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摘要：The workplace has become increasingly volatile, intercultural and multilingual in the Information Age, presenting greater than ever communication challenges to employees. Accordingly, education reforms which recognise the growing significance of workplace communication competence have been put in place. In Hong Kong, an application-oriented elective module known as 'Learning English through workplace communication' has been introduced to the senior secondary English language curriculum. This article surveys and evaluates a number of teaching and learning resources specially designed by relevant government bodies and commercial publishers for this module. Specifically, the professional genres which are covered in such resources are studied in detail, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to investigate the extent to which they parallel the professional discourses in the actual workplace, based on a comparison with findings from relevant research. Some discrepancies are found regarding the most frequently occurring genres and their linguistic realisations in the professional context and the teaching materials. Implications from the study and suggestions for pedagogical improvements are made not only with special reference to the local context, but also to the broader educational domain where workplace communication has increasingly become a key component in the language learning syllabus. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：As part of the English-language proficiency requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published a rating scale designed to assess pilots' and air traffic controllers' aviation English proficiency. However, it is not clear how this scale was developed. As part of an attempt to address the need for validation, this paper presents a study involving focus group interviews with pilots. Ten pilots listened to performances of test takers taking a variety of aviation English tests. The pilots were asked to rate the acceptability of the pilot's language for (a) communicating with other pilots and (b) radiotelephony communications with air traffic control. The focus groups had two aims: (1) to establish the 'indigenous' assessment criteria pilots use when assessing the language ability of peers and (2) to establish what level is sufficient as the operational level. The results showed that the pilots focused on some but not all of the criteria on the ICAO scale. Whilst listening to the performances, they also often focused on the speakers' technical knowledge. The paper proposes a model of how industry professionals can be involved in the validation of an LSP rating scales. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：Program evaluation, a crucial process in ESP, ensures adequate planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of the program. Despite its importance, the literature related to ESP program evaluation is still scarce and somewhat dated. The present paper describes a combined, updated model for ESP program evaluation and reports on how the model worked when it was applied to evaluate an ESP program in a university in Taiwan. To update the model for higher education ESP program evaluation, this research combined Hutchinson and Waters' 1987 model and the comprehensive framework for foreign language (FL) program evaluation developed by Watanabe, Norris, and Gonzalez-Lloret (2009), while also incorporating recent findings from emerging research on ESP learning and teaching that include topics such as authenticity, learner autonomy and learning transfer. When the model was applied to evaluate a university ESP program, the findings enabled the researchers to identify strengths and weaknesses of the updated model. It is the researchers' hope that the discussions of both the updated model and the evaluation process provide valuable insights into the design and implementation of ESP program evaluation. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：This case study discusses the development and use of an oral performance assessment instrument intended to evaluate Filipino agents' customer service transactions with callers from the United States (US). The design and applications of the instrument were based on a longitudinal, qualitative observation of language training and customer service support practices of Philippine-based agents employed by a US-owned call centre company. Although language training in Philippine call centers continues to improve (Lockwood, 2012), there are still clear limitations to how the oral performance of Filipino agents is evaluated internally by call centre companies. Specialized assessment instruments, following ESP/EOP norms, broadly used by the industry are still relatively untested and many call centers maintain their own metrics that often measure agents' language use and service quality separately (Friginal, 2007, 2009). In this study, the assessment instrument was adapted from the Melbourne Medical Students' Diagnostic Speaking Scale (Grove & Brown, 2001) and further developed to include ESP/EOP approaches in this context of inter-cultural communication. A conveniently sampled set of recorded calls (N = 100) across different task categories (e.g., troubleshooting interactions, product inquiry) was used to test the instrument for initial reliability measures. Results and analysis of the instrument's context suitability and limitations are discussed below. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：This study investigates whether the integration of ICT in education can facilitate teaching and learning. An example of such integration is computer assisted language learning (CALL) of English technical vocabulary by undergraduate physics students in Rwanda. The study draws on theories of cognitive load and multimedia learning to explore learning in a one-computer classroom in an environment where textbooks and multiple computers are not available. Two groups of students attended a 4-week English-language technical vocabulary course (eight three-hour sessions) taught by two ESP trained science teachers. One group (n = 13) was taught using computer-mediated multimedia to present technical vocabulary on-screen. The other group (n = 19) received blackboard presentations employing traditional methods to help students internalize the same vocabulary. Post-test scores of the two groups were compared. The results show that the effect of multimedia on the recall of the concepts taught is large (Cohen's d 0.95). [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：This article highlights aspects of an interdisciplinary (chemistry-applied linguistics) English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course- and materials-development project. The project was aimed at raising genre awareness among chemistry students and faculty, in addition to improving students' disciplinary reading and writing. As part of the project, full-length chemistry journal articles were analyzed. We describe select results of this analysis and the prominent role played by chemists in the process. Emphasis is placed on the organizational structure of chemistry journal articles, focusing on the Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion (A-IMRDC) sections. Two predominant organizational patterns emerged from our analyses, specifically A-IMR[DC] and A-IM[R(DC)], with brackets signifying sections merged under one major heading. Move-analysis findings are converted into easy-to-interpret instructional tools labeled 'move structures akin to flow charts' for two target audiences (chemistry students and faculty). The rhetorical structure of the chemistry journal article is then compared to journal articles published in biochemistry, an overlapping discipline. The article concludes with pedagogical implications and suggestions for ESP professionals engaged in genre analysis. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：Although the influence of learner beliefs on performance and satisfaction in particular instructional contexts is uncontested, empirical studies have so far concentrated on students in various geographical rather than discipline-specific settings. Starting from the premise that tertiary sector ESP students may have more in common than their choice of discipline, this study uses interviews and questionnaires to investigate first and fourth year business students' beliefs about effective language learning. The influence of students' conceptions of learning on their use of strategies is explored, and then juxtaposed with their evaluation of the reality of the business English classes. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：This article describes a study examining the effects of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model instruction on the academic language performance of middle and high school English language learners. The SIOP model is an approach for teaching content curriculum to students learning through a new language. Teachers employ techniques that make the content concepts accessible and also develop students' skills in the new language. Using a quasi-experimental design, the research was conducted in content area and English as a second language classes in two districts in northern New Jersey over 2 years. The analysis presents student achievement data from state-mandated language proficiency tests in the final year of the intervention, after most of the treatment teachers had completed their professional development in the SIOP model. There were statistically significant differences in the average mean scores in favor of the treatment student group on Writing, Oral Language, and Total English scores of the IDEA Language Proficiency Tests with small to medium effect sizes. The results from this study show that the SIOP model offers a promising approach to professional development that can improve the quality of instruction to English language learners and increase their English language achievement. Adapted from the source document

摘要：This study reports on the integration of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) multimedia courseware for oral presentations into a self-learning and elective program for non-English major students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting. A computer-aided instruction approach, combined with a task-based learning approach, was adopted. Computers played a central role as the means of information delivery. The courseware acted as a silent partner and played the role of a tutor and adjunct teacher to provide students with authentic materials for learning to give English oral presentations in international business and technical settings. It offered a variety of learning activities with instant on-line self-evaluation for students to practice integrative language skills and learn content knowledge. Evaluation of student performance was based upon data from pre- and post-tasks, student questionnaires about concerns, and an open-ended questionnaire. After active participation and self-learning, most of the non-English major students clearly indicated they had made some improvement or progress and felt their learning effectiveness for preparing speech texts was significantly improved. In addition, they had become more concerned about their English ability and the ESP courseware was able to meet their need for greater linguistic support to enhance their language ability. Adapted from the source document

摘要：The effectiveness of individualized feedback on rater behavior has been investigated in several previous studies (e.g. Elder, Knoch, Barkhuizen, & von Randow, 2005; Lunt, Morton, & Wigglesworth, 1994; O'Sullivan & Rignall, 2007; Wigglesworth, 1993). The findings of these studies are somewhat inconclusive. However, all of these studies investigated the value of such feedback on a one-off basis, and it is thus not clear how raters use this type of feedback over several administrations of a test. Furthermore, previous research has focused only on one language skill at a time, and we do not know if raters can incorporate the feedback in a similar way when rating speaking and writing. This study tracks the rating behavior of 19 raters assessing a large-scale English for specific purposes (ESP) assessment for the health professions over eight administrations. After each administration, raters received detailed performance profiles of their rating behavior which were generated using many-faceted Rasch measurement. Raters also completed a questionnaire and a subset of raters were interviewed to ascertain their views on the effectiveness of this feedback. The findings showed that the raters were rating no better when receiving the feedback than when they had not received feedback and neither speaking nor writing raters were able to incorporate the feedback more successfully. Although the raters were generally positive about the success of the feedback, there was no relationship between their perceptions of the feedback and the success of the feedback. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Ltd., copyright holder.]

摘要：Despite the increasing interest in and need for test information for use in instructional practice and student learning, there have been few attempts to systematically link a diagnostic approach to English for academic purposes (EAP) writing instruction and assessment. In response to this need for research, this study examined the extent to which the diagnostic information generated by the Reduced Reparameterized Unified Model (Reduced RUM; Hartz, Roussos, & Stout, 2002) was a discriminant, accurate, and reliable method of determining student performance in EAP writing. Ten English as a second language (ESL) teachers assessed 480 Test of English as a Foreign Language(TM) Internet-based test (TOEFL(TM) iBT ) independent essays using the Empirically-derived Descriptor-based Diagnostic (EDD) checklist, which consisted of 35 concrete, fine-grained descriptors. The resultant ratings were then analyzed using Arpeggio, the estimation software of the Reduced RUM. The findings showed that the skills diagnosis approach not only classified skill masters and non-masters accurately and reliably, but that it also had high discriminant function, with only a small number of students classified into flat profiles. However, concerns were raised with regard to the diagnostic power of some descriptors and the stability of one writing skill parameter (i.e., mechanics). The theoretical and pedagogical implications of the use of diagnostic assessment in EAP writing are discussed in this paper, as are suggestions for future research in applying psychometric diagnostic assessment models to performance assessment. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Ltd., copyright holder.]

摘要：The concept of Business English has undergone some major shifts in the last few years because of a number of developments, such as advances in genre theory and the coming together of English for Business Purposes and Business Communication, inspired by the realization that there is a gap to be bridged between the academy and the globalized business world. Drawing on advances in the analysis of business discourses, especially in applied genre analysis, this state-of-the-art review revisits the frameworks currently used in English for Business Purposes and Business Communication (or, more generally, Professional Communication) to suggest an integration of the two approaches for the design of English for Business Communication (EBC) programmes. The study incorporates an extensive review of much of the relevant published work in all the three areas mentioned above to identify some of the main issues in EBC, and illustrates a gradual shift in the rationale for the design and implementation of EBC programmes. Adapted from the source document

摘要：This paper reports on the syllabus design and implementation of an English for Science and Technology (EST) course at an English-medium university in Hong Kong. The course combined elements of project-based learning and a "pedagogy for multiliteracies" (New London Group, 1996) to produce a strong learner autonomy focus. A major component of the course was a student-centered digital video project, in which students created and shared a multimodal scientific documentary. A range of new technologies and Web 2.0 platforms (including YouTube and Edublogs) were integrated into the project process in order to create a technologically rich learning environment. The design of this structured technological learning environment was informed by existing case studies of students' autonomous language learning in unstructured online spaces. In this paper, we draw on students' accounts (from questionnaires, focus group interviews, and Weblog comments) to evaluate the digital video project and associated technological environment. In particular, we describe the potential of the project to provide students with opportunities to exercise their capacities as autonomous learners within a structured language learning context. Adapted from the source document

摘要：Email has revolutionised the way in which professionals work and companies operate, and yet has received surprisingly little scholarly attention in English for Specific Purposes and has an unexpectedly muted presence in many Business English textbooks. The dearth of research into email use in globalised business settings may be one of the factors behind the unnecessarily wide gulf that separates the office and the classroom. This article seeks to narrow this gap by making practical suggestions about the design of email tasks for use in Business English courses. These ideas are based on three complementary sets of qualitative data derived from Hong Kong's service sector: over 30h of interviews with English-using Chinese professionals, four 'week-in-the-life' case studies and 50 email chains comprising 406 separate messages. These data provide pedagogically relevant information about the function of email in internal and external communication, its intimate relationship with spoken communication, the importance of intertextuality in email chains and the length, language and structure of email messages. The study recommends the adoption of a simulation-based approach in which email communication is embedded in a series of interdependent activities that integrate speaking, listening, reading and writing. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：Recent ESP research into academic writing has shown how writers convey their stance and interact with readers across different disciplines. However, little research has been carried out into the disciplinary writing practices of the pure mathematics academic community from an ESP genre analysis perspective. This study begins to address this gap by applying Hyland's stance and engagement framework to pure mathematics research articles. The data consists of a corpus of 25 articles collected from five authors and semi-structured interviews with the same authors. The results of the corpus analysis reveal a low number of hedges and attitude markers compared to other hard and soft disciplines, but higher than expected shared knowledge and reader references. Furthermore, triangulation with interview data suggests that the epistemology and research practices of the discourse community can account for these frequency patterns, and that writers are conscious of the need to situate oneself within the norms of the discourse community by adhering to disciplinary writing conventions. The study also confirms that Hyland's framework can be usefully applied to pure mathematics research articles, although the boundaries between categories in the taxonomy are fuzzier than a stance/engagement dichotomy might suggest. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：In order for discourse to be considered idiomatic, it needs to exhibit features like fluency and pragmatically appropriate language use. Advances in corpus linguistics make it possible to examine idiomaticity from the perspective of recurrent word combinations. One approach to capture such word combinations is by the automatic retrieval of lexical bundles. We investigated the use of English-language lexical bundles in advanced learner writing by L1 speakers of Swedish and in comparable native-speaker writing, all produced by undergraduate university students in the discipline of linguistics. The material was culled from a new corpus of university student writing, the Stockholm University Student English Corpus (SUSEC), amounting to over one million words. The investigation involved a quantitative analysis of the use of four-word lexical bundles and a qualitative analysis of the functions they serve. The results show that the native speakers have a larger number of types of lexical bundles, which are also more varied, such as unattended 'this' bundles, existential 'there' bundles, and hedging bundles. Other lexical bundles which were found to be more common and more varied in the native-speaker data involved negations. The findings are shown to be largely similar to those of the phraseological research tradition in SLA. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：The framework of genre systems (Bazerman, 1994; Bhatia, 2004; Swales, 2004) offers an opportunity to illuminate the ways in which students enculturate into their disciplinary cultures (Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1995). To explore the ways in which genre chains are constructed through engagement in specific tasks, this study investigates two international students' development of genre systems in law and MBA programs through the examination of program syllabi and individual student engagement. The findings demonstrate key differences between the programs in expectations and genre sets, as well as illuminating the ways that individuals construct genre systems to mitigate the language challenges that they face. The findings add a thick description to the specific vs. general EAP discussion. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：EAP practitioners in advanced courses have often focused on assisting junior scholars who are non-native speakers of English with their attempts to publish in English. Today, however, university administrators increasingly rely on post-publication data such as citation records. We therefore suggest that identifying heavily cited and largely uncited papers would be an addition to the advanced writing instructor's toolkit. In fact, many proposals have been made to account for citational success and failure. Disentangling these variables is complex and typically requires in-depth knowledge of the chosen sub-field. Here we examine the reception histories of a decade's worth of main articles in the English for Specific Purposes Journal, using the Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Analysis of the 15 most cited articles indicates that placement in an issue, gender, first language, author status, and provenance are not major determinants. Instead, area of research interest (i.e., discoursal features of academic text) and type of ESP (i.e., EAP) were the main predisposing factors. We then conduct a close analysis of the two top 1990s papers (both, incidentally, written by women whose first language is not English and working in non-Anglophone settings). We conclude with some implications of these findings for EAP practitioners and their "customers". [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：As is the worldwide trend, scientists in China face strong and increasing pressure to publish their research in international peer-reviewed journals written in English. There is an acute need for graduate students to develop the required language skills alongside their scientific expertise, in spite of the distinct division currently existing between English teaching and the other disciplines. Researchers in the workplace also need ongoing training, presenting a complex challenge for the sector. We present an analysis of data gathered as we have introduced, in Chinese science- and English teaching-based contexts, an approach to the development of international publishing capacity entitled CIPSE -- Collaborative Interdisciplinary Publication Skills Education. This approach involves scientists and English language specialists working together on education programs adapted to fit local contextual constraints, and builds on collaborative approaches used extensively in ESP contexts elsewhere. Our analysis suggests some possible components of the multi-faceted strategy set that will clearly be required to address the challenges. We argue for changes to the teaching of English to research students in the sciences, including the development of a strong research base incorporating corpus linguistics, English for Specific Purposes pedagogy and interdisciplinary collaborative practice. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]

摘要：This paper reports the findings of a study aiming to reveal the recurring patterns of lexical, syntactic and textual errors in student translations of a specialized EU genre from English into Hungarian. By comparing the student translations to the official translation of the text, this article uncovers the most frequent errors that students made and links these errors to the elements of translation competence. In order to achieve these goals, textual analysis and retrospective interviews were used. The findings show that translation errors occur at every level of language, and they follow recurring patterns, stemming from different elements of translation competence. The outcomes of the study may aid specialized EU translation teachers in designing course syllabuses by highlighting which elements of translation competence to focus on. [Copyright The American University; published by Elsevier Ltd.]