Abstract
English for specific purposes (ESP) has evolved as an important sub-field of English language education to meet the career-related needs of non-native speakers of English in a wide variety of contexts. As such, ESP instruction in specialized subject areas ranging from vocational (e.g., tourism and hospitality) to professional (e.g., international law or banking) to academic (e.g., thesis and dissertation writing) is often integrated in the training and degree programs offered at higher education institutions. However, the ability of these institutions to provide adequate ESP instruction has often been called into question, with critics indicating that insufficient resources and planning, lack of teacher preparedness, and low motivation of students result in courses that cover little more than basic language skills. With these concerns in mind, the researchers carried out the present study to examine the circumstances at two state-run universities in Turkey and Latvia, calling on 12 ESP instructors to describe their views in terms of their institutional environment, their level of training and preparedness, and their individual efforts to overcome the challenges they faced in their practice. The results demonstrate that institutional problems (e.g., poor planning and management and overcrowded classrooms), students’ lack of basic English skills, limited access to specialized teacher training and difficulties with subject-area terminology created obstacles to carrying out more than basic English instruction. In light of the results, some recommendations are offered with respect to program design, teacher training and teacher motivation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Allett, N., Keightly, E., & Pickering, M. (2011). Using self-interviews to research memory. Manchester: Realities at the Morgan Center.
Altmışdört, G. (2016). An analysis of language teacher education programs: A comparative study of Turkey and other European countries. English Language Teaching, 9(8), 213–223.
Bracaj, M. (2014). Teaching English for specific purposes and teacher training. European Scientific Journal, 10(2), 40–49.
British Council. (2015). The state of English in higher education in Turkey: A baseline study. Ankara: Author.
Büyükkantarcıoğlu, N. (2004). A sociolinguistic analysis of the present dimension of English as a foreign language in Turkey. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 165, 33–58.
Çelik, S. (2016). Setting new standards for in-service teacher training: A model for responsive professional development in the context of English language teaching. In K. Dikilitaş & İ. H. Erten (Eds.), Facilitating in-service teacher training for professional development (pp. 300–310). Hershey: IGI Global.
Çelik, S. (Submitted). Professional development for teachers of English as a foreign language: Making the grade, or missing the mark?
Charles, M. (2013). English for academic purposes. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), Handbook of English for specific purposes (pp. 137–154). West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
Chen, Y. (2011). The institutional turn and the crisis of ESP pedagogy in Taiwan. Taiwan International ESP Journal, 3(1), 17–30.
Coşgun-Ögeyik, M. (2009). Evaluation of English language teaching education curriculum by student teachers. İnsan ve Toplum [Humanity and Society], 9(1), 42–57.
Council of Higher Education (CoHE). (2014). Higher education system in Turkey. Ankara: Author.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Daloğlu, A. (2004). A professional development program for primary school English language teachers in Turkey: Designing a materials bank. International Journal of Educational Development, 24, 677–690.
DeVillar, R., & Jiang, B. (2006). Professional development of EFL teachers in Mexico: Examining cross-cultural and global linkages, influences and outcomes. Journal of Global Initiatives, 1(1), 21–42.
Druviete, I. (1997). Change of language hierarchy in Latvia: Language skills and attitudes to language policy. In A. De Houwer (Ed.), Recent studies in contact linguistics/research Centre on multilingualism at the Catholic University of Brussels (Plurilingua, XVIII) (pp. 84–91). Bonn: Duemmler.
Druviete, I. (1999). Language policy in a changing society: Problematic issues in the implementation of international linguistic human rights standards. In M. Kontra et al. (Eds.), Language: A right and a resource: Approaching linguistic human rights. Budapest: CEU Press.
Druviete, I. (2000). Sociolinguistic aspects of bilingual education in Latvia. In U. Ammon, K. J. Mattheier, & P. H. Nelde (Eds.), Sociolinguistica: Intern. Jahrbuch fur Europaische Soziolinguistik. Tubingen: M. Niemeyer.
Dudley-Evans, T., & St. John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Flowerdew, L. (2012). Needs analysis and curriculum development in ESP. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), Handbook of English for specific purposes (pp. 325–346). West Sussex: Wiley.
Fujimoko-Adamson, N., & Adamson, J. (2017). From EFL to EMI: Hybrid practices in English as a medium of instruction in Japanese tertiary contexts. In Y. Kirkgöz & K. Dikilitaş (Eds.), Key issues in English for specific purposes. New York: Springer.
Gatehouse, K. (2001). Key issues in English for specific purposes curriculum development Internet TESL Journal, 7(10), Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Gatehouse-ESP.html
Hoa, N. T. T., & Mai, P. T. T. (2016). Difficulties in teaching English for specific purposes: Empirical study at Vietnam universities. Higher Education Studies, 6(2), 154–161.
Hyland, K. (2007). English for specific purposes: Some influences and impacts. In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International handbook of English language teaching (Vol. 1, pp. 391–402). New York: Springer.
Karakaş, A. (2012). Evaluation of the English language teacher education program in Turkey. ELT Weekly, 4(15), 1–16.
Kırkgöz, Y. (2007). English language teaching in Turkey: Policy changes and their implementations. Regional Language Center Journal, 38(2), 216–228.
Kırkgöz, Y. (2009). Globalization and English language policy in Turkey. Educational Policy, 23(5), 663–684.
Kırkgöz, Y., Çelik, S., & Arikan, A. (2016). Laying the theoretical and practical foundations for a new elementary English curriculum in Turkey: A procedural analysis. Kastamonu Education Journal, 24(3), 1199–1212.
Kızıldağ, A. (2009). Teaching English in Turkey: Dialogues with teachers about the challenges in public primary schools. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 1(3), 188–201.
Kvale, S. (2007). Doing interviews. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Mačianskienė, N., & Bijeikienė, M. (2017). Fostering active learner engagement in ESP classes. In Y. Kirkgöz & K. Dikilitaş (Eds.), Key issues in English for specific purposes. Cham: Springer.
Maruyama, H. (1996). Difficulties in teaching technical English in Japan. Revista de Lenguas para Fines Especificos, 3, 216–231.
Özer, B. (2005). Ortaöğretim öğretmenlerinin mesleki gelişime ilgisi [Secondary school teachers’ interest in professional development]. Eğitim Bilimleri ve Uygulama, 4(8), 209–219.
Özmusul, M. (2011). Öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimi: İrlanda, Litvanya ve Türkiye incelemesi [Teachers’ professional development: Analysis of Ireland, Lithuania and Turkey]. E-Journal of New World Sciences Academy, 6(1), 394–405.
Soruç, A., Dinler, A., & Griffiths, C. (2017). Listening comprehension strategies of EMI students in Turkey. In Y. Kirkgöz & K. Dikilitaş (Eds.), Key issues in English for specific purposes. New York: Springer.
Stavicka, A. (2015). Foreign language studies in the context of higher education (Unpublished internationalization/Doctoral thesis). University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
Suzani, S. M., Yarmohammadi, L., & Yamini, M. (2011). A critical review of the current situation of teaching ESP in the Iranian higher education institutions. The Iranian EFL Journal, 7(6), 179–204.
Thompson, P. (2013). Thesis and dissertation writing. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), Handbook of English for specific purposes (pp. 283–300). West Sussex: Wiley.
Ăśnal, A. (2014, March). The problems encountered in English for specific purposes: Business department case. Paper presented at the Clute Institute International Academic Conference, Munich, Germany.
University of Latvia (n.d.). Professional teacher master studies program. Sub-program: Basic English teacher education. In University of Latvia study programs. http://www.lu.lv/eng/istudents/degree/study/basic-education-english-teacher/
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Yüksel, İ. (2012). The current developments in teacher education in Turkey on the threshold of [the] European Union. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(8), 49–56.
Additional Sources
Annual Report of the University of Latvia. University of Latvia: Riga, 2015.
Central Statistical Bureau. [http://www.csb.gov.lv/en]
Latvian news portal, www.diena.lv, 16.02.2017 http://www.diena.lv/raksts/latvija/zinas/aip-tomer-neiebilst-pret-rpiva-reorganizacijas-turpinasanu-14166191
Regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, Nr 662, 2014. https://likumi.lv/ta/id/269965
Study Plan, University of Latvia, 2016 http://www.lu.lv/gribustudet/pamatstudijas/programmas/2017-2018-rud/skolotajs/
VIAA State Education Development Agency, 2015 http://izm.gov.lv/lv/education/education-system-in-latvia?highlight=WyJoaWdoZXIiLCJlZHVjYXRpb24iLCInZWR1Y2F0aW9uIiwiaGlnaGVyIGVkdWNhdGlvbiJd
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Çelik, S., Stavicka, A., Odina, I. (2018). Are We Really Teaching English for Specific Purposes, or Basic English Skills? The Cases of Turkey and Latvia. In: Kırkgöz, Y., Dikilitaş, K. (eds) Key Issues in English for Specific Purposes in Higher Education. English Language Education, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70214-8_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70214-8_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70213-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70214-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)