1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Vietnam Forestry University offers English for Environmental Science which is a compulsory course for the third year students of Business Management Department. The course book was compiled by teachers at Foreign Language Department and has been published only for students of the university since the academic year 2005 2006. During the academic year, around 200 students of the third year study this course. The researcher had the opportunity to teach English for Environment Science to those students half of academic year. But do all ESP course designers try to gain insight into learners perceived needs, wants, and lacks? Teachers may rely more often on intuition when making course planning than on informed assessment of learners needs (Barkuizen 1998, Spratt 1999 as cited in Davies 2006). Since certain chapters of the books seem to have been designed without involving learners in the course design process, it is quite likely that they may not reflect the needs and interests of any particular learner groups. The readymade book is prescribed for all students of any background of English; it is the responsibility of the ESP practitioner to evaluate the congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs and to make any adaptation suitable to better enable learners to learn effectively and meet the learners needs. 1.2 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. With the globalization of trade and economy and the continuing increase of international communication in various fields, the demand for English for Specific Purposes is expanding, especially in countries where English is taught as a Foreign Language. In Vietnam, the ESP movement is a young and developing branch of EFL. ESP has shown a slow but definite growth over the past few years. Its development is reflected in the increasing number of universities offering BA and MA in ESP (e.g. Hanoi University) and in the number of ESP courses offered to overseas students in English speaking countries. In particular, increased interest has been spurred

since Vietnam opened its doors and recently entered WTO with a lot of well-paid job opportunities for English competent employees. This has led to a rapid growth in English courses aimed at specific disciplines, e.g. English for Forestry, in place of the more traditional 'General English' ones. Even though ESP courses have become popular recently in Vietnam and many institutions and universities offer ESP courses for senior students, for years ESP courses are given with already made books or ESP materials compiled without students needs analysis. Such approach fundamentally ignores the learners personal interests. This often leads to low motivation in their English studies and, in turn, poor performance later when they use English in their future profession. In response to these problems, it is important that university English faculties need to design or adapt ESP courses in the way that students needs are paid attention to. This means that ESP course objectives should be congruent with learners needs and therefore best prepare learners for future professional communication. However, to do this, it requires a complete understanding what are students needs and ESP course objectives. How can teachers develop a new course whose objectives congruent with learners needs? Where should they start? What are the ways that best find out students needs? What are the objectives that can best congruent with students needs? What should be included in an ESP course? These are some of the questions that ESP course designers or ESP instructors should answer and they help to improve the quality of the ESP courses. This is the reason that inspired me to conduct this study in a hope that the study can help at least improve the quality of ESP course at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. 1.3 Aims of the study The writer intends to centre this study on the following major aims: To find out learners needs (third term students who are studying ESP course at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry Industry). To study ESP course objectives of English for Environmental Science book designed by teachers at Foreign Language Department to be applied for third year students at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University;

To investigate the congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs in Vietnam Forestry University;

To suggest any adaptation suitable to better enable learners to learn effectively and meet the learners needs.

1.4 The scope and the significance of the study This study cannot cover all the aspects of needs analysis and course objectives. The study just investigates the stated ESP course objectives in the ESP materials, the book English for Environmental Science, designed by teachers at Foreign Language Department and tries to find out learners needs at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. The subjects of the study are the third-year students at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. The current ESP reading textbook is English for Environmental Science. The findings of the study will hopefully serve as a back-up for the improvement of the ESP syllabus. Practically, those findings are believed to be beneficial to teachers, course designers as well as students at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. 1.5. The overview of the study The study comprises four chapters: Introduction, Literature Review,

Methodology, Data analysis and Findings, and Recommendations and Conclusion. Chapter 1; Introduction, provides information on the background to the study, the rationale, the aims as well as the scope and significance of the study and the outline of the study. Chapter 2, Literature Review, reviews the literature related to three main areas. First, it is a brief overview of different writers opinions on ESP. Second, It looks at the theory of course objectives. And finally, theory of needs analysis and related issues are discussed.

Chapter 3, Methodology, Data analysis and Findings, includes the research questions, the description of the subjects, and the description of data collection instruments, and the findings of the study. Chapter 4, Suggested adaptations and Conclusion, presents the writers suggestions for adaptation suitable to better enable learners to learn effectively and meet the learners needs. After that, there will be the conclusion of the thesis.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter, literature review, will look at the three main issues that are relevant to the study: the conception of ESP, need analysis and course objectives. In the first section, the author would like to present briefly an overview of ESP which tackles several prominent definitions of the term as well as some differences between ESP and general English. The second section will discuss the issues of needs analysis. And finally, the theory of course objectives will be reviewed in the last section of this chapter. 2.1 An overview of ESP 2.1.1 What is ESP? According to Hutchinson and Waters (1997) ESP is one important branch of EFL/ESL (English as a Foreign/Second Language) system that functions as the main branch of English language teaching ELT. Therefore, ESP is not a particular kind of language or methodology, but rather an approach to language learning whereby the contents and methods are based on the learners particular needs to learn the language. Since its emergence, much effort has been made to give an exact definition of ESP. There are almost as many definitions of ESP as the number of scholars who have attempted to define it. Many others have tried to define ESP in terms of what it is not rather than in terms of what it really is. But for the purpose of exploring what ESP really means these definitions will not be looked at. Mackay and Mountford (1978) defined ESP as the teaching of English for clearly utilitarian purposes (p. 2). The purposes they refer to are defined by the needs of the learners, which could be academic, occupational, or scientific. These needs in turn determine the contents of ESP curriculum to be taught and learned. Mackay and Mountford also defined ESP as a special language that is taught in specific settings by certain participants. They stated that those participants are usually adults. They focused on adults because adults are usually highly conscious of the reasons to attain English proficiency in a determined field of specialization, and because adults make real use of special language in the special settings in which they work. Strevens (1977, p. 90) said: ESP courses are those in which the aims and the

contents are determined, principally or wholly, not by criteria of general educationbut by functional and practical English language requirements of the learners. Robinson (1980) defined ESP courses as the ones in which participants have specific goals and purposes (again, academic, occupational, and scientific). She cited Strevens (1977) to emphasize that the purposes language learners have for using language are of paramount importance. She stated that those purposes must be understood as the driving force of the curriculum in a way that would help teachers and learners to not let irrelevant materials be introduced into the course. She also placed the learners in the role of curriculum designers in order to make the curriculum more learner-centered. Strevens also argued that ESP courses are those that are almost strictly based on the analysis of the participants needs - a key and crucial element - in order to tailor the curriculum to meet its true purposes. Dudley-Evans (Dudley-Evans and St John, M.T. 1998, p.56) took a general approach in defining what ESP really is in terms of absolute and variable characteristics as follows:
ESP 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 was clearly influenced by that of Strevens (1988), although he 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. According to Widdowson (1983) ESP is viewed as parasitic in nature because it largely depends on the demands and requirements of the other disciplines and areas of expertise and activities. While Hutchinson and Water (1987) considered ESP as an approach, not product in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners reason for learning. This means ESP does not involve any particular kind of language, teaching material or methodology, but it is an approach to language learning, which is based on learners needs. They claim that ESP is not a matter of etching specialized varieties of English and ESP is not different in kind from any other form of language teaching (Hutchinson, T. and Water, A., 1987). From the definition, we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline (subject), nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range or in other words ESP can be applied to any subject and any learner. ESP should be seen simple 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 et al. (1987:19) who states, ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to contents and method are based on the learners reason for learning. The last definition of ESP is the definition that this study will definitely employ in the process of examining the congruence between the course objectives stated in the current teaching material and the studying needs of the learners at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. 2.1.2 Is ESP different from GE? The above definitions have shown how broad ESP really is. In fact, one may ask What is the difference between the ESP and GE approach? Hutchinson et al. (1987:53) answer this quite simply, in theory nothing, in practice a great deal. When their book was written, the Hutchinsons answer was quite true. At the time, teachers of General English courses, while acknowledging that students had a specific purpose for studying English, would rarely conduct a needs analysis to find out what was necessary to actually achieve it. Teachers nowadays, however, are much more

aware of the importance of needs analysis, and certainly materials writers think very carefully about the goals of learners at all stages of materials production. Perhaps this demonstrates the influence that the ESP approach has had on English teaching in general. Clearly the line between where General English courses stop and ESP courses start has become very vague indeed. Rather ironically, while many General English teachers can be described as using an ESP approach, basing their syllabi on a learner needs analysis and their own specialist knowledge of using English for real communication, it is the majority of so-called ESP teachers that are using an approach furthest from that described above. Instead of conducting interviews with specialists in the field, analyzing the language that is required in the profession, or even conducting students needs analysis, many ESP teachers have become slaves of the published textbooks available, unable to evaluate their suitability based on personal experience, and unwilling to do the necessary analysis of difficult specialist texts to verify their contents. In conclusion, English for Specific/Special Purposes (ESP) and General English (GE) are the two branches of English Language Teaching (ELT). General English and English for Specific Purposes share the same principles of language teaching, having effective and efficient learning as a main objective. The main difference between ESP and GE lies in the awareness of a need. ESP learners are current or future specialists who need English for their specific area and who are aware of their need; they know what exactly they need English for, they know what the ESP course should offer them. (Hutchinson and Waters (1987). 2.1.3 Characteristics of ESP courses The characteristics of ESP courses identified by Carter (1983) are discussed here. He states that there are three features common to ESP courses: a) authentic material, b) purpose-related orientation, and c) self-direction. Dudley-Evans (1998) claim that ESP should be offered at an intermediate or advanced level, use of authentic learning materials is entirely feasible. Closer examination of ESP materials will follow; suffice it to say at this juncture that use of authentic content materials, modified or unmodified in form, are indeed a feature of ESP, particularly in self-

directed study and research tasks. For Language Preparation for Employment in the Health Sciences, a large component of the student evaluation was based on an independent study assignment in which the learners were required to investigate and present an area of interest. The students were encouraged to conduct research using a variety of different resources, including the Internet. Purpose-related orientation refers to the simulation of communicative tasks required of the target setting. Carter (1983) cites student simulation of a conference, involving the preparation of papers, reading, note taking, and writing. At Algonquin College, English for business courses have involved students in the design and presentation of a unique business venture, including market research, pamphlets and logo creation. The students have presented all final products to invited ESL classes during a poster presentation session. For our health science program, students attended a seminar on improving your listening skills. They practiced listening skills, such as listening with empathy, and then employed their newly acquired skills during a fieldtrip to a local community centre where they were partnered up with English-speaking residents. Finally, self-direction is characteristic of ESP courses in that the ... point of including self-direction ... is that ESP is concerned with turning learners into users (Carter, 1983, p. 134). In order for self-direction to occur, the learners must have a certain degree of freedom to decide when, what, and how they will study. Carter (1983) also adds that there must be a systematic attempt by teachers to teach the learners how to learn by teaching them about learning strategies. Is it necessary, though, to teach high-ability learners such as those enrolled in the health science program about learning strategies? I argue that it is not. Rather, what is essential for these learners is learning how to access information in a new culture. 2.2 Learner Need- Need analysis 2.2.1 Learner Needs Learner needs is an important aspect in determining the success of an ESP course. therefore, it has drawn attention from numerous scholars who want to explore what the term is all about. Among them Berwick Brindley, Mountford, and Widdowson have discussed different meanings of needs. First, according to Widdowson (1983, p.2) needs

10

refers to students study or job requirements, that is, what they have to be able to do at the end of their language course. This is a goal-oriented definition of needs Needs in this sense are perhaps more appropriately described as objective (Berwick 1989, p.57). Second, needs can mean what the user-institution or society at large regards as necessary or desirable to be learnt from a program of language instruction (Mountford (1981, p.27). Third, needs is defined as what the learner needs to do to actually acquire the language. This is a process-oriented definition which bears the meaning of learning (Widdowson (1983, p.2). Fourth, needs is also viewed as what the students themselves would like to gain from the language course. This view of needs implies that students may have personal aims in addition to (or even in opposition to) the requirement of their studies or jobs. Berwick (1989, p.5) notes that such personal needs may be (and often are) devalued by being viewed as wants or desires. Finally, Berwick concluded needs is interpreted as lacks, that is, what the students do not know or cannot do in English. Some of these views of needs have been paired, and the members of each pair seen as polar opposites, although the distinctions are not as clear cut as might be supposed. This parings indicated the differences between what is believed to be the needs and what is the really needs. The pairings of contrasted views of needs include perceived versus felt needs (perhaps covering the same ground as objective and subjective needs), the terms products and process have a range of uses as well as equating product with a target view of needs and process with a learning view, we can try to identify the target-level products and processes which students will need to control at the end of an ESP course. In this study the writer will discus the pair target needs and learning needs (covering the same ground as goal-oriented and process-oriented needs) in 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 because it is more relevant to the teaching and learning of ESP course in the study setting. 2.2.2 Needs analysis Needs analysis is generally regarded as criteria to ESP, although ESP is by no means the only educational enterprise which makes use of it Robinson, P.C (1991). Needs analysis is the process of identifying the students' reasons for studying a language. It refers to the procedure for identifying general and specific language needs of students so that appropriate goals, objectives, and contents in courses can be developed (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). In these researchers points of view it is imperative to carry out a needs

11

analysis to determine the specific reasons for learning the language, or to specify exactly, what students need to achieve through the medium of English in an ESP course. In the same line Nunan (1988; p.13) said techniques and procedures for collecting information to be used in syllabus design are referred to as a needs analysis. In more formal terms a needs analysis is the process of determining the needs for which a learner or group of learners requires a language and arranging the needs according to priorities (Richards, and Platt, 1992; p.242). The current concept of needs analysis in ESP, according to Dudley-Evans and St John (1998; p.125), includes consideration of the following aspects: A. Professional information about the learners: the tasks and activities learners are/will be
using English for- target situation analysis and objective needs. B. Personal information about the learners: factors which may affect the way they learn such as previous learning experiences, cultural information, reasons for attending the course and expectations of it, attitude to English- wants, means, subjective needs. C. English language information about the learners: what their current skills and language use are- present situation analysis- which allows us to assess (D). D. The learners lacks: the gap between (C) and (A)- lacks. E. Language learning information: effective ways of learning the skills and language in (D)learning needs. F. Professional communication information about (A): knowledge of how language and skills are used in the target situation- linguistic analysis, discourse analysis, genre analysis. G. What is wanted from the course? H. Information about the environment in which the course will be run means analysis.

There are a number of books and articles that describe procedures for gathering information about needs; the writer of this study chooses Hutchinson and Water (1987) framework about the kind of information that the course designers need to gather from an analysis of needs which are paired into target needs and learning needs. 2.2.2.1 The target needs

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A need analysis which focuses on students needs at the end of a language course can be called a target situation analysis (TSA) (Chambers, 1984). Probably the most thorough and widely known work on needs analysis is John Munbys Communicative syllabus design (1978). Munby sets up a highly detailed set of procedures for discovering target situation needs. He presents a communication needs processor, comprising a set of parameters within which information on the student target situation can be plotted. A helpful insight which Munby codifies related to target level performance; for certain jobs students may require only a low level of accuracy or of native speaker like ability, ect. The TSA may thus pinpoint the stage at which good enough competence for the job is reached. Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p 59) recommended that Target needs is something of an umbrella term, which in practice hides a number of important distinctions. It is more useful to look at the target situation in terms of necessities, lacks and wants . Necessities is the type of need determined by the demands of the target situation, that is, what the learners have to know in order to function effectively in the target situation. For example, a businessman might need to understand business letters, to communicate effectively at sales conference, to get necessary information from sales catalogues and so on. However, identifying necessities alone is not enough, since the concern in ESP is with the needs of particular learners. We also need to know what the learner knows already, so that you can then decide which of the necessities the learner lacks. One target situation necessity might be to read texts in a particular subject area, Whether or not the learners need instruction in doing this will depend on how well they can do it already. The target proficiency in other words, needs to be matched against the existing proficiency of the learners. The gap between the two can be referred to as the learners lacks (Hutchinson T. & Waters 1987). It is quite possible that the learners views will conflict with the perception of other interested parties; course designers, sponsors, teachers. And bearing in mind the important of learner motivation in the learning process, learner perceived wants cannot be ignored. What wants mean is well illustrated by Richard Meads account of his research

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into the motivation of students following ESP courses in the faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Science at a university in the Middle East (1980). Objectives ( course designers) Necessities The English needed for success Subjective ( learners)

Medicine,

in To reluctantly cope with a second-best situation

Agricultural or Veterinary Studies Lacks

(Presumably) areas of English needed for Means of doing Medical Agricultural or Veterinary Studies Studies undertake Medical

Wants

To success in Agricultural or Veterinary To Studies

Studies

Hutchinson T. & Waters (1987) suggested the following questions as a starting point to uncover relevant information: Why is the language needed? How will the language be used? What will the content areas be? Who will the learners use the language with? When/Where will the language be used? We have considered so far needs in terms of target situation considering, and the above questions help answer where is the starting point (lacks) and the destination (necessities) although we have also seen that there might be some dispute as to what that destination should be (wants). However, these answers do not show the route to reach destination from the starting point. The question lies on another kind of need - the learning needs. 2.2.2.2 The learning needs In looking at the target situation, the ESP course designer is asking the question: What does the expert communicator need to know in order to function effectively in this situation?. This information may be recorded in terms of language items, skills, strategies, subject knowledge, ect. What the analysis cannot do, however, is show how the expert communicator learnt the language items, skills, and strategies that he or she uses (Smith, 1984). Analyzing what people do tells you a little, if anything, about how they learnt to do

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it. Yet, the whole ESP process is concerned not with knowing or doing, but with learning. It is nave to base a course design simply on the target objectives, just as it is nave to think that a journey can be planned solely in terms of the starting point and the destination. The needs, potential and constraints 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. ( Hutchinson & Water, 1987). If the target needs gives us the starting point and the destination, the learning needs helps us to choose our route according to the vehicles and guides. To understand the learning needs Hutchinson, and Waters (1987 p. 62-63) suggested the following questions: Why are the learners taking the course? How do the learners learn? What resources are available? Who are the learners? When/Where will the course take place? In conclusion, we have so far looked at the most common features of an ESP needs analysis. We also have stressed that both target situation needs and learning needs must be taken into account. Analysis of target situation needs is concerned with language use. But language use is only part of the story. We also need to know about language learning. Analysis of the target situation can tell us what people do with language. We also need to know how people learn to do what they do with language. Needs analysis has then become a vital part of the designing and setting of any curriculum, especially in the ESP areas. The importance of conducting a needs analysis exercise lies in the fact that through it, curricula-designers can learn first hand two important things: (1) what general and specific language proficiency learners have, and (2) what general and specific language proficiency learners need to acquire. Once curriculadesigners discover these two important student-related facts, then they can write the course objectives, make decisions on what to include in the syllabus or for example, what functions, topics, vocabulary, and other language procedures should be given emphasis over others that students already master. Once the syllabus is in place, then decisions about how to teach it and when to teach it should be made. This in turn will lead curriculadesigners to design and create or adapt teaching materials that would cater to the learners linguistics needs, which in turn will shape testing of language learning. This is precisely the reason why it is often said that needs analysis drives the making of curriculum. Therefore, needs analysis must be given especial attention and always be carefully

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conducted. It should be conducted in a way that would enable curricula-designers obtain a high-quality product that would not only allow the mandating institution fulfill its educational mission, but in the end empower learners through the acquisition of language that would help them reach their linguistic, professional, and personal goals. 2.3 ESP Course Objectives In this section, the writer looked at the reasons why we should set objectives for ESP course, the formulating of courser objectives, skill selection and, finally the problems when writing course objectives. 2.3.1 Reasons for objectives Hutchinson, and Waters (1987, p 75) said developing statements of perceived needs into program goals and these in turn into clear objectives is an effective way to clarify what should be going on in the language classroom. Objectives describe what learners will be able to do or perform to be considered competent at the end of instruction, and they provide clear reasons for teaching. Clearly defined learning objectives are useful for instructors, instructional designers and students. By clearly stating the results we want the learners to accomplish, instructors can focus each class on what the students need, identify whether students have gained the appropriate skills and knowledge. Clearly defined objectives also allow designers and instructors a method to find how successful their material has been. And the students in turn, can study more effectively because they know what is expected of them and can direct their attention more clearly. Because objectives should be stated before learners begin their instructional materials, they provide students the means to organize their efforts toward accomplishing the desired behaviors. In short, objectives provide the building blocks from which curriculum can be created, modeled and revised. According to Young (1980), well stated objectives are very valuable:
a. they help the teacher to determine precisely the correspondence between the objectives of the course and the communication skills required in professional life. b. they help the teacher to select appropriate materials and methods for teaching the students. c. they help the teacher to evaluate the effectiveness of his or her instruction.

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d. they help the teacher to develop examinations which are relevant, fair and useful. e. they help the student to evaluate his/her performance and allocate his/her time more appropriately. f. finally, and just as important as any of the others, the process of trying to formulate performance objectives stimulates thought about the entire educational enterprise and often results in unexpected and valuable in-sights.

2.3.2 Formulating Course Objectives. Before setting objectives it is important to establish first the dominant role of language leaning in a particular course. Two features should be taken into account: 1) the context in which students will be learning and in which they will eventually be using the language, and 2) the specific purposes in operational terms for which the language is expected to be required. (Vaughan,1978). These factors and others were taken into account in formulating course objectives. The defining of objectives (i.e. determining desired learner capabilities and abilities) is not an easy endeavor. It should be performed in a step by step fashion and with extreme care. Much has been written on how to define objectives, Bloom (1975), Gagn and Briggs (1979) are among those who postulate that in order for objectives to be useful in planning of the learning process, they must be defined with precise terms. One reason for this is that one word may have different meanings to different people. The choice of word, especially of verb, should therefore be one that transmits information as to the behavior required of the learner (i.e. it should be a technical word.) The process of stating objective begins with the identification of the purpose of the course. This, in turn, should reflect what is expected of the learner at the end of the course. The actual stating of the specific objectives involves what is expected of the learner during the course and should be defined operationally that is, the objectives should state what the learner has to do in order to confirm the completion and achievement of the objective. These specific objectives consequently define the planned results of the learning process and serve as starting point for the evaluation (Gagn and Briggs, 1979, pp. 91-95). Gronlund (19780) concurs that specifying clearly the outcome of learning will probably make classroom instruction more effective. It is also vital that the statements be

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general enough to provide guidelines for teaching without overly limiting the instructional process, yet specific enough to clearly define the behavior that the students are to exhibit when they have achieved the objectives. This approach provides for the inclusion of learning outcomes of all types and at all levels ranging form the simplest to the most complex. Specifically, these recommendations were: I. Stating General Instructional Objectives: a. Begin each general instructional objective with a verb (knows, understands,
appreciates, etc. Omit such unnecessary refinements as the students can or the student has the ability to

b. State each objective in terms of student performance rather than teacher performance.
c. State each objective as a learning product rather than in terms of the learning process d. State each objective so that it indicates the terminal behavior rather than the subject matter to be covered during instruction. e. State each objective so that is includes only one general learning outcome rather

than a combination of several outcomes f. State each objective at a level of generality that clearly indicates the expected learning outcome and that is readily definable by specific types of students behavior. Stating from 8 to 12 general instructional objectives will usually suffice. (Gronlund, 1978, p.11) II. Procedure for Defining Instructional Objective in Behavioral Terms: a. State the general instructional objectives a expected learning outcomes. b. Place under each general instructional objective a list of specific learning outcomes that describe the terminal behavior students are to demonstrate when they have achieved the objectives 1. Begin each specific learning outcome with a verb that specifies definite, observable behavior. 2. List a sufficient number of specific learning outcomes under each objective to describe adequately behavior of students who have achieved the objective.

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3.

Keep the specific learning outcomes free of course content so that the list can be used with different units of study.

4.

Be certain that each specific learning outcome is relevant to the objective it describes.

c.

When defining the general instructional objectives in terms of specific learning outcomes , revise and refine the original list of objectives as needed.

d.

Be careful not to omit complex objectives( e.g. critical thinking, appreciation) simply because they are difficult to define in terms of specific learning outcomes

e.

Consult reference materials for help in identifying the specific types of behavior that are most appropriate for defining the complex objectives

(Gronlund., p. 18) The two most profound denominators related to objective were the Gronlunds book mentioned above and Munbys Communicative Syllabus Design. The Gronlund was a valuable tool for stating objective clearly and meaningfully meanwhile Munbys provided a selection of skills which applied to many of specific needs and requirements. 2.3.3 Skills Selection The book English for Environmental Science applied for students of Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University focused only on reading skill, thus, the general core objectives stated for all ESP course at of Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University deal with reading comprehension. Reading materials selected reflect the semantic and syntactic structures of English found in the learners specialty course materials. The learners, therefore, need to be taught a strategy of reading which allows them to understand authentic texts without the aid of the teacher or constant use of the dictionary. Basically, it is important for our students to be able to scan any of their text materials to get a general idea of its contents, as well as to be able to understand important information in a specific part of a whole text in detail. When making objective for each specific career course, it is important to remember that although each particular field has its own specific vocabulary items, it is still part of the English language in general. So, we have the same language employed for

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similar and different uses employing similar and different usages. The different usages and uses refers to items and patterns that are identified as specific to particular subject specializations or vocational/ occupational roles ( Mackay and Mountford, 1978, p 25). Allen and Widdowson describe two aspects of language learning that we have taken into consideration:
The recognition of sentence use in acts of communication, that is understanding rhetorical coherence of discourse. The recognition and manipulation of devices used to join sentences and form passages. They are referred to as grammatical cohesion of a text.

(Allen and Widdowson, 1978, p 58) Other constraints that in some cases had to be taken into account when designing course objectives were the followings: The objectives:
Would be aimed at students with different levels of language competence, from low intermediate to almost native speaker abilities. Should take into consideration that in some cases students would have a limited amount of time to deal with their ESP course due to the many other university course requirements. Should be flexible enough to be used by a different professor at a different time with a different set of students. It is precisely for this reason that the specific objectives developed for each field of study are broad enough to allow for varieties in different teacher methodologies and yet precise and clear enough to establish the language objective required.

2.3.4 Problems in Writing Objectives Some of the most problems that are common in writing objectives and solutions to these are discussed by Donn C. Ritchie in her article at http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/objectives/Problems.html presented in the following table:
Problems Error types Solutions and simplify the

which are

1. Vastness Complexity The objective is too broad in Reduce or Earnestness scope or includes more

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than one objective 2. False Criteria The criteria doesn't let the user Make know explicitly how well they need to do the behavior 3. False Givens

objective criteria: reasonable,

specific, useful

Describes conditions

instruction,

not Detail what can be used to

complete the test

4. False Performance

Often simply restating the goal; Be specific as to what you no true performance stated want the learner to do

To summarize, instructional objectives must be viewed as flexible, temporary and revisable so that they can be tailored to different contexts and respond to changes over time in the needs of the students or in the physical and human resource of the program. Objectives can provide a useful tool that allows teachers to work out, often for the first time, what they want their students to be able to do when they finish the course. Objectives are central part of any systematic curriculum development, but they can and should range in level of generality according to what is being taught and who is teaching it. Without goals and objectives, a program may have no clear purpose and direction. With goals and objectives, at least a tentative definition exists of what the program has to offer the students and what it is that a group of professional language teachers are trying to achieve.

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CHAPTER 3: THE METHODOLOGY, DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION This chapter consists of five parts. First, the research questions will be presented. Second, there will be the description of the subjects who are the students and lecturers taking part in the need analysis as informants. Third, the description of the data collection instruments will follow. In this part, the readers will be provided information about the questions in the questionnaires (for students and for teachers). Fourth, the data collected will be presented and explained. And the last part will be the evaluation of congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners need. 3.1 The research questions What do students at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University need in taking ESP course? What are the objectives stated in designing the book English for Environmental Science used as ESP course book applied for students at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University? Is the ESP course objectives applied at Vietnam Forestry University congruent with learners needs? 3.2 Description of the subjects There are 187 students and three teachers of Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry Industry who got involved in the need analysis. There are four classes this term two classes study in the morning, and other two classes meet in the afternoon. The classes are scheduled to learn two sessions a week. There are 187 students in the list. They have different backgrounds of how long and how they have been studying English before taking this ESP course. However, they did take 200 hours of general English together during the first and second years at the Vietnam Forestry University. But this doesnt mean that their level of English is the same. They are also different in terms of chances to practice English out of classroom. They are of the same ages around 19 to 22. They have diversity of reasons to learn English in this course.

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There are three teachers teaching the course including two masters of linguistics and one master-to-be in English studies. The writer of this study is also a present teacher of the course. The teachers have been teaching in Foreign Language Department of Vietnam Forestry University for over 7 years. They agreed and were willing to collaborate with the researcher to get involved in the study. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that need analysis is conducted thoroughly enough. 3.3 Description of the data collection instruments Two data collection instruments used in the study are questionnaire, and materials analysis. The first questionnaire is used to investigate learners needs from learners participating in the ESP course at Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University. The second questionnaire is to collect information about the ESP teaching practice from teachers of ESP course. And the third instrument is document analysis used to find out ESP course objectives. 3.3.1. Questionnaires The writer of this study chose questionnaires as a data collection instrument because it provides information from a large number of participants and it allows getting information about variety of aspects. The writer designed close-ended questionnaire on the ground of literature review. According to Nunan (1992, p 147), 'one of the great advances of close-ended questions is that they yield responses which can readily be quantified and analyzed, particularly if one has access to computer packages. The first questionnaire was used to collect data from students of the ESP course on three main aspects: students previous learning experience, target needs and learning needs. In order to obtain valid information, 22 close-ended questions related to each aspect were designed (See Appendix A for version of the questionnaire). The questionnaire was designed on the basis of a review of relevant literature relating to principles and contents needed to successfully discover students learning needs which were discussed in the chapter 2. The purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain as much information as possible about the participants linguistic needs, and professional and English-learning related goals. The second questionnaire is for teachers of the ESP course. They were intended to answer the questionnaire about their teaching of the reading materials in the ESP course.

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Their answers are important to evaluating the achievement of ESP course objectives which in turn serves to measure the congruence between learners needs and course objectives. Explanation: Questionnaire for students I. Previous learning experience In the first section of the questionnaire, Question 1 to 6, participants were asked to provide information about their previous learning experiences. Question 1 was used to find out how long they have studied English. This is important because it means that students were first exposed to English from secondary school or just at university. In Vietnamese education system, English lessons are first provided from primary school, or secondary school, or high school or university without any compulsory rules. Question 2 was used to check where students learnt English. Different institution or languages center may use different approaches to teach English for learners. Question 3 was used to investigate learners reasons to learn English. This is good to find out their motivation in learning English. Question 4 was used to evaluate students level of English before they start ESP course through their self-evaluation of their proficiency level in English. With this information, ESP course designer will be able to direct the curriculum in directions that would meet the participants linguistic needs in terms of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar and vocabulary. This is very important because the ESP classes in the setting s are big and students are of mixed abilities. Question 5 was used to reveal students knowledge of the subject. Knowing the subject can help students better understand or guest the meaning of the ESP texts and can motivate them to learn more. Finally, question 6 asked about students experience in learning style which might help them feel more confident if ESP can provide the same one. II. Target needs

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There are 6 questions in this part. They are designed to investigate students targets in their ESP course. Question 1 was used to discover the reasons students taking part in ESP. This can reveal the motivation of students and help curriculum designers to set clear objectives for ESP courses. Question 2 aimed to find out how students will use English later after the course. This also helps to setting up the objectives of the course. Question 3 focused on the audience of students English, knowing this can help ESP course designers set more realistic objectives of the course. Question 4 was used to poll the context where English will be used. Question 5 was used to check how often students will use English after the ESP course. And finally, Question 6 helped to reveal students motivation in taking the ESP course. III. Learning needs The learning needs questioned are designed to investigate difficulties, their learning objectives, their styles of learning . Question 1 helped to identify students weaknesses in certain skills in language learning. Question 2 focused on skills that students think they should improve Question 3 used to discover the learning methodology that students think will work for them. Question 4 asked about students preference about learning activities in the class. Question 5 checked students habits of learning. Question 6 helped to find out the resources available in ESP course. Question 7 found out the opportunities that students have outside classroom. Question 8 aimed to discover how much time students spend on studying English. the learners language

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Question 9 asked if students want to do home work, and if so, how much time they are willing to spend on this activity. Question 10 was used to investigate students expectation in achievement at the end of the English course. Questionnaire for the teachers. There are 10 questions in the questionnaire for the teacher. They are aimed to answer the question how teachers exploit the textbook to reach teaching objectives. Question 1 focuses on the unit organization Question 2 looks at activities teachers apply in each unit Question 3 asks about lesson plan Question 4,5 &6 look at pre-reading activities Question 7,8,&9 look at the reading activities Question 10 aims to discover about post-reading activities. 3.3.2 Material analysis The writer of this study investigated the ESP course book English for Environmental Science complied by Foreign Language Department, Vietnam Forestry University for third year students of Business Management Department of Vietnam Forestry University and other related documents (course book design project) to find out the ESP objectives specified by the authors. This instrument is necessary because the writer of this study believes that the objectives of the ESP course are not only stated in the text book but also mentioned somewhere in their report of course book design project. 3.4 Data analysis and discussion Four sections will be presented in this part: data collected from questionnaires for students, data collected from questionnaires for teachers, and data collected from document analysis. Finally, the major findings are presented as result of these data collections. 3.4.1 Data collected from questionnaires for students The questionnaire was given to 158 students out of 187 students in the list (some were

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missing the class at the time the questionnaire was handed out). The data collected as follows: Previous learning experience Question 1: With reference to the question how long have you studied English, 14 students said that the have learned it for 1-2 years, 112 said that they have learned it for 3-5 years and other 32 students notched 5-9 years answer. Question 2: In regarding to question where did you learn English? all of 158 voted for at school, 76 students said they also learned it at language center other 39 students added by themselves and 16 of them also had lessons with a tutor Question 2: Regarding to question where did you learn English? all of 158 voted for at school, 76 students said they also learned it at language center other 39 students added by themselves and 16 of them also had lessons with a tutor Question 3: In terms of the reason for their learning, all 158 students said that it was a compulsory subject, 20 students said they liked English, 126 students answered they need English and 20 students said they learned it for fun.. Question 4: Assessing about their level of English, 158 students said their listening and speaking skills were at elementary level, 158 students claimed their writing and grammar to be at pre-intermediate level, 97 students said their reading was at pre-intermediate level and the rest 67 students believed their reading skill was at intermediate level. Question 5: Referring to the subject material (the environment issues) 23 students said that they knew a little, 117 students claimed they know enough and the rest 18 students believed they knew a lot. Question 6: Regarding to the teaching style they used to, 39 students chose individual, 76 students chose pair and group work and all students chose whole class activities. Target needs Question 1: referring to the purposes of learning ESP, 158 students said that it was one of the university graduation requirements, 67 students claimed it was for work and for study and other 20 students said they learned ESP for their hobby.

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Question 2: Regarding how English will be used, 39 students said their English would be used to speak and listen and 158 students said they would use English in reading and writing. 10 students said they would use English on telephone, 76 students said they might use it face to face and all 158 students believed they would use English using internet and mails. Question 3: Concerning who students will use English with, 39 students believed they would talk to their colleges, 158 students said they used English with teachers and friends and 76 students thought they would use English to communicate with customer. Question 4: Regarding when the language will be used, all students voted for all choices. This indicated the importance of English in their study. Question 5: Answering about the frequency of using English, students admitted that their use of English was not often. 56 students said they seldom use English, 92 students said that they sometimes used English, and only 10 students said they often used English, none said he used it frequently. Question 6: Referring the motivation in using English, all students said that they used English for promotion prospects while only 20 said they liked it and 96 students said they used English to respect the teachers and want to improve their English. Learning needs: Question 1: Regarding their strengths and weaknesses in a foreign language, 158 students said their English is poor in listening and speaking, and fair in reading. 120 students said their writing and grammar is poor and other 38 students ticked fair level for their grammar and writing. Question 2: referring to the skills that need improving, all students believed they need to improve all skills listed much. Question 3: Concerning the methodology, 15 students preferred teacher-centered while 113 students preferred student-centered and the rest 30 students had no idea which would work better. Question 4: Answering about how they like to learn English, 21 students liked to work individually while 137 students liked to work in small group.

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Question 5: Asked about what way students learn, 22 of them said they learned by memory, 130 students said they learned by problem solving, getting information themselves and by reading and taking notes, 36 students said they learned by listening to the tapes and taking notes. Question 6: In reference to the resources available, 158 students chose teachers and books while only 49 students said they used internet and mass media. Question 7: With regard to the opportunities for out-of-class activities, 158 students said that they had few chances. Question 8: asked about the time students want to learn English, all students said they preferred to learn from 1-3 hours a week. Question 9: In reference to the homework, only 47 students were willing to do homework with about 1-3 hours a week. The rest 111 students said no to homework. Question 10: as for the expectation of what students would achieve, 158 students believed they could improve their vocabulary, getting familiar with Scientific English; 79 students said they would develop techniques that could be adopted while reading texts, developing listening skills for academic and professional purposes, and acquiring the ability to speak effectively in English in real life situations; 45 students chose realizing the meaning potential of a text and becoming familiar with different reading strategies and acquiring interpretative and study skills, including library and Internet reference skills; 36 students picked up getting trained in organized academic and professional writing and developing aural competence and oral fluency of learners. And only 12 students said they would achieve proficiency in the effective use of language in various authentic career-related situations. 3.4.2 Data collected from questionnaires for teachers The questionnaire was given to 3 teachers oh the course, the data collected as follows: Unit organization: Question 1: All teachers said they always consider vocabulary of text in organizing their teaching unit meanwhile only 1 teacher said she sometimes considered the theme of the text. Activities: Question 2: All teachers said they always followed the pre-reading, and reading

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activities of the text but none voted for post-reading. Lesson plan Question 3: As lesson plan is one of the requirements of the teaching syllabus in the University, all teachers said that they followed general lesson plan. Pre-reading activities Question 4: Answering about the purposes of the use of pre-reading activities, all three teachers voted for "To deal with the difficult vocabulary present in the reading and To deal with difficult grammatical structures with high frequency and only 1 teacher said she sometimes used it To introduce the general theme of the reading. Question 5: Regarding to the kinds of activities in this pre-reading stage, all teachers said they dealt with vocabulary by giving students a list of the difficult words and ask them to look up in a dictionary. Question 6: Referring to the time devoted for pre-reading activities, all teachers added 1015% as an answer. Reading activities Question 7: Concerning about the kinds of activities used in reading stage, all teachers picked up skimming, scanning, content comprehension. Only 1 teacher said that she sometimes had discourse comprehension activity. Question 8: Referring to the group work and pair work in the reading, none of the teachers said that they applied them. Question 9: answering about the sequence of the activities listed, teachers ranked them: Skimming, scanning, content comprehension and other. Post reading activities Question 10: Referring to the purposes of using post-reading activities, teachers said that they used it to summarize the contents of the unit. 3.4.3 Data collected from document analysis

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After researching the book English for Environmental Science complied by Foreign Language Department, Vietnam Forestry University, the writer of the study found out the following features related to the objectives of the course: Firstly, the book stated the target learners as those students who are interested in the environment science meanwhile the targeted learners of the ESP course are all the second year students of Vietnam Forestry University. The course is compulsory as a requirement of the graduation, where the students like the environment science or not. Secondly, the book said it was designed for the pre-intermediate and intermediate students. This was in fact the right level for the students of the ESP course as in the need analysis question 4 of previous learning experience 97 students said their reading was at pre-intermediate level and the rest 67 students believed their reading skill was at intermediate level.( sees the appendix for the numbers) Thirdly, the book stated the objectives of the course in very general way through such wordings as: It integrates the basic skills especially reading and writing skills. Its objective is to improve readers basic English and to prepare students to comprehend and use college-level science material for environmental aspects. The textbook is always focuses on language rather than science. No-previous science knowledge is needed by the teacher and students Tran et all (2006) It is obvious that the book was designed for reading only therefore it could not reach the target of it integrates the basic skills especially reading and writing skills as it said in the objectives. Furthermore, the objectives are not clearly stated by just saying to prepare students to comprehend and use college-level science material for environmental aspects. With such a kind of objectives, both instructors and students do not get any guide to fulfill their tasks during the course, and do not have clear target to reach. Fourthly, the following table shows the structure and content of the book The book consists of 5 chapters each one contains 5 lessons except for the chapter 5 which holds only 4 lessons. The texts are of variety topics related to the environmental issues. The

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exercises designed in the book were the same from chapter to chapter and from lesson to lesson with 5 types: Gap filling; Synonym; True-False; Answering the question and Translation

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Lesson 1 Lesson 2

Chapter 1 Ggeneral knowledge of environmental science What is environmental science Public opinions and environmental protection

Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Exercise

Chapter 5 International organizations and policies Population growth Use of solar energy The economic cost Greenpeace of environmental pollution Land use, How to avoid waste The economic International urbanization and of energy? impact on pollution organizations and ruralization control environmental policies Environmental Green house effect How to reduce it? Green business Defining careers environmental policies Renewable and What threatens Clean production Ecological Issues concerning nonrenewable biodiversity? economics less affluent resources nations Environmental Tropical Treatment sewage Eco-taxation protection deforestation Gap filling Gap filling Gap filling Gap filling Gap Synonym Synonym Synonym Synonym filling Synonym True-False True-False True-False True-False TrueAnswering Answering Answering Answering False the question the question the question the question Answerin Translation Translation Translation Translation g the question Translation

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Human- Environment Environmental interaction technology

Chapter 4 Environmental economics

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3.5. Major findings on the congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs The evaluation of the congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs will be presented in the form of the similarities between ESP course objectives and learners needs, differences between ESP course objectives and learners needs and difficulties in matching ESP course objectives and learners needs. 3.5.1 Similarities between ESP course objectives and learners needs The first congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs is the grammar, vocabulary development and reading skills that the ESP provided for the students. Students in the ESP course were mainly at pre-intermediate students and they ranked themselves at this level too. Their grammar should be focused and strengthened, their vocabulary should be enriched and their reading skill should be developed. As a matter of fact, the course objectives to improve readers basic English and to prepare students to comprehend and use college-level science material for environmental aspects meet the students demand. Supporting for this congruence between the ESP course objectives and learners needs was the teachers exploitation of the book. Data from the questionnaire for the teachers showed that managed well to enrich students vocabulary and grammar structure as well as develop students reading skills including skimming, scanning and reading comprehension. The second match of ESP course objectives and learners needs was that the course provided the English in environmental science without requiring learners or teachers to have special knowledge of the subject matter to do well in the course. This objective was kept on the right track by the teachers efforts. Teachers did it well when they focused on the English language used to express the idea, notion and concept of the subject matter but not the focus on the subject matter itself. This is clearly stated in the teachers choosing on the vocabulary explanation rather than the theme of topic as they answered the questionnaire. The finally meeting between the ESP course objectives and learners needs lied in the contents of the text book. As majority of students said in the need analysis, they wanted to learn English for their study purposes (see the questionnaire result), the book served quite

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well for this purpose. In fact, the book not only served as the resource to learn English language but also covered the wide range of topics as well as basic knowledge that helped students to have general picture of the environment issues. The topics were not so specialized and presented in a very reader-friendly way and systematically so that the general readers could understand the content without difficulties. Through the content of the book students could learn a lot about the environment science which served the thirst for knowledge of learners. Despites some congruences mentioned above, the objectives of the ESP course did miss some important needs of learners which were presented as the differences between ESP course objectives and learners needs in the next part. 3.5.2 Differences between ESP course objectives and learners needs The most striking difference between ESP course objectives and learners needs was that students wanted to learn much more than what the ESP could offer. Data from the students needs analysis showed that students wanted to learn English to be able to communicate in English. This meant that they should be able to use English in both written and spoken form. The later was absent in the objectives of the ESP course at Vietnam Forestry University. It was so clear that the ESP course only focused on the reading materials and this was not communicative at all. The second gap between ESP course objectives and learners needs was that students wanted to have different activities in the lesson to motivate them and exploit the text book better. The research into the text book and the data from the teachers questionnaire showed that there were no such activities. The textbook presented the text then the exercises with no group or pair activities suggested. The teachers themselves did not approach the text in the communicative ways but they just used the traditional method of explaining the new words, then reading the text and do the exercises. Furthermore, the exercises were the same in all 24 lessons that gave students a bore. The last distance between ESP course objectives and learners needs that the writer wanted to highlight was the resources available for the ESP course. While students wanted to learn communicatively and they needed variety of resources available, what they could found from the course were just teachers and 1 text book, no tape, no video, no suggested

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reference books or sources. Data from the teachers questionnaire showed that teachers themselves did not expand the lesson or gave students any handouts for developing the topic further. 3.5.3. Difficulties in matching ESP course objectives and learners needs The differences were found but it could not be solved overnight due to some limitation or difficulties in matching ESP course objectives and learners needs. The first gap the students wanted to learn more than what the course could offer- is difficult matter to deal with and it takes time. The whole system runs like this: each subject could take certain amount of time in the whole curriculum and it was decided centrally, not by English Department of Vietnam Forestry University or by the teachers of the course. The new text book takes time to be designed and approved. In fact, no one wanted to make a change. The second difference between ESP course objectives and learners needs could be settled with the teachers willingness to change. However, the difficulties raising here are that teachers are facing the pressure from time limitation of the lesson and the quality of the course. If the apply the new techniques they have to devote a lot of time preparing for choosing the activities and prepare for it. This is what the teachers are reluctant to try. The last gap was not difficult to solve but difficult to control. With the development of Information technology nowadays, the resources are never easier to access to. However, it takes time to decide which one is worth using as the information is flooded with variety of qualities and reliabilities. Sometimes, the teachers themselves are not IT man to be able to make advice or control the resources that students might use. 3.6 Discussion The author of this study has found some of the reasons that led to the gap between ESP course objectives and learners needs as follows The most striking reason was that the objectives of the ESP course at Vietnam Forestry University were too ambiguous to act as a guide for a successful course. First, the ESP course focused on familiarizing the student with decoding texts, while identifying elements and applying certain reading strategies were taking small parts. General and detailed

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reading as well as grammar knowledge was the main activities through out the reading sessions. Second, there was no instruction about what a text is or even what the reading comprehension process consists of, no teacher manuals or guides. And finally, there were signs that the objectives the book presented were not coherent with the contents in the material. For example, the objectives stated the improve students reading and writing skills meanwhile it provided only reading lessons without touching any thing with writing. In short, objectives of the ESP in fact drive the course to no where with clear direction, leaving the instructors and students finding ways themselves. It was also evident that the book did not seem to have been built on any needs analysis. First, previous students knowledge on the topic as well as English was not considered in the course as a base of designing material or promoting learning. There were no activities that develop the students proximal development zone, such as reflection, meaningful learning or inner processes of knowledge and meaning construction. Real challenges for students were not presented. Second, all exercises were mechanical and consist of contentfilling. The course was only focused on the literal level of reading comprehension, without considering inference or critical reading or promotion of students creativity or imagination. And finally, the weak points of students were not attacked by any of the activities. In conclusion, the differences between ESP course objectives and learners needs have not been unidentified. In fact, they have been there and recognized by both teachers and students of the course. However, the most crucial problem was that there was no research in language learning at Vietnam Forestry University and that no one was willing to do it. The other equal important was that, even if the research can be done, the decision for the changes does not only lie on the result of the research but also on the complicated policy procedure.

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CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 4.1 Recommendations Based on the researchers insights into current ESP practice in terms of students need analysis, teachers implementation of the course and ESP materials described in the previous chapter, the writer of this study would like to make recommendations relating to the ESP course at the Business Management Department, Vietnam Forestry University as follows: Firstly, the syllabus and course objective writer should build the material based on the needs analysis. It is evident that need analysis is the basis of ESP curriculum design and setting objectives, and target situation analysis and study needs should be determined as the basis to develop the objectives of the ESP course. As part of the needs analysis, an analysis of the learners language ability is necessary in order to get to know what type of language they already know and what type of language they lack. The result from this needs analysis would not only allow curriculum designers and instructors of the course decide what and how to teach but also decide on whom they will teach and how to cater for a myriad of learning styles preferred by the course students. The curriculum designers of the Vietnam Forestry University could revise their ESP objectives considering students needs to match course objectives with students needs. The course-designers should conduct need analysis before they write the book for learners. Second, the syllabus and course objective designer should choose the skills for ESP course carefully. The ESP syllabus must encourage students life-long learning and autonomy. Students of ESP course have clear target to use the English language in their particular condition such as professional work, communication in the real life therefore, developing a basic and a habit of continuous learning skill is very important for learners. Teaching methodology could no longer depend on teachers and consider teaches as Mr. Know-it-all and by spoon feeding students with grammar and vocabulary. In stead, the objectives of the course should also focus on skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and researching so that students would be able to study by themselves right from the time they are taking the ESP course and later on in their life. This solution also help to deal with the present limited ESP resources as students could access the other rich

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resources such as internet to satisfy their needs of resources. It is obvious that learning a foreign language, use of procedural knowledge (learning to learn) is the basis for efficient and autonomous life long learning of language after school. The last recommendation focused on solving the present situation at the Business Management Department, Vietnam Forestry University. It is still a good idea to utilize the existing textbook whenever sensible and possible. Changing the textbook takes time and seems more complicated than one should think of. However, the teachers are not prohibited to adapt available authentic material (course books, radio and video recording, media publication and internet resources) to give their students a more meaningful and practical lessons to really meet their study needs. Making attempts to create new teaching materials appropriate to the current needs of students is also a rewarding thing for the teacher as it helps develop his or her career in the process of self-improvement as well as it would bring a better output of his or her lessons. Internet is a great source for authentic and updated materials that teachers of the course could think of. And finally, teachers could use communicative approach to improve students communicative skills and make their lessons more interesting.

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4.2 Conclusion The study has proven to be both a learning and a rewarding experience having analyzed the data on students needs, the course objectives, the teacher implementation of the course and the text book of the course. The study has given the writer a broader understanding of the importance of taking account of students needs in the ESP course design and has given students a chance to expresses their wants and needs as well as a chance to look at English study more deeply. Having an insight of how learners need and what they need from an ESP course is vital in designing and piloting of every ESP course. By doing this, curriculum designer can learn first hand what students really need to improve and be able to use English in their specialized fields to help ESP instructors determine their own strengths; directing them in writing the course objectives, syllabus and materials and test related to the students needs. On the other hand, the process also helped students to look at and think what they really need and see the picture of outcome clearer so that they could imagine the road they have to go. From the study the researcher also came to conclusion that the level of students communicative skills was low while the demand for those skills was high. This stressed the importance of considering the students needs in designing course syllabus and course objectives. The ESP curriculum and objectives so far have not been relevant to the students needs especially their professional needs and relevant to the target situation in which ESP students will function as an English communication users or specialists. The present ESP teaching curriculum as well as its objectives focusing only on the reading skill had a very big hole in order to meet students learning needs. This gap could be somehow filled by the teachers approach to the text and teachers hand outs or extra-materials to fulfill students thirst for communication skills. More activities should be organized so that students could have chance to practice the language and exchange their knowledge with others on the process of learning. 4.3 Suggestions for further study This study has looked into the congruence between ESP course objectives and learners needs. The results of the study showed that despite come coherence there are still some gaps between them and left the curriculum designers as well as instructors the question of

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how to solve the matter. Due to the limitations such as time constraint, scope of the study, the researcher could not cover some areas that could make the study more reliable and valuable. There are still some questions the researcher cannot answer. Firstly, how do the administrators think about considering and taking needs analysis in designing an ESP curriculum? Second, the researcher could not attain needs analysis from employers or specialists in the field who could certainly help to unveil more specific target that the ESP should meet. One more factor that needs to answer is that how the teachers look at the students needs and think students should need to learn. These questions are open for further studies.

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Mountford, A,(1981), The what, the why and the way, in Aupelf/Goethe Institute/British Council (1), pp.19-34. 16. Mountford, A. & Mackay, R. (1978), A programme for post graduate soil scientists at the University. of Newcastle. www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/ 17. Munby, J. (1978), Communicative syllabus design Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 18. Munby, J. (1984), Communicative syllabus design: Principles and problems, in Read, J.A.S (ed) Trends in Language Syllabus Design, Anthology Series 13, Singapore: SEAMEO Regional English Language Centre, pp. 55-67. 19. Nunan, D. (1987), The teacher as curriculum developer: An investigation of curriculum processes within the Adult Migrant Education Program. South Australia: National Curriculum Resource Centre 20. Nunan, D., (1988), Syllabus Design. Oxford: OUP 21. Ortega, V.M., (1981), Needs of the Regional Industries Regarding Human Resources and their Linguistic Training, Venezuela, 19 22. Perren, G. (1974), Forward in Teaching languages to adults for special purposes. CILT Reports and Papers, 11, London: CILT. 23. Richards, J. Platt, J. &Platt, H., (1992) Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistic. Malaysia: Longman. 24. Robinson, P. C.(1980), ESP (English for Specific Purposes). New York: Pergamon. 25. Robinson, P. C.(1991), ESP Today: A Practitioners Guide, London; Prentice Hall International. 26. Schuman, L. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/objectives/Kinds.html 27. Smith, F., (1984),The promise and Perils of Computerized Instruction, paper presented at Dartmought House, London, June 1984 28. Strevens, P., (1977) New Orientations in the Teaching of English, London: Oxford University Press 29. Vaughan, J. (1978) The teaching of Language: The Problem of Objectives in The Management and Organization of Language Studies in Further and Higher Education, vol. 11, #2, 1978. 30. Widdowson, H. G. (1983). Explorations in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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31. Widdowson, H. G. (1979), The description of scientific language in Widdowson, H.G. Exploration in Applied Linguistics, Oxford University Press, pp 51-61. 32. Young, R. E., (1980), Basic Issues in Curriculum Design: Formualating Course Objectives, Carnegie Mellon University, presented at the University of Michigan, Aug. 13, 1980.