English for Specific Purposes: a technical English guideline for 6th level general English students in the International Business career at PUCESE 2014

Abstract

This study follows the steps of the scientific method to test the effect of creating and applying a Technical English guideline for 6^th level General English students in the International Business career at PUCESE. Some students from the above-mentioned career were asked about their opinion regarding the teaching of Technical English related to their profession. Most of the students polled said they would like to learn this branch of English in order to increase their Business English vocabulary. Based on these results, the guideline was applied through an 18-hour course focused on English for Academic and Occupational Purposes (EAOP). It is part of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which is a sphere of teaching English language that takes into account the learners’ language needs. The guideline content was taught through the application of the Task-based Language Learning (TBLL) method, which focuses on meaning rather than forms of the language. The results collected after applying the guideline showed these students were all satisfied with the development of this project since they had the opportunity to improve their Technical English knowledge and increase their business vocabulary through exposure to real trade situations and a number of practical activities aimed to promote significant learning. The students involved also said all their expectations regarding the content (vocabulary) and the methodology were covered during the course period. It is concluded that the creation and application of the ESP based guideline had a positive effect on the participants, who were able to learn the English language related to their professional career.