Factors affecting EFL teachers' English for specific purposes: A case study at Ba Ria Vung Tau College of Technology: Master of TESOL

Abstract

ESP has appeared in the daily lives of a majority of workers in international workshops and it has become a part of vocational education programmes in Vietnam. However, rarely has anything been done about the structure of an ESP lesson and how it is being taught after putting ESP subjects into a training programme, and exploring factors affecting the current ESP teaching practices at vocational schools in Vietnam. This study aims to investigate the current ESP teaching practices of EFL teachers and factors affecting their teaching process at the one vocational school in the South of Vietnam. Data was gathered by the open-ended questions and semi-structured interview from six EFL teachers who are teaching the different majors at Ba Ria- VungTau College of Technology. The results showed that the ESP lessons are divided into three stages: opening, sequencing and closure stages which combine three types of activities: sub-activities, main activities and post activities. Nevertheless, the four of teachers applied to all the above stages, the two teachers could not because of the limited class time. The types of activities are similar to the stages of the lesson of which the post activities are regarded as homework and teachers will check in the next sessions. Furthermore, the positive factors are: facilities and teaching experience that support EFL teachers during the teaching process, and the students’ English level and motivation are two negative factors that are difficulties they are facing. The findings of this study could help EFL teachers and managers realize the real problems in teaching ESP for students, and find solutions to improve them in the vocational schools in Vietnam.