An Exploratory Study on Vocational High School Students' Needs in Learning EGP and ESP

Yi-Hsuan Lo

《應用英語期刊》 10期 (2016/12) Pp. 73-115

摘要

Vocational High School (VHS) English education in Taiwan has been confronting an ESP-versus-EGP dilemma. While ESP theorists proposed that ESP can be taught to secondary learners, little was known about VHS students’ perspectives on EGP versus ESP. Scant research has investigated different facets of students' needs (necessities, wants, and lacks) for both ESP and EGP in the four language skills and the reasons that contribute to any differences. To address the gap in the literature, 100 VHS students responded on a 6-point Likert scale to statements related to their necessities, wants, and lacks in learning the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as well as the reasons resulting in their perceived needs in EGP and ESP. The results show that VHS students have a need for learning both EGP and ESP. The perceived necessities and wants for learning EGP are greater than those for learning ESP. The perceived lacks for ESP are greater than those for EGP. The findings also indicate that needs is a multidirectional, conflicting, and contradictory construct. What is seen as the most lacking skill (writing) is not what is deemed the most necessary and desirable (listening and speaking). What seems to be a required skill for success in the entrance examination (reading) is not ranked as the most necessary and desirable skill to learn. Finally, the top reasons for learning EGP and ESP, although ranked slightly differently, are all shared and are mostly related to instrumental motivation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

關鍵字

Vocational high schools (VHSs) ； English for general purposes (EGP) ； English for specific purposes (ESP) ； Needs analysis