LECTURERS’ UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF ESP MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

In employing ESP materials, teachers do not only teach students, but also they have other responsibilities, for instances as material provider and evaluator. Therefore, teachers need to have clear understanding of the curriculum or material blueprint in order to make sure that their instruction is in line with the objectives of the program. Thus, the current study is employed to seek lecturers’ understanding and practice of ESP material development. Three lectures who teach English from different institutions were the participants in this study. A descriptive qualitative study was employed through questionnaire and interview to obtain the data. The results reveal that two lecturers had comprehensive understanding on the curriculum that was employed in their institutions, while one lecturer had not comprehended the curriculum well that was used in her institution. Then, in terms of how the lecturers put ESP into practice, it was found that the first lecturer followed the guidelines without giving additional material. Then, the second lecturer integrated ESP into the students’ disciplines by following the guidelines and developing additional material that is needed by his students, while the third lecturer presented the materials in general. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the lecturers need to comprehend well the curriculum and its elements  and put their creativity in delivering the materials by adjusting it to the students’ needs.