Marine Engineers’ Views on ESP Teachers

Maritime English, as English for Specific Purpose (ESP), is focused on the development of students' specific language skills that will assist them in their professional environment. Faced with the ever increasing complexity of their role as ESP teachers and the arising dilemmas, the authors carried out a brief research at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split, focusing on the marine engineers attending the special training program for seafarers, in order to identify their needs, expectations and the ways they perceive ESP teachers, courses and themselves as users of English language onboard ships. Even though marine engineers do not view ESP teachers as specialists in their field of expertise, they do expect a knowledge of how language is used at sea – which involves some understanding of essential concepts and contexts, e.g. basic principles of engine operation, daily tasks of marine engineers, common instruments and procedures in modern engine rooms, etc. The quantitative and qualitative results of the research confirm that the marine engineers attending the Special education program expect the ESP teachers to act not only as researchers of their own practice, but also as coaches and consultants.