VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THI ̣ MAI HƢƠNG

AN EVALUATION OF EBP MATERIAL “ENGLISH IN ECONOMICS AND
BUSINESS” FOR ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
STUDENTS IN HANOI UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND GEOLOGY
(ĐÁNH GIÁ GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH THƢƠNG MẠI “ENGLISH IN
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS” DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN KHOA KINH TẾ VÀ
QUẢN TRỊ DOANH NGHIỆP TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỎ - ĐỊA CHẤT HÀ NỘI)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 6014.0111

Hanoi, 2013


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THI ̣ MAI HƢƠNG

AN EVALUATION OF EBP MATERIAL “ENGLISH IN ECONOMICS AND
BUSINESS” FOR ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
STUDENTS IN HANOI UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND GEOLOGY
(ĐÁNH GIÁ GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH THƢƠNG MẠI “ENGLISH IN
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS” DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN KHOA KINH TẾ

suggestions and academic advice during the course of writing this thesis, without
which this work would hardly have been accomplished.
I also wish to acknowledge all the staff of the Department of Post-Graduate Studies
for giving me assistance and the lecturers who conducted the Master course for me
with valuable knowledge.
I would like to extend my deep appreciation to my colleagues and students at
English Division – Faculty of General Science, Faculty of Economics and Business
Management, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology.
Last, to my family, words are not enough to express my gratitude. I am grateful to
my parents, my dear husband, and my two little sons. Without their help and
encouragement, I could not have completed this study.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Communicative Language Teaching:

CLT

English for Academic Purposes:

EAP

English for Business Purposes:

EBP

English as A Foreign Language:


Vocational English as a Second Language:

VESL

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1. Diagram of business communication (Pickett, 1986: 16)
Figure 2. Closing the circle (McGrath, 2005: 180)
Table 1. Comparison of Topics Required in the Material and the Course
Table 2. Teachers and Students‟ Perception of the Appropriateness of the Material
to the Course objectives
Table 3. Teachers and Students‟ Perception of the Appropriateness of the Material‟s
Contents
Table 4. Teachers and Students‟ Perception of the Appropriateness of the Material‟s
Methodology
Table 5. Teachers and Students‟ Suggestions

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY OF THE THESIS ....................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................ii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................. iii
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ....................................................................... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... v
PART I: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1
1.


1.3.3. Types of Materials Evaluation .........................................................10
1.3.3.1. Pre – use Evaluation ..................................................................11
1.3.3.2. In – use Evaluation .....................................................................12
1.3.3.3. Post – use Evaluation .................................................................13
1.3.4. Criteria for Materials Evaluation ....................................................14
1.3.4.1. Sheldon’s Criteria ......................................................................15
1.3.4.2. Hutchinson and Waters’ Criteria .............................................15
1.4. Previous Researches on Materials Evaluation ......................................16
CHAPTER II: THE METHODOLOGY ...............................................................19
2.1. The Current Teaching and Learning Situation at HUMG ..................19
2.2. Research Methodology ............................................................................20
2.2.1. Research Questions ...........................................................................20
2.2.2. Survey Questionnaire .......................................................................21
2.2.3. Interviews ...........................................................................................22
2.3. Participants of the Survey .......................................................................22
2.3.1. The Teachers......................................................................................22
2.3.2. The Students ......................................................................................23
2.4. Data Collection Instruments ...................................................................24
2.4.1. Survey Questionnaires For Teachers ..............................................24
2.4.2. Survey Questionnaires for Students ................................................24
2.4.3. Informal Interviews with Teachers and Students ..........................25
2.5. Data Collection Procedures .....................................................................25
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ..........................27
3.1. The Course Objectives .............................................................................27
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3.2. The Material Analysis ..............................................................................28
3.2.1. The Description of the Material “English in Economics and

APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1 ......................................................................................................... II
APPENDIX 2 ......................................................................................................... V
APPENDIX 3 ..................................................................................................... VIII

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APPENDIX 4 ....................................................................................................... XI
APPENDIX 5 .................................................................................................... XIV
APPENDIX 6 ................................................................................................... XVII
APPENDIX 7 ...................................................................................................... XX

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PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the Study
English for Specific Purposes (ESP), along with the development of English as the
most powerful language in the world, has been a popular field for such a great of
scholars such as Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Ian McGrath (2005), Dudley –
Evans, and John (2007), and so on. Specifically, English for Business Purposes
(EBP) has been increasingly growing in the field of ESP parallel with the expansion
of the global commerce. As a result, any Vietnamese Business Administration
graduates who long to be recruited by a foreign enterprise need to train themselves
really good skills and knowledge of Business English. The teaching of EBP has
been apparently developing rapidly as well as the increase of various textbooks and
material employed. However, it is really hard to say which material is more
appropriate or which is less.
From the current situation, the issue here is to choose a right material for learners to

conclusion.
The Introduction aims at the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methodology and
also the design of the study.
The Developments consists of three chapters. Chapter I is Literature Review. This
chapter reviews some theories of basic concept (ESP, EBP, material evaluation)
based on the publications in the field. She also analyses some previous researches in
the same field. Chapter II is the methodology. In this chapter, the author presents
the research methodology and the instruments used to collect data mainly from the

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questionnaires. The interviews are used to make clear some misunderstandings in
the questionnaires. The procedure of collecting data and the analysis of the survey
data will be described carefully.
In the Conclusion, the author briefly summarizes the issues that have been
investigated and suggests some implications.

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PART II: DEVELOPMENTS
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter deals with English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English for Business
Purposes (EBP), English for General Business Purposes (EGBP), English for
Specific Business Purposes (ESBP) as well as the material‟s concepts, types and
criteria. Then, the chapter discusses relevant findings of researches in the field.
1.1. English for Specific Purposes
1.1.1. Definition of ESP

language learning, which is based on learner needs.
In brief, the author would like to follow the definition of Hutchinson and Waters
because the two writers reach a modern ideology here – “learner – centered”.
Although these scholars have their own ideas on ESP, they all share the same
opinion that ESP has certain characteristics as follows: ESP is designed to meet
specific needs of learners; ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and
activities of the disciplines it serves; ESP is centered in the language (grammar,
lexis, and register), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities.
1.1.2. A Brief Classification of ESP
Hutchinson and Waters (1987:16) states that ESP has two main types according to
whether the learner requires English for academic study (EAP: English for
Academic Purposes) or for work/ training (EOP/ EVP/ VESL: English for
Occupational Purposes/ English for Vocational Purposes/ Vocational English as a

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Second Language). The target learners of EAP are generally at schools and they
need English in their study. Meanwhile, EOP is used as part of learners‟ work or
occupation, for instance, to communicate with tourists (a tour guide), to persuade
the customer (a salesman). The crucial point here is that ESP course which will take
place depends mainly on whether the learners are studying English before, during or
after the time they are taught in their job.
With reference to Dudley – Evans & John (2007: 7) classifies EBP as a category
within EOP. EBP is sometimes seen as separate from EOP as it involves a lot of
General English as well as Specific Purposes English, and also because it is such a
large and important category. A business purpose is, however, an occupational
purpose, so it is logical to see it is part of EOP.
These classifications are, of course, not a clear – cut distinction: people can work
and study simultaneously; it is also likely that in many cases the language learnt for

topics covered and the professional relationship will all affect the choice of
language. (Dudley & Jo, 2007:55)
Moreover, according to Ellis and Johnson (2003: 3), Business English must be seen
in the overall context of ESP, as it shares the important elements of needs analysis,
syllabus design, course design, and material selection and development which are
common to all fields of work is ESP. as with other varieties of ESP, Business
English implies the definition of a specific language corpus and emphasis on
particular kinds of communication in a specific context. However, Business English
differs from other varieties of ESP in that it is often a mix of specific content
(relating to general ability to communicate more effectively, albeit in business
situations).

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1.2.2. English for General Business Purposes and English for
Specific Business Purposes
The distinction between EGBP and ESBP is extremely essential for the course
designers, researchers, teachers and learners to plan objectives or choose suitable
materials for the certain contexts. Ellis and Johnson (2003) affirm the crucial factor
which influences most to the course – learners. They assign learners into two kinds
– pre – experience (or low – experience) and job – experienced learners. „Pre –
experienced language learners are those studying, for example, Business Studies or
Trade Commerce at schools, colleges, or universities and job – experienced
language learners are those coming from companies or other business institutions:
managers, office staff and other professionals.‟
According to Dudley & Jo (2007:55), EGBP courses are usually for pre –
experience learners or those at the very early stages of their career. They are similar
to general EFL courses with the material set in business contexts. Many learners
attend these courses at a language school and groups will usually be formed on the

fitness of something for a particular purpose. Given a certain need, and in the light
of the resources available, which out of possibilities can represent the best solution?
Evaluation is, then, concerned with relative merit. There is no absolute good or bad
– only degrees of fitness for the required purpose.
Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) suggest that textbook evaluation helps
teachers move beyond impressionistic assessments and it helps them to acquire
useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into the overall nature of
textbook materials. Textbook evaluation, therefore, can potentially be a particularly
worthwhile means of conducting action research as well as a form of professional
empowerment and improvement. Similarly, textbook evaluation can also be a

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valuable component of teacher training programs for it serves the dual purpose of
making student teachers aware of important features to look for in textbooks while
familiarizing them with a wide range of published language instruction materials.
Tomlinson (2005: 15) affirms that materials evaluation is a procedure that involves
measuring the value (or potential value) of a set of learning material. It involves
making judgments about the effect of the materials on the people using them. He
also states that an evaluation is not the same as an analysis. It can include an
analysis or follow from one, but the objectives and procedures are different. An
evaluation focuses on the users of the materials and makes judgments about their
effects. No matter how structured, criterion referenced and rigorous an evaluation
is, it will be essential subjective. On the other hand, an analysis focuses on the
materials and it aims to provide an objective analysis on them. It „asks questions
about what the materials contain, what they aim to achieve and what they ask
learners to do‟ (Tomlinson, 1999: 10).
Materials evaluation, according to Dudley & Jo (2007:128), is a whole process that
begins with determining what information to gather and ends with bringing about

suitability of selection and selection
procedures

Figure 1. Closing the circle (McGrath, 2005: 180)
1.3.3.1. Pre – use Evaluation
According to Tomlinson (2005: 23), pre – use evaluation involves making
predictions about the potential value of materials for their users. It can be context –
free, as in a review of materials for a journal, context – influenced as in a review of
draft material for a publisher with target users in mind or context – dependent, as
when a teacher selects a course book for use with her particular class. Often pre –
used evaluation is impressionistic and consists of a teacher flicking through a book
to gain a quick impression of its potential value (publishers are well aware of this
procedure and sometimes place attractive illustrations in the top right – hand corner
of the right – hand page in order to influence the flicker in a positive way). Even a
review for a publisher or journal, and an evaluation for a ministry of education is

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often „fundamentally a subjective, rule of thumb activity‟ (Sheldon, 1988: 245) and
often mistakes are made. Making an evaluation criterion – referenced can reduce
(but not remove) subjectivity and can certainly help to make an evaluation more
principled, rigorous, systematic and reliable. This is especially true if more than two
evaluators conduct the evaluation independently and then average their conclusions.
1.3.3.2. In – use Evaluation
With reference to Tomlinson (2005: 24), this involves measuring the value of
materials whilst using them or whilst observing them being used. It can be more
objective and reliable than pre – use evaluation as it makes use of measurement
rather than prediction. However, it is limited to measuring what is observable (e.g.,
„Are the instruction clear to the learners?‟) and cannot claim to measure what is

materials?
 What can the learners still not do despite using the materials?
In other words, it can measure the actual outcomes of the use of the materials and
thus provide the data on which reliable decisions about the use, adaptation or
replacement of the materials can be made.
Ways of measuring the post – use effects of materials include:
 tests of what has been „taught‟ by the materials;
 tests of what the students can do;
 examinations;
 interview;
 questionnaires;
 criterion – referenced evaluations by the users;
 post – course diaries;
 post – course „shadowing‟ of the learners;
 post – course reports on the learners by employers, subject tutors, etc.

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The main problem, of course, is that it takes time and expertise to measure post –
use effects reliably (especially as, to be really revealing, there should be
measurement of pre – use attitudes and abilities in order to provide data for post –
use comparison).
In this study, the researcher would employ post – use evaluation method to evaluate
the assigned material because of its reliability and usefulness to provide important
information about the appropriateness of the material.
1.3.4. Criteria for Materials Evaluation
The aim to use criteria for materials evaluation is to “reach a decision regarding
what needs to be evaluated” (Tomlinson, 1998:220). This means they are the
foundation upon which evaluators depend when making judgments. Therefore, one

As mentioned before, evaluation involves making judgments which means the
evaluator needs criteria for comparative analysis. Hutchinson and Waters (1987)
have their own system of criteria. They concentrate mainly on evaluating the
content of the book itself. Generally, their opinions focus on the following points:
First, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), audience of the book is a leaner
– centered approach, the biggest aim of the ESP course is to meet the needs of
learners. The book therefore should be designed with its focus on learners‟
demands. As a result, the first and foremost criterion in materials evaluation is the
audience such as personal information (age, sex, study or professional area), work
experience, language level, cultural and educational background, and so on.

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