ESP Instructors' Viewpoints towards Learners' Needs: The Case of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

2 Professor of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

3 Professor of Medical Education, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed at addressing ESP instructors' perspectives towards ESP learners' needs at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). That is, we sought to investigate whether or not the learners’ needs in ESP classes are met satisfactorily. Using census rather than sampling, a total number of 10 ESP instructors were selected as the participants. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant individually. The results obtained from the interviews yielded 13 dominant themes. It was revealed that instructor-oriented themes were mainly concerned with perceived/felt needs, subject specialists/language instructors, a-priori/negotiated syllabus, team teaching/solitary teaching, instructors as suppressors of needs, receptive/productive skills, transmissive/transformative instructors, and positive/negative reinforcement. However, students' unheard voices in material selection, sense of belonging to the class, students' ratings of instruction and heterogenous/homogenous class groupings were mainly associated with student-oriented themes. Finally, content gradation was found to be associated with coursebook/material-oriented theme. Each of the recognized themes played either a facilitating or hindering role in making learners' needs met. Henceforth, delving into the role of such themes in ESP classes would open new insights into the instructors' viewpoints towards their leaners' needs. The frequency of the retrieved themes was a sign of commonality and generalizability among the majority of instructors; however, the indirect and unidimensional analysis of learners' needs could be remedied by inspecting the learners' actual needs through their own perspectives in future studies

Keywords

References

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Applied Linguistics Inquiry
Volume 2, Issue 2
September 2024
Pages 1-17

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History

  • Receive Date: 06 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 15 July 2024
  • Accept Date: 07 August 2024

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