ESP Teacher Education Today: The Online Reflective Teacher Education Course in ESP

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, when Ewer (1983) was amongst the first to express the view that English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practitioners face various challenges when teaching ESP, very little improvement of the situation has been noted in the literature. According to Basturkmen (2012), ESP research mostly focuses on the needs of the learners and specialists discourse rather than ESP teaching methodology issues. Recent literature shows that ESP practitioners continue to be in need for Teacher Education (TE) (Gaye, 2020; Kirkgöz, 2019; Kakoulli Constantinou & Papadima-Sophocleous, in press; Tao & Gao, 2018). The present paper reports on a Technical Action Research study conducted during 2017-2019. The study aimed at addressing the neglected need for ESP TE among a group of 24 language instructors, consisting of ESP practitioners representing different ESP fields or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who expressed interest in educating themselves on issues of ESP teaching methodology or updating their knowledge on the latest developments in ESP teaching practices. Based on a) a thorough review of learning theories and TE models, b) online TE, c) the latest updates in the field of ESP, and d) an analysis of the 24 language instructors’ needs in ESP TE, the researcher developed the ReTEESP Online (The Online Reflective Teacher Education course in ESP). The study focused on the challenges the participants faced with the ReTEESP Online, the ways these challenges were addressed, suggestions for improvements in the future, and whether the participants benefitted from the course in the end. Data were elicited through a questionnaire administered at the beginning of the course, reflective journals, field notes, comments and messages exchanged, and focus groups and interviews that took place after the completion of the course. The study yielded important implications for ESP researchers, practitioners, teacher educators and stakeholders.