ESP Needs Analysis: Developing an ESP Course for Vietnamese Medical Students

Tóm tắt

This study attempted to investigate the language needs of medical students at Tan Tao University, Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam. Seventeen undergraduates majoring in Medicine, one ESP subject-specific teacher, and three in-service general practitioners participated in the study. Close-ended questionnaires, an open-ended survey, and a semi-structured interview were designed to obtain the needs of different stakeholders. The results of the data triangulation indicated that both students and teachers were generally satisfied with the current Medical English course at Tan Tao University in terms of facilities, coursebook, teaching methodology, and learning activities. However, the language skills provided in the course did not satisfy learners’ needs, as it did not fulfill their language demands in real-life medical settings. In this respect, some suggestions from the ESP teacher and in-service doctors were considered for revising the course.