Efficacy of ESP in EFL Context: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The essence of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) is to provide a strong foundation of English required for specific professional disciplines, and the Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) in Saudi universities are designed to achieve the desired proficiency level required for various professional disciplines. The present study aims to delineate the efficacy of ESP vis-à-vis the PYP with special reference to Najran University. It intends to investigate whether PYP students' English proficiency conforms to ESP standards by analysing teachers' feedback and expert opinions. The research design makes methodological triangulation using both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) methods. Forty teachers of PYP, teaching various courses of English, Najran University were randomly selected to elicit their feedback and opinion on various aspects of students' linguistic proficiency vis-à-vis ESP standards. The questionnaire consisted of eleven questions using Likert's 5 scales (Strongly Agree, Agree, Can't Say, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). Semi-structured interviews were also used to acquire detailed perceptions of the teachers. Ten teachers were interviewed with four questions pertaining to the relevant research area. Based on the data analysis, it is observed that most of the students at PYP have language proficiency to learn ESP, but not up to the desired level. There is a need to enhance learners' proficiency level required for various professional disciplines. In the end, this study offers some remedial measures and suggestions aiming not only to raise the compatibility of ESP in the context of PYP in Saudi Arabia, but also to inject more ESP-oriented materials in the curriculum. 1. Introduction In today's globalized world, the significance of English has grown immensely. This significance has increased manifold in countries where English enjoys the status of English as a foreign language (EFL). It is no longer confined to academic circles only, but has expanded itself to commerce, business and personal communication of the people in the EFL-context countries. Communications, both academic and non-academic, and sharing of ideas are overwhelmingly done through the medium of English in the present global scenario. This is a consequence of the fact that this language has the highest and the most effective penetration among all countries of the globe; overwhelming majority of these countries being EFL specific. Since the English language is a storehouse of world knowledge, it has been chosen as the medium of instruction for higher studies in general in many regions of the world including the Gulf countries (Crystal, 2003). Saudi Arabia is no exception to this rule. It has provided a primary status to the English language in all its institutions of higher education. Following the example of global trend, colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia are opting English as the medium of instruction. The stature of English as the chosen language of academics and research has greatly influenced higher learning contexts in Saudi Arabia, particularly professional disciplines such as medicine, engineering, computer sciences etc. This has highly enhanced the scope for ESP in professional courses of specific disciplines. ESP courses require a particular level of language proficiency. The PYP is intended to enhance and elevate Saudi learners' language proficiency so that they are compatible with ESP standards in their professional disciplines.