Discusses the importance of adapting ESP instruction to the students' various needs and levels. (EKN)

Describes two special-purposes English programs for Egyptian economists. One consisted of conversation sessions and extensive writing, and the other focused on developing listening and reading. The group that concentrated on listening and reading had greater gains in writing ability than the group that concentrated on speaking and writing. (SED)

Discusses how the English-language-learning needs of a development project in Thailand were met. Describes how the language program that emerged became a critical episode that has subsequently informed work in various professional contexts. (Author/VWL)

Analyzes the linguistic, rhetorical, and conceptual variables of English scientific texts. Examines some problems which can arise in an English for special purposes reading program and notes some guidelines, based on the text analysis. (EKN)

Discusses the use of PLATO in South Africa as a means of instructing non-English speakers in English so that they will be able to enroll in university courses. PLATO was not particularly effective since its materials were written for native English speakers. (EKN)

Relates the experience of the staff of an aquaculture outreach program in Northeast Thailand in implementing an English for special purposes program. By actively involving learners in both the needs analysis and program design, teachers were able to adapt the program content to the requirements of the students. (15 references) (JL)

Chinese engineering students (n=29) scored significantly higher than Chinese English-as-a-second-language students (n=29) on an engineering-English reading test, although 62 percent of the variation in scores was accounted for by general English language proficiency rather than by components specific to engineering English. (Author/CB)

Describes research findings from a three-year curriculum research and development project involving developing English language materials for science education students at Ains Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Materials concentrate on comprehension skills of listening and reading and are taught by a cassette tape player in conjunction with…

Describes how the use of a simple phonetic system adapted to the local language taught English comprehension through the recognition of keywords, and the rudiments of producing direction-giving and information-giving answers to Spanish-speaking policemen in less than 10 hours. (Author/CB)

Discusses an experiment conducted with three classes of nursing students at Catania University Polyclinic (Italy) that attempted to find meaningful contexts for use in English as second language teaching curriculum (for nurses). By practicing dialogs typical of nurse-patient interactions in a hospital context, student nurses learned to interact…

Examines the dividing line between a general service vocabulary (GSV) and a special purposes vocabulary (SPV) in English-as-a-Second-Language education, using frequency, test coverage, and range as criteria. Results found that GSV is more efficient for learning up to the 2,000-word level, above which SPV provides a better return for learning…

Describes weaknesses of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) testing methods and argues that many EFL departments set up their own examinations to assess how effectively they are preparing students for those examinations. It is suggested that this leads to production of test items that are biased against divergent students and that an interview…

Considers the emphasis placed on furthering the spoken English skills of business students at a German polytechnic and attempts to show how this relates to the perceived vocational orientation of the future graduates pursuing a particular course of studies. (Author/CB)

Discusses the effectiveness of Kuwait University Language Center Placement Tests in promoting homogeneity of class ability levels. Looks at the appropriateness of multiple-choice tests of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension for placement and diagnostic purposes in large programs. Concludes that carefully designed and written…

Argues that hedging devices are a major pragmatic feature of effective scientific writing, and that students of English for special purposes should be taught to recognize and use them in their own work. The article examines the frequency, functions, and realizations of hedges and discusses a range of strategies for familiarizing students with…