Date of Award
12-2017
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
English: Teaching English as a Second Language: M.A.
Department
English
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
Choonkyong Kim
Second Advisor
James Robinson
Third Advisor
Carol Mohrbacher
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
English for Secific Purposes (ESP), Curriculum, Curriculum Design, ESP Curriculum
Abstract
The number of immigrants in the United States workforce has only increased over the past four decades. In fact, “[b]etween 1970 and 2015, the percentage of foreign-born workers in the labor force more than tripled, from 5 percent to 17 percent” (Batalva & Zong, 2017). This statistic brings into question the necessity of English classes for not only day-to-day English, but also specifically for the workplace. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a branch of English teaching that is designed to help prepare English Language Learners (ELLs) for a specific career path. This study aimed to analyze the General English (GE) skills for students who participated in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course designed for aspiring Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Students were tested with the BEST Plus verbal and literacy tests before and after participating in the class. A survey with questions regarding students’ educational background and feelings about the CNA ESL class was also distributed. It was discovered that the majority of the students experienced increases in their GE speaking skills. Their literacy skills, on the other hand, did not show much improvement. Regardless of the lack of improvement in their literacy skills, many of the students reported seeing improvements in at least one aspect of their GE skills after taking this class.
Recommended Citation
Mulleneaux, Audra, "English for Specific Purposes (ESP): Which Linguistic Skills Improve and which do not Improve throughout the Duration of an ESP Class?" (2017). Culminating Projects in English. 108.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds/108
