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Vocational students' needs of ESP textbook in Thai EFL context |
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| รหัสดีโอไอ | |
| Title | Vocational students' needs of ESP textbook in Thai EFL context |
| Creator | Tanut Chaiya |
| Contributor | Panna Chaturongakul, Advisor |
| Publisher | Thammasat University |
| Publication Year | 2568 |
| Keyword | ESP textbooks, Needs analysis, Vocational education |
| Abstract | This study examines vocational students' views and needs towards English for Specific Purposes (ESP) textbooks within the Thai EFL context, specifically in the field of electronics. The research was inspired by the growing significance of English in vocational education, as indicated by the Office of the Vocational Education Commission’s agenda for improving language proficiency, and by the acknowledgment that numerous existing ESP materials may not adequately meet learners’ professional demands. The research utilized a mixed-methods approach, incorporating a questionnaire modified from Litz (2005) and semi-structured interviews. Thirty vocational students from a technical college majoring in electronics participated in the study. The questionnaire gathered quantitative data, analyzed with descriptive statistics, and qualitative data through open-ended questions. The interviews provided further comprehensive insights into the students' views, challenges, and expectations.The results indicated that students predominantly held favorable views of the current ESP textbook, especially for its applicability to technical vocabulary, reading materials, and workplace communication. Nonetheless, other drawbacks were identified, including inadequate possibilities for speaking practice, excessively concise grammatical explanations, and difficulties with listening exercises caused by unclear audio and the deficiency of transcripts. Visual mistakes, including inconsistent visuals and terms, were also emphasized. Significantly, when analyzed within the framework of necessities, lacks, and wants (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998), the findings indicated that students acknowledged the necessity of English for workplace contexts, identified deficiencies in communicative practice, and proposed a need for more engaging, game-based, and interactive activities.This study enhances ESP literature within the Thai vocational setting by highlighting the necessity of connecting textbook content with learners' professional realities and learning preferences. This corroborates apprehensions expressed in other research (e.g., Hutchinson & Waters, 1987; Barnard & Zemach, 2003) about the restricted communicative efficacy of numerous ESP textbooks. Practical implications necessitate that curriculum developers, textbook authors, and policymakers include authentic, skills-oriented, and contextually appropriate materials that enhance communicative competence.The study suggests that although the existing textbook largely meets the needs of vocational students, it is essential to place greater focus on communicative tasks, diverse skill integration, and learner-centered activity design. The study's limitations are a very small sample size and a single-institution emphasis, which restrict generalizability. Future study ought to encompass larger and more diverse samples across institutions and investigate the use of technology-enhanced and interactive materials for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning. |
