English for Specific Purposes
Wrld

An Assessment of the Efficacy of Engineering ESP Teachers’ Training Program in promoting better performance at ESP classroom

Hussain Ahmed Liton

Lecturer

English Language Centre, Jazan University,

Jazan, P.O. box-114,

K.S.A

Cell phone: +966556765194

E-mail: husal@jazanu.edu.sa, haljusa@gmail.com

 Hussain Ahmed Liton is a Lecturer at English Language Centre, Jazan University, KSA. Formerly, he was Lecturer in Department of English, Bangladesh Islami University (BIU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has got widely published a dozen articles in local and international arena like Bangladesh, Turkey and India. He is the editor of a book entitled A World of English Grammar, Translation & Composition and member of Advisory Review Board of an International Journal. He taught ELT, Post-Colonial Literature, 20^th Century Literary Theory and Practice, Modern drama and Translation studies. His research interests are ELT, ESP, professional development, Post-Colonial Literature, Diaspora Asian English Literature, and Cultural studies. He took his graduation both B.A (Hon’s) and M.A in English Language and Literature from Islamic University, Bangladesh, and was placed 2^nd class 1^st in both levels.

Abstract

This paper attempts to assess and evaluate the efficacy of Engineering ESP Teachers’ training program for professional development and promoting better performance in the real classroom setting at Jazan University. This research, in other words, addresses the issues of success and value of the Training program in developing teachers’ pedagogical competence and performance in ESP classroom to meet Engineering students’ pragmatic needs of the global employment market. The author of this paper strived to explore the effectiveness of ESP teachers’ training program through survey questionnaires, observation as well as primary and secondary sources. The data were collected through questionnaires from a total of 46 ESP trainee teachers. The research results exposed that the ESP teachers’ training was highly effective in promoting teachers’ performance in the classroom, and they served better according to the students’ pragmatic needs in the workplace. It also showed that training was a useful forum for exchanging new knowledge, experience, theory and practice as well as trainees’ decision to adopt learner-centred task-based teaching practices in the ESP classroom. This study, on the other, suggests that ESP teachers' future training needs as a means of continuing professional development for effective teaching, and Ministry of Education should form a policy of TESP/TEFL training across the country. The paper also concludes with some effective implications based on the results of the data analysis.

Key Words: English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Professional development (PD), Effectiveness, Training

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