The effect of ESP module instructions for business management students in a Sri Lankan University (IR)

<p>This study explores the effect of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) module instructions within the context of higher education in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study is to test the effect of new ESP course module instructions. A quasiexperimental research design has been e...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dissanayake, Konara Mudiyanselage
Format: thesis
Language:eng
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ir.upsi.edu.my/detailsg.php?det=3462
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:<p>This study explores the effect of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) module instructions within the context of higher education in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study is to test the effect of new ESP course module instructions. A quasiexperimental research design has been employed in the study as the main method of inquiry. In addition to quantitative data, qualitative data have also been gathered to support the findings and the triangulation of data. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires, pre and posttest. Qualitative data was gathered through open ended questionnaires and semi structured interviews. The samples were 60 undergraduates of the Faculty of Business Studies and Finance from a university in Sri Lanka. The findings of the ESP course module practice provide valuable insights in designing effective ESP curriculums to meet the learners needs. Integration of skills, matching grammar with content discourse, identifying micro and critical practical learner needs, designing separate ESP grammar unit, filling gap in the existing syllabus, and use of new technology are the new insights found. The findings from both quantitative and qualitative data reiterate improvement of speaking and listening competencies. Reading and writing competencies did not show improvement as a result of new ESP module instructions. The findings also indicate that the existing ESP curriculum do not meet the actual needs of the ESP learners and therefore some changes are suggested for a successful application of the ESP curriculum in terms of quality, relevance and validity. This study implicates that the ESP courses are to be revised and redesigned to cater to the multiple needs of the learners in parallel to the language needs of the main stream content subjects and industry.</p>