English in electrical engineering

1


INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Over the past few years, together with the development of General English (GE),
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has become an indispensable branch in English
Language Teaching (ELT) in Vietnam to meet the growing demand for communicating
with foreigners and updating information as well as technology in the fields of electrical
engineering, electronics, telecommunications, oil industry, computer science and
engineering, etc.
By now, ESP has confirmed its position in many universities and colleges in
Vietnam. It has become a compulsory subject in the training curriculum. At the Faculty of
Power System (FPS), Electric Power University (EPU), students are supposed to study a
certain command of ESP. However, ESP teaching has encountered a number of problems
such as content burden, inappropriate materials, lack of time, lack of equipment, lack of
experienced teachers of ESP. Another problem of great concern of the ESP teachers is the
syllabus. Although no one can deny the important role of syllabuses in providing a
practical basis for the division of assessment, textbooks and learning time and telling the
teachers and students what should be learned…, the existing syllabuses at FFS seem to be
inappropriately designed due to the lack of time and experience. The current English for
Electrical Engineering syllabus which was designed for second- year students is not an
exception. Although being designed with the greatest effort of the English teachers, the
EEE syllabus has shown that it fails to satisfy the students’ needs for their study as well as
future job. This failure appears due to the lack of interesting topics, lack of motivating
tasks, and insufficient exercises…This, perhaps, mainly results from the lack of needs
analysis, which is widely accepted as a prerequisite of any syllabus design.
Being an ESP teacher, realizing the problems of the EEE syllabus, the author finds
that it is urgent to design a more appropriate one. Therefore, the author would like to carry

out a study to design an appropriate EEE reading syllabus for the 2
nd
year students of
Power System at EPU.
2. Aims of the study
The main aim of the study is to design an appropriate EEE reading syllabus for
second – year students at EPU. In order to achieve the main aim, the specific ones are as


2


follows:
- To find out the second – year students’ target needs and learning needs for an EEE
course.
- To suggest an appropriate EEE reading syllabus for the 2
nd
year students of Power
System at EPU basing on their needs analysis.
3. Scope of the study
Due to the narrow scope of a minor thesis, this study only focuses on syllabus
designing process, but not all the theories relating to syllabus design such as implementing,
teaching method and evaluating. It is also limited itself to designing a specific reading
syllabus for the 2
nd
year students of Power System at EPU in accordance with the
objectives of the training program for PS students and their needs.
4. Methodology of the study
In order to achieve these above aims, the author has reviewed the materials of ESP
development and syllabus design to set up a theoretical background for the research.

Then, the study uses quantitative methodology to collect data through two
questionnaires and informal interviews:
- The first questionnaire was designed for students of Power System who are going
to learn the English for Electrical Engineering course in the second year. This helps
the author find out their target needs and learning needs for an EEE reading course.
- The second one was designed for ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their suggestions
about reading and sub- reading skills, grammar/ structures and tasks/activities to be
included in the syllabus.
Besides, several informal interviews were carried out with the subject teachers at
FPS, EPU to get their suggestions about the topic areas. In addition, the material analysis is
also used as a qualitative methodology to find out the characteristics of an ESP materials.
After necessary data has been gathered, the author would base on the collected
numbers and ratios to interpret the results of the study. Then the findings would be grouped
together and compared to find out the important factors relating to the proposal of a
reading syllabus for 2
nd
year students of Power System at EPU.
5. Organization of the thesis
The study consists of three major parts (Introduction, Development and
Conclusion), a list of references and appendixes.


3


Part I: Introduction presents the rationale, aim, scopes, methodology and the design of the
study.
Part II: Development includes three important chapters.
- Chapter I, Literature Review, provides the theory of ESP and syllabus design.
- Chapter II, Needs Analysis, analyzes students’ needs, both target needs and learning

needs to provide the basis for the EEE syllabus in chapter III.
- Chapter III, EEE syllabus, suggests two types of syllabus: the general syllabus
which outlines the topics and tasks; the detailed one provides more detailed
information about the functions, grammar, vocabulary, content grading, Also some
suggestions for designing materials, teaching and assessing are available in this
chapter.
Part III: Conclusion aims at summarizing the main ideas of the study, offering some
implications for designing ESP syllabuses and teaching EEE at FFS, EPU.
Appendixes includes the questionnaires, interviews and a sample unit.

















4


DEVELOPMENT

Chapter I. LITERATURE REVIEW

I.1. An overview of ESP
I.1.1. Definition of ESP
The globalization and the growth of science, technology and commerce have
generated demands for an international language which, for various reasons, most notably
the domination of the world by the economic power of the United States, is English.
English teaching and learning has therefore become a big business. The demands and
requirements for English have resulted in the expansion of one branch of English for
Specific Purposes (ESP). The demand for this has come from groups of learners who wish
to learn English for particular reasons connected with their study or their jobs. This gives
some initial indications of what ESP is.
Researchers have developed a number of definitions of ESP, most of which
consider the learners’ needs the most important element of ESP. Munby (1978) states:
“ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are determined in all essentials by
the prior analysis of the communication needs of the learners”.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) share the same view with Munby who define: “ESP
is an approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners”.
Kenedy and Bolitho (1984), when mentioning approaches to ESP, believe that:
“ESP has its basis in an investigation of the purposes of the learners and the set of
communication needs arising from those purposes”.
And Robinson (1991), while discussing what criteria to ESP are, also emphasizes
the students’ needs element of ESP: “An ESP course is based on a needs analysis, which
aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do through the
medium of English”.
These definitions reveal that they all have focused on a very important
characteristic of ESP, that is any ESP course must be based on the learners’ needs. In other
words, ESP could not exist and develop if there were no learners’ needs. This means in
practice most of the work done by ESP teachers is concerned with designing an appropriate
courses based on learners’ needs. The learners, with specific purposes in mind, understand

5


what they need to learn. When the course meets their demand, and when they find it
necessary and relevant for their work or study at present or in the future they will learn
with high motivation. For this reason, ESP teachers should pay attention to the learners’
needs in order to design an appropriate syllabus and introduce relevant materials to the
course since “ESP should properly be seen not as any particular language product but as an
approach to language teaching which is directed by specific and apparent reasons for
learning” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p17).
I.1.2. Types of ESP
David Carter (1983) identifies three types of ESP:
- English as a restricted language
- English for Academic and Occupational Purposes
- English with specific topics.
The language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of English
as a restricted language. Mackay and Mountford (1978) clearly illustrate the difference
between restricted language and language with this statement: “the language of
international air-traffic control could be regarded as 'special', in the sense that the repertoire
required by the controller is strictly limited and can be accurately determined situationally,
as might be the linguistic needs of a dining-room waiter or air-hostess. However, such
restricted repertoires are not languages, just as a tourist phrase book is not grammar.
Knowing a restricted 'language' would not allow the speaker to communicate effectively in
novel situation, or in contexts outside the vocational environment (pp. 4-5).
The second type of ESP identified by Carter (1983) is English for Academic and
Occupational Purposes.
In the 'Tree of ELT' (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987), ESP is broken down into three
branches:

- English for Science and Technology (EST),
- English for Business and Economics (EBE), and
- English for Social Studies (ESS).
Each of these subject areas is further divided into two branches: English for
Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). An example of
EOP for the EST branch is 'English for Technicians' whereas an example of EAP for the
EST branch is 'English for Medical Studies'.


6


Hutchinson and Waters (1987) do note that there is not a clear-cut distinction
between EAP and EOP: "people can work and study simultaneously; it is also likely that in
many cases the language learnt for immediate use in a study environment will be used later
when the student takes up, or returns to, a job" (p. 16).
Perhaps this explains Carter's rationale for categorizing EAP and EOP under the
same type of ESP. It appears that Carter is implying that the end purpose of both EAP and
EOP are one in the same: employment. However, despite the end purpose being identical,
the means taken to achieve the end is very different indeed. I contend that EAP and EOP
are different in terms of focus on Cummins' (1979) notions of cognitive academic
proficiency versus basic interpersonal skills.
The third and final type of ESP identified by Carter (1983) is English with specific
topics. Carter notes that it is only here where the emphasis shifts from purpose to topic.
This type of ESP is uniquely concerned with anticipated future English needs of, for
example, scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending
conferences or working in foreign institutions. However, I argue that this is not a separate
type of ESP. Rather it is an integral component of ESP courses or programs which focus
on situational language. This situational language has been determined based on the
interpretation of results from needs analysis of authentic language used in target workplace

settings.
In short, ESP is classified in different ways. In this paper, following the
classification by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) in the ‘Tree of ELT’, the author thinks that
English for Electrical Engineering can be classified as a branch of English for Science and
Technology.
I.2. Syllabus design
I.2.1. Definition of the syllabus
First, it is necessary to distinguish ‘syllabus design’ from ‘curriculum
development’. In the existing literature on language education, the terms ‘curriculum’ and
‘syllabus’ are sometimes used interchangeably, sometimes differentiated, and sometimes
misused and misunderstood. Stern (1983) provides an attempt to clarify these two terms:
The term ‘curriculum’ is commonly used in two related senses. It refers, first, to the
substance of a program of an educational institution or system studies. Thus, we can speak
of the school curriculum, the university curriculum, the curriculum of French Schools, or


7


the curriculum of Soviet education. In a more restricted sense, it refers to the course of
study or content in a particular subject, such as the mathematics curriculum or the history
curriculum. It is, therefore, used as a synonym of what in British universities and schools is
sometimes referred to as the ‘syllabus’ for a given subject or course of studies. In recent
years, however, the term ‘curriculum’ has come to refer not only to the subject matter or
content, but also to the entire instructional process including materials, equipment,
examinations, and the training of teachers, in short all pedagogical measures related to
schooling or to the substance of a course of studies (p. 434).
Following Stern, Nunan (1988:3) suggests that a curriculum is concerned with
making general statements about language learning, learning purpose, and experience, and
the relationship between teachers and learners, whereas a syllabus is more localized and is

based on the accounts and records of what actually happens at the classroom level as
teachers and students apply a curriculum to their situation.
In this paper, syllabus and curriculum are differentiated based on the distinctions
outlined above. A syllabus is a specification of what takes place in the classroom, which
usually contains the aims and contents of teaching and sometimes contains suggestions of
methodology. A curriculum, however, provides (1) general statements about the rationale
about language, language learning and language teaching, (2) detailed specification of
aims, objectives and targets learning purpose, and (3) implementation of a program. In
some sense, a syllabus is part of a curriculum.
The term “syllabus” has been defined in current literature by a number of authors
like Munby (1978), Yalden (1984), Nunan (1988), Hutchinson and Waters (1987), and
Allen (1984).
Some of these authors advocate the narrow view which draws a clear distinction
between syllabus design (concerned essentially with the selection and grading of content)
and methodology (concerned with the selection of learning tasks and activities) while
others adopt a broader view which argues that the distinction between content and tasks is
difficult to sustain with the advent of communicative language teaching.
One of the advocates of the narrow view is Allen (1984, p.61) as Nunan (1988)
quotes: “Syllabus…is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught (as
distinct from how they will be taught, which is a matter for methodology)” (p.5).
Sharing Allen’s view, Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p.80) state that: “a


8


syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should) be learnt”.
Clearly, Allen and Tom Hutchinson and Waters believe that syllabus and
methodology should be two distinctive separate parts. In contrast to such views, some
other authors like Yalden, Breen support broader view that the selection of content to teach

and the methodology are combined in the syllabus, arguing that with the advent of
communicative language teaching, the distinction between the content and task is difficult
to sustain. One of the specialists proposing the broader view is Yalden (1984). He points
out: “The syllabus replaces the concept of “method”, and the syllabus is now seen as an
instrument by which the teacher, with the help of the syllabus designer, can achieve a
degree of ‘fit’ between the needs and the aims of the learners (as social being and as
individual), and the activities which will take place in the classroom” (p.14).
Sharing with Yalden’s view, Breen (1984) states that: “Any syllabus will express –
however indirectly – certain assumption about the language, about the psychological
process of learning and about the pedagogic and social processes within classroom” (p.49).
In brief, number of definitions of syllabus from narrow to broader views have just
been discussed in this thesis. The author is in favor of the broader view because in the
author’s opinion, the syllabus should be a guideline to the teachers; it should tell them not
only what to be taught but also how to teach them in the most effective way. Especially in
the current context at EPU, the teachers who have never been formally trained to teach
ESP will find it very difficult to fulfill their teaching task if the syllabus and then the
material contains only content and no task or activities at all. The broader view, therefore,
will be applied to design an English for Electrical Engineering reading syllabus for the
second year- students at EPU.
I.2.2. The role of a syllabus in a course design process
a. In language-centered approach
According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987:72), the syllabus is the prime generator
of the teaching materials, as this model shows:

9


Analyze target situation

Write syllabus

Write or select texts to
illustrate items in syllabus

Write exercises to practise
items in the syllabus

Devise tests for assessing knowledge
of the items in the syllabus

Figure 1.1. The role of a syllabus in a language- centered approach
(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p.90)
b. In a skills – centered approach
Analyze target needs

Select interesting and representative texts

Devise a hierarchy of skills to exploit the texts

Order and adapt the texts as necessary to
enable a focus on the required skills

Devise activities/ techniques to teach those skills

Devise a system to assess the
acquisition of the skills

Figure 1.2. The role of a syllabus in a skills – centered approach
(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p.91)


10



In this approach, the syllabus is not a prime generator. According to Hutchinson
and Waters (1987:92), the skills and the texts negotiate with each other in the syllabus. The
skill syllabus plays a role in the initial selection of the texts and establishes criteria for
ordering and adapting them. The texts available, at the same time, will affect what can be
focused on in the exercises and assessment.
c. In learning- centered approach

Figure 1.3. The role of the syllabus in a learning – centered approach
(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p.93)
It is noticeable from the model that in learning- centered approach, the syllabus is
divided into two levels. In level 1, the syllabus is called the general syllabus which outlines
the topic areas and the communicative tasks of the target situation. This general syllabus
can be used as the basis for the initial selection of texts and writing of exercises/ activities.
In level 2, a detailed syllabus is generated from the materials selected in level 1. This
syllabus is then checked against an independent syllabus produced from the needs analysis
to deal with gaps and overlaps.
Thus, in this approach, “the syllabus is used creatively as a generator of good and
relevant learning activities rather than just a statement of language content Yet, at the
Analyze
learning
situation
Analyze

target
situation
Establish general
syllabus of topics
and tasks
Produce detailed
language/skills
syllabus
Create
interesting and
enjoyable
materials

Check language and skills content
of material and make necessary
adjustments


11



same time, it maintains relevance to target needs”. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p.93)
I.3. Needs Analysis in ESP
I.3.1 The meaning of Needs
A number of language experts have given different meanings of Needs. First of all,
Mounfort (1981, p.27) states that needs can mean “what the user – institution or society at
large regards as necessary or desirable to be learnt from a program of language
instruction”. This definition views needs from the subjective standpoints of authorities but
not learners themselves. Secondly, in the light of goal- oriented perspective, according to
Widdowson (1981, p.2) needs refers to “students’ study or job requirements, that is, what
they have to be able to do at the end of their language course”. Needs in this sense are
described as objectives or requirement of the course.
In contrast, Brindley (1984, p.28) sees needs as “wants, desires, demands,
expectation, motivations, lacks, constraints, and requirement”. This view implies that
students may have their personal aims in addition to the requirement of their studies or
jobs. Therefore, this definition prove to be more sufficient because it combines the views
of both previous definitions.
I.3.2. Kinds of needs
Needs are divided into target needs and leaning needs.
I.3.2.1. Target needs
Target needs, according to Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p.54), is defined as
“what learner needs to do in the target situation, that is the situation in which learners will

use the language they are learning”. It is more useful to look at target situation in terms of
necessities, lacks and wants.
a. Necessities
According to Tom Hutchinson & Waters (1987, p.55), “necessities is the type of
need determined by the demands of the target situation, that is, what the learner has to
know in order to function effectively in the target situation”.
For instance, an engineer needs to understand diagrams or catalogues, and exchange
information with foreign engineer. He or she will also need to know the linguistic features
(discourse, functional, structural, lexical) which are commonly used in the situations
identified. This information is relatively easy to get. It is a matter of “observing what
situations the learners will need to function in and then analyzing the constituent parts of


12



them” (Tom Hutchinson & Waters, 1987, p.55).
Besides, the information about necessities can be gathered through the
advertisements of job vacancies in the newspapers and interviews with users (Robinson,
1991, p.12).
b. Lacks
It is not enough to define necessities alone since the concern of ESP is with the
needs of particular learners. It is essential to know what the learner knows already, so those
course designers can decide which of the necessities the learner lacks. For example, one
target situation necessity might be to read texts in a particular subject area. Whether or not
the learners need instruction in doing this will depend on how well they can do it already.
In other words, “the target proficiency needs to be matched against the existing proficiency
of the learners. The gap between the two can be referred to as the learners’ lacks” (Tom
Hutchinson & Waters, 1987, p.55).

To decide what the learners’ lacks are, interviewing teachers is a useful method.
Moreover, the learners should be tested before starting the ESP course. (Robinson, 1991,
p.14). To save time and expense and to reduce the anxiety caused by the test to the
learners, the author should suggests that the results of the previous tests (for example:
either of GE subjects or of other ESP subjects), if there are, should be used.
c. Wants
Target needs are considered not only in terms of necessities and lacks but also in
terms of wants, with the actual learners playing active role, that is, the learners have a view
as to what their needs are. Their wants include their goal (for study, for future job, for
training, for the combination of these or for other purposes like examination, status,
promotion,…); their objectives (for example: at the end of the course they will be able to
translate documents related to the content of the course); and what they want to learn
(skills, topics, and language).
Wants are varied among different learners. “Learners may well have a clear idea of
the necessities of the target situation: they will certainly have a view as to their lacks. But it
is quite possible that the learners’ views will conflict with the perceptions of other
interested parties: course designers, sponsors and teachers” (Tom Hutchinson & Waters,
1987, p.56). If the learners believe that English language teaching should consist of
practice in grammar and general vocabulary, they may well be, at the very least,


13



disconcerted when the English teacher appears to be teaching their specialism. There can
be no clear- cut answer to the question what the course designer should do in this situation.
It is important that the ESP course designer or teacher should be aware of such differences
and take account of them in materials and methodology. Thus, a satisfactory syllabus
should meet the needs of all related parties. This is a challenge to the syllabus designer.

To get information easily from a large group of learners about their wants,
Robinson (1991, p.12) suggests that we should use questionnaires.
I.3.2.2. Learning needs
We have considered the needs so far only in terms of target needs, the starting point
(the lacks), the destination (the necessities) together with the dispute as to what that
destination should be (the wants). What they have not considered yet is the route. Tom
Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p.61) say that “How are we going to get from our starting
point to the destination? – This is learning needs”.
It is naïve to base course design simply on the target objectives, just as it is naïve to
think that a journey can be planned solely in terms of starting point and the destination.
The needs, potential and constraints of the route (the learning situation) must also be taken
into account, if we are going to have any useful analysis of learners’ needs.
Learning needs or the learning situation include the resources and administrative
constraints (time, length of the course, length of the period, classroom and the teaching
aids), the learners (their age, level, motivation and strategies) and the teachers (their level,
and difficulties in teaching ESP).
In short, this section has discussed the most characteristic feature of ESP course
design – needs analysis. It is not a simple process and both target needs and learning needs
must be combined harmoniously.
I.4. An overview of reading
I.4.1. Reading in General English
Reading is valuable input for language acquisition. It makes sense to take
advantage of the fact that many students in elementary courses are capable of reading far
beyond the level at which they speak. Strong language learners and good readers can
benefit from reading longer, narrative texts at earlier levels of instruction. In a discussion
about importance of reading in EFL, Carrel (1988) says that “for many students, reading by
far is the most important of four skills in a second language, particularly in English as a


14

second or foreign language”.
Unfortunately, readings in GE elementary textbooks are generally limited to short,
informational texts. The language presented in a GE reading text has often been simplified
and structurally graded because its purpose is to help students consolidate grammatical
structures and practise reading skill. Moreover, the contents of GE readings focus on
general topics with simple tasks/ activities so the learner often feel bored in the lessons.
Therefore, from the starter level to intermediate level, GE readings place an
emphasis on helping students build their vocabulary and lead to overall language
improvement in their English.
I.4.2. Reading in English for Specific Purposes
It can not be denied that General English readings have set up a firm base for
students to transfer into ESP readings by partly filling the gap in sub-technical English
because "scientific English, for example, uses the same structures as any other kind of
English but with a different distribution" (Kennedy and Bolitho 1984: p.19). Unlike GE
reading, ESP reading is considered as a tool for study by many academic students. In ESP
readings, the content input becomes more and more technical, language input in the
content grows more and more specific. The content is often extracted from authentic
materials such as scientific documents, journals, reports, etc. In regard to linguistic features
of ESP reading texts, the language is designed specifically in accordance with students’
needs. The texts are chosen for their value in relation to students’ needs and are selected
not only by the teachers but also by learners and others. The texts are of different lengths
and get longer. When reading the texts, students focus much on information and guess the
unknown words. They also focus on links between meaning (function) and form.
According to Evans and Jo St John (1998:96), the reading component of an ESP course
requires a balance between the skills and languages development.

15



Chapter II
ANALYZING NEEDS AT ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY

II.1. The setting of the study
Electric Power University (EPU) has just been upgraded from Electric Power
College since May, 2006. As a newly- upgraded university, at this stage, EPU has faced
with a number of difficulties in the infrastructure and human resources, etc. However,
thanks to the investment from EVN and all staff’s great effort, EPU has partly confirmed
its image in education and training system in Vietnam. In the previous years, EPU was
successful in educating hundreds of students to become technicians in Power System,
Hydro Power and Thermal Power. Recently, in order to meet the demand of the society,
some new faculties have been opened such as automation technology, electronics and
telecommunication, mechanical technology.
Right at the early days, the teaching and learning English has occupied an
important position. English is a compulsory subject in the training curriculum of all
faculties. All students have to experience two stages of English studying which is divided
into three semesters as follows:
- Stage 1: Students learn GE with 150 periods in the first two semesters.
- Stage 2: Students learn an equivalent ESP course with their training major in 60

periods in the third semesters or fourth term of the second year.
The textbooks used in the first stage are New Headway Elementary and Pre-
Intermediate (Liz and John Soarz) published in 2000 by Oxford University Press. These
books aim at providing students with fundamental knowledge and basic language skills of
English during the first stage. In the next stage, ESP study plays an important role because
it helps students consolidate their GE and more importantly, get access to their specialized
knowledge.
Being aware that English is not only a compulsory subject in the training
curriculum but also a very useful tool in the period of integration and globalization, both
teachers and students at EPU have made endless effort to advance the quality of teaching
and learning English. However, the process of teaching and learning English has
encountered with many difficulties such as the learning conditions, the English staff, the


16



students’ unbalanced levels of English, etc. To overcome such difficulties, it needs a long
time and much effort from many sides. Hopefully, EPU can be the leading university
which provides qualified engineers and technicians for electricity sector in particular and
other sectors in general in the near future.
II.2. Material analysis
In regard to the linguistic features of ESP reading texts, the language is designed
specifically in accordance with students’ needs. The content is often extracted from
authentic materials such as scientific documents, journals, reports, etc.
With the reference to the reading texts of Electrical Engineering speciality, the
language expressed also shares the same features with an EST reading. However, it
contains some distinctive marks:
First of all, in the reading texts of Electrical Engineering speciality, the vocabulary

are mostly semi- technical and theoretical science – based as the language often expresses
the operation principles of various machines or power schemes as well as physical rules or
phenomena.
Secondly, according to Richard (1976: 7) “two factors are involved in the study of
scientific words are (1) frequency and (2) presence/ absence”. That is to say, some words
or terms are commonly presented in technical texts such as ‘capacitance’, ‘electric’,
‘electromotive’, ‘magnetic’ They are also differ in their context, for instance, the term
‘function’. In the sentence “the function of a fuse is to protect the circuit”, the word
‘function’ implies the meaning of what a fuse does. However, the word ‘function’ implies
the variability of a quantity in the expression “the function of amplitude of fault current”.
Some quantity expressions, mathematics symbols and formulas, numbers are also
used as examples or exercises.
Finally, when reading this text type, students must recognize some textual patterns
in which the rhetorical techniques are employed such as: cause – effect, instrument –
achievement, problem – solution, phenomenon – reason.
The current English reading textbook of Electrical Engineering has been collected
from various sources of authentic texts; nonetheless, this textbook has not proved its
suitability in the topic area as it based on no needs analysis. Hence, an appropriate reading
text of Electrical Engineering speciality should be extracted and adapted from authentic
sources such as books, journals and documents written by the foreign authors with relevant


17



topics expected by the students. Some examples of those sources can be seen as follows:
- English in Electrical Engineering and Electronics. (Glendinning, E.H., 1980,.
Oxford University Press)
- Contemporary Electric Circuits – Insight and Analysis (2nd Edition, Robert

Strangeway et. Al., 2005, Pearson Education)
- Electrical Machines, Drives and Power System (6
th
Edition, Theodore Wildi, 2005,
Pearson Education)
II.3. Description of data collection
II.3.1. Data collection instruments and procedures
The type of information sought during a needs analysis is usually closely related to
approaches to teaching and learning and to syllabus design followed by the analysts.
Because the learning – centered approach is chosen for this thesis, the information
about both target needs and learning needs is collected and analyzed. Ideally, according to
Robinson (1991, p.12), needs analysis should try to obtain information from a range of
sources and viewpoints from learners, teachers, users and others. He also suggests that
there are essentially four techniques for investigating needs: questionnaires, interviews,
observation and gathering materials.
As Robinson states that “questionnaire will seek information for both the target
situation analysis and the present situation analysis It can be sent fairly easily to a large
number of people”, the main technique of collecting data used in this thesis is
questionnaires to determine the needs related to an ESP course of EEE.
- The first questionnaire of this study was designed for 100 first – year students at
the age of 18, 19 who are going to learn EEE course in their next school year. It aims at
collecting data on students’ target needs and learning needs of the EEE course.
- Another questionnaire was completed by 15 ESP teachers at FFS, EPU in order to
collect their opinions on the necessary reading skills, sub- reading skills, grammar and
tasks/activities in the syllabus.
The first questionnaire for the first –year students was formulated in Vietnamese to
ensure that the informants can easily understand the questions and give the correct
answers. The questionnaire was finished in one period (40 minutes) and collected right
after. For ESP teachers, the questionnaire was conducted in English and finished in 15
minutes.

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Besides the questionnaires, interviews are used as a supplementary tool in the data
collecting process to help the needs analysis have “more control” (Robinson, 1991, p.12).
For this reason, the second method used in this study is interview. Interviews were
conducted with subject teachers at FPS, EPU during the short breaks to get their
suggestions on relevant topics and sub-topics of the syllabus.
II.3.2. The subjects
To answer the question “who provides the information for the needs analysis?”,
Robinson (1991, p.11) states that the source of information are the potential students, the
language teaching institution (teachers and administrators), ex- students and those who are
or will be concerned with the students’ specific job or study situation.
The questionnaire was administered with 100 first –year students of Power System.
These students will have finished a general English course by the end of their first year. A
group of 15 teachers who have been teaching both general English and ESP at FFS, EPU
was also a great source of information for the study. Finally, five subject teachers who
have been teaching at FPS, EPU participated in several informal interviews as well.
II.3.3. Result analysis and major findings
II.3.3.1. Target needs
a. Necessities
- In terms of topics and sub- topics
In order to collect the information on students’ necessities of topics, the syllabus
designer has also interviewed five subject teachers who have been teaching at FPS, EPU
for their advices on what topics and sub-topics should be included in the syllabus. All
interviewed subject teachers agreed that an EEE syllabus should consist of the following
topics such as electrical materials, transformer, generator and circuit elements. In their

opinion, it is also necessary to provide students with the knowledge about hydro electric
stations and thermal electric stations as these are two popular types of electric stations in
the world in general and in Vietnam in particular.
When being interviewed about the sub-topic areas, most of subject teachers agreed
that component parts, operation principles and application are the most important sub-
topics of an EEE syllabus. Then, sub-topics such as new inventions, use and classification
should be included, too. Only two out of 5 interviewed subject teachers would like to add
history of development as a sub-topic of the syllabus and none of them thought that


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classification is necessary for this syllabus. To determined what topic and sub-topic areas
should be included in the syllabus, the author should consider not only subject teachers’
suggestions but also students’ wants which are analyzed later.
- In terms of reading skills/ techniques
The teachers of English are the very people who know exactly what reading skills
are most suitable in the syllabus. Therefore, the designer chose eight reading skills/
techniques to ask 15 teachers of English in FFS, EPU for their advices on what skills/
techniques students need master and the responses were shown in the table below:

Reading
skills/ techniques
Very
necessary
Necessary

Fairly

necessary
Not
necessary
1. Predicting and previewing
6 (40%) 5 (33.3%) 3 (20%) 1 (6.7%)
2. Identifying the topic and
organization of the text
10 (66.7%) 5 (33.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
3. Skimming for main ideas 8 (53.3%) 6 (40%) 1 (6.7%) 0 (0%)
4. Scanning for specific
information
8 (53.3%) 6 (40%) 1 (6.7%) 0 (0%)
5. Guessing the meaning of
new words from the context
7 (46.7%) 7 (46.7%) 1 (6.7%) 0 (0%)
6. Using non-text information 9 (60%) 6 (40%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
7. Translating to get through
understanding of the text
3 (20%) 4 (26.7%) 6 (40%) 2 (13.3%)
8. Interpreting discourse
markers
5 (33.3%) 6 (40%) 3 (20%) 1 (6.7%)
Others:

Table 2.1. Teachers’ expectations of reading skills/ techniques
According to the teachers of English, the skill of identifying the topic and
organization of the text is the most necessary (66.7%) as this is the first and foremost step
when reading any text to get an overview of the text. The basic skills such as skimming,
scanning, predicting and previewing are also considered being important and especially for

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ESP reading texts, using non-text information such as diagrams or figures is a more
important skill (60%). The skill 8 is less necessary (33.3%) and translation comes the last
one (20%) as the teachers of English explain that it is not very important in the reading
lessons. It can be seen that the teachers of English are very determined in giving their
choice because they have already experienced in teaching ESP reading skill.
- In terms of sub- reading skills

Sub- reading
skills/ techniques
Very
necessary
Necessary

Fairly
necessary
Not
necessary
1. Reading notes, notices,
instructions, advertisements,
safety precaution warnings
7 (46.7%)


6 (40%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (6.7%)
2. Reading textbooks and

technical books
15 (100%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
3. Reading instruction
manuals
7 (46.7%) 5 (33.3%) 2 (13.3%) 1 (6.7%)
4. Reading articles in
specialist journals
13 (86.7%) 2 (13.3%)

0 (0%) 0 (0%)
5. Reading tables, graphs and
diagrams
6 (40%)

8 (53.3%)

1 (6.7%) 0 (0%)
6. Reading reports and other
documents
4 (26.7%)

5 (33.3%) 3 (20%) 3 (20%)
7. Reading letters, telex
messages
3 (20%) 4 (26.7%)

2 (13.3%) 6 (40%)


Table 2.2. Teachers’ expectations of sub- reading skills

As can be seen from the above table, 100% of ESP teachers shared the same idea
that students need be able to read textbooks and technical books in the field of Electrical
Engineering. Reading textbooks and technical books is the easiest and fastest way to get
specialist knowledge because texts are the most available form of technical information
that students can find from various sources such as on the Internet, in newspapers,


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magazines and books Therefore, students, at least, must be able to read textbooks and
technical books. 86.7% of ESP teachers expected that students can be able to read articles
in specialist journals as well. Besides, to enrich students’ specialist vocabulary and make
them familiar to different types of texts, the syllabus should also contain other text types
with follow – up exercises and activities such as notices, notes, instructions, safety
precaution warnings and non-text materials like tables, diagrams or graphs
- In terms of grammar and structures

Items Number&
Percentages

Items Number&
Percentages
1. Use of tenses
a. Present Simple
b. Past Simple
c. Present Perfect

14 (93.3%)

12 (80%)
5 (33.3%)
6. Pronoun
a. Personal pronoun
b. Relative pronoun
c. Interrogative pronoun

8 (53.3%)
11 (73.3%)
4 (26.7%)
2. Verb
a. Infinitive and gerund
b. Modal verbs
c. Verb formation

12 (80%)
14 (93.3%)
0 (0%)
7. Conjunction
a. Coordinating conjunction
b. Correlative conjunction
c. Subordinating conjunction


13 (86.7%)
3 (20%)
14 (93.3%)
3. Article & Noun
a. Indefinite article
b. Definite article

c. Singular & plural noun
d. Compound noun
e. Noun formation

6 (40%)
6 (40%)
4 (26.7%)
15 (100%)
0 (0%)
8. Clauses
a. Relative clauses
b. Conditional clauses
c. –Ing clause and –ed
clauses

15 (100%)
13 (86.7%)
12 (80%)
4. Adjective
a. –Ing adjective & -ed
adjective
b. Adjective + infinitive
c. Adjective comparison
c. Adjective formation

11 (73.3%)

12 (80%)
8 (53.3%)
0 (0%)

9. Passive voice
a. Active tenses and passive
equivalents
b. Special passive

15 (100%)

12 (80%)
5. Adverb Others:


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a. Position of adverb
b. Adverb comparison
9 (60%)
4 (26.7%)

Table 2.3. Teachers’ expectations of grammar and structures
Basing on the basic grammatical items that students have learned in their first year
and several certain grammatical and structural items frequently appear in ESP reading
texts, the designer selected 9 items to ask the ESP teachers and the results are shown in the
table above.
It can be seen from the table that 100% of ESP teachers agreed that compound
noun, relative clause and passive voice are mainly focused in any ESP reading texts. Then,
93.3% goes with the following items such as use of present simple tense, modal verb and
subordinating conjunction and 86.7% goes with the item indicating conditional clause and
coordinating conjunction for the next important position and such items as infinitive and

gerund, adjective with infinitive and special passive are less important. Especially, verb
formation, noun formation and adjective formation account no percentage as ESP reading
texts do not emphasize on such linguistic structures.
In short, the ESP teachers all think that revising the basic grammatical items that
students have learned in their GE course provides students with the firm consolidation.
Moreover, several particular grammatical items frequently appearing in ESP reading texts
should be specially focused in order to enable students to understand the meaning in the
texts. However, there is still a number of grammatical items given no choice by the ESP
teachers. It implies that in an ESP reading lesson, the focus should be the meaning and
skills but not grammar.
- In terms of tasks/ activities

Items Number and
percentages
1. Skimming/ scanning to answer comprehension questions
2. Guessing the meaning of new words from context
3. Reading and making notes of the main points
4. Matching descriptions with diagrams, pictures
13 (86.7%)
10 (66.7%)
9 (60%)
10 (66.7%)


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5. Labeling a diagram using information from the text
6. Writing down all information represented in a diagram

7. Gap- filling
8. Combining the two sentences using relative pronouns and linking
words
9. Finding synonyms and antonyms
10.
Translating into Vietnamese and vice versa.
11.
Writing summary
11 (73.3%)
6 (40%)
12 (80%)
13 (86.7%)

7 (46.7%)
10 (66.7%)
8 (53.3%)

Table 2.4. Teachers’ expectation of tasks
As can be seen from table 2.4, in order to improve students’ reading skill, most of
the teachers want all these reading tasks to be included in the syllabus. The first and eighth
tasks account the highest percentage of 86.7% as these two tasks are very familiar in EEE
materials and the ESP teachers find them useful for students to improve their reading skill
and grammar. Tasks dealing with non-text materials such as task 4 and 5 are also important
in ESP teachers’ opinion. Besides, tasks 2 and 9 are also taken into account to help
students widen their vocabulary.
b. Lacks

Students’ strategies in learning reading skill Number
& percentages
a. Pay much attention to the content instead of the reading strategies

b. Translate the text into Vietnamese and find the answers
c. Skimming and scanning the text for the gist and organization of
the text, then for specific information
d. Ask the teacher or friends to explain the new words
e. Guess the meaning of new words basing on the context and
surrounding words
f. Others
65 (65%)
75 (75%)
10 (10%)

45 (45%)
36 (36%)



Table 2.5. Students’ strategies in learning reading skill


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It can be seen from the table 2.5 that most of students lack learning strategies, more
than half of them do not know how to learn efficiently. For examples, 75% of them often
translate any texts into Vietnamese before doing the tasks. 65% of them just pay attention
to the content instead of reading strategies and 45% ask for their teacher and friends’
explanation of a new word. Very few of them know how to guess the meaning of new
words from the context (36%) or skim/ scan for the gist and specific information (10%).
Even though they have learned main reading techniques in their GE course but GE and

ESP are quite different from each other in terms of text types and tasks. This causes them a
lot of difficulties as well.
Moreover, because their GE course duration is very short, students have not been
equipped with a number of grammatical items such as passive voice or relative clauses,
etc to fulfill ESP course. Luckily, these grammatical items surveyed in the questionnaires
are suggested to be included by the ESP teachers.
In short, the syllabus designer should pay much attention to supplement what
students lack to the syllabus in order to help them fulfill their gaps after an ESP course.
c. Wants
- In terms of students’ goals of an EEE course

Questions Number and percentages
1. Do you think that learning EEE is:
a. Very necessary
b. Fairly necessary
c. Unnecessary
d. No idea

83 (83%)
15 (15%)
0 (0%)
2 (2%)
2. If you think EEE is necessary, please tick
the reasons
a. For your study
b. For your future job
c. For both
d. Others

15 (15%)
20 (20%)
65 (65%)
0 (0%)
Table 2.6. Students’ goals of EEE course


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The table 2.6. shows the students’ goals in learning EEE course. It can be seen
clearly the majority of the surveyed students want to learn EEE for both their current study
and future job. This means that in order to help students achieve their goals, the syllabus
should be first-job oriented: the language skills, functions, notions and the content should
be relevant to the students’ future job such as engineers or technicians of Electrical
Engineering working in Power System Plants. Moreover, the tasks, activities and content
included in the syllabus should be supportive to other courses; for examples, thanks to EEE
course, students will be more successful in several other subject courses or translating
course. Last but not least, the course should provide students more interesting and
meaningful information that students find necessary to add to their general knowledge.
In short, to motivate all the students, the syllabus of EEE should help them achieve
both of their goals: for their study and job.
- In terms of students’ objectives of an EEE course

Objectives Number and percentages
a. To enrich your vocabulary of Electrical
Engineering
48 (48%)
b. To master grammatical and structural items in

EEE materials
44 (44%)
c. To be able to successfully pass the final
examination on EEE
49 (49%)
d. To advance your ability of reading EEE
materials comprehensively
68 (68%)
e. To be able to translate materials related to EEE 51 (51%)
f. To be able to communicate with English –
speaking people in the field of EE
47 (47%)
g. Others 0 (0%)

Table 2.7. Students’ objectives of EEE course
The above table presents students’ objectives of learning EEE course. Being able to
read and translate materials related to EEE are the most common objectives, which is