Search

The ESP Journal , the first peer-reviewed international journal in our field, was launched in 1980, thus making it 40 years old in 2020. This short article explores the years immediately before 1980 and attempts to explain the factors that led to the emergence of the journal. These included major ESP projects funded mainly in OPEC countries, the role of the British Council, the first major generation of ESP/EST textbooks, the first collections of ESP papers, and the production of local ESP newsletters. Pride of place here belongs to The ESP Newsletter and EST Clearinghouse from Oregon State University and under the Editorship and Management of Karl Drobnic. In effect, during those years the field was rapidly coming of age. • Describes a crucial period in the early history of ESP before it fades from memory. • In the late 1970s the field expanded in size and grew in maturity. • A major contributor to this was the ESP Newsletter and EST Clearinghouse from Oregon State University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This corpus-based lexical study aims to explore the most frequently-used nursing academic vocabulary across different sub-disciplines in the nursing field. A 1,006,934-word corpus called the Nursing Research Articles Corpus (hereafter NRAC), which contains 252 English nursing research articles from online resources, was established for this study. A Nursing Academic Word List containing the most frequently-used nursing words in nursing research articles, was developed from the corpus. A frequency and range-based nursing academic word list including 676 word families, which accounts for approximately 13.64% of the coverage in the NRAC under study, was produced to provide a useful academic word pool for non-native English learners who need to read and publish nursing articles in English. The findings suggest that it is necessary to generate field-specific academic word lists for EFL nursing students to strengthen their academic reading and writing proficiency. Pedagogical implications are made for English for Nursing Purposes instructors, English for Academic Purposes researchers, material designers and nursing graduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important aspect to consider when writing a technical document is that it is essentially different from a “general” document in terms of its objectives and audience. In terms of methodology, the acquisition of writing skills within the frame of technical English inevitably follows the patterns of general English language acquisition, to which one should add some specific features dictated by the specialized uses of the technical discourse. In this respect, ESP teachers encounter the insufficiently exploited challenge of adapting the methodological tools to the specific needs of the Engineering students. The study presents the specific features of the most popular forms of written technical communication models and suggests some methodological resources which the ESP language instructor may adopt in order to build and reinforce engineering students’ writing skills. The objectives of the present study are to introduce, define and explain the task of writing technical documents and highlight the importance of these types of texts in the activities related to an engineer's specific responsibilities both in a professional environment and during training; to outline the specific character of technical documents and to present and explain methodologies which can be used in teaching technical English writing skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Online advertisements of electronic products form a specific subgenre. [•] The rhetorical structure includes both objective and persuasive moves. [•] Three quarters of the advertisements studied include explicit persuasive steps. [•] Persuasion is mainly conveyed by positive evaluation phrases and informal language. [•] The data are used to assist non-native speakers in technical writing in English. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at different levels of study used target formulaic bundles in their academic papers. First, five-unit formulaic bundles were extracted from a one-million-word reference corpus composed of 128 published articles in applied linguistics. Then the use of these target bundles was examined in 136 academic papers written by 20 non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at four levels of study and 15 published articles by English-speaking expert writers in the same field. It was found that, as the level of study increased, students used a greater number and variety of target bundles. Specifically, non-native graduate students at the higher levels of study used more bundles characteristic of academic writing (e.g., noun phrases with post-modifier fragments or certain prepositional phrases) than those at the lower levels. Furthermore, the former group used more bundles as text organizers (e.g., explanation, exemplification, and focus) and stance bundles than the latter group. The pedagogical implications are suggested regarding what and how to teach non-native English graduate writers regarding the use of formulaic bundles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Despite the recent proliferation of L2 research that examines learners' conceptions about their own learning (i.e., learners' metacognitive knowledge or beliefs), little research has been conducted to investigate how such conceptions are constructed and developed. This exploratory study attempts to describe EFL learners' conceptions of academic reading and also themselves as academic readers. Through in-depth interviews with 10 Japanese college students in an intensive EAP setting in Tokyo, Japan, particular focus was placed on (1) how individual learners conceptualize academic reading/readers, and (2) what factors individual learners attribute to the development of self-conceptions as academic readers. As represented in the self-reflective accounts of the participants, their conceptions of L2 reading have undergone considerable change through the experience of a major transition from traditional EFL to academic, content-based EAP contexts. This suggests that learners' conceptions are constantly being revised or reconstructed as they become more aware of needs or expectations in a specific social and educational context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents findings from an exploratory study into the practices of teachers of EAP writing. Its aim was to learn about how writing instruction is organised, the kinds of instructional strategies teachers employ, and how they account for their choices. Data were collected from seven experienced practitioners in five tertiary institutions over 10–12 class hours through observations supported by post-lesson interviews and analysis of teaching materials and course documents. Findings revealed repeated use of a number of instructional strategies that can be termed “modeling”. Teachers presented flawed or exemplary text products for analysis and discussion, focused on the processes involved in creating a particular text by demonstrating and discussing cognitive processes with the class, led whole-class collaborations that produced jointly constructed texts, and facilitated cooperative pair or group composing and editing activities. Their practices blended textual, cognitive, and interactional components in order to advance students' skill across a range of academic text types. The study highlights the importance and value of explicit instructional conversations and social interactions that blend planned and responsive teaching to generate learning opportunities in the L2 writing classroom. Possibilities for further investigations in this under-researched area are suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Language teachers and applied linguists in universities across the world are under increasing pressure to publish in prestigious international journals. This article draws on very extensive experience as author, reviewer and editor to provide practical advice to academics on how to maximise their chances of getting published in an international journal. It details how a thesis differs from a journal article, how to select target journals, and how to avoid junk journals. It explains the whole process of submission and peer review. It discusses the challenges of writing in academic English. A section on research ethics defines plagiarism, and describes why and how authors must ensure that their submissions contain no plagiarised material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Research is an essential part of surgical training, so a surgical trainee must publish to prosper. The most important piece of advice is to seek expert help before commencing the process of research and subsequent publication. Having a piece of research worthy of communication to peers is an essential prerequisite, but there are many different types of publication, and many different avenues for publication. Starting with a simple case report is often a good beginning; publication in high-profile, high-impact-factor journals requires high-quality research such as randomized trials or systematic reviews. The more high profile the research, the more likely there are to be formal rules about its conduct and its publication (CONSORT, PRISMA etc). Writing in scientific English requires economy of style and linguistic restraint; many readers will not have English as a first language. By convention, scientific articles are written in IMRAD style – introduction, methods, results and discussion. This author has evolved a method to make writing a scientific manuscript as painless as possible. It may be tempting to relax once the writing is complete, but managing the paper through submission can also be challenging. Most journals will not accept a paper immediately, but will require corrections suggested by independent referees after formal peer review. All dealings with journal editors should be professional and courteous. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports on part of an evaluation of a 2-year program providing preparatory support for 430 Cantonese Chinese-native-speaking students switching from Chinese to English-medium instruction late in their secondary schooling, mainly because of aspiration to English-medium tertiary study. Focusing quantitatively and qualitatively on scientific English achievement, the paper addresses the content or cognitive–academic dimension, so far as underrepresented in English-as-foreign-language research, as is senior secondary school immersion itself. While no direct cause-effect relationship between the program and achievement levels was to be claimed, the observed differences between program participants and non-participants were ultimately minimal. Reasons proposed for the intervention’s outcome seemed mainly related to key stakeholders’ apparent limited awareness of cognitive–academic language and its development. The discussion identifies factors arguably crucial for support programs for senior secondary school academic study through English-as-foreign-language. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article reports on an examination of the communication needs of a group of Thai civil engineering students. Twenty-five stakeholders helped identify the communication needs of the students by participating in individual interviews. These included employers, civil engineers, civil engineering lecturers, ex-civil engineering students of the technical English course, and ESP teachers. Based on the stakeholders’ recommendations, the teacher/researcher determined that four communicative events should be incorporated into the course, namely, talking about daily tasks and duties, reading textbooks, reading manuals, and writing periodic/progress reports. The findings highlight the increasing demand for professional English in the engineering field and the degree to which English is required in various circumstances throughout Thailand. It is crucial to add more professional English courses to engineering programmes and to conduct further research to predict learners’ needs as specifically as possible. Those needs can then be more efficiently satisfied in the ESP courses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

When 45 biologists from eight countries were asked to critically read and amend the English in Discussion sections of three Dutch-authored draft research papers, many of their alterations impacted on the hedging. This article discusses these alterations. In particular, it focuses on the hotspots in the texts, i.e., the points on which several readers converged and made changes that affected the hedging. The possible motives for altering the hedging are proposed. Also discussed are the scientific establishment’s attitude to hedging, and ways in which cultural background and competence in English might have affected the deployment of hedges. The paper concludes by noting some implications of the findings for research and teaching. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

En route from its author’s screen to the printed page of an English-language science journal, an NNS research article incorporates changes made or suggested by various people. Considering a hypothetical Dutch-authored research article, this paper describes these text shapers. They include language professionals as well as members of the author’s discourse community. Their potential to change the text is discussed on the basis of a multidisciplinary review of the literature. The cultural, social, and economic factors influencing their reading and revisions are touched on, as are some implications for research on NNS writing, for revision theory, and for ESP teaching. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Improving English proficiency for professional students is a significant challenge in the AEC and the Renaissance. The problem found in the Polytechnic Gland Shipping Research Institute is the lack of time motivation and insufficient time for students to study outside the classroom lack of time. Therefore developed an Android-based "Technical English" application that supports PPN, English teaching, and learning processes. Development and Smart Classroom List (SCI) Verification. SCI is a learning environment tool that integrates existing technologies, including TROFLEI, TICI and CCEI (ergonomics). SCI is included to learn the functions, materials to describe flexibility, and experience factors in the smart classroom. The information technology detail used in some projects has also been adapted to the elegant classroom environment. Older classmates check the tool and reveal ten balances: body design, flexibility, and use of technology, learning data diversity, inquiry, collaboration, student drive, honesty and learning experience. The results of the Acid Ceasefire Agreement prove that is a simple tool for assessing the learning environment in a smart classroom. Student Differences, Flexibility, Technology Application, and Learning Data Factors There are four significant practical priority differences in the learning environment in a smart classroom. FPGA has received a lot of attention from the nuclear industry as an alternative platform for logical programming controllers for digitalization and control. The FPGA development software feature includes several steps for integration and refinement, and each such step requires a different simulation verification step. This research proposes an integrated software testing framework that simulates all the glitches created by FPGA software and evaluates whether it can work in general, using the standard Oracle programs for all glitches simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]