Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal

http://sisaljournal.org

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Modules in the

Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) for Success in the
Global Workplace

Kevin Knight
Kanda University of International Studies
ISSN 2185-3762
Corresponding author:
[email protected]

Publication date: September, 2010.

To cite this article

Knight, K. (2010). English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Modules in the Self-Access Learning
Center (SALC) for Success in the Global Workplace. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal,
1(2), 119-128.

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SiSAL Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, September, 2010, 119-128

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Modules in the Self-Access

Learning Center (SALC) for Success in the Global Workplace

Kevin Knight

Kanda University of International Studies

Introduction - Preparing Students for the Global Workforce

University students must prepare themselves to be successful members of the

global workforce, and this paper introduces one way for a self-access center to support
such preparation by students outside of the formal classroom environment. In this paper,
it is proposed that the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at Kanda University of
International Studies (KUIS) provide ESP (English for specific purposes) modules
intended to prepare students for their future careers. Within these self-study modules,
the following should be recognized and incorporated:

1. The principles of ESP

2. Elements of outcome-based education
3. The relationship between leadership, learning, and teaching

In describing such ESP modules, this paper also proposes the development of
self-access materials that could be made available to facilitate the independent study.

SALC Modules

In addition to the other educational opportunities available on campus for

career preparation, KUIS students have the option to use the SALC at the time and in
the way that they desire. In addition, students can elect to take a self-study module. The
aim of these modules is to promote learner autonomy and enhance the learning
experiences of KUIS students. Students taking modules are assigned to a learning
advisor who helps them to develop skills such as goal setting and encourages them to
reflect on the learning process (Noguchi & McCarthy, 2010).

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Need for English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

Undergraduate students who are preparing for careers in the global economy by
taking courses in English that focus on business communication and business content
are in need of English for specific purposes (ESP). Gatehouse (2001) cites
Dudley-Evans (1997) in stating that “ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the
learner.” Although ESP has often been divided into English for academic purposes
(EAP) and English for occupational purposes (EOP), Knight, Lomperis, van Naerssen
& Westerfield (2010, p.7) further clarify ESP when they divide language learners who
need ESP into two categories:

1. Language learners who are in the process of developing expertise

in their fields need English communication skills as tools in their
training.
2. Language learners who are already experts in their fields need
English communication skills as tools in their work.

Undergraduate students often fall into the first category. They are in the process of
developing expertise that will enable them to succeed in their future internships and
future jobs. They need to master business communication skills and business content in
English. ESP modules in the SALC can assist them in this regard.

Outcome-based Education (OBE) to Meet Needs of Students

In order to meet the specific needs of students for business communication

skills in English, certain elements of outcome-based education (OBE) seem to be a
promising part of a “training mix” in an ESP module in the SALC. Good & Brophy
(1995, p. 169) provide the following definition of OBE:

Education that is outcome-based is a learner-centered,

results-oriented system founded on the belief that all individuals can learn.

In this system:
1. What is to be learned is clearly identified.
2. Learners’ progress is based on demonstrated achievement.
3. Multiple instructional and assessment strategies are available

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to meet the needs of each learner.

4. Time and assistance are provided for each learner to reach
maximum potential.

In other words, the specific skills that are needed for success in the workplace
can be identified, and learning strategies can be selected for the acquisition of these
skills.

Developing Learning and Leadership Skills through Teaching

In the business world, it is recognized that leadership, learning and teaching are
strongly interconnected, and the views of “13 of the most influential scholars in the
world of leadership today” on the importance of teaching as a part of learning and
leadership include the following (Liu, 2010, pp. 15-16):

[A] leader’s primary role [is] that of a teacher: if you are not teaching,
you are not leading. In a teaching organization, everyone teaches,
everyone learns, and everyone gets smarter everyday….Being a
teacher also means being a learner. It isn’t only that you learn first
and then teach, but that you learn through teaching.

Falchikov (2001, p. 5) cites Goldschmid and Goldschmid (1976) as arguing

that peer teaching in particular “maximizes student responsibility for learning and
enhances co-operative and social skills.”

Based on these perspectives, it can be argued that having students learn through
teaching (i.e., the sharing of what they have learned) is a promising approach for
preparing students to succeed in the global workplace where leadership, learning, and
teaching skills are highly valued.

Development of ESP Modules for the SALC

Principles and Parameters

Any ESP module implemented at KUIS should be in alignment with the

principles of the SALC. In particular, Cooker (2008, p. 21) states that “self-access

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learning should be truly self-access” (i.e., not a required, teacher-led activity) and
emphasizes that the self-access center should be a place where learning is “fun” and
where students “choose to be.”
Additionally, in regard to the development of SALC modules for future career
and business internship preparation, it is proposed that three other principles be added in
view of the principles of ESP, outcome-based education (OBE), and the relationship
between leadership, learning, and teaching:

1. The specific needs of learners should be clearly identified.

2. Learners should have clear, specific and achievable learning
goals/objectives based on their specific needs.
3. Learners should be provided with opportunities to teach what they learn to
others in order to both deepen their learning experience and demonstrate
their proficiency.

Objectives of ESP Modules

In view of the needs of students, ESP modules in the SALC should be designed to
provide students with opportunities and resources to do one or more of the following
(Figure 1):

1. To pursue their interest in business content and business communication skills in

English
2. To improve their performances in the classroom
3. To prepare themselves for their business internships and careers

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Figure 1. Objectives of ESP Modules in the SALC

To  Meet  the  Needs  of  Students  

Business Content

& Communication

Internships Classroom

& Careers Performance

Role of the Learning Advisor

A learning advisor is a qualified language educator who does not usually teach in a
classroom but instead works with individual learners and often in a SALC (Mynard &
Navarro, 2010). The role of the learning advisor in the SALC is of the utmost
importance, and it is suggested that the learning advisor, with the aim to be a bridge to a
student’s learner autonomy, provide support for the student in the following areas in the
case of ESP modules:

1. Needs analysis – What does the student need/desire to learn?

2. Learning objectives – What are the specific learning objectives?
3. Resources – What resources are available to the student to achieve the learning
objectives within a specific timeframe of his or her choosing?
4. Performance – What opportunities are available to the student to demonstrate what
has been learned?

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Materials

It is proposed that the activities within an ESP module be designed to support and
bridge the needs analysis and performance stages. In addition, the available self-access
materials should serve to enhance the experience of the students and facilitate the
accomplishment of their relative activities in the ESP module. The types of materials
required can be divided into the following categories that support the learning
interaction cycle (Figure 2):
1. Learning needs and objectives
2. Learning resources
3. Performance

Figure 2. Learning Interaction Cycle in ESP Module in the SALC

1. N eeds & 2. Resources

Objectives
Student
(and Advisor)

3. Perform ance

Materials for Needs Analysis

The materials used to conduct the needs analysis can come from a variety of
sources, and it is proposed that the student complete the needs analysis independently to
the extent possible prior to a meeting with a learning advisor. If a student is interested in
learning business English and/or business content in connection with a future job, the
student could complete a chart to determine the industry in which the student is
interested.

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Learning Objectives

It is important that the learning objectives be as specific as possible and that

learning outcomes be written clearly. A chart such as that in Table 1 (adapted from
material in Richey, 2010) should ideally be completed by the student prior to a meeting
with the learning advisor and can be used by the learning advisor in the following ways:

1. To increase the student’s awareness of what a subject (e.g., customer service)

entails for the purpose of identifying learning objectives.
2. To confirm the desired learning outcomes of the student (although it is
recommended that the actual learning outcomes be more clearly and specifically
stated than they are in the chart).
3. To confirm the degree of proficiency that the student desires to obtain.

Table 1. Learning Outcomes (Business Communication – Customer Service)

Learning Outcomes Advanced Intermediate Elementary

(Excellent) (Good) (Fair)
1. Basic Socializing ----------------- -------------------- ----------------
Greetings and introductions
Small talk questions
Offering hospitality
Saying goodbye
2. General Conversation ----------------- -------------------- ----------------
Asking for clarification
Making suggestions
Responding to suggestions
3. Etc. ----------------- -------------------- ----------------

Learning Resources

It is proposed that learning resources in the context of ESP modules be defined

as those resources that can be used by the student to learn the content and/or
communication skills needed to achieve the learning objectives and specific outcomes.
From this perspective, learning resources include materials, human resources, and
facilities. It is therefore suggested that the learning advisor help the student to create the

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best “learning resource mix” (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Learning Resource Mix in ESP SALC Module

Materials

Learning
Outcomes

People Facilities

Sekiya, Mynard & Cooker (2010, pp. 29-30) describe various types of materials in
the SALC including the following:
1. Commercially produced books including teacher guides, answer keys, workbooks,
and video/audio materials
2. Materials created (original) or adapted for self-access use (e.g., commercially
produced books cut up and made into laminated worksheets after obtaining
permission from the publisher)
3. Authentic texts with training materials to increase student accessibility to the
authentic texts (e.g., worksheet for a CNN video)

It is suggested that these types of materials also be made available to students

taking the ESP modules and that students be assisted by the learning advisor to access
these materials in accordance with their needs and learning outcomes.
Moreover, it is proposed that the learning advisor become familiar with
business-related materials in order to help a student to locate authentic texts such as the
online tutorial on financial statements offered by the City University of New York
(CUNY) at Baruch College (http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/tutorials/statements/).

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Performance

In the proposed ESP module, learning outcomes are drafted by the student
(with the possible assistance of the learning advisor), so it is recommended that the
student’s performance be assessed in regard to those learning outcomes.

The means by which the student demonstrates proficiency can vary and may
include the following:

1. A dialog (e.g., between a flight attendant and a passenger) written by the student.
2. A lesson or training session (e.g., in which the student teaches and/or performs
what a flight attendant should say and do).
3. A role play (e.g., in which the student takes the role of the flight attendant) video
recorded or performed live.

In conclusion, the main aim of the ESP module is to promote learner autonomy
while at the same time providing various types of support to meet the learner’s specific,
identified needs and objectives. The modules supplement and build on classroom work
through individualized learning opportunities that address the needs of students that
cannot always be met in the classroom.

Notes on the contributor

Kevin Knight develops curriculum and teaches in the Career Education Center and the
Department of International Communication of KUIS. After completing graduate
degrees in Pacific International Affairs (MPIA) and Business Administration (MBA) in
the United States, he is pursuing a PhD in Linguistics (Professional Communication)
with a focus on leadership at Macquarie University in Australia.

References

Cooker, L. (2008). Some self-access principles. Independence, 43 (20-21).

IATEFL Learner Autonomy SIG.

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Falchikov, N. (2001). Learning together: Peer tutoring in higher education. London,

UK: RoutledgeFalmer.

Gatehouse, K. (2001). Key issues in English for specific purposes (ESP) curriculum
development. The Internet TESOL Journal. Retrieved at
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Gatehouse-ESP.html

Good, T.L., & Brophy, J. (1995). Contemporary educational psychology. White Plains,
NY: Longman.

Knight, K., Lomperis, A., van Naerssen, M. & Westerfield, K. (2010). English for
Specific Purposes: An Overview for Practitioners and Clients (Academic and
Corporate). PowerPoint presentation submitted to Alexandria, Virginia:
TESOL Resource Center. Retrieved at
http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/trc/uploads/Other/119485/1564_Knight_ESPPPTf
orTRC.pdf

Liu, L. (2010). Conversations on leadership: Wisdom from global management gurus.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mynard, J., & Navarro, D. (2010). Japan Association of Self-Access Learning Forum:
Dialogue in self-access learning. In A. M. Stoke (Ed.), JALT 2009 Conference
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Noguchi, J., & McCarthy, T. (2010). Reflective self-study: Fostering learner autonomy.
In A. M. Stoke (Ed.), JALT2009Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT.

Richey, R. (2010). English for customer care. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Sekiya, Y., Mynard, J., & Cooker, L. (2010). 学習者の自律を支援するセルフ

アクセス学習 [Self-access learning which supports learner autonomy]. In H.
Kojima, N. Ozeki & T. Hiromori. (Eds.), 「英語教育学大系」全13巻中の第6
巻「成長する英語学習者―学習者要因と自律学習」大修 館書店 [Survey of
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