Đề tài Thiết kế giáo trình tiếng anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ hai ngành thư viện trường cao đẳng sư phạm trung ương

Vietnam national university, Hanoi College of foreign languages Post-Graduate Department ---------------------------------------------- Duong Thi hao Designing an esp syllabus for the second-year students of library study at the national teachers training college “ Thiết kế giáo trình tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ hai ngành Thư viện trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Trung ương” MA. minor thesis Major: English language teaching methodology Code: 601014 Hanoi, 2007 Vietnam national university, Hanoi College of foreign languages Post-Graduate Department ------------------------------------------------ Duong Thi hao Designing an esp syllabus for the second year students of library study at the national teachers training college “ Thiết kế giáo trình tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ hai ngành Thư viện trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Trung ương” MA. minor thesis Field: English language teaching methodology Code: 601014 Supervisor: Nguyen Xuan Thom, PhD Hanoi, 2007 Acknowledgements First of all, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thom who gave me valuable suggestions, insightful discussions and immeasurable support and encouragements in the development and completion of this study. I gratefully acknowledge all those whose works which are referred to in this study. In particular, I would like to thank Dr.To Thu Huong for her lectures and advice that helped shaping my thinking on this subject matter. My special thanks go to all the lecturers of the Postgraduate Department at the College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their useful lectures and guidance during the course. I also wish to thank all my colleagues and my dear students at the National Teachers Training College for their participation, assistance and support for this thesis. ABSTRACT This study is intended to deal with one of the problems in teaching English for the students of library study at the National Teachers Training college (NTTC): That’s the shortage of an appropriate ESP syllabus for the students of library study when they take the ESP course. Thus, this study aims at designing an appropriate, practical, feasible and also enjoyable ESP syllabus for the students of library study to facilitate the process of teaching and learning ESP. The study consists of three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion. The first part: Introduction discusses the rationale, aim and objectives, scope, methods and design of the study. The second part of the study contains three chapters. Chapter one is devoted to the theoretical background of the study. Chapter two is the investigation into some textbooks relating to library study. The next chapter deals with methodology of the study, data collection, findings and discussion and the proposed syllabus for the target students based on the previous chapters. The last part of the study is a summary of the study including the conclusion of the study, limitations of the study as well as suggestions for further study. It is hoped that the results of the study can be helpful to those who are in charge of teaching ESP for students of library study at NTTC in particular and those who are interested in teaching and designing appropriate syllabuses for their target students in general. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NTTC : National Teachers’ Training College ESP : English for Specific Purposes GE : General English ELS : English for Library Study SLS : Students of library study List of figures and tables Figure 1. Types of ESP ………………………………………………………………..……………..5 Figure2: Bases for language syllabus design ………………………………...………………………9 Figure 3 : Cohesive devices……………………………………………………..…………………..18 Figure 4 : Organization of information…………………………………………………...…………20 Table 1: Terms and acronyms in the selected texts………………………………….....…...………56 Table 2: Prefixes and suffixes in texts related to library study………….………………………….56 Table 3: Simple vs. complex sentences……………………………………………………………..56 Table 4: Active vs. passive sentences……………………………………………………………….56 Table 5: The teachers’ ranking of the objectives in the ESP reading course……….……………….57 Table 6: Teachers’ ranking topics relating to library study……………………………………...57,58 Table 7: English teachers’ ranking of Grammar and structures needed to be included in the syllabus……………………………………………………………………………………………...58 Table 8: Teachers’ ranking of reading skills and language exercises…………………………...59,60 Table 9: English teachers’ ranking of language tasks………………………………………………61 Table 10 The students’ expectations in the ESP reading course…………………………………... 62 Table 11: Students’ ranking topics relating to library study………………………………………..63 Table 12 : Students’ ranking of reading skills and language exercises………………………….64,65 Table 13 : The proposed ESP reading syllabus for library study at NTTC……………………..34-38 Table of content Acknowledgements Abstract List of abbreviations List of figures and tables PART I: INTRODUCTION…………….......………...........………..………………...…. 1 1. Rationale…………………………………........…………..........……..……………...….1 2. Aims and Objectives…………………………........…….…...........………………....…..2 3. Research questions…………………………………......……...........……………...…….2 4. Scope of the Study…………………………………….…………...........………....…….2 5. The significance of the study…………………………….…………...........……....…….2 6. Methods of study…………………………………………......…………..............………3 7. Design of the study…………………………………………..………………..............…3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT………………………….…………..........……..............…….4 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………..……..............……4 1.1. An overview of ESP………………………………………………......…..............……4 1.1.1. Definitions of ESP………………………………………………........................……4 1.1.2. Types of ESP……………………………………………….............….…..............…5 1.1.3. Terminology…………………………………………………….................................6 1.1.3.1. Definition of terminology……………………………………………..............…....6 1.1.3.2. Classifications of terminology…………………………………..............….............6 1.1.3.2.1. Single terms……………………………………....................……………………6 1.1.3.2.2. Compound terms………………………………………….........…...…………... 6 1.1.3.3. Characteristics of terminology…………………………………................………..6 1.1.3.3.1. Accuracy……………………………………………...........………….........…….6 1.1.3.3.2. Systematicity……………………………………………..............…………........6 1.1.3.3.3. Internationality……………………………………….............…...……………...7 1.1.4. Acronyms………………………………………………………................………….7 1.2. Current views on syllabus design………………....……………………………........…7 1.2.1. Definition of syllabus………………………….…………………….......…………..7 1.2.2 Task, Function, Activity and Exercise…………………………………........………..8 1.2.3. Types of ESP syllabus………………………………………….……............………9 1.2.3.1. Language form syllabuses (Structural/ grammatical syllabus).................................9 1.2.3.2. Notional- functional syllabuses...............................................................................10 1.2.3.3. Situational Syllabuses..............................................................................................10 1.2.3.4. Topic - based syllabuses..........................................................................................10 1.2.3.5. Skill-based syllabuses..............................................................................................11 1.2.3.6. Task-based syllabuses.............................................................................................11 1.2.3.7. Communicative syllabuses......................................................................................11 1.2.3.8. Audio-lingual syllabuses.........................................................................................12 1.2.3.9. Analytic syllabuses..................................................................................................12 1.2.4. Approaches to language syllabus design....................................................................12 1.2.4.1. Language - centered approach...............................................................................12 1.2.4.2. Skills- centered approach........................................................................................12 1.2.4.3. Learning- centered approach...................................................................................13 1.2.5. Stages in syllabus design............................................................................................13 1.2.5.1. Needs Analysis (NA)................................................................................ ..............13 1.2.5.2. Aims and objectives setting.....................................................................................15 1.2.5.3. Selecting content.....................................................................................................15 Integrating tasks, grammatical and notional components........................................15 1.2.5.5. Grading content.......................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 2: INVESTIGATION INTO TEXTBOOKS RELATED TO LIBRARY STUDY.................................................................................................................................17 3.1. Topics............................................................................................................................17 3.2. Terminology and acronyms...........................................................................................18 3.3. Cohesion........................................................................................................................18 3.4. Grammatical structures..................................................................................................19 3.4.1. Words.........................................................................................................................19 3.4.2. Sentences....................................................................................................................19 3.4.2.1. Simple and complex sentences................................................................................19 3.4.2.2. Active vs. passive sentences....................................................................................20 3.4.3. Text............................................................................................................................ 20 3.4.3.1. Organization of information....................................................................................20 3.4.3.2. Making a definition or explanation.........................................................................21 3.4.3.1. Some other characteristics.......................................................................................21 Summary..............................................................................................................................22 Chapter 3: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION................................23 3.1 METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................................23 3.1.1. Situational factors......................................................................................................23 3.1.1.1. Institutional factor..................................................................................................23 3.1.1.2. Teacher factor ( Teachers of English at NTTC).....................................................23 3.1.1.3. Students factor (Students of library study)................................... .........................23 3.1.1.4. The teaching and learning English at NTTC..........................................................24 3.1.2. Subjects of the study...................................................................................................25 3.1.3. Instruments for collecting data...................................................................................25 3.1.3.1. Questionnaires.........................................................................................................25 3.2. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION.................. ..............................................26 3.2.1. Needs perceived by the English teachers...................................................................26 3.2.1.1. Section 1: The teachers’ attitude towards ESP reading course for the second year students of library study and the objectives perceived by them...........................................26 3.2.1.2. Section II: English teachers’ and subject teachers’ opinions on needed topics......27 3.2.1.3. Section III: Grammar and structures needed to be included in the syllabus...........27 3.2.1.4. Section IV: English teachers’ ranking of reading skills, language exercises and language tasks needed to be included in the syllabus.............. ...........................................28 3.2.2. Needs perceived by the second year students of library study at NTTC...................28 3.2.2.1.Section I: The students’ attitude towards ESP reading course................................ 28 3.2.2.2. Section II: Needed topics perceived by the students...............................................29 3.2.2.3. Section III: Students’ ranking of reading skills, language exercises and language tasks needed to be included in the syllabus..........................................................................29 3.3. DESIGNING AN ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF LIBRARY STUDY AT NTTC........................................................................................................................30 3.3.1. Selecting the type of ESP syllabus............................................................................30 3.3.2. Aims and objectives of the reading syllabus ............................................................31 3.3.3. The selection and gradation of content in the syllabus..............................................31 3.3.3.1 Topics in the syllabus......................................................................... .....................31 3.3.3.2. Reading skills and exercises...................................................................................32 3.3.3.3. Language tasks........................................................................................................33 3.3.3.4. Grammar and structures..........................................................................................33 3.3.4. The proposed reading syllabus for the target students...............................................33 3.3.4.1. Time schedule..........................................................................................................33 3.3.3.4.2. The organization of the syllabus..........................................................................33 Summary..............................................................................................................................39 PART III: CONCLUSION..................................................................................................40 REFERENCES..................................................................................................................42 APPENDIXES...................................................................................................................46 APPENDIX 1......................................................................................................................46 APPENDIX 2......................................................................................................................51 APPENDIX 3.....................................................................................................................52 APPENDIX 4: Tables........................................................................................................56 PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale The National Teachers’ Training College (NTTC) used to be the National College for Early Childhood Teachers No1. Thus, library study is a new field of study at the college. There have been students of library study since 2004. Although English has been taught at NTTC since 1990 and English is a compulsory subject, ESP is only taught for students of library study and computer science students. At the NTTC students take the General English (GE) course with 150 periods. After finishing their GE course students of library will take the ESP course of 60 periods. According to the training curriculum, the ESP is to be delivered in the third semester of the second year after two semesters of GE. The reading texts used for the ESP course are selected by the teachers of the English section from different sources and they use them as syllabus to plan the lessons. Since ESP has been a part of English teaching at the NTTC, there has never been an official guidance or any suggestions for the ESP teachers. Those who are responsible for teaching ESP for students of library study often choose the parts from their own sources, which they personally think, are important and appropriate for their learners without any investigation into the factors concerning ESP theories as well as the learners’ need or target situation. As a result, consideration for students’ need, the aim and objectives of the ESP course is nowhere to stay but is subjected to teachers’ subjective options. It is clear that a syllabus contributes to the success and fulfills the objectives of an English course. A syllabus is an integral component in the process of the course design. Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p.83-84) explain why we should have a syllabus by identifying the roles of a syllabus. The syllabus, defining the constituent parts of language knowledge is a practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time. Apart from its practical benefits, a syllabus gives more support to the teachers and learners in that it makes the language-learning tasks appear manageable. A syllabus is an implicit statement of view on the nature of what is taken to be the most important aspect of language learning. A syllabus then tells the teacher and the student not only what to be learned but also why it is to be learned. The shortage of an appropriate syllabus for the second year students of library study at the NTTC is a big and urgent question, waiting to be answered. And it is of great necessity and significance to both teachers who are teaching ESP and students of library study. This is the reason why the topic “Designing an ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study at the NTTC” is the subject matter chosen for my thesis. 2. Aims and Objectives The study aims at designing an appropriate ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study at the NTTC. To achieve this aim, three objectives are set to be obtained.  To develop a theoretical framework related to an ESP syllabus design. ‚ To conduct a Needs Analysis to identify the students’ learning situation, the learning needs perceived by the teachers who are responsible for the ESP course, subject teachers, and the second year students of library study. ƒ To propose an appropriate ESP syllabus for the target students based on the relevant theories and the Needs Analysis. 3. Research questions To attain these above aims and objectives the following research questions are raised:  What are the students’ learning needs and target needs? ‚ What should be included in the syllabus? The answer to these question help to develop an appropriate ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study at NTTC. 4. Scope of the Study The study limits itself to design an ESP reading syllabus for the second year students of library study at the NTTC. The author of the study is concerned with the second year students of library study, subject teachers and English teachers at the NTTC. Other approaches to syllabus designs intended for students and other subjects at any other levels of English language proficiency would be beyond the scope. 5. The significance of the study It is hoped that the study can be both practically and theoretically helpful. In practice, the study is hoped to solve a problem of setting up an ESP syllabus that is urgently necessary for the second year students of library study at NTTC. It would give a smoother move to the teaching and learning ESP for both concerning teachers and students. Furthermore, it help to set the first official step to the teaching and learning ESP at the NTTC. That would integrate both the learners’ learning Needs and the ESP course objectives. Theoretically, the study may hopefully contribute something to the field of syllabus design and at the same time would raise the concern of other teachers at NTTC. 6. Methods of study Quantitative methods are employed to carry out this. Data is collected by means of survey questionnaires an then quantitatively analyzed. 7. Design of the study The study contains three main parts: Part I: Introduction: that is for the rationale, aims and objectives, the research questions, significance, scope, methodology and design of the study. Part II: Development that consists of three chapters. Chapter 1: ‘Literature review’ is devoted to the theoretical background that includes an overview of ESP, and some current views on syllabus design. Chapter 2: is the investigation into some texts extracted from some textbooks related to library study to find out some main language feature of ESP reading texts. Chapter 3: deals with the methodology describing situational analysis, subject of the study and instruments for collecting data. The findings and analysis of the results collected from the survey are also found in this chapter. And from that a proposed ESP syllabus for 2nd year students of library study at NTTC is presented. Part III: ‘Conclusion’ which offers a summary and limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further study. PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will be devoted to theories related to the subject matter. The chapter is divided into three parts: (1) an overview of ESP to highlight the characteristics of an ESP course and factors to be taken into account in designing an ESP syllabus; (2) the discussion of approaches to designing an ESP syllabus; and the steps to be taken in designing an ESP reading syllabus. 1.1. An overview of ESP 1.1.1. Definitions of ESP ESP (English for special purposes) has been defined by different researchers and scholars from different points of views. Fitzjohn in Robinson (1980: 9) takes the time factor as a characteristic feature of ESP. He points out ‘The very concept of ‘Special purposes’ implies that foreign language study is a subsidiary contribution to another main interest, and that there will normally be pressure to achieve the required level of linguistic competence in a minimum of time.’ In regard to learners’ age Robinson cited in Long (1980: 9) states that ‘The number of people wanting to learn English for Specific Purpose is spiraling. By and large these people have been students in tertiary education, and adult.’ Brumfit(1977: 7) and Munby (1978: 2) shares the same view when they take the learners’ needs as the most important factor in ESP. Brumfit states that: ‘First, it is clear that an ESP course is directly concerned with the purposes for which learners need English, purposes for which are usually expressed in functional terms.’ A definition which covers more detailed characteristics of an ESP course is produced by Strevens (1988). He points out: ‘English for specific purposes is a particular case of the general category of special - purpose language teaching. The same principles apply no matter which language is being learned and taught. French for specific purposes. Russian for specific purposes. Chinese for specific purposes - all of these exist and are constructed on the same basis as English for specific purposes. The vastly greater demand for English makes ESP more common than FSP, RSP, or CSP, but the principles are the same’ (Strevens, 1988: 1). Although there have been many definitions of ESP given by different authors, the Strevens’ (1988: 1) definition will be used in this study because it covers more detailed characteristics of an ESP course. From the definition by Strevens, an ESP course has the following characteristics: ã Absolute characteristics. ESP consists of English language teaching, which is (1) designed to meet specified needs of the learner, (2) related in content (i.e. in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities, (3) centered on the language appropriate to those activities, in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, etc and (4) in contrast with “General English”. ã Variable characteristics. ESP may be, but is not necessarily restricted as to the language skills to be learned (E.g.: reading only, speech recognition only, etc.) and taught according to any pre-ordained methodology The above definitions imply two factors: (1) the broad meaning of the term ‘purpose’ and (2) the syllabus bases on learners’ needs analysis to determine the content of the syllabus, the materials and the method of teaching/ learning purposes. 1.1.2. Types of ESP There are many types of ESP, but the major distinction is often drawn between EOP (English for Occupational Purposes), EAP (English for Academic Purposes), and EST (English for Science and Technology). Strevens (1977a cited in Munby, 1978:55) made a classification of various types of ESP in the following figure: ESP EST Other EST Occupational (EOP) Educational (EEP) Pre-experience Simultaneous Post-experience Pre-study In-study Post-study Figure 1. Types of ESP (Munby: 156 taken from Strevens 1977 b) 1.1.3. Terminology Robinson (1991: 27) argues that ‘particularly specialist vocabulary (or terminology), is a key element of ESP’. It means that terminology makes the basic distinction between ESP and GE. 1.1.3.1. Definition of terminology There have been many definitions of terminology but I here by cited 2 definitions. In Longman dictionary of applied linguistics (1992: 376), terminology is defined as: “the special lexical items which occur in a particular discipline or subject matter”. Nguyen Thien Giap (1985:308) defines terminology as a special linguistic that consists of word and fixed phrase providing precise definitions of objectives that belong to a particular scientific area. These definitions share the same view that terminology are specialist words used in special fields or branches. 1.1.3.2. Classifications of terminology Two main types of terms are mentioned according to their structural patterns: single terms and compound terms. 1.1.3.2.1. Single terms Single terms are made up of one word (usually a noun or a verb). For example: accession (đăng ký); doublers (trang lót); dossier (hồ sơ) 1.1.3.2.2. Compound terms Compound terms are composed of two or more than two words. For example: End notes (lời chú cuối sách), library census (thống kê thư viện), punched card (phiếu đục lỗ). 1.1.3.3. Characteristics of terminology Three main characteristics of terminology have been given by many linguists. These are: accuracy, systematicity and internationality. 1.1.3.3.1. Accuracy Terms have the basic nuclear meaning and “one concept has only one term for it and vice versa”. A scientific term expresses a scientific concept or definition precisely and concretely. There is no connotation emotional meaning, polysemy, synonymy and anonym. 1.1.3.3.2. Systematicity In every field of science there exists a limited system of concepts which are denoted by certain terms and each term is in the relationship with other terms in the same system and its value is also determined by this relationship. The term, therefore, depends closely on other terms in the system. 1.1.3.3.3. Internationality There is a number of terms that can be found in many languages without or with a little bit difference in form. This makes up the third feature of terminology. 1.1.4. Acronyms Acronyms are terms which are not written in full but by using initial letters of words that form a group of words. Acronyms are frequently created within special topics and designate products, appliances, and processes. Standard equivalent terms or deceptive terms are used to translate acronyms. For example: PTLA: Publishers’ Trade List Annual, LIMS: Library Information Management System. 1.2. Current views on syllabus design 1.2.1. Definition of syllabus The notion of “syllabus” have been defined by different writers. In defining syllabus there are several conflicting views on the distinction between syllabus design and curriculum development. Some writers advocate the narrow view that draws a clear distinction between syllabus design and methodology whereas some others adopt a broader view that argues that the advent of communicative language teaching, the distinction between content and tasks is difficult to sustain. Yalden (1984: 14) and Breen (1984:49) believe that the syllabus replaces the concept of ‘method’, and it is seen as an instrument the teacher uses with the help of the syllabus designer to achieve a degree of ‘fit’ between the needs, the aims of the learners, and the class activities. ‘Any syllabus will express, however indirectly certain assumption about the language, about the psychological process of learning, and about the pedagogic and social within a classroom’ ( Breen, 1984:49) Some other researchers such as Nunan (1988), Alen (1984: 49), Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 80) hold the different view. They believe that syllabus and methodology should be distinctive and separate. According to Allen (1984: 49) ‘Syllabus ... is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught’. Nunan (1988) shares the same view that a syllabus is a specification of the content that is to be taught in a language program and the order in which it is to be taught. All or any of the phonology, grammar, functions, notions can be found in a syllabus. Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 80) state that ‘A syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should) be learned’. In short, a syllabus is now narrowly then broadly defined. For the sake of designing an ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study at NTTC, the author attempts to adapt the view that - A syllabus is concerned with what to be learned. 1.2.2 Task, Function, Activity and Exercise It is necessary at this point to distinguish task, function, activity and exercise. This will help to understand the issues discussed in the following sections and later help to choose appropriate language units for the target syllabus. Task In Longman dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics task is defined as ‘an activity which is designed to help achieve a particular learning goal. The teacher’ choice of tasks determines learning goals, how learning is to take place , and how is the result of learning is demonstrated’. A number of dimensions of tasks including goals, procedures, order, pacing, product, learning strategy, assessment, participation, resources, and language influence their use in language teaching. (Longman, 1997; 373) Function Function is ‘ the purpose for which an utterance or unit of language is used. In language teaching functions are often described as categories of behaviours; e.g.: requests, apologies, complaints, offers, compliments.’ In linguistics, the functional uses of language are studied in speech acts theory, sociolinguistics, and pragmatics. In communicative approach to language teaching , a syllabus is often organized in terms of different functions the learners need to express or understand. Activity In language teaching, ‘activities are defined as relatively short blocks of classroom time-typically 10 to 20 minutes– during which students are arranged in a particular way’(Walter, 1986; 398). In this sense, an activity may consist of different tasks and that may carry out different functions. Exercise Exercise is an activity or process involving a particular skill and it is designed to achieve a result. In language teaching exercises are often used to practice grammar and structures as well as to enforce lexical items. 1.2.3. Types of ESP syllabus Content Skill Method PRODUCT Ends-driven PROCESS Means-driven Language Receptive/ Productive focus Learning Skill Acquisition Process Learning focus Learner-led Procedural Cognitive focus Task-based Non-analytic Structural focus Form TOPIC Informational focus Task SITUATION Contextual focus Task-analytic Notional/ task focus Some different ways of classifying syllabuses are employed by different researchers. In this study the author would like to take the classification of syllabuses by Robinson (1991:35). She classifies syllabuses into three main types as follows: Figure2: Bases for language syllabus design (Sources: White (325); ovals, Breen (270); rectangles, Allen (256) (In Robinson, 1991: 35) 1.2.3.1. Language form syllabuses (Structural/ grammatical syllabus) In this kind of syllabus, syllabus input is selected and graded according to grammatical notions of simplicity and complexity. The most basic aspects of such a syllabus are language structures. The main advantage of this kind of syllabus is that the teaching is based on the principle of working from the familiar to the unfamiliar. However, this kind of syllabuses have been criticized because they focus only one aspect of language formal-grammar. Nunan and Wilkins points out “Structurally graded syllabuses misrepresented the complex nature of language as a system and tended to focus on only one aspect of language, that is, formal grammar” (Nunan, 1988: 30). However, In fact structural syllabus is still commonly used in both GE and ESP courses since it provides a commonly recognized set of structures which can be used as one criteria for syllabus organization. 1.2.3.2. Notional- functional syllabuses In contrast to the structural syllabus, this type of syllabus emphasizes the semantic knowledge as primary and attempts to answer the question ‘What do the learners need to express?’ (Wilkins, 1983:86). The learners and their communication are the focus of the syllabus (Nunan, 1988:36). Thus, the main advantage of this type of syllabus is to provide the teaching with ‘realistic learning task, real world language. However this type of syllabus has some drawbacks. Firstly, it provides simple series of isolated functions that can’t help to develop the learners’ communicative competence. Secondly, the content is restricted to specific of use to perform many functions. Thirdly, the functional content is presented in short utterances and units of discourse, large structure of discourse may be ignored and the learners may fail to handle the new language in longer discourse. Despite its weakness, the notional/ functional syllabus is widely used in specific teaching programmes for specific purposes because it based on specific discourse and needs analysis to define the content of the course. 1.2.3.3. Situational Syllabuses The situational syllabus treats the language as a social medium. ‘Language is always used in a social context and cannot be fully understood without reference to that context’ (Wilkins, 1976:16). In most situational syllabus the content is highly relevant to the needs and interests of the learners. Students’ knowledge of the world is used as an aid to learning and provides realistic materials. However, this type of syllabus also presents some shortcomings. Firstly, ‘there is principle no way to grade situations in terms of difficulty or as to which ones need to be learned before others’. Long and Crookes (1993).Secondly, there is no strong predictable relationship between the situation and the language used in it, except for highly ritualized language use Bell (1981: 54). 1.2.3.4. Topic - based syllabuses This type of syllabus is based on the assumption that ‘text must be about something, thus all textbooks have willy-nilly topic syllabus’ (Hutchinson, 1987:89).The main advantage of this type of syllabus is that it ‘motivates’ the students and as a basis for the real ‘syllabus of the language forms, tasks or whatever the course designers wish to focus on’ (Robinson (1991:37). Topic-based syllabus deploys the content of the students’ work or specialist study so it is of great importance to ESP. One objective of the ESP course may in fact be to teach this specialist content (Robinson; 1991:36). However, Brown and Yule (1983:73) point out some difficulty in grading and defining the semantic construct and also ‘the logic of the subject may provide a non-linguistic rationale for the selecting and grading content’. 1.2.3.5. Skill-based syllabuses Skill-based syllabuses ‘focus exclusively or principally on one of the four traditional skills. However, the actual content of the course might be the language forms or functions, as in content-based syllabuses.’ (Robinson, 1991:37). The main advantage of this type of syllabus is that it helps to develop students’ skills and strategies because it’s based on the assumption that ‘underlying and language behavior are certain skills and strategies, which the learner uses in order to produce or comprehend discourse’ (Hutchinson, 1987:69). 1.2.3.6. Task-based syllabuses The main organizing principle of task-based syllabuses is activities or tasks. According to Robinson (1991:39).The procedural or task-based syllabuses consist of a set of tasks or activities ordered according to cognitive difficulty. Class time is devoted to performance of the tasks and attention is only consciously directed to language if this is necessary for completion of the task. A major concern is that students understand the task and what they are doing, and do not act in a mechanical way. Task-based syllabuses are of clear significance for ESP students. Robinson (1991: 40) observes that in ‘using the medium of English, they should successfully perform a work or study task’. However, the main difficulty of this type of syllabus lies in the degree of contextual support, the cognitive difficulty of the task, the amount of assistance, the language complexity, the psychological stress, and the amount and type of knowledge background (Nunan, 1988). 1.2.3.7. Communicative syllabuses This kind of syllabus is designed basing on the communicative approach to language teaching which emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence (Richards & Roger, 1986). This type of syllabus provides the language needed to express and understand different kinds of functions and focuses mainly on the process of communication, such as using language appropriately in different types of situations; using language to perform different kinds of tasks; using language for social interactions with other people. 1.2.3.8. Audio-lingual syllabuses This type of syllabus is base on the beliefs that speaking and listening are the most important language skills and each language has its own unique structure and rule system and learning a language is forming habits. The audio-lingual method was used in the 1950s and 1960s,however, this method received a lot of criticisms because of its theory and techniques. 1.2.3.9. Analytic syllabuses This kind of syllabus see the language behaviors as the starting point (e.g. descriptions, requests, apologies, enquiries, and other speech acts). The vocabulary and grammar used for different functions can be later analyzed (Wilkinsm, 1976). This kind of syllabus appears to be a combination of some types of syllabuses. All kinds of syllabus have their own advantages as well as disadvantages. For the sake of designing an appropriate ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study the combination or integration of syllabuses will be a good solution because the practice of a single syllabus cannot guarantee the satisfaction of the students. 1.2.4. Approaches to language syllabus design There have been different approaches to language syllabus design. Wikins (1976) makes a useful distinction between analytic and synthetic approaches to language teaching. Hutchinson and Water (1987: 65) suggests three ways: language- centered, skills- centered and learning- centered. For the purpose of this paper, the later will be taken into account. 1.2.4.1. Language - centered approach This approach ‘aims to draw as direct a connection as possible between the analysis of the target situation and the content of the ESP course’ (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987: 65). The starting point of this approach is learners and their needs but it’s restricted to the area of language not the whole of language. And the criticism falls on its static procedure and it can only cover the surface of the performance. 1.2.4.2. Skills- centered approach This approach in ESP focuses on developing learners’ skills and strategies. It treats learners as users of language rather than learners of language. The skills-centered approach takes the learner more into account than the language- centered approach. After the ESP course the learner will be keen on processing the information. 1.2.4.3. Learning- centered approach The main concern of learning- centered approach is ‘to maximize learning’ (Hutchinson and Water 1987: 72). In this approach learners are not the only one concern of the learning process, and learning process is not totally decided and based on the learner but should be seen in the context where it takes place. This approach deals with learning process not only as a process of mentality but also a negotiating process taken place between individuals in society. It doesn’t only pay attention to the learner’s competence itself but also to how the learner acquires that competence. needs and cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the course. In order to design and ESP syllabus for the second year SLS at the NTTC, an integrated approach will be the choice, the rationale for this to maximize the advantages and minimize the drawbacks of each approach. 1.2.5. Stages in syllabus design Different researchers have a variety of ways to look at the issue due to certain reasons. The syllabus for the target students at NTTC will be designed by working out on the following steps. (1) Needs analysis; (2) Goal setting; (3) Selecting and grading content. Nunan (1988, 60) points out that the initial step in the process of designing a syllabus is to carry out a needs analysis to assess the needs of the learners. Basing on the result of this analysis, the aim and the objectives of the syllabus will be set up and the content of the syllabus will be selected and graded 1.2.5.1. Needs Analysis (NA) . Needs analysis is now seen as the logical starting point for the development of a language program. Robinson (1991, 41) suggests that ‘ the decision as to which syllabus type or types to employ will result from a judicious consideration of the students’ needs and the objectives of the course, together with the institutional bias of the teaching institution’. It implies that a material designer must analyze the needs of the learners for whom he or she designs the materials. Richards (2001, 32) defines needs analysis as ‘ the process of determining the needs for which a learner or a group of learners requires a language and arranging the needs according to the priorities’. * Needs : Firstly, needs refer to (1) students’ study or job requirements that are what they have to be able to do at the end of their language course Widdowson (1981, 2), (2) ‘what the user-institution or society at large regards as necessary or desirable to be learnt from a program of a language institution, (3) ‘what the students themselves would like to gain from the language course’ Berwick (1989, 55). Under Hutchinson and Waters’ perspective, needs analysis include target needs and learning needs. Target needs refer to a number of important distinctions: necessities, lacks and wants. * Necessities: Necessity determined by the demands of the target situation, that is, what the learner has to know in order to function effectively in the target situation (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p.55). In other words, necessities are learners’ target proficiency- the scope of the language knowledge and skills that the learner has obtained in order to fulfill the study requirements after finishing the course. The analysis about the learners’ necessities provides the syllabus designer with significant information about the characteristics of the target language, which will determined the content of the syllabus. * Lacks: The gap between the target proficiency and the existing proficiency of the learners can be seen as the learners’ lacks (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, 56).When designing a syllabus the designer also needs to know what the learner knows already (existing proficiency) in order ‘to decide which of the necessities the learner lacks’ (Hutchinson, 1987, 56). * Wants: Can be considered as learners’ needs in a subjective sense. Learners’ motivation always play an important role in the process of learning so syllabus designer cannot ignore the learners’ perceptive wants. In short, information about the target needs is of great importance to a syllabus designer. To get that kind of information it is essential to ask questions about the target situation and attitudes towards that situation of the participants in the learning process. Hutchinson and Waters (1987, 59) suggest a target situation analysis framework as follow: Why is language needed? How will the language be used? What will the content areas be? When will the language be used? 1.2.5.2. Aims and objectives setting Establishing the basis aims and objectives of the syllabus is very important since such aims will in fact govern the whole process of the syllabus design as well as the syllabus implementation. Aims refer to the underlying reasons for purposes of a course while objectives describe what is to be achieved in a course. According to Nunan (1988, 61) objectives can be useful, not only to guide the selection of the structures, functions, notions, tasks, and so on, but also to provide a sharper focus for teacher. Thus, aims and objectives of the syllabus determine the selections of contents and teaching procedures and activities and there is an invaluable guide for evaluation as well. For all these reasons, the aims and objectives of the syllabus should be clear , precise and appropriate. 1.2.5.3. Selecting content That is the choice of linguistic content (vocabulary, grammar, etc) for a language course, textbook, etc, including the use frequency counts, needs analysis and pedagogic grammar procedures for selecting language items to include in a language course (Richard, Platt and Webber, 1986: 253).Here, in ESP, vocabulary, particularly specialist vocabulary-terminology is a key element (Robinson, 1991: 27). Integrating tasks, grammatical and notional components After selecting the content of the syllabus the next important step is to integrate these notions, tasks, structures or lexis, topical and notional elements as well as grammatical ones and tasks should be well integrated in such a way that the notion will be re-cycled throughout the course with different structure at certain time, appropriately used in relevant context. 1.2.5.5. Grading content Grading of linguistic components is the next stage to be considered. Grading has been defined as ‘the arrangement of the content of a language course or a textbook so that it is presented in a helpful way. Gradation would affect the order in which words, word meanings, tenses, structures, topics, tasks, skills, etc are presented. Gradation may be based on the complexity of an item, its frequency in written or spoken English, or its importance for the learner’ (Richard, Platt and Webber 1985:125). Gibbons (in John, 1984: 136) suggests two criteria when grading the content of a syllabus: Steady increase in the number of elements in the structures A component relationship between items Graves (1996: 28) presents two general, complementary principles of sequencing: Building (from the simple to the complex, from more concrete to more open-ended) Recycling (accessing previous items in new ways: in a new skill area, in a different type of activity, or with a new focus) Obviously, language has to be ordered in such a way as to facilitate teaching and learning. The ESP syllabus for the second year students at NTTC will be combined following these above criteria. CHAPTER 2: INVESTIGATION INTO TEXTBOOKS RELATED TO LIBRARY STUDY The aim of this chapter is to have a thorough look at some language characteristics used in the field of library. There will be an investigation into some texts extracted from two textbooks related to library fields namely ‘Library and Information Science : English Reading Materials’ (B1) by Duong Thi Thu Ha and ‘Basic Library Skills’ (B2) ( Third edition) by Carolyn Wolf and Richard Wolf. The texts under investigation are selected randomly as they can objectively represent those textbooks. In fact, these textbooks are based on some certain assessed criteria by the authors and in general, the language contents are updated with new knowledge in library field. However, these syllabuses cannot be applicable to the SLS at NTTC for some certain reasons. The first syllabus is designed to provide a minimum of 75 hours of classroom teaching and for SLS at University of Cultures with a wide range of topic areas, whereas the time allocation for the subject at NTTC is 60 teaching periods with reading skill focus. Furthermore, students at University of Cultures are of higher level of English proficiency than that of the students at NTTC. And the target students at NTTC are lower in comparison with that at universities on the grounds of needs, interest and motivation. Second syllabus is intended for ‘a self-contained short course in the use of library not an exhaustive treatment of the subject’. All above reasons call for the need to design an appropriate ESP syllabus for students of library study at NTTC. In order to have an overall understanding of text features in the above mentioned textbooks, this investigation is worked out on some texts/ paragraphs which are randomly selected. The focus is going to deal with topics, terminology, acronyms, grammatical structures and text structures which exist in the textbooks. 3.1. Topics These two textbooks cover a wide range of topics. The first one contains 15 topics, the second one provides 16 topics. Generally, each topic starts by examining some general area of library before focusing on a specific aspect. It is worth noting that these textbooks provide various topics related to the field of library. However, it is impossible to include all these topics because of the limited time of the course. 3.2. Terminology and acronyms To illustrate these issues, two texts from two selected textbooks are taken into consideration. Result is presented in Table 1 (See appendix 4; table 1). As can be seen from table 1, both single terms and compound terms appear in the two selected texts. Firstly, single terms are provided in density of 4.6% in text 1; 6.2 % in text 2. Secondly, compound terms are given in higher rate , they respectively account for 5 %; and 7.2% in those two texts. Besides, acronyms take the percentage of 2% in each text. In sum, terms and acronyms are key element of ESP, their frequency of occurrence turns out to be a convincing factor in the selected texts, this means that these texts carry the common features of ESP in general and of ELS in particular. 3.3. Cohesion Halliday (1997: 4) states that ‘the concept of cohesion is a semantic one, it refers to relations of meaning that exist within the text and that define it as a text’. It is clear that cohesion is expressed partly through the grammar and vocabulary, therefore, there exist grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion. The first paragraph of Unit 6 from “Library and Information Science : English Reading Materials” is going to examined to see the cohesive devices used. The results of comprehensive analysis of all the cohesive ties in the selected paragraph are demonstrated in figure 3: Figure 3 : Cohesive devices Obviously, most of cohesive devices are applied to this paragraph but with a clear distinction between certain devices. According to the results shown in the graph, the lowest occurrence frequency belongs to “substitutions” accounting for 5 %. “Conjunctions” and lexical cohesion expressed through “synonyms” both account 13 %. This may due to the features of ESP texts which is required to be exact and clearly stated. In contrast, ‘repetitions’ and ‘references’ are major grammatical cohesive devices. They get the percentage of 51 % and 18 % respectively. It is highlighted that reference and repetitive devices are used frequently to help readers remind the content of the paragraph in particular texts. The use substitution cohesive takes a small part in the overall picture of cohesive links. What is worth to mention here is by having a close look at the sample paragraph, we can see the close links of language through different cohesive devices. that should be taken into consideration when designing the ESP syllabus for the second year students of library study. The syllabus should provide students enough knowledge of cohesion in order to help them comprehend the ESP texts. 3.4. Grammatical structures Words, sentences, active and passive structures are to be investigated at this point. 3.4.1. Words This section investigates how words are created in texts for library study. We are going to work on three random texts extracted from the two textbooks to find out the proportion of prefixes and suffixes appeared in those texts. The results are presented in Table 2 ( see appendix 4; table 2). As shown in the table, prefixes and suffixes appear at a considerable proportion in all of the selected texts. And it is clearly that the later occur more frequently than the former. Outstandingly, in text 1, suffixes account for 20.5% . It’s worth noting that in ESP texts , word formation has little deference from texts in General English. 3.4.2. Sentences The reading text of unit 14 extracted from the textbook ‘Library and Information Science : English Reading Materials’ was taken as sample text to investigate the sentences in the texts for library study in terms of simple and complex sentences and active vs. passive sentences . 3.4.2.1. Simple and complex sentences Table 3 (see appendix 4; table 3) summarizes some statistics of simple and complex sentences (complex sentences are examined in terms of types of clause used in the sentences). As can be seen from table 3, the text has 22 sentences among which 14 are complex sentences accounting for 63.6 % .Simple sentences appear at lower percentage of 36.4%. Obviously, the density of complex sentences overtakes that of simple ones. 3.4.2.2. Active vs. passive sentences The results of the investigation in terms of active and passive sentences used in the sample text are shown in Table 4 (see appendix 4; table 4). The results in table 4 indicate that passive sentences are at lower occurrence frequency than active sentences (31.8% in comparison with 68.8%). However, passive sentences appear at a frequency of 31.8 % which is high enough to become a distinctive characteristic of ESP reading texts for library study and that should be taken into consideration when designing the syllabus. 3.4.3. Text 3.4.3.1. Organization of information Main idea By investigating some texts in the two selected books it should be seen that the information is usually organized as shown in the following figure: A card catalog entries are printed on card that libraries arrange alphabetically in drawers. A card catalog usually contains of three types of cards for each item in the library’s collection a The first type the third The second Major details has the subject of the item on the top line has the title of the book or other item on the top line has the author’s name or other persons or institutions…. Minor details Figure 4 : Organization of information Sample paragraph: A card catalog entries are printed on card that libraries arrange alphabetically in drawers. A card catalog usually contains of three types of cards for each item in the library’s collection. The first type has the author’s name or other persons or institutions that contributed to the work on the top line. The second has the title of the book or other item on the top line , and the third has the subject of the item on the top line. Usually the subject heading is printed in all capital letters or in red for further emphasis. (Unit 10- B1) 3.4.3.2. Making a definition or explanation Definitions and explanations can be seen frequently in the texts. Common words and expressions used in definition or explanations are: Is/ are, mean, be referred to as, is taken to be, in other words, is/ can be defined as, refer to... For example: A library( institution) is a collection of books and other informational materials made available to the people for reading, study, or reference. Other markers are means of defining relative clause by using: which, that, where, when. For example: In addition to maintaining collections within library buildings……. that provide users with access to information at remote sites. ……(unit1; B1) Another way of explaining or defining is to use a noun, a noun phrase or a clause separated from the rest of the sentences by commas, or dashes. For instance: ‘School librarians – sometimes called media specialists- select library materials and offer instruction to promote access, delivery, and interpretation of information.’ ( Unit 7- B1) 3.4.3.1. Some other characteristics It is worth noting that listing markers indicating the relation in which sentences and groups of sentences combine to present information that is linked by means of a connective word or marker are frequently used in the reading texts in the two books. The time relaters are also used to express the sequence of events, so in order to make the sequence clear. Another feature is expressions indicating comparisons (equivalence, non-equivalence, the highest degree of something, and parallel increase) can be found in some of the texts in the two selected texts. It is also noted here that like texts in GE when the main aim of a text is to inform the reader about a subject, examples are often used to explain a point or to illustrate an idea or argument using markers. The makers used to add information such as furthermore, moreover, in addition, as well as, again, besides, further, similarly, in the same way, not only…but also,... can be found in the reading texts of the two books. Both two kind of classification makers especially general - to specific classification markers such as is, may be divided into, is of, has, may include, including, contain, comprises, ... are found in texts in the two books. Contrastive indicators used in investigated texts are: However, on the contrary, on the one hand, on the other hand, by contrast, in contrast to, opposite, in comparison, by way of contrast. Moreover, cause and effect relationship is often expressed in texts in the two selected books. The commonly used means are verbs linking cause and effect (contribute to, ensure, produce, allow, enable, cause, result in, result from, bring about0, connectives introducing cause (with such, due to, as the/ a result, since, because, as), and connectives introducing result (and so, so that, thus, therefore, consequently...), and if-clause for cause. In short, after having a critical look at some texts, the conclusion should be drawn here is that these texts cover a wide range of language features. These features work closely together to make the texts cohesive and comprehensive. Summary This chapter has investigated into some basic language features of some reading texts/ paragraphs extracted from two textbooks relating to library study. Some characteristics of ESP texts has been referred to like: terms, acronyms... in a high frequency of occurrence. Additionally, various cohesive devices are found in the text structures. Chapter 3: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION This chapter is devoted to the discussion of the results collected from English teachers, subject teachers and undergraduate students concerning expectations of the ESP reading course, topics, degree of topics, grammatical structures, tasks and reading exercises needed for the course. 3.1 METHODOLOGY 3.1.1. Situational factors 3.1.1.1. Institutional factor NTTC used to be the college for early childhood teachers. Since 2004 It has been the NTTC that trains students of various fields including fine art teachers , early childhood teachers, political teacher, music teachers, teachers of special educations, students of library study(SLS). According to the curriculum provided by the Ministry of Education and Training the students have many general educational subjects and different specializations and English is one of the vital and compulsory subjects. At the NTTC students take the General English (GE) course with 150 periods. After finishing their GE course SLS will take the ESP course of 60 periods. 3.1.1.2. Teacher factor ( Teachers of English at NTTC) There are only 10 teachers at NTTC who take responsibility for teaching both GE and ESP. Among these, six have just finished MA course and 4 are taking MA course. The age of the teacher ranges from 32 to 42. Although most teachers have at least 6 years of experience in teaching GE but none of them has experiences in teaching ESP and nobody has taken any ESP teaching course. ESP has been taught at NTTC for only 2 years since there were some new training fields at the college. That’s why teachers who are responsible for ESP have to cope with a lot of difficulties and one of these is the lack of an appropriate syllabus for ESP course. In fact, the teachers have to ask for help from their colleagues who teach ESP at neighboring institutions such as the University of Cultures, the National University and from the subject teachers at NTTC. 3.1.1.3. Students factor (Students of library study) Background - The age of the students is from 18 to 23 and most of them are females. They come from different parts of the country. Some are from big cities and towns and some are from rural and mountainous areas. Generally, the target students are not on the same ground of English proficiency. Those who are from cities have at least 3 years or even 6 years of learning English whereas those who come from rural and remote areas have had very little or even no chance to learn English or any other foreign languages. The number of students in each class is from 40 to 50 and with such big class size both teachers and students have difficulties in teaching- learning process. Learning style and interests Most of the students are influenced by the translational method and teacher-centered approach. Although most of the students come into the class room with great interest in learning English they are usually passive in learning. Motivation Since English is a compulsory subject in the training program, all the students are fully aware of the fact that they have to learn English firstly to pass the exams. Secondly, due to the process of global integration most of them think that English will to some extent be useful to them in their future career. Therefore, in terms of student’ motivation it can be concluded that students at NTTC are instrumentally motivated. 3.1.1.4. The teaching and learning English at NTTC The college used to be The College for Early Childhood Teachers so before 2002, students just learned GE with 210 periods of 45 minutes. English is delivered to students at NTTC as a compulsory subject and it is given to the students in formal class just like others subjects. Since 2002 ESP has been taught at NTTC. However, due to the limited time students can only have 60 periods of learning ESP. Textbooks for GE are now ‘New Headway Elementary and Pre-intermediate’ by John & Liz Soars (2000). The second-year students of library study (SLS) aged from 19 to 24 and most of them are females. After they have finished 150 periods of GE they reach pre-intermediate level when they start learning ESP. However, the students’ levels of English proficiency are still low as the requirement of the syllabus. That is due to the fact that SLS come from different parts of the country some who are from the rural and mountainous areas have learned little English or even haven’t learned English before whereas those who come from the cities have learned English for at least three years or more. After they have finished the GE most of them know basic structures and common vocabulary. However, students still have difficulties with vocabulary, grammar structures and especially in reading skills. And most of them don’t have good learning strategies. Most of them, while taking the ESP course, prefer the types of exercises that are familiar with ones they have learned at GE course. According to the training curriculum, the ESP is delivered in the third semester after two semesters of learning GE. The texts used for ESP course are selected by the teachers of the English section from different sources and they use them as syllabus to plan the lesson. The teachers often choose the parts, which they personally think, are important and appropriate for their learners without investigating students’ needs and target situation. Sometimes extra exercises for further practice are added as supplementary activity for the course. 3.1.2. Subjects of the study This study is carried out with the participants of (1) 10 English teachers (who are in charge of teaching GE and ESP including ELS, three of whom have been teaching English for more than ten years and one is the head of the foreign language section); (2) ten subject teachers who are responsible for teaching the subject in Vietnamese; (3) eighty SLS under investigation who are in the first term of their second year, and have finished an GE course; 3.1.3. Instruments for collecting data According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987:59) various ways can be used for collecting information such as questionnaires, interviews, observation etc. This study uses questionnaires as the main tool. 3.1.3.1. Questionnaires Three questionnaires are conducted to get information concerning library fields (see appendixes 1, 2 and 3). On the basis of theories for conducting a questionnaire and some personal knowledge gained through teaching experiences, the questionnaires are designed as follow: The first questionnaire administered to 10 ESP teachers consisting 4 sections: Section I aims at finding out expectations, ideas, opinions on designing a syllabus Section II concerns with topics needed for the syllabus (Table 6) and the difficulty of the needed topics . Section III deals with grammar and structure. Section IV looks for tasks and reading skills that should be included. The second questionnaire for ten subject teachers is in Vietnamese to make it easy for the informants to understand properly all the questions and give the correct answers. This questionnaire aims at finding out the needed topics perceived by the subject teachers. The third questionnaire for 80 students is also in Vietnamese. These informants have already mastered GE course. This questionnaire consists of three main sections. Section I is to find out students’ attitude towards ECS reading course and the aims of the course perceived by SLS. Section II deals with needed topics perceived by SLS. Section III is designed to identify the reading skills and exercises. 100 copies of the two questionnaires were sent to the participants in May 2007 and were returned with 100 useful answers in June, 2007. The data is manually analyzed. For accurate and effective interpretation of data, we use frequencies to find out the percentage that indicate the emphasis given to the items to find out the populations’ ideas of the target situation needs. 3.2. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION 3.2.1. Needs perceived by the English teachers 3.2.1.1. Section 1: The teachers’ attitude towards ESP reading course for the second year students of library study and the objectives perceived by them The first question aims to find out the teachers’ attitude towards the reading course. All of the English teachers agree that an ESP reading course is very necessary and useful for students of library study. The second question looks for the expectations of the ESP reading course in terms of the objectives perceived by the teachers. The results are detailed in table 5(see table 5- appendix 4). The results in the table show that most of the English teachers (80 %) consider item 3- To read and understand written English materials and books relating to library - to be the most important objective. Item 1 -To build up English terms of library field used in books. documents, and newspapers with the percentage of 70% takes the second priority. The third priority is given to item 2 (55%) -To read and understand concepts of library study- Item 4- to consolidate basic grammatical structures used in specific texts for computer science gets the fourth priority. The fifth priority is referred to item 5- to translate books and newspapers (relating to library) from English to Vietnamese. These results indicate that, from the teachers’ point of view, the objectives of the syllabus is to enable the students to improve their reading skills in ESP field and at the same time to enrich their knowledge of their specification. It is expected that terminology relating library field is placed in the content of the syllabus. In short, item from 1 to item 4 should be taken into consideration when designing the ESP reading syllabus for the target students. The less important objective (item 5) which is ranked the fifth indicates that low priority is given to translation. Thus the item should not be focused on in the syllabus. 3.2.1.2. Section II: English teachers’ and subject teachers’ opinions on needed topics This part is designed to get information concerning the most necessary topics to be included in the ESP reading syllabus of library study from the teachers’ perspective. Fourteen topics relating to library study have been given for the teachers to rate from very relevant to not relevant. The number and the percentage of responses to each topics are shown in Table 6(see table 6- appendix 4).The data in table 6 shows that from the teachers’ point of view the most relevant items which get the highest percentage are items 2,4,6,7,10 12 and 14. The rest topics get the lower percentage of positive responses. This also indicates that the proposed syllabus should include these above high percentage topics of very relevant and relevant answers and the rest topics should be used as supplementary materials. 3.2.1.3. Section III: Grammar and structures needed to be included in the syllabus The section is to find out grammar and structures that should be included in the syllabus from the English teachers’ perspective. Sixteen items have been identified and the teachers were asked to choose the items according to their appropriateness ( from very appropriate to not appropriate) and the results are shown in table 7(see table 7- appendix 4).The results illustrated in the table show that most of the items are necessary for the course except for items 1, 2 and 14 that receive the percentage of 60% for not appropriate answer, it means that these three items should not be focused in the syllabus. Items 3,4,5,8.11 and 15 with high percentage of very appropriate option should be the focus of grammar and structures in the syllabus. The items that get the positive answer of appropriate should be taken into consideration in designing the syllabus. 3.2.1.4. Section IV: English teachers’ ranking of reading skills, language exercises and language tasks needed to be included in the syllabus Nine items were designed to get the information about the reading skills and types of the exercises needed to be in the syllabus. Teachers were asked to tick the items that they think should be included in the syllabus. The results is in table 8 (see table 8- appendix 4) It is clearly recognized from the results shown in the table that most teachers agree upon the various types of techniques and exercises needed to be covered in the syllabus especially those that have high percentage of positive responses; 1(a,b,d), 2 (a,b), 3 (a,b), 5 (a,b,c), 6 (b), 7 (b), 8 (b), and 9 (a,b,d,e,f). With the items that get lower than 50% of responses will not be the main concern when designing the syllabus. Seventeen tasks have been given for consideration to find out the necessary language tasks perceived by the English teachers. The teacher were asked to tick the tasks that are supposed to be provided in the syllabus. The result is presented in table 9 (see table 9- appendix 4). As illustrated in the table, the items that get the highest choice are 1, 2,3,11,12,16 and 17 with the percentage higher than 50%. It means that these tasks should be provided for the students in the syllabus. The rest items that have lower than 50% choice should be of less concern. 3.2.2. Needs perceived by the second year students of library study at NTTC. 3.2.2.1.Section I: The students’ attitude towards ESP reading course The first and the second questions were designed to find out the students’ attitude towards the ESP reading course. Most of the students have positive attitude towards the ESP course. Generally, they agree that an ESP reading course is very necessary and useful and important to them in their professional field. The percentage given to question 1a is 98% and 2a is 96%. The third question looks for the students’ perceived expectations of the ESP reading course. The results are in table 10 ( See table 10 – appendix 4). The results in the table show that 78.75 % of students consider item 3- To read and understand written English materials and books relating to library - to be the most important goal they want to reach after the ESP course. Item 1 -To build up English terms of library field used in books. documents, and newspapers with the percentage of 57.5% takes the second priority. The third priority is given to item 2 (37.5%) -To read and understand concepts of informatics computer science. Item 4 and item 5 accounting 68.75% and 86.25 % respectively get the fourth priority and the fifth priority. These results indicate that, students’ expectations of the ESP course is to improve their reading skills in ESP field and at the same time to enrich their knowledge of their specification. 3.2.2.2. Section II: Needed topics perceived by the students This part is designed to get information concerning the most necessary topics for the ESP reading syllabus of library study from the students’ point of view. Fourteen topics relating to library study have been pointed out. The students were asked to rate the topics from very relevant to not relevant. The number and the percentage of responses to each topics are shown in table 11 ( See table 11 – appendix 4). From the data collected it is noted that students consider most topics necessary for the course. However, the most relevant items which get the highest percentage are items 2,4,6,7,10,11, 12 and 14. The rest topics get the lower percentage of positive responses. It indicates that the proposed syllabus should include those topics that students take interest in and the rest topics should be used as supplementary materials. 3.2.2.3. Section III: Students’ ranking of reading skills, language exercises and language tasks needed to be included in the syllabus This section aims at gathering the information about the reading skills and types of the exercises needed to be in the syllabus perceived by the students. Students were asked to tick the items that they think should be included in the syllabus. The results can be seen in table 12 (See table 12; appendix 4). In term of language and reading exercises needed the data shows that most of the students consider most of the items necessary and important for the syllabus except for items 4a, b, 6a, 7c,d,f which get the percentage of positive answers lower than 50%. In short this section has analyzed the results of the survey of target needs perceived by both teachers and the second year students of library study. It is clearly recognized that all of them share the same point of view and have the same expectation of the ESP course. And they all consider developing reading skills and specific vocabulary the most important objectives of the ESP course. In term of the topics needed both teachers and students gave high priority to some main items such as 2, 4,6, 7,10, 11, 12, 14 . Concerning language and reading exercises the students often expect more than the teachers after the course. Thus, they would like to have more types of exercises to be included in the syllabus. Whereas, from the teachers’ point of view, within 60 periods of ESP course they can’t do so much. And they tent to focus on some of the most important types. 3.3. DESIGNING AN ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF LIBRARY STUDY AT NTTC This section is going to propose the ESP reading syllabus for the target students basing on the theoretical background (chapter 1), the results of the investigation into some available textbooks (chapter 2), and the Needs Analysis. The type, the objectives, the selection and gradation of content of the target syllabus are going to be considered and after all the proposed syllabus for the target students will be presented. 3.3.1. Selecting the type of ESP syllabus for students of library at NTTC As mentioned in chapter 1, there are different types of syllabus and each type has its strong points as well as weak points. It is impossible to say that what kind of syllabus is the best. Sometimes two or more types of syllabuses may be mixed together into what appears to be different type of syllabus. Robison ( 1991, p.40) confirms ‘ the real issue is not which syllabus to put first. It is how to integrate them into a sensible teaching program….We should treat all syllabuses as being simultaneously available and try to find out what is most suitable for a particular situation’. Designing an appropriate syllabus depends not only on the beliefs on language description, language learning theories but also on need analysis of particular target learners. To meet the students’ needs as learning situation, the objectives of the course, skill-based and topic-based syllabuses are chosen as the basic types for designing the ESP reading syllabus for second year SLS at NTTC. For this ESP syllabus, it will be planned in terms of topics, skills especially reading skills, functions, vocabulary and grammar. The level of organization might be topic with skills, vocabulary and grammar items selected according to the demands of different topics. Thus, the topic-based syllabus will be chosen as leading syllabus. With skill-based syllabus the assumption of this syllabus type is that ‘ underlying any language behavior are certain skills and strategies, which the learner uses in order to produce or comprehend discourse’ (Hutchinson, 1987, p.69). Skill-based syllabus is ‘ something of a half way house between content and product syllabuses on the one side and the method or process syllabuses on the other’ (Robinson, 1991, p.37). In its essence, skill-based syllabus ‘ focuses exclusively or principally on one of the four traditional skills’ (Robinson, 1991, p.37). The reason for taking this type of syllabus in to account is that it ‘thinks’ of the students as a language user not a language learner. As the students’ most need is proficiency in reading skills, at the first sight, this type of syllabus seems to be the right option. Topic syllabus is an other type of syllabuses chosen for designing the ESP syllabus for the target students. The topic syllabus is organized around topics. For ESP course, the topics deploy the content of the students’ work, specialist study or specialist subject areas. This type of syllabus is certainly important in ESP because one objective of the ESP course may in fact to teach this specialist content. 3.3.2. Aims and objectives of the reading syllabus for students of library study at NTTC Basing on the results of the situation and data Analysis this syllabus aims at providing students with English for library study. The three main objectives of the ESP course are: By the end of the course, students will be able: To read and understand written English materials and books relating to library. To build up English terms of library field used in books. documents, and newspapers. To understand concepts concerning library field. 3.3.3. The selection and gradation of content in the syllabus As mentioned earlier, this reading course will be mainly planned in the light of topic-based and skill-based, and along with the results in the questionnaires, the syllabus will be designed in terms of these integrated components: topics, skills, grammar structures, language tasks and terms, the choices of which have been surveyed in chapter 3. 3.3.3.1. Topics in the syllabus Eight topics are chosen for designing the target syllabus and the gradation of these topics is carried out on the basis of the results of question 3 presented in table 6 and 11. The topics will be ordered based on the principle that it should go from general to particular aspects. The topics therefore should be selected and graded according to this order: (1)The role library in society (2) Careers in library work (3) Public Libraries (4) School libraries (5) Catalogs (6) Bibliographic Descriptions of Library materials (7) Classification systems (8) Library and information technology The first reason for choosing only 8 topics is that the allowance of time for the subjects is only 60 teaching periods. Secondly, these eight topics are included in the training program and they are all important topics that students have to take. Moreover, the results from the questionnaires (see table 6 and table11 – appendix 4) surveying the teachers’ and students opinions on the needed topics show that both English teachers and subject teachers consider these topics the most important and necessary to the students of library study. And from the students’ point of view they are also of great importance. 3.3.3.2. Reading skills and exercises I. Reading exercises * Skimming: - Recognizing the topics that are dealt with in the text - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph _ Choosing the text that deals with the topics * Scanning : _ Scanning the bibliography and pick out the text which are likely to yield information on the topics in a given text _ Scanning an index and finding out on what page the topic is mentioned _ Scanning the text for specific information presented by the teacher before reading * Others: - Identifying the topic of a paragraph _ Interpreting discourse markers II. Grammar exercises Long answer questions and Multiple choice questions Writing a summary Matching sentence using connectors III. Vocabulary exercises: Guessing the meaning of unknown words based on word structure Guessing the meaning of unknown words based on discourse makers Word formation exercises Gap- filling Matching correct words 3.3.3.3. Language tasks * Making definitions * Describing purposes * Describing means * Describing tasks * Describing principles and operations * Describing characteristics * Making classification * Explaining the relationship * Expressing abilities 3.3.3.4. Grammar and structures * Gerunds (-ing nouns) * Compound nouns * Model verbs * Relative clauses * The infinitive * Passive voice * Word formation * Contextual references 3.3.4. The proposed reading syllabus for the target students 3.3.4.1. Time schedule The course is designed for the SLS at NTTC in their third term after they have mastered GE course. As the time allowance for the whole course is 60 class hours, the syllabus is intended to have 8 units: each unit is designed to occupy approximately 7 forty-five-minute teaching periods. The students will be required to do 2 written tests; one progress test (mid-term test ) and one achievement test (Final test). The timetable is planned by the college administrators (how many periods per week is given out by the administrators). 3.3.3.4.2. The organization of the syllabus Basing on the results of the surveys and the official requirements of the college, we have offered an ESP reading syllabus for the second year SLS. The content of the syllabus includes 7 units which are worked out according to the topics ordered motioned in 5.3.1. The whole reading texts are chosen from books and other sources available and they can be appropriately modified to the target situations. This syllabus is a guide for the ESP teachers who are involved in the teaching ESP at NTTC. The topics are compulsory at classroom time, but the exercises may be optional (at home or in classroom), depending on the actual situation of the teaching and learning process. The detailed proposed reading syllabus for the second year students of library study can be seen in table 13 ( see table 13 appendix 5) Table 13: The proposed ESP reading syllabus for library study at NTTC Unit Topics Sub-reading Skills Tasks/ Functions/ Exercises Grammar and structures Vocabulary (Terms) 1 The role library in society * Skimming: - Discovering the main idea that are dealt with in the text. * Scanning: Scanning the text for specific information - Making definition - Describing tasks - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph - Present simple - Modal verbs (must) -Adjective+ preposition - Word formation - Terms related to general information about library: manuscripts, art reproductions, ….. - Noun suffixes: age, -ship,-ation,-ion,-sion, -tion. 2 Careers in library work * Skimming: - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph - Choosing the text that deals with the topics * Scanning : - Scanning an index and finding out on what page the topic is mentioned - Scanning the text for specific information - Identifying the topic of a paragraph - Guessing the meaning of unknown words based on discourse makers - Describing tasks - Making classification - Explaining the relationship - Word formation exercises - Gap- filling - Matching correct words - Nouns - Word formation - Contextual references -Terms related to careers in library - Noun suffixes: -er, -ian,-or,- ant, -ist 3 Public Libraries * Skimming: - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of the text * Scanning : - Scanning the text for specific information - Interpreting discourse markers (Markers that signal the sequence of event ) - Making definitions - Describing purposes - Describing tasks - Describing characteristics - Guessing the meaning of unknown words based on context clues - Word formation exercises -Gap- filling - Gerunds (-ing nouns) - Compound nouns - The infinitive - Word formation - Model verb (May) - Terms related to library(Text- based) - Adjective suffixes: -full, -ing, -less, -y 4 School libraries * Skimming: - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph * Scanning : _ Scanning the text for specific information - Identifying the topic of a paragraph * Describing tasks * Describing characteristics * Making classification * Explaining the relationship - Long answer questions and Multiple choice questions - Matching sentence using connectors - Word formation exercises - Matching correct words _ Compound nouns - Relative clauses - Passive voice - Word formation - Terms related to library(Text- based) - Acronyms. - Negative prefixes: non, dis = not 5 Catalogs * Skimming: - Recognizing the topics that are dealt with in the text - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph * Scanning : _ Scanning the text for specific information - Identifying the topic of a paragraph - Making definitions - Describing means - Describing principles and operations - Describing characteristics - Making classification - Long answer questions and Multiple choice questions _Guessing the meaning of unknown words based on discourse makers _Word formation exercises - to infinitive - Word formation - cause and effect relation - Terms related to cataloging(Text- based) - Acronyms. - Negative prefixes: il-, im-, un- = not Progress test Written test 6 Bibliographic Descriptions of Library materials *Skimming: - Recognizing the topics that are dealt with in the text _ Choosing the text that deals with the topics * Scanning : _ Scanning the bibliography and pick out the text which are likely to yield information on the topics in a given text _ Scanning an index and finding out on what page the topic is mentioned - Identifying the topic of a paragraph - Describing purposes - Describing characteristics - Explaining the relationship - Expressing abilities - Interpreting discourse markers (Markers that signal the writer’s point of view ) - Writing a summary - Relative clauses - Gerunds and infinitives - Sequence of events - Terms related to library(Text- based) - Acronyms. - Negative prefixes 7 Classification systems Skimming: - Recognizing the topics that are dealt with in the text * Scanning : - Scanning an index and finding out on what page the topic is mentioned - Describing purposes - Describing principles and operations - Describing characteristics - Making classification - Long answer questions and Multiple choice questions - Gap- filling - The infinitive - Passive voice - Verb + preposition _ Compound nouns - Terms related to library(Text- based) - Acronyms. 8 Library and information technology * Skimming: - Choosing key words or sentences relating to the topics of each paragraph * Scanning : _ Scanning the text for specific information - Describing purposes - Describing means - Describing principles and operations - Expressing abilities - Matching sentence using connectors _Word formation exercises _ Gap- filling - Model verbs - Prepositions - Phrasal verbs -Terms related to library and technology (Text- based) - Acronyms. Final test Written test Summary This chapter has described the specification and the organization of the content in the teaching syllabus basing on the results from the survey on textbooks (chapter 3) and Needs Analysis (chapter 4). The syllabus consists of five major components: topics, skills, tasks, grammar and vocabulary, of which, the topics and the skills are seen as the primary components of the syllabus. This syllabus can be used as a guide in selecting, adopting and adapting materials for their students. PART III: CONCLUSION It is clear that a syllabus plays an important part in the teaching and learning process. An appropriate syllabus contributes to the success and fulfills the objectives of an English course. With the fact that English for Specific Purposes has become an important branch in the English teaching as it helps students to become more active in their specific field of study as well as their real work, the introduction of ESP course for students at universities in general and at NTTC in particular is a matter of urgency. As a result the need for designing an appropriate ESP reading syllabus for particular group of students is inevitable. In designing such an appropriate reading syllabus for the second year students of library study, the project is not only drawn on the theoretical perspectives but also on a careful investigation into the target situation where the process of teaching and learning takes place. The aim of the study was to design an ESP reading syllabus for library students at NTTC. To achieve this aim in chapter one of the study the theoretical issues related to areas of ESP and syllabus design have been reviewed. It is worth noting that these theories have laid the foundation to find out the right way to design the needed syllabus. By reviewing the relevant literature, the author has gained significant understanding about ESP and principles to syllabus design. To make the syllabus more practical and appropriate to the target situation a survey was carried out to find out target needs and learning needs perceived by both teachers and students. Some reading texts/ paragraphs extracted from books relating to library study have been investigated to characterize some main language features of ESP reading texts of library study. Then the data collected has been carefully analyzed to draw out conclusion. Thus, the design of the ESP syllabus involves four steps: needs analysis, aims and objectives setting, sequencing and evaluation. The most significant result of this study is that from all these above efforts an ESP reading syllabus for the second year students of library study at the National Teachers Training College has been proposed. This is of great importance to both ESP teachers and students who are taking ESP course at the college. Limitation However, like most research projects, this study set itself some limitations. First of all, the population of the study is small (with only 20 teachers and 80 students). Secondly, the English teachers who participated in the study have little experience in teaching ESP. Additionally, the author had no chance to get extra information from ex-students who are working on the field. All these may lead to the limitation of the interpretation of the data collection for needs analysis. Suggestions for further study At NTTC ESP courses are given to students of different fields of study such as computer science, art, office administration, special education, tourisms. Having set out the first step to design an ESP reading syllabus for the second year students of library study at NTTC, the author of the study hopes that more projects will be carried out to design ESP syllabuses for other fields. In short, this study is intended to solve the problem of lacking a suitable syllabus for the second year students of library study at NTTC. It is hoped that it will contribute to the success of the English teaching and learning process of the teachers and the students of library study at NTTC. Thus, it can help students and give them encouragement as well as knowledge they need for their future career. REFERENCES In vIetnamese Đ ỗ H ữu Ch õu (1998). Cơ sở Ngữ Nghĩa học Từ vựng. Nxb Giáo dục. Nguyến Thiện Giáp (1999). Từ vựng học tiếng việt. Nxb Giáo dục. Đỗ Hữu Châu; Bùi Minh Toán (1993), Đại cương ngôn ngữ học (Tập I), NXB Giáo dục. Đỗ Hữu Châu; Bùi Minh Toán (2003), Đại cương ngôn ngữ học (Tập II), NXB Giáo dục. 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