and reflect the ESP course.Theories and practical methods of each step in the procedure are briefly discussed，followed by the practice and limitations.The main methodology is participantsinterviews which are conducted as two different types of interviews，teachersinterviews and studentsinterviews.

Key words：ESP；CALL；ESL teachers；private classes；salon classes]

1 Introduction

In todays global world，the importance of English cant be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken.There are over one billion people learning English in the world for different reasons（Beare，2006）.English for Specific Purpose（ESP）is specialized English language teaching that aims to develop specific skills of the learners in response to the needs identified or indicated by various stakeholders.Tom Hutchinson and Alan Waters（1991）stated that ESP is an approach to language learning and teaching，which is based on learnersneed.ESP has in practice in China for the last decade（Fan Yi，1995）.A number of foreign trade companies in Xiamen are in urgent need of language training for their employees.

However，the teaching objectives，teaching content and teaching methods of the adult continuing education in China are close to the regular higher education which mainly emphasizes theoretical knowledge other than skills training and classroom lectures rather than practical application，ignoring the adult learning characteristics and rules（Qing Li，2014）.Considering studentsneeds and different learning proficiency with the orientation of the employment needs and job-oriented skills training，Web International English Xiamen Center developed its own ESP course.

Webs ESP course is comprised of CALL，private classes and salon classes.Computer-assisted Language Learning（CALL），which can relate to learners with special interest areas，has become prevalent in schools of all levels.Computers have been used at homes，schools and organizations.Learners can log on DynEd computer program to practice English.And then book private classes and salon classes to consolidate and communicate with ESL teachers and other students.

This research mainly discusses the course design with the guidance of ESP approach at Web International English.This research interviews teachers and students on the effectiveness and satisfaction about the course.

Research Questions.This study had three major research questions it aimed to address.All three questions focused on obtaining information about the participants personal opinions and actual real-life usage of CALL，the effectiveness of private classes with ESL teachers and the communication in salon classes.

Do adult participants learning in a second language context enjoy using computers or the Internet technologies as a method of English language acquisition？

Do adult participants benefit more from the ESL teachers in the private classes？

Do salon classes accommodate the needs of adult participants and help build up their communication competence？

The first question was aimed at exploring and explaining insights into how the

adult participants feel about using Dyned courseware to help them learn English.The questionnaire used questions to ask the participants about their past experience with technology and about their enjoyment levels when using CALL to help them learn a language and their feedbacks on ESL teachers teaching performances，private classes and salon classes.

2 Literature Review

2.1 ESP definitions

English has been widely used in the world.With the development of economic globalization，international communication and integration，English for Specific Purpose turned up and has enjoyed much popularity since recent years.

ESP meets diverse needs of English language learners and may improve English language training in globalization education（Riemer，2002）.“ESP focuses the learners attention on the language and communication requirement in a particular professional field”（Riemer，2002，p93），ESP teachers should select suitable materials from reliable and valid sources for language learners to use in order to achieve specific needs（Riemer，2002）.

“English for specific purposes（ESP）is founded on the linguistic theories of John Swale developed in 1986 and 1990”（Carter，Ferzli，&Wiebe，2004，p399）.In 1984，Tom Hutchinson &Alan Water，ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners reason for learning； it should be seen not as any particular language product but an approach to language teaching which is directed by specific and apparent reasons for learning（Hutchinson&Waters，1987，P19）.They also draw a tree to illustrate their definition.

Taken from Hutchinson&Waters（1991，p17）.

According to Tom Hutchinson&Alan Waterstree，ESP is not a single subject but a comprehensive entity.ESPs Position in Whole English Family refers to how ESP is integrated into English subject.According to Tom Hutchinson&Alan Waterstree，ESP and GE are equal in position in English hierarchical system.Thus，its obvious that Tom Hutchinson&Alan Waters firmly integrates ESP into English Teaching Umbrella and never treats ESP as isolation from GE.

Furthermore，many other linguists have also defined ESP.Holliday argued that，“Every one of the specialized needs requires，before it can be met by appropriate teaching materials，detailed studies of restricted languages and special registers carried out on the basis of large samples of the languages used by the particular persons concerned.”（Halliday，1964，P190）

In 1998，Dudley-Evans and St.John identify five key roles for the ESP practitioner：①collaborator；②researcher；③course designer；④material provider；⑤teacher and elevator（Gatehouse，2001）.

There are three areas of ESP theory which influence ESP development：①corpus analysis；②systemic functional linguistic；and③genre analysis（Hewings，2005）.

2.2 ESP in China

ESP firstly appeared in China at the end of 1970s，with the representative articles Teaching and Research of Science English，Research of the Situation and Teaching of Science English in Foreign Nations by Yang Hui-zhong in 1978（Qin Xiubai，2003）.Since Chinas entering into WTO，ESP has been getting more and more popular.More and more countries are involved in doing business across borders alongside the globalization and internationalization of markets and businesses.Therefore，understanding the use of business language across cultures is essential for todays business world.In China，ESP courses are delivered not only to undergraduates but also to junior college students and post graduates.At present there are about19，000，000students in about1030higher education institutes（Liu Runqing，Dai Manchun，2003，p12）.ESP represents the tendency of ELT development in the21century（Liu Runqing，1996）.

2.3 Computer-Assisted Language Learning

The increasing use of both computers and the Internet in adult English language classrooms has widespread repercussions for English language programs（Coryell，J.&Chlup，D.，2007）.The ability to offer students the option of self-directed learning and to connect learning to valuable work skills and personal use has led many adult education programs to incorporate computers in their curriculum（Dillon-Marable，E.，& Valentine，T.，2006）.Nunan states the opinion that，“no curriculum can claim to be truly learner-centered unless the learners subjective needs and perceptions relating to the process of learning are taken into account”（Nunan，1998，p177）.

The use of computers in language learning can be distinguished into two different categories：tutor and tool.Creating a division in the world of computer applications for language learning became popularized in Levy（1997）（Hubbard，2005）.This division is based upon the specific functioning role of the computer.Using computers as a tutor allows the students to complete language learning exercises.These teaching exercises are typically found in multimedia programs that include grammar，reading，listening，and speaking activities.On the other hand，using computers as a tool means that students are using them for communication in the L2，such as discussion boards or emails.These tool based activities are more closely related to socio-cultural aspects of language learning（Fischer，R.，2007）.Web International English Xiamen center mainly adopts the former function.Web International English uses Dyned program to assist adult studentslanguage learning.Students are required to finish the mastery tests before taking private classes.There are several types of questions in each Mastery Test，ranging from multiple-choice，listening comprehension，sentence construction，to sentence ordering.The Completion Percentage is shown in the student records.It is a relative measure of the quality and depth of study in each unit of the course as compared to a baseline student with no prior English study at or above the placement level and whose native language is dissimilar to English.More importantly，the Completion Percentage score indicates how thoroughly a student has studied and practiced each lesson.Unlike most subjects，the study of language involves at least as much practice as study.Since language comprehension must be nearly instantaneous if oral communication is to take place，the learning of a second language should be approached as a skill to be acquired，and not merely an ‘understandingof grammar rules and vocabulary.Successful language learning therefore requires‘over-learningand considerable focused practice（www.dyned.com）.The CALL program also uses a Natural Language Processor（Salaberry，R.，2001）.This processor has the ability to analyze student responses and compare them to target language aspects and identify areas of need within the student.

The advantages of CALL are well documented.Commonly listed features are motivation，control of teaching/learning，and individualization of learning（Balajthy，1987；Cook，1985；Dalgish，1987；Davis，1982；Higgins&Johns，1984）

2.4 ESL teachers，private classes and salon classes

Web International English Xiamen Center hires ESL teachers who has bachelor degree and above with CELTA or equivalent teaching qualification.And valid ESL teaching experience is valued.The full-time ESL teachers must be native English speaker with strong oral and written communication skills.However，Among 8 full-time ESL teachers，only 2 out of them have relevant experiences in business management or business English teaching.

Webs course program is comprised of 8 stages：icebreaker，threshold；beginner，lower intermediate，business-intermediate，intermediate； business-advanced，advanced.Progressive study objectives are set for each stage to effectively guide students towards mastery of the language.Among them，Business-Intermediate and Business-Advanced are aimed at facilitating studentsEnglish in business setting.It offers a complete English learning environment which includes ESL teachers，private classes，CALL（Computer Assisted Language Learning）system，and many different salons，as well as extras such as original English movie classes English Corners and Extra Curricular trips.Students need to take a placement test and pass2.0before taking BI class.The teaching aims for BI level is to be familiar with the language structure and to be able to use English competently in a number of different situations.The teaching aims for BA level is to be able to use complicated and analytical expressions，focused on topics such as business negotiations，policy making，and activity design，business writing is also emphasized.Generally speaking，there are more than20topics in each level，including telephone tactics，interviews and resumes，corporate culture，presentation skills etc（Appendix1）.Students are expected to do drill practice and listening on the courseware and then book the private class.In order to help students to get more chances to practice，salon discussion class give students more opportunities to use their newly acquired knowledge and to identify any problems.For instance，ESL will simulate a forthcoming negotiation meeting，students play different roles in the meeting.Through this kind of tangible，definite and effective study procedure English learners will be able to form an English language frame in their mind which will help them in real-time English communication.At the end of the course，students are required to choose a topic and give a presentation.

3 Research Method

Following the line of thinking，a qualitative study of ESL teachers and BI and BA levels studentsfeedback is proposed，using interviews and questionnaires as the primary research approach.They will begin with unstructured questions such as the following：“Have you ever used Computers or DVDs or other multimedia methods to assist your English language？If so，how do like the method？”“What are your communication needs in the business workplace？”Often，with only an occasional question from me for clarification，it is anticipated that the adults will talk about a wide variety of topics throughout an extended interview.

It is anticipated that up to 10 interviews and any necessary follow-up interviews will be conducted during the course.All interviews will be tape-recorded and pilot interviews will also be conducted.The interviews will be informal and open-ended，and carried out in a conversational style.

In addition to the interviews，when participants finish the BI or BA level，a follow-up interview will be conducted.I expect to obtain other data throughout the study，such as comments from administrative，ESL teachers，and the adult learners（Appendix2）.

Limitation.Unlike GE，ESP is taught to learners who have already passed 2.0 in the placement test.In other words，they have accumulated some English skills.Meanwhile，characterized by the mixture of English level and specific knowledge，ESP has its dual nature.Besides，due to adult learners are from different companies，they might have different levels of specific knowledge in Business.In relation to this broadness of Business English，Ellie&Johnson（2003）present three basic categories of Business learners：①Pre-experience learners：students at business schools，who have no prior experience of doing business in the workplace；②Low-experienced learners：junior company members and learners who are changing jobs；③Job-experienced learners：those in work who need Business English for a broad variety of reasons.

All learners are expected to pass mastery test on the Dyned program before booking class.So they will take different ESL teachersprivate classes and salon classes and meet with different classmates.Obviously，teachers who have the experience in teaching ESP are able to do well in teaching.

4 Expectations

When the participants were asked about their previous experience using computers or Internet，the questionnaire results might show that most of them had multiple years of computer usage.And they are comfortable using computers or the Internet in English.But few of them might use course like Dyned before.So when participants start to use the software，they might not be used to the learning system.Most of the BI or BA students take full-time jobs in the day.And participants need to imitation and read aloud and practice for over1hour each time before reaching the completion percentage.They may be impatient to pass the mastery test so as to book the class.

As for private classes，there are less than 4 students in a class.Participants will be enough chances to practice and communicate with ESL teachers.ESL teachers will write down the key points and explicit error corrections on participantsstudy reports.In this way，students are able to reflect on what they have learned and correct their mistakes immediately.Salon classes provide a very good platform for students to do real-time communication.

Last but not least，ESL teachers need special training before giving classes.Ellie&Johnson（2003）stressed that the first requirement for any Business English trainer is to be an expert in language teaching：the second requirement is to develop awareness of the needs and concerns of business people and to become flexible enough to respond to these needs，which has to be developed throughout a trainers career and there is no room for complacency at any stage.

5 Timetable

[Task Oct.Week

1-2 Oct.Week

3-4 Nov.Week

1-2 Nov.Week

3-4 Dec.Week

1-2 Dec.

Week

3-4 Jan.

Week

1-2 Jan.

Week

3-4 Feb.

Week

1-2 Feb.

Week

3-4 Select topic Confirm research questions Research proposal Questionaire

survey Data entry and analysis Introduction and literature review Findings and discussion Conclusions and Recommend-ations Final format and indexing Print， bind submit ]

Appendix1

Business Intermediate Salon topics Sheet

1.Complaints.

2.A Dying Company.

3.Key Introductions.

4.Telephone Tactics

5.Logos，Slogans，Brands and Mission Statements.

6.Value and Worth.

7.The World of Work.

8.Business Design.

9.Interviews and Resumes.

10Traveling for Business.

11.Describing Trends

12.Preparing for Meetings.

13.Business Ethics

14.Business Idioms.

15.The Horrible Truth about Business.

16.The Business Meal.

17.Writing English

18.Asking the Right Questions.

19.Leadership.

20.Business Phrasal Verbs.

21.Describing Work.

22.Managing a Project.

23.Describing Systems.

24.Intentions

25.Customer Service.

26.Work-Life Balance

27.Business Meeting Activity：The Training Budget.

28.Business Meeting Activity：The Head Office.

29.Business Meeting Activity：The Chocolate Factory.

30.A Place of Work

31.Business Meeting Activity：Quality and Personnel.

32.A New Idea

33.Achievements

34.Business Meeting Activity：Changing Names.

35.Projects.

Business Advanced Salon Topic Sheet

1.Breakfast Cereals.

2.Selling Off A Line Of Business.

3.Human Resources Management.

4.Advanced Business Design

5.Servicing A Debt.

6.Idioms，Quotations and Interjections.

7.Dealing With Mistakes.

8.Luxury Perfumes.

9.No Smoking.

10.Telephone Skills.

11.Email Skills.

12.Where Should I Put My Money？

13.Decision Maker Activity：A Year in Fashion.

14.Decision Maker Activity：Big Fish Dont Jump.

15.Decision Maker Activity：The Barbecue.

16.Decision Maker Activity：The Hohokum Virus.

17.Decision Maker Activity：Wall Street Blues.

18.Decision Maker Activity：Dirty Work.

19.Decision Maker Activity：Selling Your Soul.

20.Decision Maker Activity：Advertising.

21.Decision Maker Activity：Hard Times.

22.Corporate Culture

23.Presentation Skills

24.Office Work

25.Negotiating 1

26.Negotiating 2

27.Meetings Practice 1

28.Meetings Practice 2

29.Managing the Future

30.Customer Service 1

31.Customer Service 2

32.Case Study-Federal Motors

33.A big new feature film

34.Law and Order

35.What They Think of Us and What We Think of Them

Appendix 2 Questionnaires

BI&BA levels adult learnersperceptions of Web International English ESP-Business English course

Please complete the questionnaire truly according to your own situation and your own thinking.Feel free to answer open questions.Your participation is completely voluntary.Your answers to the question will be kept confidential and anonymous and used for research purposes only.Your answers will not be disclosed to anybody except me as the researcher.

Part A：General information

Your present work： .

The size of your company： .

The main business scope： .

Your present position： .

The city where you work： .

Part B：Students Satisfaction

Did you finish your entire BI or BA level course？

A.All

B.More than 80% of the course

C.More than 60% of the course

D.Less than 50% of the course

E.Less than 20% of the course

1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neutral 4=agree 5=strongly agree

1.I was able to share the learning experiences with other students in this course. 1 2 3 4 5

2.The ESL teachers helped me identified problem areas with my studies in this course.

3.Dyned courseware is easy to use and help me a lot. 1 2 3 4 5

4.I benefit a lot from the private classes. 1 2 3 4 5

5.I enjoy the topics and discussions in salon classes. 1 2 3 4 5

After taking this course，I have improved the following language skills.

Speaking

S1.Giving presentations 1 2 3 4 5

S2.Instructing or demonstrating on the job. 1 2 3 4 5

S3.Giving descriptions and explanations 1 2 3 4 5

Interacting

I1.Visiting a company or receiving visitors 1 2 3 4 5

I2.Showing visitors around or being shown around 1 2 3 4 5

I3.Participating in discussing and meeting 1 2 3 4 5

I4.Interviewing 1 2 3 4 5

I5.Negotiating 1 2 3 4 5

Writing

W1.Sending and receiving letters and faxes 1 2 3 4 5

W2.Sending and receiving emails 1 2 3 4 5

W3.Memos and short reports 1 2 3 4 5

W4.Long reports and articles for professional journals 1 2 3 4 5

Part C：Open questions

1.Which ESL teachersclass do you like best？Why？

2.In your opinion，what should be included into this course as well？

3.Do you think its necessary to pass the completion percentage before booking the private classes？Why or why not？

Thank you for your cooperation！

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