Investigating the Challenges and Instructional Approaches in Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to Undergraduates in Pakistan’s Public Universities

Abstract

English ESP has become an important aspect of the postsecondary English language education especially in countries in the developing world which use English as the primary language of commerce, as well as of learning activities at the college and university level. It has become one of the major components of academic programs providing students with language-related skills analyzed by reference to their respective disciplines. The ESP is not merely aimed at general proficiency of the language, it is concentrated on specialized vocabulary and even the specifics of the language used in different spheres of professions. The pressure is increasingly put on the undergraduate students in the Pakistani public universities to acquire their language skills specific to the fields of work in anticipation of finding job later in life. Within such competitive atmosphere, proper ESP training is critical to the development of students who can fare well in the requirements of the work place in terms of communication particularly, when the languages of interaction and instruction are English. However, there are different factors that interfere with effective execution of ESP programs. Among them, there are the lack of prepared teachers of ESP, the lack of curriculum development, lack of teaching resources, the gap between the course content and the needs of the real world. The barriers to instruction and learning institutional barriers like administrative lackadaisical attitude and lazy support policies among others also contributes to these issues.The purpose is to identify the main problems that defy teachers and learners in the ESP classroom and how the instructors cope with the issues. Among the coping skills used by teachers, adaptation of materials and interactive strategies are frequently implemented by the former to improve the results of learning.The data will be also gathered with the help of interviews, the sample will be chosen with the help of purposive sampling approach. The sample will consist of the teachers who have first-hand experience of teaching at the undergraduate level, that is, in public sector universities, ESP. Thematic analysis will be applied on the data collected so that patterns and themes about ESP instructions are established. The results will prove useful to the body of knowledge and also benefit the practice of teaching ESP in the higher education sector in Pakistan.

Keywords: English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Undergraduate Education, Instructional Approaches, Teaching Challenges, Public Universities in Pakistan