Literature Review on Inquiring Syllabus Design and Pedagogy for Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) with Special Reference to Communication Skills in English in Gujarat
Komal Shahedadpuri, Ph.D
MK Bhavnagar University, Gujarat, India
Table 1. Names of the journals, and the numbers of the relevant articles includes
Table 2. Research Studies on Syllabus design, pedagogy and needs analysis to teach English for Specific purposes (EVP)
2. Annotated Bibliography of selected works in an alphabetical order.
Andriani, Gita. “PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP) IN HIGHER EDUCATION.” NOBEL (Journal of Literature, Language and Language Teaching), 2014. Semantic Scholar
Andriani, Gita studied the problems that arise in teaching English for Specific Purpose (ESP) due to the awareness that general English course was not suitable for the learners’ need, especially in higher education. Teaching of English for specific purposes requires appropriate methodology and activities to meet the actual needs of learners required in professional work situation. Pedagogy and Syllabus are challenges for ESP because of the lack of theoretical basis for more clarity. It has categorized into five broad problems along with suggestions to solve it. They are (1) teaching pedagogy which use EGP way of teaching but it should focus on authentic tasks based language teaching (2) the teachers can be subject teachers or language teachers ,(3) the design of the course base on needs analysis, (4) teaching according to students’ ability or prior knowledge about Language use and (5) focus on students’ needs to perform specific role in various professions regarding practical communicative needs.
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A, ABDULHAMEED. “BUSINESS ENGLISH IN YEMEN: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF NEEDS ANALYSIS.” JSTOR, vol. 64/65, 2004, pp. 423–26, .
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A has conducted needs analysis survey including Target Situation Analysis (TSA), Present Situation Analysis (PSA) and Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) in order to design specific purposes courses (Business english) on findings of Employers continuously complain of the shortage of business graduates who are proficient in English. The findings of the survey used questionnaires and interviews gave a clear picture of the workplace oral and written communication skills like listening and following instructions, reporting orally to superiors, participating in the meetings, receiving and making telephone calls, etc. The command over these language skills is highly demanded in workplaces, so ESP courses should design by integrating flexible and practical method as well as content which includes Adoption of Task-Based Learning and Teaching, Introduction of speaking tasks and activities at the beginning of the course, Inclusion of interesting and authentic materials in the coursebook and Focus is needed on how language is used on the job so that students' attention is drawn to the skills which leads satisfactorily cater to needs of learners and recruitments of the market.
Galina, Pleşca. “The Role of Needs Analysis in ESP Curriculum Design.” Reseachgate, 2018. Academia,
Galina, Pleşca examined importance of needs assessment as foundation or first stage in designing ESP course which is able to fulfill experience of that specific sector. Needs analysis is an essential from curriculum design to evaluation of learners' language performance in different specified contexts for satisfying target needs of the learners. Through Target situation analysis first question to be asked is Why are learners need to learn language? How will they use and with whom in which setting there are going to use it ? It has found that the appropriate identification of learners’ needs helps the teacher determine and refine the content of his ESP course with aim to identify what kind of language skills learners' need to develop and what will the contexts where they will use it.
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe. “Inquiring What to Teach and How to Teach in EVP Classes: A General Overview on English Teaching for Vocational Purposes in Turkey.” International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 2017, pp. 39–48.
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe inquired practices of English teaching for vocational purposes in Turkey with help of theoretical views about EVP. This study aims to inquire our practices of English teaching for vocational purposes. By using questionnaires and interviews , it has survey problems or difficulties faced by instructors in EVP classroom that mentioned readiness of students in terms of English, low English level of the students, instructors needed professional guidance about vocational content found an ambiguity about the goals of their lessons. It also questions the content of vocational course that is full of vocational knowledge which doubted whether they were expected to teach vocational knowledge or only English.
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S. “A Study on Teaching Business Communication/English in Indian Classroom.” Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2013. Researchgate
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S has conducted study on teaching of Business communication and it's syllabus in means, using it in improving economic status of any nation. Syllabus decided 1 Discourse, 2
Soft skills, 3. English language training activity that resulted in carry out practical aspects of teaching in greater sense by using authentic real materials like BBC and via practical lab sessions in order to develop spoken communication skills in english. As in India, when multinational companies come for placement services to recruit such candidates focuses on candidates' capability of effective communication with global workforce. It has found that when English will be teach in practical manner to develop business communication they learn how to negotiate, how to have dealings with dealers, how to build relationship with people and ultimately to develop positive approach then to use polite expressions. Recommendation provided to make way of teaching more interesting like stress on business English than business communication, on language aspects or skills than only subject content to make it more relevant for ESP.
3. Reorganise the 'order': Your 'hypothesis' shall guide you in reorganizing. This re-ordering depends on the flow of your arguments. Make your own trajectory.
Andriani, Gita studied the problems that arise in teaching English for Specific Purpose (ESP) due to the awareness that general English course was not suitable for the learners’ need, especially in higher education. Teaching of English for specific purposes requires appropriate methodology and activities to meet the actual needs of learners required in professional work situation. Pedagogy and Syllabus are challenges for ESP because of the lack of theoretical basis for more clarity. It has categorized into five broad problems along with suggestions to solve it. They are (1) teaching pedagogy which use EGP way of teaching but it should focus on authentic tasks based language teaching (2) the teachers can be subject teachers or language teachers ,(3) the design of the course base on needs analysis, (4) teaching according to students’ ability or prior knowledge about Language use and (5) focus on students’ needs to perform specific role in various professions regarding practical communicative needs.
Galina, Pleşca examined importance of needs assessment as foundation or first stage in designing ESP course which is able to fulfill experience of that specific sector. Needs analysis is an essential from curriculum design to evaluation of learners' language performance in different specified contexts for satisfying target needs of the learners. Through Target situation analysis first question to be asked is Why are learners need to learn language? How will they use and with whom in which setting there are going to use it ? It has found that the appropriate identification of learners’ needs helps the teacher determine and refine the content of his ESP course with aim to identify what kind of language skills learners' need to develop and what will the contexts where they will use it.
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A has conducted needs analysis survey including Target Situation Analysis (TSA), Present Situation Analysis (PSA) and Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) in order to design specific purposes courses (Business english) on findings of Employers continuously complain of the shortage of business graduates who are proficient in English. The findings of the survey used questionnaires and interviews gave a clear picture of the workplace oral and written communication skills like listening and following instructions, reporting orally to superiors, participating in the meetings, receiving and making telephone calls, etc. The command over these language skills is highly demanded in workplaces, so ESP courses should design by integrating flexible and practical method as well as content which includes Adoption of Task-Based Learning and Teaching, Introduction of speaking tasks and activities at the beginning of the course, Inclusion of interesting and authentic materials in the coursebook and Focus is needed on how language is used on the job so that students' attention is drawn to the skills which leads satisfactorily cater to needs of learners and recruitments of the market.
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S has conducted study on teaching of Business communication and it's syllabus in means, using it in improving economic status of any nation. Syllabus decided 1 Discourse, 2 Soft skills, 3. English language training activity that resulted in carry out practical aspects of teaching in greater sense by using authentic real materials like BBC and via practical lab sessions in order to develop spoken communication skills in english. As in India, when multinational companies come for placement services to recruit such candidates focuses on candidates' capability of effective communication with global workforce. It has found that when English will be teach in practical manner to develop business communication they learn how to negotiate, how to have dealings with dealers, how to build relationship with people and ultimately to develop positive approach then to use polite expressions. Recommendation provided to make way of teaching more interesting like stress on business English than business communication, on language aspects or skills than only subject content to make it more relevant for ESP.
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe inquired practices of English teaching for vocational purposes in Turkey with help of theoretical views about EVP. This study aims to inquire our practices of English teaching for vocational purposes. By using questionnaires and interviews , it has survey problems or difficulties faced by instructors in EVP classroom that mentioned readiness of students in terms of English, low English level of the students, instructors needed professional guidance about vocational content found an ambiguity about the goals of their lessons. It also questions the content of vocational course that is full of vocational knowledge which doubted whether they were expected to teach vocational knowledge or only English.
4. Now write introductory and concluding lines. These lines shall be written to 'hook paragraphs' with each other. Write in such a way so the 'transitions' from one paragraph to another helps the 'flow of ideas'.
Regarding teaching of English for Specific purposes, instructors still have some misconceptions or an ambiguity that it is similar to English for general purposes or not, how both differ. Andriani, Gita studied the problems that arise in teaching English for Specific Purpose (ESP) due to the awareness that general English course was not suitable for the learners’ need, especially in higher education. Teaching of English for specific purposes requires appropriate methodology and activities to meet the actual needs of learners required in professional work situation. Pedagogy and Syllabus are challenges for ESP because of the lack of theoretical basis for more clarity. It has categorized into five broad problems along with suggestions to solve it. They are (1) teaching pedagogy which use EGP way of teaching but it should focus on authentic tasks based language teaching (2) the teachers can be subject teachers or language teachers ,(3) the design of the course base on needs analysis, (4) teaching according to students’ ability or prior knowledge about Language use and (5) focus on students’ needs to perform specific role in various professions regarding practical communicative needs. Thus, confusion or an ambiguity regarding teaching of ESP has created certain problems in the classrooms.
Based on above research, it should be required to take some necessary actions to solve the difficulties faced by instructors in the ESP classrooms.
Galina, Pleşca examined importance of designing relevant content and needs assessment as foundation or first stage in designing ESP course which is able to solve certain problems and provide experience of that specific sector. Needs analysis is an essential from curriculum design to evaluation of learners' language performance in different specified contexts for satisfying target needs of the learners. Through Target situation analysis first question to be asked is Why are learners need to learn language? How will they use and with whom in which setting there are going to use it ? It has found that the appropriate identification of learners’ needs helps the teacher determine and refine the content of his ESP course with aim to identify what kind of language skills learners' need to develop and what will the contexts where they will use it. Thus, according to Galina, needs analysis is best and must before designing ESP course that provide very clear picture of needs and interests of learners that will be authentic base in designing ESP curriculum.
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A has conducted empirical study of teaching business English in developing country Yemen in form of needs analysis survey including Target Situation Analysis (TSA), Present Situation Analysis (PSA) and Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) in order to design specific purposes courses (Business english) on findings of Employers continuously complain of the shortage of business graduates who are proficient in English. The findings of the survey used questionnaires and interviews gave a clear picture of the workplace oral and written communication skills like listening and following instructions, reporting orally to superiors, participating in the meetings, receiving and making telephone calls, etc. The command over these language skills is highly demanded in workplaces, so ESP courses should design by integrating flexible and practical method as well as content which includes Adoption of Task-Based Learning and Teaching, Introduction of speaking tasks and activities at the beginning of the course, Inclusion of interesting and authentic materials in the coursebook and Focus is needed on how language is used on the job so that students' attention is drawn to the skills which leads satisfactorily cater to needs of learners and recruitments of the market.
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S has conducted study on teaching of Business communication and it's syllabus in Indian business context using it in improving economic status of any nation. Syllabus decided 1 Discourse, 2 Soft skills, 3. English language training activity that resulted in carry out practical aspects of teaching in greater sense by using authentic materials like BBC and via practical lab sessions in order to develop spoken communication skills in english. As in India, when multinational companies come for placement services to recruit such candidates focuses on candidates' capability of effective communication with global workforce. It has found that when English will be teach in practical manner to develop business communication they learn how to negotiate, how to have dealings with dealers, how to build relationship with people and ultimately to develop positive approach then to use polite expressions. Recommendation provided to make way of teaching more interesting by emphasizing on business English than business communication, on language aspects or skills than only subject content to make it more relevant for ESP. So, it draws our attention to content and most importantly to pedagogical aspects of teaching business english in effective manner.
Further research in this, focuses on the branch of an umbrella term ESP that is English for vocational purposes which is the need of an hour due to global workforce.
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe focused on EVP teaching and it's practicality and professionalism through inquiry of practices of English teaching for vocational purposes in Turkey with help of theoretical views about EVP. This study aims to inquire our practices of English teaching for vocational purposes. By using questionnaires and interviews , it has found via survey the problems or difficulties faced by instructors in EVP classroom that mentioned lack of readiness of students in terms of English, low English level of the students, instructors needed professional guidance about vocational content and found an ambiguity about the goals of their lessons. It also questions the content of vocational course that is full of vocational knowledge which doubted whether they were expected to teach vocational knowledge or only English. So , there is need to modify content focusing on language aspects and skills required at workplaces.
5. Now write 'Concluding Paragraph' of the 'Review of Related Literature'. Start with clear, strong and concrete statement. Make your conclusions about your 'Literature Review'.
Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) degree course has appropriate Syllabus and flexible Pedagogy based on skill development which prepares graduates ready for the Industry and provides rich experience through On the Job training so that they can effectively communicate with diversified international groups of people. It is noted in one study that there is doubts in 'what' and 'how' to teach English for vocational purposes that can be solved through needs analysis. Other researches found that content, way of teaching or methods, teaching materials and practices in teaching of English for vocational purposes are totally different from general English and required more attention for needs analysis which can reduce difficulties or problems faced and clarify misconceptions regarding teaching of ESP that help to design relevant syllabus and applicable pedagogy. It should focus on specialization, professionalism and practicality of teaching English in vocational courses.
6. Now, write 'Introduction'. The thesis statement shall be 'last' in the Introduction and 'first' in the Conclusion.
Teaching of English for specific purposes has multiple challenges and difficulties. One of the challenges is designing a specific syllabus and practical pedagogy specially for English for vocational purposes. Syllabus is an important part of designing the ESP course and among the various aspects of second or foreign language teaching, one of the most ignored part has been the content of the teaching what is generally referred to as curriculum or syllabus design. While teachers and administrators frequently speak of differences in method about differences in the content of instruction are less examined. This ignorance of content has created problems and gaps to meet the needs of learners and requirements of the workplace. Syllabus and pedagogy both should require prime focus in ESP course designing.
Mystery of Teaching English for Specific purposes and problems faced in designing ESP course
Teaching of English for specific purposes has multiple challenges and difficulties. One of the challenges is designing a specific syllabus and practical pedagogy specially for English for vocational purposes. Syllabus is an important part of designing the ESP course and among the various aspects of second or foreign language teaching, one of the most ignored part has been the content of the teaching what is generally referred to as curriculum or syllabus design. While teachers and administrators frequently speak of differences in method about differences in the content of instruction are less examined. This ignorance of content has created problems and gaps to meet the needs of learners and requirements of the workplace. Syllabus and pedagogy both should require prime focus in ESP course designing.
Regarding teaching of English for Specific purposes, instructors still have some misconceptions or an ambiguity that it is similar to English for general purposees or how both differ. Andriani, Gita studied the problems that arise in teaching English for Specific Purpose (ESP) due to the awareness that general English course was not suitable for the learners’ need, especially in higher education. Teaching of English for specific purposes requires appropriate methodology and activities to meet the actual needs of learners required in professional work situation. Pedagogy and Syllabus are challenges for ESP because of the lack of theoretical basis for more clarity. It has categorized into five broad problems along with suggestions to solve it. They are (1) teaching pedagogy which use EGP way of teaching but it should focus on authentic tasks based language teaching (2) the teachers can be subject teachers or language teachers ,(3) the design of the course base on needs analysis, (4) teaching according to students’ ability or prior knowledge about Language use and (5) focus on students’ needs to perform specific role in various professions regarding practical communicative needs. Thus, confusion or an ambiguity regarding teaching of ESP has created certain problems in the classrooms.
Based on above research, it should be required to take some necessary actions to solve the difficulties faced by instructors in the ESP classrooms.
Galina, Pleşca examined importance of designing relevant content and needs assessment as foundation or first stage in designing ESP course which is able to solve certain problems and provide experience of that specific sector. Needs analysis is an essential from curriculum design to evaluation of learners' language performance in different specified contexts for satisfying target needs of the learners. Through Target situation analysis first question to be asked is Why are learners need to learn language? How will they use and with whom in which setting there are going to use it ? It has found that the appropriate identification of learners’ needs helps the teacher determine and refine the content of his ESP course with aim to identify what kind of language skills learners' need to develop and what will the contexts where they will use it. Thus, according to Galina, needs analysis is best and must before designing ESP course that provide very clear picture of needs and interests of learners that will be authentic base in designing ESP curriculum.
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A has conducted empirical study of teaching business English in developing country Yemen in form of needs analysis survey including Target Situation Analysis (TSA), Present Situation Analysis (PSA) and Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) in order to design specific purposes courses (Business english) on findings of Employers continuously complain of the shortage of business graduates who are proficient in English. The findings of the survey used questionnaires and interviews gave a clear picture of the workplace oral and written communication skills like listening and following instructions, reporting orally to superiors, participating in the meetings, receiving and making telephone calls, etc. The command over these language skills is highly demanded in workplaces, so ESP courses should design by integrating flexible and practical method as well as content which includes Adoption of Task-Based Learning and Teaching, Introduction of speaking tasks and activities at the beginning of the course, Inclusion of interesting and authentic materials in the coursebook and Focus is needed on how language is used on the job so that students' attention is drawn to the skills which leads satisfactorily cater to needs of learners and recruitments of the market.
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S has conducted study on teaching of Business communication and it's syllabus in Indian business context using it in improving economic status of any nation. Syllabus decided 1 Discourse, 2 Soft skills, 3. English language training activity that resulted in carry out practical aspects of teaching in greater sense by using authentic materials like BBC and via practical lab sessions in order to develop spoken communication skills in english. As in India, when multinational companies come for placement services to recruit such candidates focuses on candidates' capability of effective communication with global workforce. It has found that when English will be teach in practical manner to develop business communication they learn how to negotiate, how to have dealings with dealers, how to build relationship with people and ultimately to develop positive approach then to use polite expressions. Recommendation provided to make way of teaching more interesting by emphasizing on business English than business communication, on language aspects or skills than only subject content to make it more relevant for ESP. So, it draws our attention to content and most importantly to pedagogical aspects of teaching business english in effective manner.
Further research in this, focuses on the branch of an umbrella term ESP that is English for vocational purposes which is need of an hour due to global workforce.
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe focused on EVP teaching and it's practicality and professionalism through inquiry of practices of English teaching for vocational purposes in Turkey with help of theoretical views about EVP. This study aims to inquire our practices of English teaching for vocational purposes. By using questionnaires and interviews , it has found via survey the problems or difficulties faced by instructors in EVP classroom that mentioned lack of readiness of students in terms of English, low English level of the students, instructors needed professional guidance about vocational content and found an ambiguity about the goals of their lessons. It also questions the content of vocational course that is full of vocational knowledge which doubted whether they were expected to teach vocational knowledge or only English. So , there is need to modify content focusing on language aspects and skills required at workplaces.
Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc) degree course has appropriate Syllabus and flexible Pedagogy based on skill development which prepares graduates ready for the Industry and provides rich experience through On the Job training so that they can effectively communicate with diversified international groups of people. It is noted in one study that there is doubts in 'what' and 'how' to teach English for vocational purposes that can be solved through needs analysis. Other researches found that content, way of teaching or methods, teaching materials and practices in teaching of English for vocational purposes are totally different from general English and required more attention for needs analysis which can reduce difficulties or problems faced and clarify misconceptions regarding teaching of ESP that help to design relevant syllabus and applicable pedagogy. It should focus on specialization, professionalism and practicality of teaching English in vocational courses.
References
Andriani, Gita. “PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP) IN HIGHER EDUCATION.” NOBEL (Journal of Literature, Language and Language Teaching), 2014. Semantic Scholar
ABDULWAHED M. SHUJA’A, ABDULHAMEED. “BUSINESS ENGLISH IN YEMEN: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF NEEDS ANALYSIS.” JSTOR, vol. 64/65, 2004, pp. 423–26, .
Galina, Pleşca. “The Role of Needs Analysis in ESP Curriculum Design.” Reseachgate, 2018. Academia,
Hilal Sincer, Gökçe. “Inquiring What to Teach and How to Teach in EVP Classes: A General Overview on English Teaching for Vocational Purposes in Turkey.” International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 2017, pp. 39–48.
Meenakshi, Dr. Devi, and Tyagi S. “A Study on Teaching Business Communication/English in Indian Classroom.” Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2013. Researchgate
