AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
DOÃN THỊ LAN ANH
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING
AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS
AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
(Khảo sát tính hiệu quả của việc sử dụng tài liệu gốc như là công cụ bổ
trợ cho việc dạy kỹ năng đọc tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm
thứ hai tại Học viện Y-Dược học cổ truyền Việt Nam)
M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111

HANOI - 2015
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
DOÃN THỊ LAN ANH
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING
AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS
AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
(Khảo sát tính hiệu quả của việc sử dụng tài liệu gốc như là công cụ bổ
trợ cho việc dạy kỹ năng đọc tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm
thứ hai tại Học viện Y-Dược học cổ truyền Việt Nam)
M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Độ

HANOI - 2015
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT
*****
I hereby certify that the thesis entitled
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC
MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS SUPPLEMENTARY
MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM
UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
Is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at Vietnam National
University, University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) and that this
thesis has not been submitted for any assessment in any other formal courses of study
elsewhere.
Hanoi, 2015
Doãn Thị Lan Anh
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
On the route to the complete thesis, I am deeply indebted to a number of people for
their support and enthusiastic assistance.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Do, who gave me a lot of invaluable guidance,
suggestions, comments and encouragement throughout my study.
My sincere thanks go to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies at
the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University
for their interesting and useful lectures. Without them, I could not have come up
with the idea for my thesis.
My special thanks are also extended to all my colleagues and the second-year
students at Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine for their great contribution
to the data collection and their constructive recommendations for this study. Without
their outstanding cooperation, my thesis would not have been completed.
Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks go to my parents, my husband, my son and

especially my younger brother. Without their love, understanding and
encouragement, I could not have concentrated on my study and fulfilled my thesis
on schedule.

ii
ABSTRACT
Materials play an extremely important role in language teaching and learning
(Robinson, 1991; Nunan, 1991). They are not only considered as a resource of
useful and interesting information but a motivation for learners to study and acquire
their language as well (Dudley-Evans & John, 1998; Nonaka, 2001). Therefore,
developing suitable materials for learners is a necessary in English language
teaching.
This study is conducted with an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of using
authentic materials as supplementary materials realized in an extensive reading
program on the students’ reading proficiency and the attitude of students after
exposure to program so as to meet the needs of the students at Vietnam University
of Traditional Medicine for a way to access real-life language.
In order to collect information on the students’ reading ability, motivation and
attitude towards the treatment given through the experiment, a pre-test, a post-test
and an attitude questionnaire are chosen as the main instruments. The study drew the
participation of 58 non-English major students. The findings suggest positive effects
of using authentic materials as supplementary materials and provide conclusive
evidence of reading fluency improvement together with a positive attitude towards
program.
The findings are a good reflection of the research issue and draw some implications
for the ESP teaching and learning, which necessitates the supplementation of
authentic materials for extensive reading as a remedial approach to the teaching and
learning reading comprehension not only in the context of Vietnam University of
Traditional Medicine but to other similar contexts as well.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT……………………………………………………… i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………… ii
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….… iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………… iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………………vii
LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………viii
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
CHAPTER I. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 7
CHAPTER II. METHODOLOGY 20
APPENDIX 1……………………………………………………………………………… I
APPENDIX 2………………………………………………………………………………III
APPENDIX 3……………………………………………………………………………….X
APPENDIX 4………………………………………………………………………………XI
iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
VUTM
EFL
ELT
CLT
GE
ESP
EMP
ERP
N
%
: Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine
: English as a Foreign Language

: English Language Teaching
: Communicative Language Teaching
: General English
: English for Specific Purposes
: English for Medical Purposes
: Extensive Reading Program
: Number of cases
: Percentage

v
LIST OF TABLES
TABLES
Table 1 Descriptive statistics for the pre-test and post-test scores of the
experimental and control group 29
Table 2 Mean gains of the experimental and control group 30
Table 3 Experimental subjects’ attitudes toward the program 31
Table 4 Experimental subjects’ preference of the post-reading
activities 33
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PART A. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
One of the most challenging tasks constantly facing language teachers is how to capture the
interest and to stimulate the imagination of their students so that they will be more
motivated to learn. To this end, the ongoing search for and the development of meaningful
teaching materials, which often can be used to supplement the textbook for a course, is a
critical planning activity to be done by teachers.
On materials, textbook can be seen the visible heart of English Language Teaching (ELT).
There are many advantages of using textbook suggested by the researchers. For example,
textbooks help to standardize instruction and assessment. That is, by giving students in
different classes the same textbook, teachers can teach and test them in the same way

(Richards, 2005). Textbooks also provide syllabus for a program, thus supporting novice
teachers, training them in methodology and saving their time and effort for more
worthwhile pursuits than material production (Cunningsworth, 1995). What is more, since
textbooks are always carefully tested before being brought into the market, so they give
students credibility. Students also expect to use a textbook in their learning program
(Sheldon, 1998).
However, there have also been certain reservations about the uses of textbooks. For
example, textbooks are often implicitly prescriptive and thus might control the methods,
process and procedures of classroom practice and “deskill” teachers (Allwright, 1982);
textbooks are often written for global markets, thus may not suit all classrooms and might
require adaptation to better meet students’ true needs (Rechards, 2005); non-authenticity is
also the limited of almost textbook (Cunningsworths, 1995). Since textbooks were found
insufficient in presenting the language in many ways, a new concept, “authentic materials”
has been established. According to Richards (2001), “Textbooks should be regarded as one
of the many resources teachers can draw upon in creating effective lessons, but teachers
need training and experience in adapting and modifying textbooks as well as in using
authentic materials and in creating their own teaching materials”. Widdowson (1990:67)
wrote: “It has been traditionally supposed that the language presented to learners should be
simplified in some ways for easy access and acquisition. Nowadays, there are many
recommendations that the language presented should be authentic”. In addition, Nunan
(1998) argues that the outside world should be reflected through materials and this
authenticity ought to be related to the source of the materials, students’ activities and tasks.
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In other words, these materials should include the language and its socio-cultural context in
which the language is used together.
In developing materials for English Specific Purposes (ESP), it is advisable from many
experts to use authentic materials because they can provide students with up-to-date
knowledge, expose them to the world of authentic target language, can bring the real world
into the classroom and significantly enliven the class (Martinez, 2002; Kaprova, 1999;
Leloup& Ponterio, 2000; Dumitrescu, 2000). By this way, authentic materials can motivate

students and give them more stimulation in learning a language.
1.2 Rationale
Since 1988, English has experienced its popularity in teaching and learning in Vietnam.
Learners of English differ in their ages, purposes as well as their level of proficiency.
However, all of them have the same desire of mastering English so that they can use it
effectively in their current and future situations. Teachers are required to teach English to
students from various fields such as architecture, engineering, medicine, science, business,
tourism, etc. This is why the demand for learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has
been spread nationwide.
ESP is taught in almost universities due to the social needs. Most of English departments
offer courses in ESP as well as General English (GE) during the academic years. Vietnam
University of Traditional Medicine (VUTM) is a typical example of the training institutions
that combines ESP within its current English teaching situation in response to the demand
for specific language learning target.
Being ambitious to provide society with high qualified doctors who are active, creative,
flexible and adaptable to the rapid change of advanced health care system in the world,
since the academic year 2005, English for medical purposes (EMP) has been paid attention
and has been included as compulsory subject in the curriculum of training students for
different discipline areas at VUTM such as: traditional medical doctor degree (6-year-
course and 4-year-course), nursing college, traditional medical technicians. Being aware of
English serving as a bridge to connect Vietnam’s medicine to world’s advanced medicines,
much attempt has been made to improve the teaching and learning English in medicine. The
principle purpose of this course is to help students cope with materials on Medicine in
English, thus they can read medical books, journals and other related reference materials for
current study as well as for further study for their work after graduation.
However, up to now, teaching and learning ESP, especially teaching and learning ESP
reading has been under our expectation. It is believed the most difficult course by both the
2
teaching staff and the students. After some years, the materials, which has been used
revealed failure to meet the students’ needs and not very motivating them. The materials so

do not appear helpful enough to assist students to improve their English for medicine. Our
students’ biggest obstacle in attending the ESP course that they often find it difficult to
memorize and use the language due to the shortage of grammar structure and system of
contents. Thus, students are not usually engaged in the reading activities, or they do not
concentrate on or involve in the reading tasks because materials are out of date.
In addition, our observations and our experience of teaching English at VUTM suggested
us to think that English teaching at the institution tend to focus exclusively on intensive
reading, concentrate on the teaching of grammar and giving a translation of the passage into
Vietnamese word by word. The pedagogical result of this approach is that students read
slowly without a communicative purpose and they have had a passive way of learning that
students only perform what their teachers ask them to do. This results in students finding
English very difficult especially when they have to deal with ESP.
In an effort to look for a solution that can effectively help the process of teaching ESP
reading skills, the writer has realized that many authors have asserted that authentic
materials have positive effects on learners’ motivation and their language acquisition in
foreign language classroom. However, research to date of this topic is inadequate and the
author suggest that testing these positive effects of authentic materials on medicine on
students’ learning process and their motivation, will result in a better guidance for the
selection and exploitation of reading materials used in ESP program.
1.3 Aims and objectives of the study
This study is firstly aimed at supplementing the findings of the earlier study by providing
empirical evidence for the effectiveness of authentic materials on the students’ reading
proficiency and their involvement levels in class activities. Secondly, it is an attempt to
meet the need of the students at VUTM for a way to access real-life language. Lastly, it is
expected that the results of the study would serve as a useful source of reference for
teachers who are teaching ESP or/ and interested in material development for ESP.
Specifically, the main objectives in carrying out this study are as follows:
1. Introduces authentic materials as a tool to supplement the course-book to the
second-year students at VUTM.
2. Examines the effectiveness of the authentic materials on the students’ language

acquisition.
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3. Finds out how students respond to the use of authentic materials and to lay grounds
for the further research.
1.4 The scope of study
Considering the problems that have been formulated above, as this is only a small-sized
scale study, the scope of the study is to find out whether or not authentic material is
effective to improve student’s reading proficiency for the second-year students who are
trained to be traditional medical doctors at VUTM. Also, a number of issues would be best
deal with in a further study, for example, using authentic materials for other objects such as
specialists, pharmacists, nurses or designing supplementary materials on ESP program, and
so on.
1.5 Research hypotheses
According to Hatch and Farhady (1982:85-86), the most common hypothesis used in
experimental study is null hypothesis, stating that there is no difference between the sample
and the population after receiving the special treatment. Since this study is aimed at
investigating the effectiveness of using authentic materials in teaching ESP reading skills, it
was designed to test the following hypothesis:
H1: There is a significant correlation between teachers’ use of authentic materials as
supplementary materials and students’ reading performance as measured by their
achievement test scores at the end of the experiment.
The acceptance of this hypothesis would result in the rejection to the following null
hypothesis or vice versa:
H0: There is no correlation between teachers’ use of authentic materials as supplementary
materials and students’ reading performance as measured by their achievement test scores
at the end of the experiment.
In order to test the hypothesis that is stated above, a quasi-experimental design was
adopted. This research design allows the researcher to either accept or reject the null
hypothesis (H0).
In addition, a student questionnaire was developed and administered to the students in an

attempt to find out their attitudes towards use of authentic materials as supplementary
materials for reading comprehension. It would also provide invaluable information about
students’ evaluation of the use of authentic materials as supplement source on their ESP
program.
1.6 Methods of the study
As stated earlier, this study is aimed at examining the effectiveness of the authentic
materials on the students’ language acquisition; therefore, the best method to be used in this
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study is experimental research. Experimental designs are proved to be especially useful in
addressing evaluation questions about the effectiveness and impact of programs, as
Shalkind has pointed out that in an experimental research “One factor is related to another
in such a way that changes in that factor are usually causally related to changes in the other.
So, it is not just a relationship where two variables share something in common (as in the
case with a correlation relationship); it is much more. They share something, but one
directly affects the other” (Shalkind, 2006:127).
The three designs within the scope of experimental method are true-experimental, quasi-
experimental and pre-experimental designs. They are different from each other in terms of
the degree to which they impose control over the variables being studied and the degree of
randomness that enters into the design (Shalkind, 2006:218). Considering the present
teaching and learning conditions at VUTM such as the grouping of students in advance, the
quasi-experimental method has proved to be the best choice to yield the empirical result for
this study.
1.6.1 Research instruments
In this study, reading test serves as the research instrument. It is used to reveal the
effectiveness of authentic materials in teaching reading. In addition, questionnaire which
also serves as the research instruments is used to support the data in finding out the
students’ response to the use of authentic materials in learning reading skills. According to
Seliger and Shohamy (1995), questionnaire is an attractive means of collecting data on
phenomena, which are not easily observed, such as motivation, attitude, etc. They also
point out that the questionnaire is self-administered and can be given to large groups of

subjects at exactly the same time; hence the data are more uniform, standard and accurate.
1.6.2 Data Analysis
The data of this research is analysed through quantitative and qualitative analysis. Thus, the
procedures of analysing the data are as follows:
1. Analysing test of normality distribution and homogeneity variance taken from
student’s pre-test and post-test score in both groups.
2. Analysing student’s pre-test and post-test score in both groups using t-test in order
to find out whether or not the mean in pre-test and post-test of both groups have significant
difference.
3. Determining the student’s point of view (response) using percentage.
4. Interpreting the findings in order to give the explanation about the result of the
study.
1.7 Significance of the study
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It has long been believed that material development plays an essential role in English
teaching, therefore, it is hoped that the authentic materials to be used will help to facilitate
and motivate students better in ESP classes and the results of this study might give the
suggestions of using authentic materials as supplementary materials to the teachers so they
can design and develop their new program and curricula in teaching ESP reading skills in
order that they will be able to provide the best achievement in students’ acquisition of the
language and also highest motivation of their students in ESP reading classes.
1.8 Design of the study
The study is organized into three parts as follows:
Part A provides an overview of the study in which the introduction, the rationales for the
study, the aims and objectives, the research hypothesis and questions, the scope, the
significance, the research method as well as the design of the study are briefly presented.
Part B is organized in 4 chapters as follow:
Chapter One reviews the literature relevant and closely related to the study including the
features of ESP in general and medical English in particular, the textbook evaluation,
textbook use and adaptation, authentic materials and the effect of using authentic materials

on ESP teaching and learning.
Chapter Two is a detailed discussion of the method used in the study with all of its
components encompassing the justification for using the quasi-experimental design, the
variables, the participants, the design of pre-test and post-test, a detailed description of
exploited authentic materials and the designing of authentic task-based materials.
Chapter Three which presents significant findings of the study.
Chapter Four, which presents a discussion of the major findings from which some
pedagogical implications were derived from. This chapter also points out some limitations
of the study that serve as the basis for the researcher’s recommendations for further study.
Part C presents the review of the study.
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PART B. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1.1 An overview of ESP
1.1.1 Definition of ESP
ESP which stands for “English for Specific Purposes” has developed rapidly
to become a separate activity in ELT. It originated from a famous saying
“Tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English that
you need”.
ESP has been defined by a multitude of writers and researchers. The frequently cited
definition of Hutchinson and Waters (1987:21) stipulates that ESP represents a type of
language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the
learner’s motivation for education, “ESP is an approach to language teaching which aims
to meet the needs of particular learner”. They see ESP as an approach rather than a
product; they propose that teaching ESP does not mean teaching a ‘special variety’ of
English which is separated from the common language use. There are not such things as
matters of science words and grammar for scientist or a different kind from any other form
of language teaching, but it is an approach to language learning, which is based on the
learners’ needs.
Robinson (1991) also accepts the primacy of needs analysis in defining ESP. Her definition

is based on two criteria and a number of characteristics that are generally found to be true
of ESP. Her first criterion is that “ESP is normally goal directed” (Robinson, 1991:2). She
claims that a lot of students study English not because they are interested in English
language or English - language culture, but because they need English for their job or study
proposes. The second criterion is 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” (Robinson, 1991:3). She also gives a number of characteristics
explaining that ESP courses are generally constrained by a limited time period, in which
their objectives have to be achieved; and are taught to adult in homogenous classes with the
learning content related to the students’ work or specialist studies.
Dudley-Evans and Jo St John (1998) believe that “a definition of ESP should reflect the
fact that much ESP teaching, especially where it is specifically linked to a particular
profession or discipline, makes use of a methodology that differs from that used in General
Purpose English teaching”. In ESP class, the teachers are more of language consultants,
enjoying equal status with the learners who have their own expertise in the subject matter,
7
and the interaction between the teacher and learners may be very
different from that in a general English class.
1.1.2 Characteristics of ESP
Dudley-Evans and Jo St John (1998:4-5), in a more recent study, have modified Strevens’
definition of ESP and exposited their review in the essence of ESP from the following two
perspectives: absolute and variable characteristics which differentiate them
from General English.
1. Absolute characteristics: a) ESP is designed to meet specific needs of
the learners; b) ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and
activities of the disciplines it serves; and c) ESP is centered on the
language (grammar, lexis, and register), skills, discourse and genres
appropriate to these activities.
2. Variable characteristics: a) ESP may be related to or designed for
specific disciplines; b) ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a

different methodology from that of general English; c) ESP is likely to be
designed for adult learners, either at tertiary level institution or in a
professional work situation; it could, however, be used for learners at
secondary school levels; d) ESP is generally designed for intermediate or
advanced learners, and e) Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of
the language system, but it can be used with beginners.
The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics is very helpful in defining
what ESP is or not. We can see that ESP is a language skill course which is different from
other general language courses because its domains not only relate to distinctive content,
but also to discipline-specific lexis, genres and registers (Munby, 1978). Therefore, in terms
of ESP teaching methodology, there could be some differences in comparison with that in
the General English classes.
1.1.3 Features of ESP courses
Considering the characteristics of ESP courses, Carver (1983) states that there are three
common features to ESP courses:
Authentic materials: The use of authentic learning materials is possible if we accept the
claim that ESP courses should be offered at an intermediate or advanced level. The use of
such materials, modified by teachers or unmodified, is common in ESP, especially in self-
8
directed studies or research tasks. The students are usually encouraged to conduct research
using a variety of different resources including the Internet;
Purpose-related orientation: refers to the simulation of communicative tasks required by
the target situation. The teachers can give students different tasks to simulate the
conference preparation, involving the preparation of papers, reading, note-taking and
writing.
Self-direction: means that ESP is concerned with turning learners into users. For self-
direction, it is necessary that teachers encourage students to have a certain degree of
autonomy-freedom to decide when, what, and how they will study. For high-ability learners
it is essential to learn how to access information in a new culture.
Since ESP courses are of various types, depending on specific scientific field or profession,

and have specific features, the teachers who teach such courses need to play different roles
and acquire certain knowledge.
1.2 English for medical purposes (EMP) and its characteristics
1.2.1 Definition of EMP
The term “English for Medical Purposes (EMP)” refers to “the teaching of English for
doctors, nurses, and other personnel in the medical professions”. It involves the teaching
and learning of English for a utilitarian purpose, an identifiable goal-typically, the
successful performance of the work or the optimum effectiveness of medical training. In
general terms, EMP (a) is designed to meet the specific English language needs of the
medical learners (e.g. nurses, GP, dentists, etc.); (b) focuses on themes and topic specific to
the medical field; (c) focuses on a restricted range of skills which may be required by the
medical learners (e.g. for writing a medical paper, medical history, preparing a talk for a
medical meeting, etc.)
EMP can be considered as a specific sub-branch of ESP. What distinguishes EMP from
other ESP sub-branches is that EMP has its own set of medical discourse. Medical
discourse is a particular terminology employed to effectively and accurately achieve a
communicative purpose in health care settings such as diagnosis (Gylys and Wedding,
1983).
1.2.2 Characteristics of EMP
1.2.2.1 Characteristics of medical terminology
1. English medical terms derive from Greece and Latin, especially derivatives and
compound words. Quite a few elements forming word originated from Greece such as:
Prefixes: anti, auto, hyper, neo, hypo, meta, para etc.
Suffixes: -algia (pain), -pathy (disease), -oid (resemble), etc.
2. Medical terms are compound nouns of Latin origins:
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Noun + noun: ilio-costal, laterro - abdominal
Adj + noun: mal; mal – practice
3. Medical terms are French origins: E.g. poison, physician, malady, plaque
4. Besides, we can find some other English medical terms that originate from Italian,

Spanish, German etc. E.g. influenza, epidemic, malaria, scarlet, mosquito, Fahrenheit,
protein, etc.
5. Medical terms are derivatives that consist of one, two, three, four or even five
affixes.
E.g. Endocardium: three affixes included: endo, cardi, um
Pneumohemopericardium: five affixes included: pneumo, hemo, peri, cardi, um
6. Medical terms are compound nouns: E.g. sore-throat, cross-eye, outpatient
7. Medical terms are syntactic groups of noun without prepositions:
Noun + noun: lungs congestion, health condition, blood transfusion
Adj + noun: spinal cord, hepatic abscess
Ordinal number + noun: first labour, first aid
P1 + noun: whooping cough, dryheating sterilization
Adv + P2 + Noun: badly fed children, sexually transmitted diseases
8. Medical terms are syntactic groups of noun with prepositions:
E.g. Resistance against medicine, Confinement to bed, Vaccination against the smallpox
9. Medical terms in abbreviation: SARS, AIDS, DOA (dead on arrival), MRI
(Magnetic resonance imaging), TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation),
NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
1.2.2.2 Grammatical features of English for medical purposes
Grammatical items which are dominantly employed in medical English:
a) Tenses
According to the time axis, tenses in English include past tense, present tense and future
tense. Tenses show the time of the actions. In the other words, tenses indicate that the
actions happen with time.
ESP in medicine, present simple, present perfect and progressive are commonly used to
describe diseases, medical history and medical procedures. To describe diseases such as,
present simple is used like this “cholera is a serious bacterial disease spread through food
and water which has been infected by Vibrio cholerae” (Collin, 2004:71). To ask for
medical history of a woman who is in the Family planning clinic, a sentence “How long has
the coil been fitted?” is used. And to describe medical procedures doctors often say to

patients these sentences “I’ll have to check their labels first. However, you need to drink
some kinds of vitamins. You should take an additional calcium supplement. You need about
1,000 milligrams of calcium each day to keep your bones and teeth strong”
b) Mood
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Mood is a set of contrasts which are often shown by the form of the verb and which express
the speaker’s or writer’s attitude to what is said or written. Three moods have often been
distinguished: indicative, imperative, subjunctive moods.
Indicative mood is the form of the verb used in declarative sentences or questions. In
medical English, declarative sentences or questions are commonly used in conversations
between doctors and patients as the following example.
Doctor: How are you felling today?
Patient: I don’t feel well.
Doctor: What’s wrong? Can you tell me how you feel?
Patient: Well, I have a terrible headache.
Doctor: Hmm… anything else? Does your throat hurt?
Imperative mood is the form of the verb in imperative sentences which are mainly used in
giving medical orders or instructions such as a doctor asks a nurse to take her patient to the
lab to do some tests or she/ he instructs her/his patient when performing a physical
examination. For instance, imperative sentences “Take a couple deep breaths” to a patient
or “Take her /his temperature, please!” to a nurse.
Subjunctive mood is the form of the verb often used to express uncertainty, wishes, desires,
etc. In contrast to the indicative mood, the subjunctive usually refers to non- factual or
hypothetical situations. In English, little use of the subjunctive forms remains Therefore, in
medical English subjunctive sentences are hardly used due to its nature.
c) Voice
According to Richards and Platts (1992:402), voice is the way in which a language
expresses the relationship between a verb and the noun phrases which are associated with it.
Two sentences can differ in voice and yet have the same basic meaning; active voice and
passive voice. However, there may be a change in emphasis and one type of sentence may

be more appropriate. Passive voice appears the most predominant grammatical item found
in medical English. It can be seen in treatment; patient-care procedures, prevention, disease
description or diagnosis.
1.2.2.3 Syntax
Syntactically, English includes basic noun phrase and complex noun phrase, simple
sentences and complex sentences, super-ordinate clause and sub-ordinate clause and main
clause which consists of clause of time, clause of condition and clause of cause and effect
and so forth. Basic noun phrase and complex noun phrase are discussed in the following
part.
Simple sentence which covers all seven structures is employed in EMP, for examples:
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Structures For examples
1. S V O : Acupuncture stimulates your body.
: Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans.
2. S V C : Shock is a life-threatening condition.
: Tuberculosis is preventable and curable.
3. S V A : Cancer can appear anywhere in the body.
: The patient is wheeled into the operating room.
4. S V O O : I’ll give you some herbal medicine.
5. S V O C
(positions)
: I’m going to take a small sample of blood from your middle finger.
6. S V O A : Nuclear medicine technicians introduce radioactive materials into the patient’s
bloodstream for diagnosis or treatment of disease or injury.
7. S V : He is recovering.
Furthermore, kinds of complex sentence are commonly used in EMP. According to Cob
Build (1990), conditional clauses are used to talk about a possible situation and its
consequences. Sentences containing conditional clauses are called conditional sentences
and usually begin with if or unless. These clauses are often used to give instructions or
warning in medical English. For examples:

- If you feel queasy, nauseous or faint, please let me know.
- If you have a parent or sibling with Type I diabetes, your chance of developing the disease
increases.
Reason clauses are used to indicate the reason for something. These main conjunctions
used in reason clause are: as, because, in case, just in case or since…….are often used to
give explanations on causes of diseases such as: “Lack of insulin results in diabetes
because insulin plays an important role in making glucose -the body’s fuel available to
cells.”
Time clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to
another event. Such adverbs of time as when, while, after, before, until… are often used to
describe symptoms or nursing, treating procedures or development of diseases. For
examples:
- One or two days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. (Pagina, 2000).
- When fluid ceases to flow, remove both the needle and the syringe together (Dougherty and
Lister, 2006).
- You may need to lower your insulin dose before an unusual physical activity (Epstein and
Perkin, 2003).
1.3 Textbook evaluation
In spite of the fact that textbook is regarded as “the visible heart of any ELT programme”
(Sheldon, 1988:237) and that “The textbook is an almost universal element of ELT
teaching” (Hutchinson, 1994:315), controversy over the roles of EFL textbook in teaching
and learning a foreign language still apparently exists. Sheldon (1988:239) reveals both
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theoretical and practical problems with textbooks, the main idea being “ textbooks merely
grow from and imitate other textbooks and do not admit the winds of change from
research, methodological experimentation, or classroom feedback”. Hutchinson and Torres
(1994), on the other hand, argue that the textbook has a vital and positive role to play in the
teaching and learning process, especially during periods of change. “Textbooks, we shall
argue, survive and prosper primarily because they are the most convenient means of
providing the structure that the teaching-learning system-particularly the system of

change-requires”. The situation has shown us that problems do exist with our teaching
materials, yet the necessity of the textbook can not be neglected. The situation also implies
that as teachers it is important for us to evaluate, select and adapt teaching materials to meet
our teaching and students’ learning needs in order to minimize the negative effects and
maximize the positive ones.
Textbook evaluation, according to Cunningsworth (1995), would involve the careful
selection of materials examining whether they reflect the needs of the learners, the aims,
methods and values of a specific teaching program. Textbook evaluation helps the teachers
move beyond impressionistic assessments and it further facilitates them to acquire useful,
accurate, systematic and contextual insights into the overall nature of textbook materials
(Cunningsworth, 1995; Ellis, 1997). Hutchinson (1987) also suggests an interactive view of
materials evaluation. He emphasises the deeper level of materials evaluation by asking the
question why materials are the way they are. He claims that “ materials evaluation plays
such an important role in language teaching that its potential for influencing the way
teachers operate is considerable. Materials evaluation can and should be a two-way
process which enables teachers not just to select a textbook, but also to develop their
awareness of their own teaching/learning situation”.
Evaluation of textbooks is also considered to function as a kind of educational judgement.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987:96) gives this definition“Evaluation is a matter of judging
the fitness of something for a particular purpose”. Cunningsworth (1984:64) puts forward
the idea “ that the process of evaluation could not be a purely mechanical one and that
professional judgement was involved at every stage”. He goes on to say, “professional
judgement, founded on understanding of the rationale of language teaching and learning
and backed up by practical experience, lies at the base of evaluation procedure”.
To conclude, the evaluation of a textbook has brought about an overview of benefits and
reservations textbook use that helps teachers identify the strength and weakness of a
particular textbook that is already in use. This is to inform teachers in the process of
textbook adaptation and decision-making for the next course (Ellis, 1997).
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1.4 Authentic materials for ESP course book

1.4.1 The role of reading materials
To all Vietnamese students in classes for non-language majors in general and to traditional
medical students at Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine (VUTM) in particular,
reading is a task that they do every day. It is an integral part of their work to pass the exam
or to improve their knowledge.
Alderson (2000) defines reading as “ an enjoyable, intensive, private activity, from which
much pleasure can be derived, and in which one can become totally absorbed”. Reading
means different things to different people, for some it is recognizing written words, while
for other it is an opportunity to teach pronunciation and practice speaking. However,
reading always has a purpose, and reading for learning is considered to be the type of
reading done in the classroom and is goal oriented. Referring to materials, Alderson
(2000:28) defines reading materials as “anything which is used to help to teach language
learners”. Brown (1985:139) defines materials as “any systematic description of the
techniques and exercises to be used in classroom teaching”.
Materials not only play an active part in a curriculum, but also are one of decisive elements
in enhancing students’ motivation. According to Dudley-Evans & St John (1998:171), there
are some reasons why materials are used, which are really significant in the ESP context: a)
as a sort of language; b) as a learning support; c) for motivation and stimulation; d) for
references. And “Materials then play a crucial role in exposing learners to the language,
which implies that the materials need to present real language, as it is used, and the full
range that learners requires”.
1.4.2 Definitions of authentic materials
The term “authentic materials” has been defined in a number of ways. Nunan (1988:99-
102) provides the conventional definition of authentic texts like this: “Authentic materials
are usually defined as those which have been produced for purposes other than to teach
language”, in contrast to non-authentic texts that are especially designed for language
purposes. Also, authentic materials are materials created for native speaker of the language
and use in a class in its original form and design. In other words, they are not changed in
any way.
Sharing the same points of view, Wallace (1992:145) defines authentic materials as “…

real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes”; they are therefore designed for native
speakers while not for language students and they contain “real” language.
Otherwise, according to Peacock (1997), authentic materials are materials that have been
produced to fulfil some social purposes in language communities. It means that they are
aimed for learning proposes. Richards (2001) holds that authentic materials refer to the use
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in teaching of text, photographs, videos selection, and other teaching recourse that were not
specially prepared for educational purposes.
There are many different viewpoints which view authentic materials from different angles
but all the authors share things in common in their definitions: Authentic materials refer to
“exposure to real language and its use in its own community”, “appropriateness” and
“quality” in terms of goals, objectives, learner needs, interest and "naturalness" in terms of
realized and meaningful communication.
Obviously, authentic materials are not produced for pedagogic purposes but they can be and
should be introduced into language classrooms generally to help bridge the gap between
classroom knowledge and “a student’s capacities to participate in real world events”
(Wilkins 1976:79).
1.4.3 Advantages of authentic materials
By using authentic materials in the classroom, even when it is not in an authentic situation,
it still provides the learners with many significant advantages (Martinez, 2000). The
following are the benefits students could gain from authentic materials:
First, one important aspect of authentic materials is their significant impact on learners’
motivation. They engage learners’ attention in the language being taught. They have a high
interest value because of their relevance to the real world keeping learners informed about
what is happening in the world they live. Therefore, they have an intrinsic educational
value (Martinez, 2002). Sharing the same view, Nuttall (1996:172) also states, “Authentic
texts can be motivating because they are proof that the language is used for real-life
purposes by real people”. As Beraro (2006) mentions authentic materials can be used to
promote motivation and give learners a “sense of achievement” and encourage them for
further reading. When learners get out of the “safe” situation of the classroom they need to

face the real world and need to have learned skills which can help them in coping with real
situations outside of the class, so the teacher has to prepare the learners for the actual use of
the language which can be accomplished by using authentic materials. Besides, a variety of
text types and language styles of authentic materials also affect learners’ motivation
positively. It is very difficult to find this variety in conventional teaching materials,
particularly in textbooks, which include only the proper and fluent language (Martinez,
2002). It also means that it is easier to find something in authentic materials that will
interest learners and may encourage them to read and enjoy reading since they are likely to
contain topics of interest to learners, especially if learners are given the chance to have a
say about the topics used in the class. As a result, learners will keep high motivation and
interest in language learning through these meaningful interactions with the materials.
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Nunan (1999:212) also supports: “The use of authentic sources leads to greater interest
and variety in the material that learners deal with in the classroom. This authentic material
helps bring the contact to life, and ultimately makes learning and using language more
meaningful, and, ultimately, easy for students”.
Second, authentic materials provide authentic cultural information. According to Spelleri
(2002), authentic materials have at least three layers of learning embedded within them:
language (the structure and vocabulary), cultural insights (cultural norms and values of the
community in which this language is used) and practical application (using the item in the
way it was intended). These layers motivate learners intrinsically because they have the
chance to enjoy both learning the language and the culture where this language is spoken
and putting what they have learned into practice as used in real world. In that way, they can
understand the value of learning a language. Also, Shanahan (1997:168) states: “Cultural
content [richly found in authentic materials] provides exposures to living language that a
foreign language student lacks. So, culture is not something consisting of facts to be learnt,
but a helpful tool to make learners feel the need to speak and use the target language”.
Third, authentic materials provide exposure to real life. Martinez (2000) points out that
using authentic materials is an ideal way to contextualize language learning. When used in
class, authentic materials provide learners with the chance to read, rehearse, practice and

use the language via the materials that they can see, examine, touch and listen to. Learners
can enjoy watching their favourite programs in English, following the lyrics of their
favourite songs, viewing the photographs of famous places in the world, participating in a
quiz show, etc. without going to the country where the language they learn is spoken.
Spelleri (2002:3) states that authentic materials can help “bridge the gap from the
classroom lessons to real life by making immediate use of classroom lessons in their lives”.
Exposing learners to authentic language can help them develop their predication skills and
improve their strategies for dealing with uncertainty in understanding or using target
language.
Last but not least, authentic materials are available everywhere. A vast amount of materials
can be accessed on the Internet, selected from newspapers, magazines, books or
documentaries. Teachers can take these materials to the class, integrate the technology into
the class, or even cooperate with learners to access them on the Internet right in the
classroom. When putting different types of authentic materials into lessons, teachers can
enliven his or her class with the materials rich in content and create a more positive attitude
toward learning.
Because of these benefits, authentic materials result in an overall increase in motivation and
a more positive attitude towards learning.
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1.4.4 Possible problems in using authentic materials
Although authentic materials have plenty of advantages as discussed earlier, there have
been several problems that teachers should take into consideration while using authentic
materials.
The first problem is the complexity of the language. Authentic materials may be too
linguistically difficult for learners to understand outside the language community, thereby
making them inaccessible to learners, especially to beginners or elementary learners
(Matinez 2002; Peacock, 1997). Authentic materials created purposefully for native
speakers may contain unnecessary or/and inappropriate structures and vocabulary items for
teaching and learning a language, which may impose a burden on learners, especially those
in lower-level classes when decoding the texts. As a result, learners might become less

motivated, or even develop negative attitudes towards these kinds of materials (Richards
2001: 253; Matinez 2002; Peacock, 1997)
The second problem may be caused by the too culturally biased content of the authentic
materials (Matinez, 2002). Often being prepared for native speakers in a specific language
community, some authentic materials can only be understood with readers’ good
knowledge of cultural background. This may discourage both teachers and learners from
using authentic materials in language teaching and learning.
The third problem is that obtaining and adapting authentic materials can be time-
consuming because they require careful selection and special preparation to suit every
teaching situations and objectives. Teachers may need to spend hours and hours selecting
and preparing these materials until they finally have what they need and figure out how to
use them effectively in the classroom. What’s more, since these materials can become
outdated easily, such as stories, news in newspapers or magazines, so updating new
materials to fit learners’ needs and interest is considered to be so time-consuming. (Matinez
2002; Peacock, 1997)
Another possible shortcoming of using authentic materials may come out when students
learn a language for the sole purpose of getting success in an examination that focuses
largely on the knowledge of a language such as grammatical structures or/and lexical items.
This problem obviously has a negative impact on developing learners’ language skills. In
fact, if learners are presented with authentic texts that may not give the rules, patterns, or
structures they need in order to pass an exam, they may get frustrated and consider them as
an obstacle to their success. It even becomes worse if the wrong type of text is chosen with
linguistic demands irrelevant to learners’ needs and interest (Murdoch, 1999)
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