Speaker
Description
The current study is based on data which was collected in the form of a questionnaire with the goal of establishing linguistic profiles as well as language needs and practices of students enrolled in 3 different English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at Tallinn University, Estonia. Responses of 50 students were analyzed qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Study participant demographic data demonstrated that students taking ESP courses represent different age groups (ranging from 21 to 54 years old), have different language backgrounds (almost a fifth speaking Russian as their 1st language), as well as differ in terms of their academic experience (ranging from students with no advanced degrees to PhD holders). Quantitative analysis revealed that students’ motivation to learn English decreases with age: younger learners appear to be more interested in mastering their English language skills. As far as English language practices, the results showed that the age of students is positively correlated with their communication patterns: younger students are more likely to use English for communication purposes. Additionally, the questionnaire showed that younger students tend to use English at work with their colleagues more frequently than their older classmates. These results among others are discussed in the context of ESP curriculum development and course design.
Biographical note(s) of the author(s)
Alina Yevchuk is a PhD student at Tallinn University enrolled in the Linguistics program. Her area of research includes near-synonyms, EFL, vocabulary instruction, TESOL, and corpus linguistics.
Affiliation of the author(s)
Tallinn University (Estonia)
| Contact e-mail address | ayevchuk@gmail.com |
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