ChemCourse: Design of an ESP Course for Chemists and Chemistry Students

Abstract

Because of this, we considered that the course should focus on skills, tasks, and activities common to both spheres: skills and tasks that students could perform at the university but that would also be helpful later on during their careers. [...]the target situations were minimized to the common grounds they covered, in terms of skills and strategies, language contents and functions, structures, and vocabulary. 7.4 Needs The needs where determined as a learning situation analysis (LSA). [...]the course proposal had to cater for both needs and wants simultaneously. [...]student motivation could be cultivated to prevent the usually high rates of desertion during ESP course implementation and practice, typical of previous courses for the master's practicum due to their "artificial" nature as courses with no academic credits assigned. 7.6 Lacks Lacks can also be perceived or objective, and felt or subjective (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998). According to the students themselves, their main lacks were insufficient fluency (94%); lack of self-confidence when speaking the language (89%); problems with grammar (67%); poor vocabulary (55%); insufficient reading comprehension (55%); limitations when writing, such as grammar or spelling (50%); and poor listening comprehension (33%). [...]language learning and language teaching.