Designing a task - based English syllabus for students of tourism at Nghe An College of Culture and Arts = Thiết kế chương trình dạy học tiếng Anh theo nhiệm vụ

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDies

Faculty of Post Graduate Studies





BÙI THỊ QUỲNH MAI



DESIGNING A TASK - BASED ENGLISH SYLLABUS
FOR STUDENTS OF TOURISM AT NGHE AN
COLLEGE OF CULTURE AND ARTS

THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH DẠY HỌC TIẾNG ANH THEO NHIỆM
VỤ CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH DU LỊCH TRƯỜNG CAO
ĐẲNG VĂN HÓA NGHỆ THUẬT NGHỆ AN

MINOR M.A.THESIS

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Hanoi, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS


PART I. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
1
2. Aim and significance of the study

2
3. Methodology
3
4. Structure of the study
3
5. Summary
3

PART II. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Definition of syllabus
4
1.2. Definition of syllabus design
4
1.3. Type of syllabi
5
1.4. Task based syllabus and ESP
8
1.4.1. Defining “task” and task based language teaching
8
1.4.2. Pedagogical Tasks
9
1.4.3. Task-based Language Teaching
10
1.4.4. Characteristics of Task-based Syllabus
11
1.4.5. How is ESP designed?
14
1.5. Summary
15

CHAPTER 2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS AND NEEDS ANALYSIS
2.1. Situational analysis
16
2.1.1. Educational setting
16
2.1.2. Learner factors
17
2.1.3. Teacher factors
18
2.1.4. Institutional factors
18
2.1.5. Assessment and evaluation requirements
19
2.1.6. The existing curriculum
20
2.2. Task based need analysis
21
2.2.1. Needs analysis of Hotel staff and tourguides in Nghe An
22
English for Hotel Staff
22
English for tourguides
24
Tourguides’ opinions about language skills.
27
2.3. Summary


CHAPTER 3. THE PROPOSED SYLLABUS CONTENT

3.1. Objectives of syllabus
28
3.2. Type of syllabus
28
3.3. Time Requirement
29
3.4. Tasks in the syllabus
29
3.4.1. Main target situation tasks of hotel staff
29
3.4.2. Main target situation tasks of tourguides
29
3.5. The proposed syllabus
29
3.5.1. A suggested English language syllabus for Hotel Staff
30
3.5.2. A suggested English language syllabus for tourguides
34
3.6. Underlying Methodology of Teaching and Assessment
38
3.6.1. Teaching methodology
38
3.6.2. Assessment methodology
38
3.7. Summary
39

PART III. CONCLUSION 40
1. Conclusions
40

2. Recommendations of the Study
41
3. Limitations and suggestions for further Study
41







1
PART I. INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale

The syllabus is often the initial communication tool that students receive as well as being the
most formal mechanism for sharing information with students regarding any course. ―The
syllabus as contract can serve as the document by which the classroom practices, expectations,
and norms are discussed and codified. Any later ambiguities of meanings can be resolved by
examining the contract that exists between the parties‖ (Danielson, 1995, p. 8) . One of the most
popular types of syllabus is task-based syllabus which seemed to satisfy at least four of the
rationales. First, it promotes the eventual uses of the target language by emphasizing the real-
world resemblance of the tasks with the purpose of preparing the students for the real-world
tasks. Second, tasks derived from the analysis of learners‘ needs increase learners‘ interest and
motivation (Robinson, 2001, p. 267). Third, while performing tasks, learners can learn the target
language through contextualized and meaningful use of the language rather than learning
sentence-level usage of the language. Forth, tasks presented with gradually increasing
complexity provide rich, elaborated, and comprehensible input for the language acquisition to
occur (Doughty & Long, 2003, p. 50 ).

However, in my view, the current English textbooks of tourism in Nghe An College of
Culture and Arts has certain disadvantages. They may not reflect students‘ needs and interests
because they are written for global markets. Another drawback is that information is normally
out-of-date. By the time students work with the material, the information it provides might have
changed. Moreover, for ESP materials as English for tourism, some of the contents and language
may vary according to specific situations in which learners are currently or will be working. For
instance, tour guides in Sapa will need some cultural knowledge and vocabulary different from
those working in Nghe An. It is, therefore, necessary to develop one‘s own materials to bridge
the gaps.
In addition to the material issue, I realize that most of our students of tourism face difficulty
in learning speaking and listening skills although their grammar is quite good. One of the factors
that result in the inefficiency in teaching and learning English at our institution is the method of
teaching. Many instructors still utilize grammar-translation method as it is easy for them, but not

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necessarily effective for the students. As a strong advocate of the Communicative Approach, I
think that there should be a new blow of fresh air to our language teaching situation. Among
several versions of the Communicative Approach, I see that Task-based language teaching
(TBLT) is gaining popularity and is very relevant to our educational purposes. According to
Skehan (1996: p.50), a task is ―an activity in which: meaning is primary; there is some sort of
relationship to the real world, task completion has some priority; and the assessment of task
performance is in terms of task outcome‖
TBLT provides a structured framework for both instruction and assessment. Using tasks as
the basic building blocks of syllabus design allows teachers to both sequence lessons and assess
their outcomes, while at the same time creating reasonably authentic parameters within which
students can communicate with each other for a purpose. Most importantly, it allows them to
focus on what it is that they are saying to each other, rather than on how they are saying it. It is
noted that the ultimate goal of an ESP course is to meet the needs of particular learners; thus, one
of the main tasks done by ESP teachers is concerned with designing appropriate syllabus for
different group of learners. Syllabus design is considered to be of great importance in deciding

the success of learners.
For the above-mentioned reasons, I have decided to design a task-based English syllabus for
students of Tourism at Nghe An College of Culture and Arts. Hopefully, the study, to which I
will devote all my efforts, may contribute a considerable success for the improvement of English
teaching at our institution.

2. Aim and significance of the study
The main purpose of the study is to design a task-based English syllabus for students of tourism
at Nghe An College of Culture and Arts. Specifically, the present study is aimed:
- To explore the current trends in task-based syllabus design.
- To conduct an analysis of the needs of Nghe An Tourism Sector and a survey on Hotel Staff
and Tourguides
- To propose syllabus contents, which are to be well-matched to the objectives of the course
and the learners‘ needs at Nghe An college of Culture and Arts in particular and the needs of
Nghe An Tourism Sector in general.


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3. Methodology
This study employed a quantitative methodology to achieve the above – mentioned aim. A
survey questionnaire was used to find out the target needs from the perspective of the tourism
sector. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics.

4. Structure of the study
The study begins with an introduction including the rationale, aims and significance of the
study as well as the method and design of the study. The subsequent chapters present the main
body of the research. Chapter I reviews the literature on syllabus design. Chapter II consists of
three sections. i.e., situational analysis, needs analysis, and a proposed needs-based syllabus. The
Conclusion summarizes the main ideas of the study, and suggestions for the syllabus trialing and

implementation.

5. Summary
In this part, the rationale of designing a task-based syllabus for students of Tourism at Nghe
an College of Culture and Arts is presented. Also, the aim, the methodology and the structure of
the thesis are presented. The following part, Part II, consists of three chapters: The Literature
Review, Situational Analysis and Needs Analysis, and the Proposed Syllabus. Next chapter is the
Literature Review.









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PART II. DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the literature on syllabus design. First, a definition of syllabus is
provided, which is followed by a definition of syllabus design. Next, types of syllabus as well as
descriptions of these syllabi are reviewed. The central part of the chapter is the review of task-
based syllabus design, which is the cornerstone of the study.

1.1. Definition of Syllabus
A syllabus is an expression of opinion on the nature of language and learning; it acts as a
guide for both teachers and learners by providing some goals to be attained. Hutchinson and

Waters (1987, p.80) hold that at its simplest level a syllabus can be described as a statement of
what is to be learnt. It reflects language and linguistic performance.
This is a rather traditional interpretation of syllabus focusing as it does on outcomes rather
than process. However, a syllabus can also be seen as a "summary of the content to which
learners will be exposed" (Yalden,1987, p.87). It is seen as an approximation of what will be
taught and that it cannot accurately predict what will be learnt.

1.2. Definition of Syllabus Design
The terms "syllabus", "syllabus design" and "curriculum" have given rise to confusion in
terms of their definitions and use. According to Stern (1983, p.45) the field of curriculum studies
is part of the discipline of educational studies. In its broadest sense, it refers to the study of goals,
content, implementation and evaluation of an educational system. In its restricted sense,
curriculum refers to a course of study or the content of a particular course or programme. It is in
this narrower sense of curriculum that the term "syllabus" is employed. According to Stern,
"syllabus design" is just one phase in a system of interrelated curriculum development activities.
After having understood what the terms "curriculum" and language "syllabus" refer to, the next
step would be to come to terms with what language "syllabus design" encompasses.

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According to Webb (1976, p.20), syllabus design is understood as the organization of the
selected contents into an ordered and practical sequence for teaching purposes. His criteria for
syllabus design are as follows:
 Progress from known to unknown matter
 Appropriate size of teaching units
 A proper variety of activity
 Teachability
 Creating a sense of purpose for the student.
Garcia (1976, p.116) expands on this and provides more comprehensive criteria which should
be taken into consideration when designing a language syllabus. He says that "particulars
concerning the social forces, the prejudices, the habits and the motives of the student population,

the relation of student characteristics to what are considered universal concepts in language
learning processes, contemporary insights into the nature of the language, and how it should be
taught to non-native speakers and for what realistic purposes, must guide curricular decisions."
According to Munby (1984, p. 92), syllabus design is seen as "a matter of specifying the
content that needs to be taught and then organizing it into a teaching syllabus of appropriate
learning units." Maley (1984, p.77) sums it up when he says that syllabus design encompasses
the whole process of designing a language programme. Maley, holds that "the needs analysis
which produces an order unit of items to be taught is organically related to a methodology
consistent with the syllabus, a set of techniques consistent with the methodology, and evaluation
procedure consistent with the whole."
The above discussion on syllabus design implies that syllabus design involves a logical
sequence of three main stages, that is, i) needs analysis, ii) content specification, and iii) syllabus
organization.

1.3. Types of Syllabi
In keeping with the British tradition, White considers a curriculum to be the "totality of
content taught and aims to be realized within one school or educational system" and further
considers syllabi as the "content or subject matter of an individual subject"; however he suggests
for many reasons that a curriculum should not be seen as an extended syllabus (1988, p4).

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Syllabuses vary in many aspects. Some are very short and barely readable, while others are
lengthy and neatly bound (Taylor 1970, p.32 cited in White 1988, p.3).
According to White (1988, p.59), syllabi are divided into two types from the most generic
perspective.
Type A: What is to be learnt?
Type B: How is it to be learnt?
Interventionist
Non-interventionist
External to the learner

Internal to the learner
Other directed
Inner directed or self fulfilling
Determined by authority
Negotiated between learners and teachers
Teacher as decision-maker
Learner and teacher as joint decision
makers
Content = what the subject is to the expert
Content = what the subject is to the learner
Content = a gift to the learner from the
teacher or knower
Content = what the learner brings and
wants
Objectives defined in advance
Objectives described afterwards
Assessment by achievement or by mastery
Assessment in relationship to learners'
criteria of success
Doing things to the learner
Doing things for or with the learner.

Source: White(1998,p.59)

These two types of syllabi can be subdivided into six different sub-types of syllabus:
structural syllabus, notional/functional syllabus, situational syllabus, skill-based syllabus,
content-based-syllabus, and task-based syllabus.
In the structural (formal) syllabus, the content of language teaching is a collection of the
forms and structures, usually grammatical, of the language being taught. Examples include
nouns, verbs, adjectives, statements, questions, subordinate clauses, and so on.

Unlike the structural syllabus, the content of the language teaching in the
notional/functional syllabus is a collection of the functions that are performed when language is
used, or of the notions that language is used to express. Examples of functions include:
informing, agreeing, apologizing, requesting; examples of notions include size, age, color,
comparison, time, and so on.

7
In the situational syllabus, the content of language teaching is a collection of real or
imaginary situations in which language occurs or is used. A situation usually involves several
participants who are engaged in some activity in a specific setting. The language occurring in the
situation involves a number of functions, combined into a plausible segment of discourse. The
primary purpose of a situational language teaching syllabus is to teach the language that occurs
in the situations. Examples of situations include: seeing the dentist, complaining to the landlord,
buying a book at the book store, meeting a new student, and so on.
For skill-based syllabus, the content of the language teaching is a collection of specific
abilities that may play a part in using language. Skills are things that people must be able to do to
be competent in a language, relatively independently of the situation or setting in which the
language use can occur. While situational syllabi group functions together into specific settings
of language use, skill-based syllabi group linguistic competencies (pronunciation, vocabulary,
grammar, and discourse) together into generalized types of behavior, such as listening to spoken
language for the main idea, writing well-formed paragraphs, giving effective oral presentations,
and so on. The primary purpose of skill-based instruction is to learn the specific language skill. A
possible secondary purpose is to develop more general competence in the language, learning
only incidentally any information that may be available while applying the language skills.
In content-based-syllabus, the primary purpose of instruction is to teach some content or
information using the language that the students are also learning. The students are
simultaneously language students and students of whatever content is being taught. The subject
matter is primary, and language learning occurs incidentally to the content learning. The content
teaching is not organized around the language teaching, but vice-versa. Content-based language
teaching is concerned with information, while task-based language teaching is concerned with

communicative and cognitive processes. An example of content-based language teaching is a
science class taught in the language the students need or want to learn, possibly with linguistic
adjustment to make the science more comprehensible. In general, the six types of syllabi or
instructional content are presented beginning with the one based most on structure, and ending
with the one based most on language use. Language is a relationship between form and meaning,
and most instruction emphasizes one or the other side of this relationship.

8
The task-based syllabus is considered to be very popular today. Its content of the teaching
is a series of complex and purposeful tasks that the students want or need to perform with the
language they are learning. The tasks are defined as activities with a purpose other than language
learning, but, as in a content-based syllabus, the performance of the tasks is approached in a way
that is intended to develop second language ability. Language learning is subordinate to task
performance, and language teaching occurs only as the need arises during the performance of a
given task. Tasks integrate language (and other) skills in specific settings of language use. Task-
based teaching differs from situation-based teaching in that while situational teaching has the
goal of teaching the specific language content that occurs in the situation (a predefined product),
task-based teaching has the goal of teaching students to draw on resources to complete some
piece of work (a process). The students draw on a variety of language forms, functions, and
skills, often in an individual and unpredictable way, in completing the tasks. Tasks that can be
used for language learning are, generally, tasks that the learners actually have to perform in any
case. Examples include: applying for a job, talking with a social worker, getting housing
information over the telephone, and so on.
All these six types of syllabus reflect different views on language, language learning and
language teaching. Since the students of Tourism at Nghe An College of Culture and Arts are
supposed to work in the Tourism Sector after graduation, they are actually learning English for
occupational purposes. In their future careers, they are expected to undertake various tasks using
English. Therefore, I believe a task based syllabus is more appropriate to these students than
other types of syllabus. As a result, only the task based syllabus is discussed in detail in
subsequent sections.

1.4. Task based Syllabus and ESP
1.4.1. Defining ‘Task” and Task-based Language Teaching.
It should be noted that, most good studies start by defining their terms, and a study of
"Task-based syllabus" seems to require a definition of "task" as a priority. Therefore, in this part,
a basic distinction between real world or target tasks, and pedagogical tasks, and different
perspectives of TBLT is identified and discussed. However, the notion of task is a somewhat
fuzzy one, various definitions have been presented to describe it.

9
Richards (2006, p.31) clarifies that task is something that learners do or carry out using
their existing language resources, which involves a focus on meaning, and in the case of tasks
involving more that one learner, the task calls upon the learners‘ use of communication strategies
and interactional skills. He states that tasks involve communicative language use in which the
user's attention is focused on meaning rather than grammatical form.
Task also refers to a job responsibility or duty that is a specific part of a particular job
that a person is asked to do. For example, the job of an administrative assistant requires the task
of scheduling appointments for the supervisor. Job can be ―task-analyzed‖ for personnel and
training purposes (Smith, 1971, p.581). This general review of task again implies that the task is
externally imposed on the person from outside.
These two definitions of task defined are what that is called real world of target tasks,
which has features of non-linguistics and even non-technical outcome but the real mental-
oriented outcome that people intend to do everyday. The conclusion of the distinction between
target tasks and pedagogical tasks may refer to Nunan (1989, p.20). He supposes that target
tasks, as the name implies, refer to uses if language in the world beyond the classroom;
pedagogical tasks are those that occur in the classroom.

1.4.2. Pedagogical Tasks
When they are transformed from the real world to the classroom, tasks become
pedagogical in nature. A pedagogical task can be defined as an activity or action which is carried
out as the result of processing or understanding language (i.e. as a response). For example,

drawing a map while listening to a tape, listening to an instruction and performing a command
may be referred to as tasks. Tasks may or may not involve the production of language. A task
usually requires the teacher to specify what will be regarded as successful completion of the task.
The use of a variety of different kinds of tasks in language teaching is said to make language
teaching more communicative … since it provides a purpose for a classroom activity which goes
beyond the practice of language for its own sake. (Richards, Platt and Weber, 1986, p. 289).
In this definition, we can see that the authors take a pedagogical perspective. Tasks are
defined in terms of what the learners will do in class rather than in the world outside the
classroom. They also emphasize the importance of having a non-language outcome.

10
A pedagogical task can also be seen as any structured language learning endeavour
which has a particular objective, appropriate content, a specified working procedure, and a range
of outcomes for those who undertake the task. 'Task' is therefore assumed to refer to a range of
work plans which have the overall purposes of facilitating language learning - from the simple
and brief exercise type, to more complex and lengthy activities such as group problem-solving or
simulations and decision-making. (Breen, 1987, p. 23)
This definition is very broad, implying as it does, that just about anything the learner
does in the classroom qualifies as a task. It could, in fact, be used to justify any procedure at all
as 'task-based', and, as such, is not particularly helpful. More circumscribed is the following from
Willis (1996, p.173 cited in Willis and Willis, 2001). A classroom undertaking "…where the
target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an
outcome". Here the notion of meaning is subsumed in 'outcome'. Language in a communicative
task is seen as bringing about an outcome through the exchange of meanings.

1.4.3. Task-based Language Teaching
More detailed definition of task-based language approach of Nunan published in 2001 is
the following (cited in Le Van Canh, 2004): a task based language teaching approach is
characterized by:
a) An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.

b) The instruction of authentic texts into learning situation
c) the provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only in language, but also on
the learning process itself.
d) An enhancement of the learner‘s own personal experiences as important contributing
elements to classroom learning
e) An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the
classroom (p.103).
My own definition is that a task is a piece of classroom work that involves learners in
comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their
attention is focused on mobilizing their grammatical knowledge in order to express meaning, and
in which the intention is to convey meaning rather than to manipulate form. The task should also

11
have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right
with a beginning, a middle and an end.
While these definitions vary somewhat, they all emphasize the fact that tasks involve
communicative language use in which the user's attention is focused on meaning rather than
grammatical form. This does not mean that form is not important. My own definition refers to the
deployment of grammatical knowledge to express meaning, highlighting the fact that meaning
and form are highly interrelated, and that grammar exists to enable the language user to express
different communicative meanings. However, as Willis and Willis (2001, p.101) point out, tasks
differ from grammatical exercises in that learners are free to use a range of language structures to
achieve task outcomes - the forms are not specified in advance.

1.4.4. Characteristics of Task-based Syllabus
A task-based syllabus is based on task-based learning, an approach where learners carry
out tasks such as solving a problem or planning an activity. The language learnt comes out of the
linguistic demands of the activity. A task-based syllabus is structured around a series of these
tasks. In the classroom, various elements of the task-based approach are applicable to activities
in other methodologies. For example, learners can see a model of the activity they are to do first,

prepare a report of how they completed a task, or a project, and the teacher can record this report
and analyse it for further work. The tasks based syllabus characteristics are:
1. Task based instruction is powerful and widely applicable
2. Suitable for learners at all ages and backgrounds
3. Addresses the crucial problems directly by using active and real tasks as learning
activities
4. Ability to perform the tasks is equivalent with the ability to use the language, so
functional ability should be the natural outcome
5. It can be very affective when learners are engaged in similar out of class activities
(social or academic)
6. Useful for learners who are not accustomed to traditional classroom.
However, like any other type of syllabus, the task-based syllabus has its own advantages
and disadvantages. Four major advantages of a task based syllabus include: Adequate

12
consideration of needs analysis, Authenticity of materials, Humanistic orientation, and Variety of
tasks.
The adequate consideration of needs analysis means that tasks are selected based on the
needs analysis of learners. As a result, they can satisfy their demands. Moreover, a task is a
communicative activity that does not usually have a restrictive focus on a single grammatical
structure. It also had a non-linguistic outcome (Nunan, 2000). Consequently these authentic tasks
can promote students‘ motivation and interest, which are of great importance to the second
language acquisition.
The Authenticity of materials manifests itself in the fact that tasks involve authentic
materials targeted real-life contexts. The authentic input, therefore, will facilitate students‘
foreign language acquisition. In addition, authentic material and situations shall promote
learners‘ ability of coping with real problems.
Regarding Humanistic orientation, students, in the process of completing the task, are
encouraged to negotiate their meaning, to cooperate with other members in the group.
Consequently, their communicative competence is developed. More importantly, they learn to be

a social man in the process of completing the task, which manifests the humanistic view of
language education.
Variety of tasks lies in the application of a repertoire of tasks, which is considered as a
practical means of broadening learners‘ potential to varied dynamic communicative situations or
dynamic social and occupational roles.
As for the limitations of the task based syllabus, the biggest problem is the ambiguity of
definition of task. In spite of the many definitions provided by scholars such as Long (1985),
Skehan (1998), Nunan (2000) etc, however, so far no agreement has been achieved on the nature
of ―task‖. Moreover, "no complete program has been implemented and evaluated which has
fully adopted even the basic characteristics of TBLT much less the detailed principles for
making materials design and methodological decisions (Long & Crookes, 1993).‖ So we have
good reason to challenge the product based on unclear definition and inadequacy of empirical
proof.
The next limitation is that the task based syllabus tends to ignore other functions of
language. From a multi—functional view of language, some people hold that task-based syllabus
may restrict the way in which language is used, causing learners to miss out on experiences that

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maybe of crucial importance for successful language learning. According to Yule (1997), most
of the tasks mentioned by the advocators are referential in nature. And there might be some tasks
involve the connative function such as the use of language to influence the actions of another
person; or the metalingual as the use of language to communicate about the code itself, we still
find that the poetic function remains unnoticed, which in accordance with Cook (1997, p.227) is
not conducive to the language acquisition.
Personally, I think, this argument against task-based language teaching including task-based
syllabus seems to be far-fetching and lack adequate evidence. Actually, language function is
realized through language itself. We think as long as use of language is involved, all types of
functions of language are realized at the same time. It is not necessarily for task-based syllabus
(in fact for any syllabus) to cover everything.
The third limitation is the difficulty of grading the difficulty level of task. In fact, it is hard

to grade the difficulty level of task. Although many criteria of grading the task have been put
forward as Nunan (2000), it still remains a difficult job as suggested by Widdowson (1968,
pp.134-44) ―identification of valid, user-friendly sequencing criteria is one of the oldest unsolved
problems in language teaching of all kinds‖ Naturally we found many scholars like Cheng (2002)
hold the similar idea. He further points out that ―the difficulty level of a certain task is not solely
depend on the linguistic items, but it also has something to do with other factors such as the
knowledge, the cognitive ability of the task performer and the objective of the task (p.30)‖. To
make things even worse, Schinnerer-Erben claimed that ―natural sequences do not really exist in
sufficient detail to be used as the basis for a precise order, nor have they been shown to facilitate
learning in a second language situation‖ (1981, p.11).
Scant attention to form is another concern about the task based syllabus. Still some scholars
show their concern about potential tendency generated by task-based syllabus, that is, student
will pay less attention to the form of language. As suggested by Skehan (1996) excessive focus
on meaning during task completion will confine learners to the strategic solutions they develop
and pay little attention to structural change or accuracy. This has been echoed by Kellerman
(1991) who argues that the widespread use of communication strategies will help the learner
succeed with meaning while having the consequence of sometimes bypassing form. ―As a result,
it may not be possible to rely on a task-based approach to automatically drive interlanguage
forward, and it will be necessary "to devise methods of focusing on form without losing the

14
values of tasks as realistic communication motivators, and as opportunities to trigger
acquisitional processes" (Skehan 1996, p.42).
Finally, problems in practice have been highlighted by critiques of task based syllabus.
Task-based syllabus makes the teaching job demanding. As we can see, task-based syllabus
poses a great challenge to the proficiency level of the teachers, which might be a problem in the
EFL situation. Also the authentic data, the design of authentic tasks might become the obstacles
to the implementation of the syllabus.
As mentioned earlier, students of Tourism at Nghe An College of Culture and Arts study
English for occupational purposes. Therefore, the English they need belongs to the English for

Specific Purposes (ESP) category. This type of English will be discussed below

1.4.5. How is ESP designed?
ESP has been defined differently by different authors. Some regard it as ―an approach to
language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner‘s
reason for learning‖ (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p. 19). Likewise, Strevens (1988, p. 1) stated
that ―ESP is a particular case of the general category of special-purpose language teaching‖.
Most people (Streven, 1980; Robinson, 1980; Widdowson, 1983; Dudley-Evans and St John,
1997; etc.) have agreed that an ESP course would have the following features:
- It is purposeful and aimed at the successful performance of occupational or educational
roles by an individual or a group
- It is based on an analysis of the students‘ needs and is tailor-made to meet these needs.
- It may differ from another general language course in its selection of skills, themes, topics,
situations, functions, language and methodology.
Strevens (1988, p.84) produces a definition which covers more detailed characteristics of an
ESP course. ―English for specific purposes is a particular case of the general category of special-
purpose language teaching. The same principles apply no matter which language is being learnt
and taught‖. From the definition, Strevens goes on to maintain that a definition of ESP needs to
distinguish between absolute characteristics and variable characteristics. The absolute
characteristics of ESP are as follows:
+ ESP consists of English language teaching which is:
- Designed to meet specified needs of the learners;

15
- Related to content, to particular disciplines, occupations and activities;
- Centred on the language appropriate to those activities, in syntax, lexis, discourse,
semantics, etc;
- In contrast with ―General English‖
+ ESP may be, but is not necessary:
- Restricted as to the language skills to be learned;

- Taught according to any pre-ordained methodology
With specific purposes in mind, the learners know clearly what they need to learn, and
they will learn with high motivation what they find useful for their work later or at present. For
this reason, an ESP teacher should be aware of the learners‘ needs so as not to introduce
irrelevant materials to the course.
From the definitions and characteristics of task based syllabus and ESP, we can see that,
task based syllabus can help ESP learners to achieve their goals. Although task based syllabus
has some shortcomings, tasks satisfy the practical needs of learners. In case of students of
Tourism, tasks are very necessary for them. With tasks given, learners are not restricted in their
use of language forms and tasks bear a relationship to real-world activities. Authentic tasks are
intrinsically motivating. That is, students attempt them because they see that the task is, in itself,
interesting and applicable to their work.

1.5 . Summary
This chapter reviews the literature on syllabus design. Six different types of syllabus are
reviewed with a focus on the merits and demerits of the task based syllabus. Also, issues related
to ESP are discussed. The next chapter discusses two important considerations in syllabus
design, i.e., situational analysis and needs analysis.






16
CHAPTER 2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
AND NEEDS ANALYSIS

This chapter discusses Situational Considerations and Needs Analysis in syllabus design.
Since education is influenced by a variety of different factors, syllabus designers have to take

into account factors such as learners, teachers, institutional conditions, etc. All these factors will
be discussed in this chapter, which is followed by a discussion of needs analysis in the context of
syllabus design.

2.1. Situational Analysis
Five Situational Factors that need considering in syllabus design are the Educational
Setting, Learner Factors, Teacher Factors, Institutional Factors, Assessment and Evaluation
Requirements, and the currently used curriculum in which the syllabus fits.

2.1.1. Educational Setting
Nghe An College of Culture and Arts is a public institution which enrolls students of
Music, Art and Tourism disciplines. Its three-year training program prepares students for
working from different walks of life such as teachers of arts for elementary and junior high
schools, artists, tourist staff,. etc. Students of tourism learn English for their future jobs with
instructional schedules as follows.
The first and second year students must complete three terms of basic English program
which focuses on four skills including reading, speaking, listening and writing. Lifeline
Elementary book is the main syllabus of these terms. The whole curriculum includes 120 periods
of 45 minutes including written exam for the first term and oral exam for other terms.
The rest two terms focus on ESP, i.e., English of Tourism which takes 120 periods of 45
minutes including an oral exam. Therefore, students will study totally 240 periods distributed in
three years.
As far as physical conditions and resources are concerned, each classroom is equipped
with one blackboard, chairs and desks. The average class size is 40 students, most of whom are

17
from the countryside. In addition, there are several large classrooms equipped with electronic
devices for power point presentation and a library with limited resources for learning English.

2.1.2. Learner Factors

To be admitted to the college, students of tourism have to pass an entrance exam with
three subjects including Literature, History and Geography. It is impossible to measure their
English levels because they do not have to take an exam of English before enrolling in the
program. Most of the students are from Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Some of them are from rural and
mountainous areas in which there are even no English teaching programs at secondary school.
Thus, the students‘ levels vary considerably.
Often, some students have negative attitudes toward communicative practices because
they have no means and no environment to practice. Another factor that must be considered is
the conventional teacher-centered instruction in college English education, where the teacher is
the center of the classroom, giving instructions with little feedback from students. All of the
topics, materials, contents and activities are decided by the teacher without any reference to
students‘ needs or the target needs. The students have a few chances to choose what they like,
which undermines their intrinsic motivation. Another social point that needs to be taken into
consideration is that Confucianism has a long history in Vietnam, which stresses modesty. This
attitude imposes a far-reaching impact on Vietnamese. College students, as social members,
often keep reserved and demonstrate less commitment to speak English in public, which
demotivate themselves in learning oral English.
Students should be involved in different task-based activities in their classroom whether
it is a guessing task, a describing exercise or conversation making. For example, they can play
roles as tour guide, receptionist or tourists. Such activities also include games which especially
focus on helping learners develop and use English in different contexts by making the lessons
enjoyable.
It is very necessary to develop critical thinking of students in colleges. It develops and
demonstrates critical thinking skills as students take positions in response to a question, consider
other viewpoints, identify reasons in support of their positions, evaluate supporting reasons for
truth and acceptability, and draw final conclusions based on discussion and it also takes
responsibility for their own learning and for evaluating their own thoughts.

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2.1.3. Teacher Factors
Teachers and students are two parts in language teaching. While students are the main
body, teachers play a predominant role, because of students‘ ages, characters, psychology and
lack of English knowledge. Teachers‘ work is to motivate students‘ interest in English, cultivate
students‘ sense of success, guide students to form good learning habits, enable them to
communicate smoothly. Teachers‘ guidance is the basis and premise for students to premise the
goal. These standards of teachers seem to be far from accomplishment because of some reasons:
First, some students only learn English for their exams, others even have no motivation to learn
English. Second, to gain success in teaching English, teachers need modern teaching equipment
which is not available in the school. Instead, all their visual aids are conventional. It takes much
time not only for preparation but also in teaching process. Third, teachers do not get well-paid to
support their life and other material benefits are too low for individual and household survival
needs to be met. Some teachers have to do part time job, so they spend less time focusing on
teaching career. Fourth, with a big number of students, four teachers of English are not enough.
So, it is necessary to look for other new teachers. Consequently, the effectiveness of language
teaching and learning is vague by lack of financial encouragements from the government.

2.1.4. Institutional Factors
The English Division is part of the Department of General Education which consists of
three main groups:
Group 1: the sciences of Maxist-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology
Group 2: the sciences of society and humanity
Group 3: Practical subjects: foreign language (English), informatics and physical
education.
Seventy four % of the lecturers in our faculty hold a Master‘s degree and the rest are B.A.
graduates. Besides the lecturers of the faculty, we also invite some lecturers from universities
and colleges nearby to teach. Members of the faculty have successfully finished General
education programs and scientific research. However, in my faculty, there are only four teachers
of English, three of whom hold a B.A. degree. None of these teachers were trained to teach ESP,

19
and neither were they trained in tourism-related content. Therefore, the teachers of English have
to collect teaching materials and compile a book of tourism by themselves.
In terms of the College‘s physical conditions, one of the problems facing students is the
large class size and the arrangement of furniture, which makes movement during speaking
activities almost impossible. Many of students are unconfident in communicating English with
others. One of the main causes of this situation is that they do not have the communicative
environment. They often use Vietnamese when discussing, talking to their peers in the class.
Moreover, extracurricular activities such as games, contests, cultural exchanges related to
English learning are hardly organized. Also, my students have no chance to get access to
modern mediums of communication. There are no language labs, projectors, internet, and
movies. Some of the students ever said to me that ―we do like English, we want to practice as
much as possible, especially we would like to talk with foreigners to improve our English and
know their cultural aspects as well…‖ In fact, their expectations are yet to be responded because
there are a few foreigners in the areas for them to talk to. Besides, classroom environment with
unavailable modern mediums prevent them from becoming good English speakers.
To address these problems it is necessary to improve the school facilities and to create the
target language environment for the students. However, these are not realistic at least in the time
to come. Hence, I believe that one possible solution is to design a task based syllabus instead of
the current structural syllabus .A task based syllabus, with its focus on specific tasks with
simulate real life tasks, will give students opportunities to do something with the language inside
the classroom. This is expected to compensate for the shortage of facilities and the target
language environment.

2.1.5. Assessment and Evaluation Requirements
Testing and assessment are very important in learning activities because through
assessment, two functions are achieved. One is to get back and encourage and improve the
teaching, another is to choose excellent students and find some problems in teaching and
learning. Through assessment, we should know what knowledge the students have mastered and
what knowledge they haven‘t mastered. The assessment can really help students to learn better.

So, what way of assessment we adapt can lead to positive or negative results. In my college, the
way of testing and assessment does not motivate students to learn English for communicative

20
purposes. The topics are not diversified, the oral tests do not force students to monitor their
arguments. This leads students to the thinking of the unimportance of speaking and listening.
Many employers prefer to hire those who have mastered English communication skills,
such as conversation, presentation, negotiation, and correspondence abilities. For majority of
students in the college, the absence of communicative assessments makes it hard to motivate the
students to develop their communicative competence.
As far as the importance of testing and assessment is concerned, testing four skills such
as reading, writing, listening and speaking should receive good attention. To successfully adapt
this issue, we should equip adequately necessary facilities for tests such as, cassette players or
video players; well arrange time and improve the organization of classroom for communicative
tests. The most important thing is that we need to focus on teaching listening, writing, speaking
and reading to students in combination of examinations and assessments on these four skills.
Especially, for students of Tourism, they should take oral tests and present topics related to
Tourism.
To be more specific, students should be assessed in terms of their ability to perform tasks
by using English their grammar and vocabulary.

2.1.6. The Existing Curriculum
The existing curriculum is compiled by teachers of English of the faculty. It is a structural
syllabus, which emphasizes the acquisition of discrete grammatical structures and the ability to
use those structures in some imagined target situations of use. The contents of the book are
collected from different sources. The whole curriculum includes 120 periods including English
in Hotel . This provides students system of vocabulary used in hotel and many situations are
dealt everyday in the hotel.
English for Tour guiding program focuses on many famous destinations in Nghe An in
particular and in Vietnam in general. The tour guiding program aims at providing students

knowledge of beautiful sightseeing in Vietnam in English, help them to practice the skills needed
for a tourguide so that they can be confident to serve their future job.
However, after several years of being implemented, the syllabus has revealed many
limitations. The common concern among teachers in the department is that the syllabus fails to
prepare the students adequately for their future jobs which require them the ability to use English

21
in carrying out a variety of tasks. This motivates me to attempt to design a new syllabus which is
more task-oriented.

2.2. Task-based Needs Analysis
According to the task-based syllabus proposed by Long and Crookes (1992, p. 26), TBLT
adopts tasks as the analytic unit of the syllabus and organizes a course around different types of
tasks. Principles underlying TBLT also emphasize the importance of developing pedagogic tasks
based on real-world tasks that learners need to perform using the target language after or during
the course. As a result, to develop a TBLT program, it is necessary to conduct a task-based needs
analysis to identify real-world target tasks and to develop pedagogic tasks based on these. Task-
based needs analysis is assumed to enhance the real-world relevance of the course and increase
student interest and motivation. Robinson (2001) has noted:
Adopting tasks as the unit of analysis helps to ensure a high degree of real-world
relevance, since they are based on a needs analysis of target performance objectives,
thereby most likely increasing student interest and motivation in classroom pedagogic
activities, and the possibility of direct transfer of the abilities developed in classrooms to
similar situational contexts (p. 292).
Task-based needs analysis (Long, 2005, p.45) is distinguished from a traditional needs
analysis framework such as target situation analysis (Munby, 1978), present situation analysis
(Richterich & Chancerel, 1980), and learning centered approach (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987) in
that the former adopts tasks as the unit of analysis and syllabus design while the latter have used
linguistic categories (lexical, structural, notional, and/or functional) as the units of analysis. Long
(2005) also claims that task-based needs analysis has advantages over other traditional needs

analysis approaches since: (a) task-based needs analysis provides more valid data on the target
tasks by utilizing the knowledge of domain experts rather than outsiders‘ such as language
teachers and applied linguists; (b) task-based needs analysis identifies the real-world uses of the
target language, the dynamic qualities of the target discourse while traditional linguistically
based needs analyses provide a list of decontextualized structural items; and (c) the results of
task-based needs analysis can be readily used as input for the task-based or content-based course
design.

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Following is a needs analysis of target situation tasks based on the responses to the
questionnaire by the in-service hotel staff and tourguides.

2.2.1. Needs Analysis of Hotel Staff and Tourguides in Nghe An

English for Hotel Staff
As part of curriculum development, a survey by questionnaires was conducted to find out
what is needed in the teaching process of Nghe An College of Culture and Arts and necessary
skills and knowledge that hotel staff and tourguides must be prepared for. The questionnaire
consists of open questions of three categories: Topics, Tasks and Skills. Those questions were
applied to 40 people who are now working in hotels and 30 tourguides in Nghe An province.
The 40 people who are working in the hotels were asked about their common work in the
hotel and the situations that they have to deal with everyday. The result of survey is presented in
table 2.1


Tasks
Self-reported frequency of target situation tasks
(No. of responses)
Very
often

Often
Sometimes
Occasionally
Never
1
Checking in
33
4
3
0
0
2
Checking out
32
5
2
1
0
3
Room reservations by
Fax and/or emails
0
20
10
3
7
4
Room reservations
By telephone
5

18
9
5
3
5
Room reservations face-
to-face
2
5
15
6
12
6
Dealing with customers’
complaints face-to-face
16
14
5
3
2
7
Dealing with customers’
complaints by phone
10
5
5
4
16