Developing ESP Material Based on Tertiary Students’ Needs for Promoting Speaking Skills

Authors

  • Naviya Chutopama

    English Language Teaching Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Buriram Rajabhat University, Buriram 31000, Thailand
  • Thitaporn Putklang

    English Language Teaching Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Buriram Rajabhat University, Buriram 31000, Thailand
  • Akkarapon Nuemaihom

    English Language Teaching Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Buriram Rajabhat University, Buriram 31000, Thailand
  • R. Michael Smith

    College of Education, Niagara University, New York, NY 14109, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i2.8285
Received: 2 December 2024 | Revised: 22 January 2025 | Accepted: 23 January 2025 | Published Online: 19 February 2025

Abstract

Needs analysis is a critical step in ESP curriculum design to ascertain learners’ linguistic requirements. ESP offers a customized approach to language learning, targeting the specific communication needs of students in various professional domains. The research aimed 1) to investigate the needs analysis of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in tertiary students’ speaking material, 2) to develop the ESP material based on their needs, 3) to compare their speaking ability before and after using the material, and 4) to investigate their satisfaction with the usage of the ESP material developed by the researchers. The population was composed of the 4th year students majoring in English under the English Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Buriram Rajabhat University (BRU). The samples consisted of 29 students who were selected via a purposive sampling method. The research instruments consisted of a focus group discussion, ESP material developed, a pre-test and post-test, and a satisfaction form. The statistics used for analyzing the quantitative data were percentage, mean, and standard deviation while content analysis was made for analyzing the qualitative data. The research results revealed that: 1) They needed the ESP material with an emphasis on speaking skills with the topics relevant to the campus tour at Buriram Rajabhat University. 2) The ESP material developed in line with the BRU campus tour included the following six topics: Buddha Statue, Library, Multi-Purpose Sport Facility, Lower Northeastern Cultural Center, Phanompiman Hotel, and International Hostel. 3) Their speaking ability was significantly improved after using the ESP material for the BRU campus tour. 4) Their satisfaction with the ESP material developed was at the highest level.

Keywords:

Need Analysis; ESP Material; Tertiary Students; BRU Campus

References

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How to Cite

Chutopama, N., Putklang, T., Nuemaihom, A., & Smith, R. M. (2025). Developing ESP Material Based on Tertiary Students’ Needs for Promoting Speaking Skills. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(2), 739–750. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i2.8285

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 2 (February 2025): In Progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Naviya Chutopama, Thitaporn Putklang, Akkarapon Nuemaihom, R. Michael Smith

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.