Material design in ESP

Imen Hamdi
Olfa Mahfoudh
Maha Mejri
Outline

 Introduction
 Approaches to material design
 Material development process
 Evaluation
 Challenges
 Conclusion
Introduction

 Materials are particularly useful in ESP because they play a key role in
exposing learners to the language of a particular discipline as it is actually
Used. In short, they are a source of “real language” (Dudley-Evans and St
John, 1998: 171).
Definition:

Anything used to teach learners a language

 Textbook
 Cassette
 CD-ROOM
 Video
Approaches to material design

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) identified three main

approaches to course design:
1. Language-centered
2. Skills-centered
3. Learning-centered
Language-centered approach

 Common in ESP
 Draws connection between the analysis of the
target situation and the content of ESP course
 It aims at putting the ESP learner in a real
situation by undertaking a needs analysis that
shows his lacks.
 Concentrates on performance
Skills-centered approach

 It is based on a deep analysis that helps discover the underlying competence

that enables people to perform in the target situation and enables the course
designers to discover what the ESP students brought with them to the ESP
course. Learning is giving and taking from both sides: the teacher and
learner. Besides, the learner is an experienced adult who has his own learning
strategies that should be discovered.
 Concentrates on competence
Learning-centered approach

 Learning is determined by the learner.

 “Learning, therefore, is an internal process, which is crucially dependent
upon the knowledge the learners already have and their ability and
motivation to use it”. Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 72)
 The learner has an active and central role in the course design.
Some basic principles:

 Materials should achieve « impact »

 Relevance+usefulness
 Communication
 Different learning style
Materials development process
Specify the Objectives =>Target needs

 Who are the learners?

 What is the learner’s language proficiency level?
 What is the learner’s learning style and preferences?
 What are the learning goals?
Selection : adoption or adaptation

 If there is a lack of materials, or if materials available are not suitable

according to such evaluation, practitioners might be required to develop
materials from scratch or abridge, extend, refine, rewrite – in short, adapt –
the available materials for a particular learning situation, ESP area, target
group of learners, timing or set of resources. There exists the possibility that,
although there are materials available for classroom use, practitioners feel the
need to provide additional materials for out-of-classroom work, self-study or the
like. In this case, the process would not differ.
 Flowchart on the process of ESP materials development
 Techniques for adapting materials (based on Islam and Mares,
2003: 91-92)
Implementation & evaluation

 Implicit evaluation takes place during the semester. Students give us clues on
their progress by completing various online tests and exercises and
participating during the classes
 Explicit evaluation at the end of the semester as students are asked to fill in
online questionnaires. The obtained results give us insight into the
effectiveness of the course.

=> An on-going process

Evaluation
1. Tomlinson Model (2003)

Pre-use evaluation
Whilst-use evaluation
Post-use evaluation
a) Pre-use Evaluation

 Making predictions about the potential

value of materials for their users.
 It can be context-free.
 It is impressionistic and consists of a
teacher flicking through a book to gain a
quick impression of its potential value.
b) Whilst-use Evaluation

Measuring the value of materials whilst using them or whilst

observing them being used.
It can be more objective and reliable than pre-use
evaluations
It makes use of measurement rather than prediction.
In his words, exactly what can be measured in a whilst-use
evaluation is controversial, but it can be included the
following:
C) Post-use evaluation

- Clarity of instructions
 Clarity of layout
- Comprehensibility of texts
 Credibility of tasks
- Achievability of tasks
 Achievement of performance objectives
- Practicality of the materials
 Flexibility of the materials
 Appeal of the materials
- Motivating power of the materials
- Impact of the materials
2. Rea Dickens and Germanie Model
(1992)
It can measure the actual outcomes of the use of the
materials and thus the data on which reliable decisions
about the use, adaptation or replacement of the
materials can be made.
- What do the learners know which they did not know before starting to use the
materials?
- What do the learners still not know despite using the materials?
- What can the learners do which they could not do before starting to use the
materials?
- What can the learners still not do despite using the materials?
- To what extent have the materials prepared the learners for their examinations?
- To what extent have the materials prepared the learners for their post-course use of
the target language?
 What effect have the materials had on the confidence of the learners?
- What effect have the materials had on the motivation of the learners?
- To what extent have the materials helped the learners to become independent
learners?
- Did the teachers find the materials easy to use?
- Did the materials help the teachers to cover the syllabus?
3. Candlin and Breen Model
(1987)
 Candlin and Breen divide materials evaluation into
two stages or phases:

The usefulness Selection and use of

of materials materials in ways that
are sensitive to the
language classroom
 1. What can materials mean to teachers?
a) Does the teacher confine
herself/himself solely to the textbook or does
the teacher refer to other sources like a
teacher’s guide, video, listening tapes, etc.?
b) Does the teacher distinguish between
traditional materials meant for teaching/
learning purposes and authentic materials?
c) Does the teacher use materials created
by teachers and learners?
 2.The relation between materials and the social
context:
a) What roles are the materials likely to play?
b) What goals and objectives are the materials
likely to accomplish?
 3. How are the materials to be used?
a) Are the materials the only resource for
teaching?
b) Are they one of several other
resources?
4. McDonough and Shaw Model
(2003)
External evaluation
Internal evaluation
 Phase one

 to evaluate the usefulness of materials

1. What learners need to know should be matched with what learners
will be able to do with the materials.
2. How language is best learnt should be matched with the kinds of
learning actually offered by the materials.
3. The conditions to determine the usefulness of materials before
evaluation are based on:
a) The contribution of the teacher to classroom work b) The
resources provided by the learners
c) The contributions of the classroom.
 Phase two
1. How the materials synchronize with the learners’ perception of
language needs?
2. Can learners perceive for themselves whether the materials can meet
their language needs?
3. Do the materials relate to learners’ values, attitudes and feelings?
4. Do the materials capture learners’ attention?
5. Are the materials divided in a principled manner?
6. Are they continuous?
7. Can the learners impose their own sequencing and division on the
materials according to their needs?
8. Are the materials flexible enough to accommodate teachers’ and
learners’ preferences?
 5. Robinson Model

 Robinsondistinguishes between three types of

materials evaluation:
a) Preliminary (before an ESP course begins)
b) Summative (takes place at the end of the
course)
c) Formative (conducted while the course is
ongoing)
Purposes of evaluation
 Tomlinson (1999) lists the following reasons for evaluating materials:

1. To select a textbook for a course.

2. To select materials to supplement a coursebook.
3. To select materials from different sources in an eclectic manner.
4. As a basis for adaptation of materials in order to make them more
suitable for a particular course.
5. As a basis for improving materials.
6. In order to edit materials produced by others.
7. In order to help teachers or trainee teachers develop their
understanding of methodology and/or materials writing.
8. As part of a research experiment.
 a) Physical aspects:

 In this section, importance is given to the

presentational aspects of the coursebook like
layout, design, print quality.
 b) Functional aspects:
 Here the focus is on learning objectives, whether importance is given to all the
four skills, are the activities analytical or experiential.

 Sheldon (1988) has suggested several reasons for textbook evaluation.

 He states that the selection of a textbook is indicator of an educational
decision in which there is considerable professional, financial, and even political
investment. Through evaluation, teachers will become familiar with the content of
available textbooks and recognize the weaknesses and strengths of each.
 Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997)
 They argue that evaluation can be considered as a means of conducting action
research as well as a form of professional empowerment and improvement. It can
also be a component of teacher training courses in which prospective teachers
become aware of important features which they should search in textbooks.
Challenges of material design
Authenticity
one of the main challenges that encounters
teachers and test developers while designing
ESP materials is authenticity.
•The definition of authenticity:
Authenticity has always been a subject of
debate.
o « the terms authentic and authenticity are
often used to describe language samples _oral
or written_that reflect naturalness of form
and appropriateness of cultural and situational
context.” (Rogers and Medly 1988).
“authenticity is taken as being synonymous
with genuineness, realness, truthfulness ,
validity, reliability , undisputed credibility,
and legitimacy of materials or
practices»(Tatsuky 2006).
The communicative goal which stands behind
language teaching and learning is a
necessary point in choosing authentic
materials .
 Authentic materials, as part of the real
world, can serve as excellent resources to
introduce language in its real form to ESP
learners and to achieve “real-life
communicative purpose”(Lee 1995;324) .
Actually ,learners need to feel positive
about materials and react to them as
pedagogically intended (The authenticity of
learner).
The challenges :
While choosing and selecting materials
for ESP learners the instructor might
face various challenges :
o the use of authentic materials does not
guarantee authenticity “ it is not just
because the materials are authentic it
will guarantee that the lesson will be
successful”(tatsuki 2006 p3)
 (Chavez 2008) argues “ that any text that has
been  taken out of its original context and
away from its intended audience automatically
becomes ‘unauthentic’ ” .
Authenticity can not be reached if the learner
does not respond to the text provided as a
native speaker in real contexts.
A text may be genuine but what is required is
social interaction to reach authenticity
(authentic interaction)
Some materials like texts could be considered as
non-authentic. For example, when a teacher adapt
or simplify a text in order to meet the student’s
pedagogic needs and avoid language complexity ,it
could be seen an obstacle and does not help
language learners to face real life situations.
Methodologists who support the use of authentic
texts call for a collaboration between ESP students
and teachers to select texts according to learners’
preferences. This activity will consequently generate
the proper interaction between students and the
teaching materials
Another solution mentioned to avoid the problem of
language complexity is that teachers might offer
short texts instead of long ones that allow learners
to remember and recognize the lexis easily and at
the same time suits the subject matter of their
studies.
Authenticity and motivation:
Many researchers advocate the idea that
authenticity have positive effects on learners by
motivating them , granting them with “a sense of
achievement” and bringing them into contact with
the language as it is used in the culture.
 Those materials are interesting ,inspirational
and expose them to the professional
community they aspire.
According to Shrum and Glisan (2000: 133)
“authentic materials provide an effective
means for presenting real language,
integrating culture, and heightening
comprehension.”
Selection of ESP Materials:
ESP teachers have to be highly specific and
selective in order to choose the appropriate
materials, adjust exercises as well as provide
additional input. This selection is a quite
challenging activity yet it should not be random.
The selection of authentic materials is based on
three criteria which have to be introduced as
suitability which means that the text must be chosen
based on learners’ interest and needs , exploitability
which refers to students’ competence and
readability which means selecting texts based on
learners’ language level.
Needs Analysis:
ESP is based on the learner’s needs and implies
that one of the main responsibilities of the ESP
practitioner is “ to investigate the gap between
learners’ current and target competencies” .
Needs Analysis refers to the activities that are
involved in collecting information that will serve as
the basis for developing a curriculum that will meet
the needs of a particular group of students
 This process is based on two stages:
Identifying the target needs and learner
needs. (Hutchinson and Waters) use the
analogy of ‘journey’ to describe ESP course
design. The starting point is identifying the
lacks and wants of a learner and the final
destination sheds light on the techniques and
materials to be incorporated .
 Bibliography
 Ana bocanegra-Valle. (2010) “Evaluating and designing materials for the ESP
classroom”
 Hossein Davari. “Critical Evaluation of PNU ESP Textbooks”
 MATERIALS DESIGN IN ESP: Principles and Model
 A Critical Look At the Concept of Authenticity .Nematullah Shomoossi
 Original Texts as Authentic ESP Teaching Materials _The Case of Philosophy
.Savka Blagojevik*
 Key Aspects of ESP Materials Selection and Design.Lesiak Bielawska
 A Review on the Effectiveness of Using Authentic Materials in ESP Courses
Zahra Zohoorian Vahid baghban