VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES
************************* ĐỖ THỊ HUYỀN DESIGNING AN ESP READING SYLLABUS FOR THE STUDENTS
OF LAND MANAGEMENT AND USE AT BAC GIANG UNIVERSITY
OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN
NGÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN NGÀNH QUẢN LÝ VÀ SỬ DỤNG ĐẤT,
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NÔNG - LÂM BẮC GIANG M.A MINOR THESIS Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Code: 601410
Supervisor: KHOA ANH VIỆT, M.A.
Hanoi - 2012

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1.1. An overview of ESP
4
1.1.1. Definition and characteristics of ESP
4
1.1.2. Classification of ESP
6
1.2. An overview of syllabus design
7
1.2.1. Definition of syllabus
7
1.2.2. Syllabus design
9
1.2.3. Approaches to ESP syllabus design
9
1.2.3.1. Language-centred approach
9
1.2.3.2. Skills-centred approach
10
1.2.3.3. Learning-centred approach
10
1.2.4. Types of syllabus
10
1.2.4.1. Structural/grammatical syllabus
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1.2.4.2. Situational syllabus
12

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1.2.4.3. Functional-notional syllabus
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2.2. The target students
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2.3. The English staff at BUAF
24
2.4. The materials
25
2.5. The study
25
2.5.1. The subjects
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2.5.2. Instruments for collecting data
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2.6. Summary
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CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
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3.1. Needs perceived by the English teachers, the subject teachers and
the target students
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3.1.1. Attitude towards the necessity of an ESP reading syllabus for the
second year students of Land Management and Use
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3.1.2. Opinions on the objectives of the ESP reading course
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3.1.3. Opinions on needed topics in the ESP reading syllabus
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3.1.4. Opinions on needed grammar items in the ESP reading syllabus

4.6. The proposed ESP reading syllabus for the second-year students of
Land Management and Use at BUAF
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4.7. Sample unit
38
4.8. Summary
38
PART C: CONCLUSION
39
1. Conclusions
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2. Limitations
40
3. Suggestions for further study
40
REFERENCES
41
APPENDICES
I

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
EAP: English for Academic Purposes
EBE: English for Business and Economics
EEP: English for Educational Purposes
EFL: English as a foreign language
EOP: English for Occupational Purposes
ESP: English for Specific Purposes
ESS: English for Social Sciences

of topics relating to Land Management and Use
Table 3: The English teachers‟ choice of the grammatical structures in the reading
ESP syllabus
Table 4: The English teachers and the target students‟ choice of reading skills and
reading exercises in the ESP reading syllabus
Table 5: The proposed ESP reading syllabus for the second-year students of Land
Management and Use at BUAF

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for choosing the topic
English is now considered to be one of the most popular languages in the
world. In Vietnam, it has been more and more widely used and occupied an
especially important status in the development of international relationship. More
importantly, English has an influence on our education curriculum as a compulsory
subject.
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has developed as an independent
discipline apart from general English, and it has gained popularity throughout the
world, especially in tertiary education where there is a great variety of majors. Fully
aware of the importance of the English language teaching and learning in general
and ESP in particular, BUAF has introduced ESP courses into the curriculums of

second-year students majoring on Land Management and Use at Land Resources
and Environment Department at BUAF. To achieve this aim, three following
objectives are set to be obtained.
- To get an overview of the theories related to ESP reading and syllabus
design;
- To conduct a needs analysis to identify the students‟ learning situation, the
learning needs perceived by the teachers who are responsible for the ESP course,
the subject teachers, and the second-year students of Land Management and Use;
- To propose an appropriate ESP syllabus for the target students based on the
relevant theories and the needs analysis.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will be of some benefits to the
teaching ESP to the second year students of Land Management and Use at BUAF.
3. Scope of the study
The scope of this study is limited to a study on designing an ESP reading
syllabus for the second - year students of Land Management and Use at BUAF. It is
conducted with the second year students of Land Management and Use, subject
teachers and English teachers within BUAF context. Within the scope of a minor

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thesis, only the basic theories related to ESP reading and syllabus design are
presented. Other approaches to syllabus designs intended for students and other
subjects at any other levels of English language proficiency would be beyond the
scope.
4. Methods of the study
For this study the following approaches were adopted. First, relevant
literature and studies were reviewed in order to get in-depth information. Second,
the results were surveyed through questionnaires. Finally, the information obtained
from the survey was analyzed and checked against information obtained from
literature and other sources.
5. Design of the study

primacy of needs in ESP. According to them “The foundation of all ESP is the
simple question: Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language? From this
question will flow a whole host of further questions, some of which will relate to
the learners themselves, some to the nature of the language the learners will need to
operate, some to the given learning context” (Hutchinson and Walter, 1987: 19). On
the whole, they conclude ESP is “an approach to language teaching in which all
decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for
learning"(Hutchinson and Walter, 1987:19).
Needs analysis is also mentioned in many authors‟ definitions of ESP.
Robinson (1991:3), while discussing the criteria of ESP, mentions the element of
students‟ needs. She believes that ESP courses develop from a need analysis “which
aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do
through the medium of English” (cited in Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998: 3).
Supporting these ideas, Richards et al. (1992:125) define the parent
discipline of ESP as „the role of English in a language course or programme of
instruction in which the content and aims of the course are fixed by the specific
needs of a particular group of learners‟.

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Dudley-Evans agrees with the above authors and scholars when he theorizes
“English for specific purposes (ESP) has tended to be a practical affair, most
interested in investigating needs, preparing teaching materials, and devising
appropriate teaching methodologies. ” (2001:ix).
Although there have been many definitions of ESP given by different authors,
the Strevens‟ definition seems to cover detailed characteristics of an ESP course. He
identifies and makes a distinction between its absolute and variable characteristics:
Four absolute characteristics are:
1- designed to meet specified needs of the learner;
2- related in content (that is in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines,
occupations and activities;

ESP For study in a specific discipline In-study
Post-study
EEP/EAP Independent
As a school subject
Integrated
Figure 1. ESP Classification by experience
(Robinson, 1991:3-4, taken from Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998: 6)
However, according to Hutchinson (1987:16) "This is not a clear-cut
distinction: people can work and study simultaneously, it is also likely that in many
cases the language learnt for immediate use in a study environment will be used
later when the student takes up, or returns a job". According to him, ESP is divided
into three categories basing on nature of the learners' specialism, namely English for
Science and Technology (EST), English for Business and Economics (EBE) and
English for Social Sciences (ESS). Each of these is subdivided into two branches:
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes
(EOP).
Altogether, it is generally accepted that ESP can be divided into EAP and EOP.
On the divisions mentioned above, English for Land Management and Use belongs
to EOP.

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In sum, studying different types of ESP is an essential step providing ESP
teachers with an overall picture of their target students to conduct a needs analysis
to have a well-designed ESP syllabus for the target students.
1.2. An overview of syllabus design
1.2.1. Definition of syllabus
The notion of “syllabus” has been defined by different writers. In the existing
literature on language education, the terms “curriculum” and “syllabus” and
“methodology” are still causing confusion among both researchers and practitioners.
Krahnke (1987:2) says that there is “a confusing discussion of „method‟ versus

syllabus is more specific and more concrete than a curriculum, and a curriculum
may contain a number of syllabuses”. He also indicates that a curriculum may
specify only the goals meanwhile a syllabus specifies the contents of the lessons
used to move the learners toward the goal. Similarly, Nunan (1988:8) states that:
“„Curriculum‟ is concerned with the planning, implementation, evaluation
management, and administration of education programmes. „Syllabus‟, on the other
hand, focuses more narrowly on the selection and grading of content”.
Dubin and Olshtain (1986) share the same view with Krahnke and Nunan in
stating that “A curriculum provides a statement of policy, while a syllabus specifies
details of course content” (Dubin and Olshtain, 1986:40).
To sum up, syllabus can be narrowly then broadly defined. Basically, a
syllabus can be seen as “a statement of content which is used as the basic for
planning courses of various kinds, and that the task of the syllabus designer is to
select and grade this content” Nunan (1988:6). In order to design a reading syllabus
for students of Land Management and Use at BUAF, the author attempts to adopt
the view as “syllabuses are specifications of the content of language teaching which
have been submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the aim of
making teaching and learning a more effective process” (Wilkins, 1981 cited in
Read, 1984:3-4). Particularly, aims of the course, expected outcomes, names of

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major topics and activities/tasks, time allocation, suggested teaching/learning
methods and materials are included in the suggested syllabus.
1.2.2. Syllabus design
In Munby‟s words, syllabus design is “a matter of specifying the content that
needs to be taught and then organising it into a teaching syllabus of appropriate
learning units” (Munby, 1984 cited in Read, 1984:59)
Nunan (1988:5) defines that “Syllabus design is seen as being concern with
the selection and grading of the content”.
Sharing the same view Brown (1995) notes that syllabus design can be

1987:69) because it focuses on developing learners‟ skills and strategies. In spite of
taking more into account the learners than language-centered approach, skill-
centred approach still views the learner as a user of language rather than as a
learner of language. The processes it is concerned with are the processes of
language use, not of language learning. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:70)
1.2.3.3. Learning-centred approach
Basing on the recognition of the complexity of the learning process, the aim of
learning-centered approach is „to maximize learning‟ (Hutchinson and Water
1987:72). Learning-centred approach in comparison with the two above-mentioned
ones is more advantageous in the sense that the learner is fully taken into account. It
does not only pay attention to the learner to identify the target situation and to
analyze the learning situation, but also considers the learner at every stage of the
design process.
In all, in order to design an appropriate ESP syllabus, it is important to take
account into approaches to syllabus design. With its best points, the learning-
centered will be applied in designing the ESP reading syllabus for students of Land
Management and Use at BUAF.
1.2.4. Types of syllabus
Some different ways of classifying syllabuses are employed by different
researchers. In this study the author would like to discuss some main types of
syllabus.

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1.2.4.1. Structural/grammatical syllabus
Krahnke (1987:10) states that “A structural (or formal) syllabus is one in
which the content of language teaching is a collection of the forms and structures,
usually grammatical, of the language being taught”. According to Nunan (1988:8),
the structural/grammatical syllabus is a type of syllabus in which syllabus input are
“selected and graded according to grammatical notions of simplicity and
complexity”.

and cannot be fully understood without reference to that context. (Krahnke, 1987:10)
shares the same view with Richards in stating that this type of syllabus consists of
real or imaginary situations that the learners will have to deal with in real life and
the language as well as the typical communicative acts used in that setting.
Situations provide contexts of discourse in which form and meaning coincide.
Therefore, the situational syllabuses “have the advantage of presenting language in
context and teaching language of immediate practical use” (Richards, 2001:156).
Besides, it heightens motivation because the content is quite relevant to the interests
and needs of the learners and it is learner-rather than subject-centred.
However, there is a problem of selecting and sequencing or grading situations in
terms of difficulty or as to which ones need to be 'learned' before others. Besides,
“too great a use of predetermined and artificial situations can lead to lack of transfer,
as students are led to rely on prelearned routines and patterns of language use rather
than creative and negotiated uses of language” (Krahnke, 1987:45). Furthermore,
grammar is dealt with incidentally, so a situational syllabus may result in gaps in a
student‟s grammatical knowledge. In addition, “language used in a specific situation
may not transfer to other situations” Richards (2001:157).
1.2.4.3. Functional-notional syllabus
Krahnke (1987:10) defines “A notional/functional syllabus is one in which the
content of the language teaching is a collection of the functions that are performed
when language is used, or of the notions that language is used to express”. In
contrast to the two above mentioned syllabuses, functional-notional syllabus
focuses on the real communicative function of language such as informing, agreeing,

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apologizing, requesting, complaining, suggesting, etc. or the notions that language
is used to express such as size, age, color, time and so on.
The advantage of this type of syllabus is that “it sets realistic learning tasks”,
and “provides for the teaching of everyday real-world language” (Finocchiaro and
Brumfit, 1983:17, cited in Nunan, 1988:36). That means it reflects a more

addresses students‟ needs. Secondly, it allows for integration of the four skills and
for use of authentic materials. Thirdly, content makes linguistic form more
meaningful and serves as a basis for teaching skill areas. Finally, it facilitates
comprehension.
However, this type of syllabus also presents a problem of monitoring the
balance between content and grammar or other strands in the syllabus. One more
weak point of this type of syllabus is that it is also difficult to make sure that all the
topics and texts chosen will give a sufficient exposure to the language that is a
representative of the target situation. In addition, it is not easy for ESL teacher to
qualify to teach content-based courses and to decide what should be the basis for the
assessment-learning of content or learning of language (Richards, 2001:158).
1.2.4.5. Skills-based syllabus
The term "skill" in language teaching has generally been used to designate
one of the four modes of language: speaking, listening, reading, or writing (Chastain,
1976, cited in Krahnke, 1987: 49). A Skills-based syllabus, thus, is defined “one
that is organized around the different underlying abilities that are involved in using
a language for purposes such as reading, writing, listening, or speaking” (Richards,
2001:159). One of these macro skills - reading, for example, may be broken down
into smaller micro-skills such as skimming, scanning, or reading for certain types of
information.
“Relevance to student-felt needs or wants is an advantage of the skill-based
syllabus because learners who know what they need to do with the language
generally show great acceptance of instruction that is clearly directed toward their
goals” (Krahnke, 1987: 54). The skills-based syllabus also focuses on performance

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in relation to specific tasks and therefore provides a practical framework for
designing courses and teaching materials.
However, there are issues that arise in developing a skills-based syllabus.
Firstly, there is no serious basis for determining skills. Secondly, it focuses on

the communicative skills can‟t direct learners to attain these skills. Additionally, it
seems to have no place for teaching grammar in task-based syllabuses. Thus,
learners who are familiar to traditional grammatical syllabus may find it difficult to
follow task-based syllabuses.
Obviously, it is difficult to say which type of syllabus is better than the
others because each of the above types of syllabus has its own merits and
drawbacks. Although the six types of syllabus are mentioned and discussed in
isolated contexts, it is rare for one type of syllabus to be used exclusively in actual
teaching settings. These types of syllabus are usually combined in more or less
integrated ways, with one type as the organizing basis around which the others are
arranged and related. Krahnke (1987:75) concludes: “For almost all instructional
programs, it is clear that some combination of types of instructional content will be
needed to address the complex goals of the program”.
With an effort to design a suitable syllabus for students of Land Management
and Use at BUAF and to maximize the efficiency of these types of syllabus, the
combination or integration of topic-based syllabus and skill-based syllabus as the
main ones with others will be a good solution.
1.2.5. Shapes of syllabus
Dubin and Olshtain (1997:51-61) present five possible types of syllabus
including linear format, modular format, cyclical format, matrix format, and story-
line format. In this thesis, the author adopts the modular format in which
academically oriented units are integrated owing to the fact that it is well suited to
courses which integrate thematic contents.
1.2.6. Steps to design a syllabus

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Discussing about syllabus design in the light of the communicative approach,
Munby (in John A.S. Read, 1984:58) suggests that “designing a syllabus involves a
logical sequence of three stages: 1. Needs analysis; 2. Content specification; 3.
Syllabus organization”. Nunan (1988:75-96) suggests four steps in syllabus design

and information received from colleagues are also important. Questionnaires are the
method of identifying needs for this study.
1.2.6.2. Goals and objectives setting
Setting the basis goals and objectives of the syllabus is a vital step in
syllabus designing. According to Graves K. (1996), “goals are general statements or
the final destination, the level students will need to achieve. Objectives express
certain ways of achieving the goals, in other words, objectives are teachable chunks,
which in their accumulation form the essence of the course” (cited in Sysoyev:
2000). Nunan (1988:61) distinguishes “goals” and “objectives” as follow:
“Goals statements are relatively imprecise. While they act as a signpost, they
need to be fleshed out in order to provide information for course and programme
planners. This can be achieved through the specification of objectives”
Nunan (1988:61) states that “objectives can be useful, not only to guide the
selection of the structures, functions, notions, tasks, and so on, but also to provide a
sharper focus for teacher. Accordingly, goals and objectives of the syllabus
determine the selections of the learning contents, teaching procedures and
activities”. In other words, formulating goals and objectives for a syllabus will help
teachers to be sure what the course is going to be about, what material to teach, and
when and how it should be taught. Clear, precise and appropriate goals and
objectives are also a guide for evaluation as well.
1.2.6.3. Content specification
After having determined the language needs of the learner, the goals and
objectives of the syllabus; the next step would be to decide on the content of the
syllabus. Syllabus designers can specify or select the content in an ESP syllabus
through a series of checklists which deal with communicative functions, discourse
skills, and study skills.

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According to Shaw (1975), content selecting is concerned with two questions:
“How much can we teach or how much can be learnt by the learners in question?”