The Motivations of Learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Courses: A Study of English for Nursing Purposes

Abstract

English language learning is not uncommon for many university students and programmes, particularly in the fields of nursing education. Pre-service nursing students are required to take certain courses of English language courses in order to meet the educational requirement in many universities in South Korea. However, there is no regulation about what types of English courses should be offered. In this study, based on the information (i.e. inductive surveys, interview sessions, and focus group activities) from 64 currently enrolled nursing students, the researcher sought to understand two research questions, which were, After the completion of both English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (i.e. English for Nursing Purposes) courses and English for General Purposes (EGP), which course would you prefer? Why; and how would the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (i.e. English for Nursing Purposes) courses meet your expectations as nursing students at the university-level? The results indicated that nursing students tend to select the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses for their English language development because the materials were designed to meet their occupational needs after university graduation (i.e. in the health facilities). The outcomes of this study provided a blueprint for school leaders and department heads to reform and polish their nursing curriculum and plan in order to answer the feedback of the students and pre-service nursing professionals.