Designing a thermal engineering English reading syllabus for workers in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant = Thiết kế chương trình đọc hiểu tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nhiệ

University of languages and national studies
Post graduate STUDIES




TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG





Designing a Thermal Engineering
English Reading Syllabus for workers
in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant


(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG
ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG
NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ)

M.A. MINOR THESIS



Field: Methodology

Code: 60 14 10

hµ néi , N¨m 2010





University of languages and national studies
Post graduate studies




TRẦN THỊ THU HƯƠNG





Designing a Thermal Engineering
English Reading Syllabus for workers
in Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant

(THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG
ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT CHO CÔNG

NHÂN NHÀ MÁY NHIỆT ĐIỆN UÔNG BÍ)



M.A. MINOR THESIS



Field: Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
Supervisor: Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Ph.D



hµ néi , N¨m 2010





Designing a Thermal Engineering
English Reading Syllabus for workers
in UongBi Thermal Power Plant


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Acknowledgements
List of tables

List of figures
Abbreviations
Roman symbols
Greek symbols
Abstract

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Scope of the study 2
4. Methodology of the study 2
5. Organization of the thesis 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
I.1. An overview of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 4
I.1.1. Definition of ESP 4
I.1.2. Types of ESP 6

I.2. Syllabus design 8
I.2.1. Definition of the syllabus 8
I.2.2. Approaches to language syllabus design 9
I.2.3. Steps to design a syllabus 10

I.3. Needs analysis in syllabus design 11
I.3.1. Target needs 11
I.3.2. Learning needs 12

I.4. Reading 13
I.4.1. Concepts of reading 13
I.4.2. Reading skills 14
I.4.3. Learning and teaching foreign language reading 15

CHAPTER II: ANALYZING NEEDS IN UONG BI THERMAL POWER PLANT

II.1. The setting of the study 17
II.2. Description of data collection 18
II.2.1. Data collection instruments and procedures 18
II.2.2. Material analysis 18
II.2.3 The subjects 19
II.3. Result analysis and major findings 20
II.3.1. Target needs 20
II.3.2. Learning needs 28
II.4. Concluding remarks 30

CHAPTER III: A PROPOSED THERMAL ENGINEERING ENGLISH
READING SYLLABUS FOR WORKERS IN UB TPP

III.1. The General Syllabus 31
III.1.1. Topics in the syllabus 32
III.1.2. Tasks and activities in the syllabus 33

III.2. The Pedagogic syllabus 33
III.3. Suggestions for teaching ESP at UB TPP 37

PART C: CONCLUSIONS 38

References

Appendixes
- Questionnaire for the workers in UB TPP
- Questionnaire for ESP teachers at Faculty of Fundamental Science
- Interview with Subject teachers at Faculty of Energy
- A sample unit
- A sample of authentic material



















LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as Foreign Language
EGP: English for General Purposes

EAP: English for Academic Purposes
EOP: English for Occupational Purposes
ESL: English as a Second Language
ESP: English for Specific Purposes
EST: English for Science and Technology
ETE: English for Thermal Engineering
GE: General English
FFS: Faculty of Fundamental Science
FE: Faculty of Energy
EPU: Electric Power University
UB TTP: Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant

LIST OF TABLES


TALBE 1. Teachers’ expectations of reading skills/ techniques
TALBE 2. Teachers’ expectations of sub-reading skills/ techniques
TABLE 3. Teachers’ expectations of Grammar and structure
TABLE 4. Teachers’ expectations of tasks/ activities
TABLE 5: Learners’ needs of ETE reading course
TABLE 6. Learners’ goals and objectives of ETE reading course
TABLE 7.Learners’ wants of topics
TABLE 8. Learners’ wants of sub-topics
TABLE 9. Learners’ wants of reading skills
TABLE 10. Learners’ wants of sub-reading skills





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PART A: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
From the early 1960's, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has grown to become one of the
most prominent areas of EFL teaching today. Its development is reflected in the increasing
number of universities offering an MA in ESP and in the number of ESP courses offered to
students at universities.
In Vietnam too, the ESP movement has shown a slow but definite growth over the past few
years. At Electric Power University, teaching ESP also plays an integral role in training
students to become good technicians and engineers. In the previous years, EPU was successful
in educating hundreds of students to become technicians in Power System, Hydro Power and
Thermal Power, etc…The University has also cooperated with many thermal power plants in
the North of Vietnam in general, and in Quang Ninh in particular, in providing English,
especially ESP supplementary courses for their workers for many years. The main purpose is
to help the workers improve their English for Thermal to use and communicate in their work
effectively. However, no available Thermal Engineering English course books are appropriate
for these target students. The current English textbook for Thermal Engineering is designed
with great effort of the English teachers can not meet the demand of the learner‟s needs. When
providing English supplementary courses in other plants such as Son Dong thermal power
plant, Cam Pha TPP, etc…teachers and learners had to face up with the same problems.
Although, the important role of syllabuses in providing practical basis for the division of
assessment, textbooks and learning time as well as telling the teachers and learners what
should be learned can not be denied, such a syllabus has not been designed as the teachers
have not equipped themselves enough knowledge of syllabus design and have found it hard to
select materials appropriate to learners‟ English proficiency level. Therefore, a new and
appropriate ESP reading syllabus is of great necessity and significance. That is the rationale
for the author to conduct a study to design a workable ETE reading syllabus for workers in
Uong Bi TPP.

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2. Aims of the study
The ultimate aim of the study is to design an appropriate Thermal Engineering English
reading syllabus for a supplementary course for workers in Uong Bi TPP. To achieve this aim,
there are two specific objectives as follows:
 To find out the target needs and learning needs of workers in UB TPP for a thermal
engineering English course
 To suggest a Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus for workers in UB TPP
according to their needs

3. Scope of the study
Within its scope, this research paper only focuses on designing process for an English
supplementary course, not all the theories relating to syllabus design. It major sources of
information/ informants are subject teachers, the teachers of ESP and the learners /workers in
UB TPP who take part in the supplementary course, not all of workers.

4. Research methods
Qualitative methodology, survey method is used mainly to collect data via questionnaires and
informal interviews, aims at exploring the needs of the learners, their expectations and
opinions about the ESP course.
 The first questionnaire is designed for learners/ workers in UB TPP who take part in
the supplementary course to find out target needs and learning needs for an ETE
reading course.
 The second questionnaire is designed for ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their
suggestions about reading skills grammar/ structures and tasks/ activities and suitable
methodology for the course, etc.
In addition to that, several informal interviews with subject teachers at Faculty of Energy,
Electric Power University (EPU), and with five graduated learners/ technicians are carried out
to get suggestions about topic areas and reading skills.

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Also, the quantitative method is used as the supporting method so that data will be collected
through material and document analysis.
The results of the study will be interpreted based on the analysis of the collected numbers and
ratios after gathering and analyzing necessary data. Then the important factors relating to the
reading syllabus for learners/ workers in UB TPP are worked out.

5. Organization of the thesis
The thesis is comprised of 3 major parts:
- Part A is the Introduction, which presents the rationale, aims and objectives, the scope as
well as methodology and design of the study
- Part B is the Development, which consists of
+ Chapter I: Literature review, provides the theories concerning ESP, approaches to syllabus
design and reading theories
+ Chapter II: Needs Analysis, describes and comments on situation analysis, subjects of the
study, the instruments for collecting data, analyzes learner‟s target needs and learning needs
and presents the findings of the study.
+ Chapter III: A Proposed Thermal Engineering English reading syllabus, suggests two
types of syllabus: the general syllabus and the pedagogic one. The first included the topics and
tasks; the second is about the functions, grammar, vocabulary….It also offers some
suggestions for teaching ETE in UB TPP as well as for other supplementary courses outside
the university
- Part C is the Conclusion containing the summary, the main ideas of the study, the
contribution and limitations of the thesis.

References
Appendixes include the questionnaires, interviews, a sample unit and a sample of authentic
material.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I. LITERATURE REVIEW

I.1. An overview of ESP
I.1.1. Definition of ESP

Nowadays, the ESP area proves to be in great demand for a global community of people
speaking different languages, where efficient command of English can help to contribute to
professional as well as personal development of each individual learner. So far, there have
been different views about what ESP is. Some people described ESP as simply being the
teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified. Others, however, were more
precise, describing it as the teaching of English used in academic studies or the teaching of
English for vocational or professional purposes.
Firstly, Munby (1978) states that 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.
This view is shared by Hutchinson and Waters (1987): “ESP is an approach to language
teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular learners” and “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”
Those definitions show the importance of the learners‟ needs element of ESP, as Kenedy and
Bolitho (1984) also emphasize: “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) also claims that: “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”
In 1997, Dudley-Evans, Tony set out in his one hour speech to clarify the meaning of ESP,
giving an extended definition of ESP in terms of 'absolute' and 'variable' characteristics
Definition of ESP (Dudley-Evans, 1997)


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Absolute Characteristics
1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners
2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves
3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis,
register, study skills, discourse and genre.
Variable Characteristics
1. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines
2. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General
English
3. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a
professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level
4. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.
5. Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems
The definition Dudley-Evans offers is clearly influenced by that of Strevens (1988:1): “ESP
is a particular case of the general category of special-purpose language teaching” and his
definition of ESP makes a distinction between four absolute characteristics and two variable
characteristics, although Dudley-Evans has improved it substantially by removing the absolute
characteristic that ESP is "in contrast with 'General English‟, and has included more variable
characteristics.
The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpful in
resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP. From Dudley-Evans' definition, one can see
that ESP can be (though not necessarily so) concerned with a specific discipline, nor does it
have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range. ESP should be seen simply as an

'approach' to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an attitude of mind. This is a
similar conclusion to that made by Hutchinson and Waters (1987:19) who state, "ESP is an
approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on
the learner‟s reason for learning."


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A broader definition of ESP is that provided by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) who theorize
ESP as an approach to language teaching which takes into account the learners' reasons for
learning in making decisions related to content and method. Commenting on this definition,
Anthony (1997) states that it is not clear where GPA fends and ESP starts. Numerous non-
specialist ESL instructors use an ESP approach in that their syllabuses are based on analysis of
learner needs and their own personal specialist knowledge of using English for real
communication.

I.1.2. Types of ESP

Carver, D. (1983) identifies three types of ESP: English as a Restricted Language, English
for Academic and Occupational Purposes (EAOP), and English with Specific Topics.
According to this, language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of
English as a restricted language.
Mackay and Mountford (1978: 4-5) 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."
The second type of ESP is English for Academic and Occupational Purposes. Carver (1983)

indicates that this English should be at the heart of ESP although he refrains from developing
it any further.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987), on the other hand, have developed a "Tree of ELT" in
which the subdivisions of ESP are clearly illustrated. 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:


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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."
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) do note that there is not a clear-cut distinction between EAP
and EOP on the basis of the considerations that (i) people can work and study simultaneously,
and that (ii) the language learnt in a teaching setting for academic purposes can be useful and
employed by the learner in the occupational environment when he/she takes up, or returns to, a
job. This may explain why EAP and EOP have been categorized under the same type of ESP.
Kennedy and Bolitho (1984) also explain the two areas quite clearly: “EOP is taught in a
situation in which learners need to use English as part of their work or profession. Instances of
EOP students would be doctors in casualty or technicians servicing equipment. They need
English, in the first case, to talk and respond to patients and other staff, and in the second, to
read technical manuals”. (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984:4)
And “EAP is taught generally within educational institutions to students needing English in
their studies. The language taught may be based in particular disciplines at higher levels of
education when the student is specializing (in-study) or intends to specialize (pre-study) in a
particular subject” (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984:4)
The final one, according to Carver, D. (1983), English with Specific Topics is the third and
final type of ESP. It differs from other types of ESP in the sense that focus shifts from purpose
to topic. That is, the focus is on topics that are in agreement with the anticipated future English

needs of learners such as scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies,
attending conferences or working in foreign institutions. It has been argued, however, that this
type should not be viewed as a separate type of ESP but rather an integral component of ESP
courses or programs with 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 conclusion, though the classifications of ESP are expressed differently and each
researcher has their own points, the most common view is that ESP can be divided into EAP


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and EOP. From the point of view of the author, English for Thermal Engineering in this minor
thesis can be considered as a branch of English for Science and Technology.

I.2. Syllabus design.

I.2.1. Definition of the syllabus
To define syllabus, researchers give distinctions between it and other terms, such as
curriculum and methodology.
Specialists who advocate of broad view as Yalden (1984:14) points out that: “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”.
With the same view, Breen (1984:49) states that: “any syllabus will express- however
indirectly-certain assumptions about language about the psychological process of learning,
and about the pedagogic and social process within a classroom”. For those, with the advent
of communicative language teaching, the distinction between content and tasks is difficult
to sustain.
In contrast, some other researchers who adopt the narrow view ague that syllabus and

methodology should be two distinctive separate parts as Hutchinson and Waters (1987:80)
when they claim: “ A syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should)
be learnt”.
Supporting this view, Nunan (1988) defines syllabus as follows: “Syllabus design is seen
as being concerned essentially with the selection and grading of content, while
methodology is concerned with the selection of learning tasks and activities.”
Another distinction is between syllabus and curriculum. According to Krahnke, K.
(1987:2), “A syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a
curriculum may contain a number of syllabi”. Having idea on this distinction, Nunan
(1988:8) concludes that: “Curriculum is concerned with the planning, implementation,
evaluation, management, and administration of education programs. Syllabus, on the other


9
hand, focuses more narrowly on the selection and grading of content”. In the existing
literature on language education, the terms „curriculum‟ and „syllabus‟ are sometimes used
interchangeably, sometimes differentiated, and sometimes misused and misunderstood. In
this paper, syllabus and curriculum are differentiated.
In brief, the term „syllabus‟ has been defined either narrowly or broadly in this thesis.
With the aim of designing an ESP reading syllabus for the workers, the author will follow
the broader view.

I.2.2. Approaches to language syllabus design.

A language teaching syllabus involves the integration of subject matter (what to talk
about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it); that is, the actual matter that makes up
teaching. Choices of syllabi can range from the more or less purely linguistic, where the
content of instruction is the grammatical and lexical forms of the language, to the purely
semantic or informational, where the content of instruction is some skill or information
and only incidentally the form of the language. To design a syllabus is to decide what gets

taught and in what order. Therefore it is very necessary to look over approaches to course
design. Hutchinson and Waters (1993) identify three major kinds as: the language-
centered, skills-centered and learning centered
a. Language-centred approach
According to Hutchinson and Waters (1993; 65, 66): “this is the simplest kind of course
design process and is probably the one most familiar to English teachers. The language-
centered course design process aims to draw as direct a connection as possible between the
analysis of the target situation and the content of the ESP course”. However, there are
some weaknesses of this approach should be taken into consideration. As Nunan (1993:6)
states that: “It fails to recognize the fact that learners being people, language is not a
straightforward, logical process”. Instead of taking the whole of English and teaching it to
the learners, only a restricted are of the language is taught. The basic units of language are
vocabulary and grammar.



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b. Skill-centred approach
This approach focuses on “certain skills and strategies, which the learners use in order to
produce or comprehend discourse” (Hutchinson & Waters 1993:69). Its aim is to help
learners to develop skills and strategies which will continue to develop after the ESP
course itself. Yalden (1983) also gives an example of a skill syllabus of reading skills
including basic reference skills, scanning, skimming, etc. The weakness of this approach is
shown when it “still approaches the learner as a user of language rather than as a learner of
language. The processes it is concerned with are the processes of language use not of
language learning.”
c. Learning-centred approach.
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 same time,
it maintains relevance to target needs” (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987:93). They also claim

that learning should “be seen in the context in which it takes place”, and “learning is not
just a mental process, it is a process of negotiation between individuals and society”. This
model gives a full picture of analyzing the target situation and learning needs in the light
of theoretical view of learning and learner. Therefore, it provides a more flexible process
of designing a language program than the two above approaches.
In brief, learning-centred must consider the learner at every stage, while the skill-centred
approach does not fully consider to learner because it is too dependent on the target
situation. For language-centred model, it is learner-restricted. Each approach has their own
advantages and drawbacks. Thus, the author intends to use interactive approach to apply in
designing ESP reading syllabus for workers in UB TPP with the desire to maximize the
strengths and minimize the drawbacks of the above-mentioned models.

I.2.3. Steps to design a syllabus

Designing a syllabus can be archived according to the following steps:
(1). Needs analysis
(2). Goals and objectives determining


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(3). Content selecting and grading
(4). Teaching methods suggesting
(5). Testing and evaluation forming

I.3. Needs Analysis in ESP

As students in ESP classes often have restricted time to learn English, it makes sense to
teach them only the English they need. Thus the task of the ESP course developer is
generally seen to be to identify the needs of the learners and design a course around them.
Needs analysis may take place prior to, or after a language program. This is the process of

gathering information from and about learners to understand as much about them as
possible, in order to establish realistic and acceptable objectives. A number of needs
analysis studies have been reported in the ESP literature. However, this study will focus on
the distinction between two kinds of needs: target needs and learning needs according to
Hutchinson & Waters (1987).
I.3.1. Target Needs
Hutchinson & Waters (1987:54) define target needs as “what the learners need to do in
the target situation in which the learners will use the language they are learning”. To
understand more about target needs, it is useful to look at the target situation in such the
terms as Necessities, Lacks and Wants.
I.3.1.1. Necessities
It 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” (Hutchinson &
Waters (1987: 55). For instance, a worker needs to understand manual instructions,
diagrams or to communicate with other people who have the same profession. He or she
needs to know linguistic features such as discourse, functional, structural, lexical which
are commonly used in the situation identified.
I.3.1.2. Lacks
According to what the learner already knows, we decide what necessities are missing.
There is a gap between the existing proficiency and the target proficiency as Hutchinson &


12
Waters (1987: 55) state: “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”. One of useful methods to know the learners‟ lacks is interview teachers and the
learners should be tested before an ESP course.

I.3.1.3. Wants
In practice, different learners have different wants. Their wants consists of their goal, their

objectives and what they want to learn. “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” (Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 56).
Rosbinson (1991:12) suggests of using questionnaires to get information from a large
group of learners about their wants.
In short, target needs is like the umbrella term, which in practice hides a number of
important distinctions. The analysis of target needs involves far more than simply
identifying the linguistic features of the target situation. As Hutchinson & Waters (1987:
59) comment : “ The analysis of target situation needs is in essence a matter of asking
questions about the target situation and the attitudes towards that situation of the various
participants in the learning process”. There are different ways in which information can be
gathered about needs such as questionnaires, interviews, observation, data collection and
informal consultations. The choice will depend on the time and resources available. And
needs analysis is not a once-for-all activity. It should be a continuing process.

I.3.2. Learning needs
Using our analogy of the ESP course as a journey, what we have done so far is to
consider the starting point (lacks) and the destination (necessities) and where the
destination should be (wants). What we have not considered yet is the route. “How are we
going to get from our starting point to the destination? - This is learning needs” - Tom
Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 61) .The whole ESP process is concerned not with knowing


13
or doing, but with learning. Therefore, many factors need to be concerned on the route in
order to have a successful journey. According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 61), “it is
naïve to base a course design simply on the target objectives, just as it is naïve to think hat
a journey can be planned solely in terms of the starting point and the destination. The
needs, potential and constrains of the route (i.e. the learning situation) must also be taken

into account, if we are going to have any useful analysis of learner needs”. To analyze
learning needs, we can use the same methods of gathering information about needs as
those used for target situation analysis.
In conclusion, both target needs and learning needs must be paid attention to and
combined harmoniously in the process of designing a syllabus. As Tom Hutchinson &
Waters (1987: 62) state: “the target situation analysis can determine the destination; it can
also act as a compass on the journey to give general available (i.e. the conditions of the
learning situation), the existing roads within the learner‟s mind (i.e. their knowledge, skills
and strategies) and the learners‟ motivation for traveling”.

I.4. READING
I.4.1. Concepts of reading
Establishing a clear definition of reading provides an important perspective for
evaluating approaches to teaching word-identification skills. Most educators would agree
that the major purpose of reading should be the construction of meaning —
comprehending and actively responding to what is read. Two of the most widely cited and
agreed-upon definitions of reading are the following:
“Reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts. It is a complex skill
requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information” (Anderson
and Urquhart, 1984)”.Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic
interaction among: (1) the reader‟s existing knowledge; (2) the information suggested by
the text being read; and (3) the context of the reading situation” (Wixson, Peters, Weber,
& Roeber, 1987). According to Alderson and Urquhart (1984: xvi), reading involves two
necessary elements: the reader and the text, and they identify the writer as a third


14
important and influential elements. In fact, a definition of reading reflects its author‟s
particular view of reading process. However, the process of reading has three elements
involved: the text that is read, the background knowledge of the readers and the contextual

aspects relevant to interpret the text.
The main difference between general reading and EAP/ESP reading is the purpose.
General reading is usually for pleasure (literature) or to find out information (news etc),
whereas ESP reading is for developing knowledge and understanding of a subject.
Although students or people at work may enjoy what they read, they are usually going to
do something with it.

1.4.2. Reading skills

There are different styles of reading for different situations. The technique you choose
will depend on the purpose for reading. Many kinds of reading skills are discussed in
current literature. However, in this section, the author only refer to four main skills

1. Skimming: is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read the
newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word; instead you're scanning the text.
Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often
skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming
when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research.
There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first
and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down
the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations.
Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're
seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well
to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts.

2. Scanning: is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book
or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what you're


15

looking for, so you're concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves
moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is
also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your
questions. Once you've scanned the document, you might go back and skim it.

3. Extensive: means the readers have general understanding of a text without necessarily
understanding every word. The objective of this kind of reading is to cover the greatest
possible amount of text in the shortest possible time.

4. Intensive: means reading to extract specific information. This is an accuracy activity
involving reading for details.

1.4.3. Learning and Teaching foreign language reading.
Teaching reading can be an arduous task as it is often difficult to know how to improve
student skills. These different types of skills are used quite naturally when reading in a
mother tongue. As being a teacher, I have often noticed that students insist on
understanding every word and find it difficult to take my advice of reading for the general
idea, or only looking for required information. Students studying a foreign language often
feel that if they don't understand each and every word they are somehow not completing
the exercise. Few people stop to analyze the skills used in the different kinds of reading
they do in their native language. Most adult students of EFL are familiar with the Roman
Script before they embark on English Language Courses. General course books capitalize
on this familiar ground by using written texts as the main vehicle for developing both
spoken & written skills.
In the early stages of learning, the main aim is often to present and practise a body of lexis,
grammatical forms and language functions. This serves to give students entry points into
the new language - a simple core to assist in the communication (reception and expression)
of basic concepts such as number, quantity, spatial relationships, time and modal meaning.

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When teachers of second language reading recognize that each reader brings to the reading
process a unique set of past experiences, emotional and mental processes, level of
cognitive development, and interest level in the topic, they also recognize that not all
teaching strategies will be effective for all students. When isolating the most effective
teaching strategies to use with a group of students, the second language teacher must also
consider the reader strategies that are not necessarily related to content schemata.
Another step in effectively teaching students how to read materials written in a second
language is helping the individual reader to identify effective reading strategies based on
text variables. One important part of this step is alerting the readers to significant aspects
of text variables that will affect second language reading. For example, pointing out the
differences between a fairy tale and a newspaper article helps the reader to recognize the
different text types and to prepare for the uncomplicated sentence structure, high-
frequency vocabulary, and, in most cases, happy ending that typically characterize a fairy
tale. On the other hand, the same reader would need to prepare very differently to read a
newspaper article about the technicalities involved in negotiating a disarmament treaty. In
this case, the vocabulary would be very specialized and the sentence structure more
complicated.
To encourage students to use effective strategies when reading in a second language, the
teachers can develop simple exercises to elicit information via targeted strategies. These
exercises can be divided by the stage of reading at which they occur.



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CHAPTER II: ANALYZING NEEDS IN UONG BI
THERMAL POWER PLANT (UB TPP)

II.1. The setting of the study

Electric Power University is a newly upgraded university. However, when it was a vocational
school, EPU was successful at training hundreds of learners to become technicians in Power
System. As a university belongs to EVN group, EPU has co-operated with many Power Plants,
both in Hydro Power and Thermal Power Plants to provide supplementary courses or in-site
training courses for workers in these plants. Nowadays, the demand for English of the well-
trained workers in Power plants becomes higher and higher. They need English to get
information from manual instructions, to communicate at work and to use it as a useful tool in
the period of integration of globalization. UB TTP is one of the oldest TPP of the North of
Vietnam. UB TPP No2-extension has been constructed completely, combined with UB TPP I.
Both plants expect a large number of young but well-trained workers. Recognizing the
importance of English to improve the working ability of young workers, almost every 2 years,
the plants require new workers have to take a supplementary course of GE and ESP before the
beginning of their work. The course will be held inside the plant area with the teachers from
EPU. The workers who graduated from high school or vocational school must experience two
stages of English study as follow:
Stage 1: They learn GE with 120 periods
Stage 2: They learn an equivalent ESP course in 68 periods
The material used for GE is New Headway (pre-intermediate). At the first stage, the New
Headway provides learners with basic skills, focus mainly on grammar. The next stage,
learners will approach their specialized knowledge in English by studying ESP materials.
However, there are still a lot of difficulties during the process of teaching and learning, the
learning conditions are not good enough, the learners’ different levels of English, the time
limitation of the course, the teachers’ and learners’ lack of certain specialization knowledge
about the field, the inappropriate content of the course book…These lead to the result that, to
some extent, the reading competence and the knowledge of the learners about their specialized


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subject remain unimproved. Therefore, the ambition of the author in this minor thesis is to
carry out a feasible and practical ESP reading syllabus

II.2. Description of data collection
II.2.1. Data collection instruments and procedures
A variety of procedures can be used in conducting needs analysis and the kind of information
obtained is often dependent on the type of procedure selected Robinson suggests four
techniques for investigating needs: questionnaires, interviews, observation and gathering
materials. The main technique to collect data in this thesis is questionnaire because it “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”( Robinson (1991:12))
 The first questionnaire was designed for 50 learners/ workers in UB TPP, (age 19-21)
who took the supplementary course to find out target needs and learning needs for an
ETE reading course. The questionnaire was written in Vietnamese and finished in 40
minutes (one period).
 The second questionnaire was designed for 10 ESP teachers at FFS, EPU to get their
suggestions about reading skills, grammar/ structures and tasks/ activities and suitable
methodology for the course, etc. The questionnaire was formulated in English and
collected right after 20 minutes
In addition, informal interviews with 5 subject teachers at Faculty of Energy, Electric Power
University (EPU), and with 5 graduated learners/ technicians from the previous courses, were
carried out to get suggestions about topic areas and reading skills. The results of the interviews
were shown briefly with some significant information.

II.2.2. Material analysis
In order to improve English ability of workers/ technicians, the UB TPP and EPU has co-
operated in opening English supplementary courses in UB TPP. The EPU is responsible for
the content of the course with the agreement of UB TPP. The course will cover GE and ESP
for learners in 3 months. Teaching ESP mainly focuses on mastering ESP reading skills.


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Since this course aims to prepare a group of learners/ workers in a wide range of ESP reading
skills for a supplementary course, it is assumed that no single course book would be able to
cover all what the course is determined to offer and no common course book would be
appropriate for all learners. Therefore, the materials exploited as input in this syllabus will be
selected from a variety of sources according to their effectiveness in achieving the purposes of
the course, their appropriateness for the learners and workers, and their practicalities (Graves
1996, and Scarino, Vale, McKay, and Clark 1988).
In UB TPP, the workers/ technicians usually read authentic materials such as notes, notices,
instruction manuals, safety precaution warnings and some articles related to their specialist.
These reading texts share some same features
In terms of grammar, the imperative, related clauses and passive voice are used most in the
texts.
In terms of language, the reading texts mostly express the operation principles or power
schemes, hence the vocabulary are usually semi-technical and theoretical science. Some
quantity expressions mathematics symbols and formulas, numbers are also employed.
Besides, some rhetorical techniques are often used in thermal articles such as cause-effects,
problem-solution, phenomenon- reason, etc…
Basing on material analysis, teachers can focus on some topics and reading skills that
learners can apply in their work.

II.2.3. The subjects
The subjects in a needs analysis refers to the people about whom information will be
collected. Typically, in language programs these will be language learners or potential
language learners, but others are also often involved depending on whether they can provide
information useful in meeting the purposes of the needs analysis. In this study, the
questionnaire was given to a class consisted of 50 learners (age 19-21), working in UB TPP
and they had different English levels but finished a GE course at the first stage of the
supplementary course. Another questionnaire was administered to a group of 10 English
teachers (age 27-37), who have been teaching both GE and ESP at FFS, EPU. Most of them