Introduction

Background of the study

English for Specific Purpose (ESP) is a widely discussed area in English Language Teaching (ELT) around the world. According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), ESP is “an approach to language teaching in which all decision as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning” (p. 19). ESP courses need to meet the specific needs of learners and its discipline. In Taiwan, due to globalization, many industries such as hospitality, tourism, and business require the use of English at work. Thus, ESP has received greater attention in higher education in Taiwan recently, particularly at technical universities (Tsai, 2013). ESP courses are commonly provided at higher education institutions in Taiwan, and many university students have positive perceptions of ESP courses due to its usefulness in future job market and performance (Lee, 2016).

The curriculum design and course content of ESP courses are important as they are “applicable and determined as a key entry-level to industrial sectors” (Lin et al., 2014, p. 2006). Yet, the ESP curriculum development in Taiwan is limited and has difficulties in designing curriculum, finding authentic teaching materials, implementing the curriculum, and hiring qualified ESP teachers (Tsou, 2009). Other potential problems ESP in Taiwan encounters include limited class hours, shortage of English communication opportunities in real life and at work, and “the possibility of ESP courses being limited to the learning of specific lexicon and the translation of content-specific texts” (Tsou et al., 2008, p. 245). Furthermore, there is a lack of ESP research conducted in Taiwan (Tsou et al., 2008). Thus, more ESP curriculum development, course design, and relevant class-oriented research situated in Taiwan are needed.

Huang (2020) conducted a study exploring university students’ perceptions of the use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) and its learning scenarios in an ESP course in Taiwan. The results of the study indicated that EMI was perceived to be effective in improving students’ English language, intercultural sensitivity (IS), and content knowledge and skills. This study was the pilot study of the present study. Although this study solved parts of the problems, it did not measure students’ actual performance in language and ESP competence. In addition, there were other course related problems that remained unsolved, which will be described in the following section. As a result, the present study was conducted to enhance students’ learning, overcome course related obstacles and challenges in existing literature as well as investigating the pedagogical benefits of the teaching model and instructional design.

Background of the course reform

Overview of Local Cultures in Taiwan was one of many elective courses offered in the Business and Tourism Module at a university in Taiwan. It was an ESP course aiming to enhance students’ English competence and their content knowledge and skills, striving to prepare students to become more competent in tour guiding and culture introduction. When the instructor first taught the course, the instructor received a fine teaching evaluation score of this course. However, students’ learning outcomes in English and content knowledge and skills were not very satisfactory. Moreover, some students were not very motivated to learn further nor were they engaged in classroom activities. They had passive learning attitudes. The quantitative results of course evaluation survey supported the assumptions above. The aspects that the instructor received lower scores were related to the instructional design of the course, such as the teaching methods, course content, assessment, and classroom activities, in relation to its effects on facilitating students’ learning and motivation. These results lent support to the hypothesis that the overall teaching and design of this course was acceptable but there was potential for improvement.

As a result, upon reflection on the design and implementation of the course, one of the most widely used instructional design models, Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation (ADDIE), was used to help reform the course (Peterson, 2003). According to Peterson (2003) and Davis (2013), ADDIE includes five phases. The first phase is Analysis, in which the instructor analyzes the target learners’ needs and course content while determining the instructional goals and course objectives. The second and third phases are Design and Development, in which all instructional planning and development are conducted including designing and developing the teaching materials, strategies, activities, and assessment to achieve the learning objectives. Then, it is followed by Implementation, which delivers the instructional plan. The last phase, Evaluation, is to measure the learning effects and outcomes during, or at the end of the Implementation phase. It is to examine whether the instructional plan actually solved the problem, met the learning objectives, and proved worthy to be kept in the future course. Consequently, this journey of the reform and innovation of the course began. The course was first analyzed by examining the course teaching materials, teacher instructions, teaching methods, classroom activities, and student assessments to see whether they met the course objectives and learner needs.

The analysis and the course instructor’s observations showed that this course indeed needed improvements in the following aspects (See Figure 2). First, for the course materials, when this course was taught at the beginning, it used a textbook written by a group of the faculty from the university. The textbook was well written, and it covered subjects including historical and natural sites, National Palace Museum, Hakka culture, and introduction of several cities in Taiwan. It provided exercises for the training in listening, reading comprehension, writing, and dialogue skills. However, as this textbook was published in 2009, it was no longer published, and its content and information needed to be updated. It was also noted that with the advance of technology and shift in students’ learning preferences, new teaching materials along with the updated classroom exercises were needed.

Second, following the previous syllabus and textbook, the class followed a very teacher-centered approach, with a lecture style form of instruction. Even though there were also some classroom activities for students to produce output and practice their English, lectures still took the majority of the classroom time.

Third, the original course design had a poor focus on students’ productive and communicative skills, which did not meet its course goals. The textbook used in this course included many exercises that targeted students’ receptive skills, such as listening and reading comprehension, but focused little on their productive skills. Many of the speaking exercises were usually dialogues for students to follow and repeat. In addition, there were not many classroom activities that engaged students and allowed them to interact or communicate with others. Therefore, students might have felt more “passive” than “active” in this class.

Fourth, this course lacked diverse and formative assessment. Although this course did not use written exams for assessment, in the early years, it did request students to produce their own vocabulary list for each theme as part of their assessment. Also, students needed to do written reports as well. The assessment was not very authentic nor formative.

In conclusion, this course was heading in the right direction, but there were multiple aspects of its instructional design that needed improvement to further facilitate students’ learning and motivation. As a result, a course reform and innovation were needed. The present study displays the reformation and implementation of the innovative instructional design of this course and evaluates its effectiveness on student learning as well as students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward the new course.

Introduction

Background of the study

English for Specific Purpose (ESP) is a widely discussed area in English Language Teaching (ELT) around the world. According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), ESP is “an approach to language teaching in which all decision as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning” (p. 19). ESP courses need to meet the specific needs of learners and its discipline. In Taiwan, due to globalization, many industries such as hospitality, tourism, ...

　Acknowledgements

致謝詞

僅將此書獻給我的家人們，尤其是我的父母，黃京笙先生和呂慶珊女士。沒有他們無私的愛、付出、栽培、與支持，就不會有現在的我，也不會有這本書的出版。對於慶瑗與慶玲阿姨給我的鼓勵與照顧，心懷感恩。特以此書來榮耀上帝，將此榮耀歸與神！也感謝在天上的奶奶、姥姥、慶蘭阿姨。

This book reflects and represents my dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work while recording my journey as an assistant professor. I would like to dedicate this work to my wonderful family, particularly my loving parents. Without their unconditional love, encouragement, and support, I would not have been me, and I would not have accomplished this work. I cannot thank God enough for them. I am extremely grateful to God for His love, guidance, and blessings. Without Him, this journey would not have been possible. I would like to thank my sister, Sky, for proofreading my Chinese abstract, and my brother, Kenneth, for comforting me. I am beyond grateful to my family, including my aunts and late grandmothers and aunt, for their love and faith in me. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my friends, Elaine Manky Li, Jamie Ng, and Archangela Girlanny Putri Tjendera, for being there for me, proofreading the drafts, and creating illustrations for this book. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends, colleagues and students for their kindness and support during this process.

　Acknowledgements

致謝詞

僅將此書獻給我的家人們，尤其是我的父母，黃京笙先生和呂慶珊女士。沒有他們無私的愛、付出、栽培、與支持，就不會有現在的我，也不會有這本書的出版。對於慶瑗與慶玲阿姨給我的鼓勵與照顧，心懷感恩。特以此書來榮耀上帝，將此榮耀歸與神！也感謝在天上的奶奶、姥姥、慶蘭阿姨。

This book reflects and represents my dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work while recording my journey as an assistant professor. I would like to dedicate this work to my wonderful family, particularly my lovi...

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Background of the Study
Background of the Course Reform
Purpose of the Study
Theoretical Frameworks of the Course
Learning by Doing
Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC)
Course Content and Classroom Practice
Course Setting
Teaching Model (CREATE)
Instructional Design
Research Methodology
Quantitative Methods
Qualitative Method
Research Design
Results
English Learning
Content Knowledge and Skills
Instructional Sensitivity (IS)
Students’ Perceptions of and Attitudes toward the Instructional Design
nnovation and Contributions
Innovation
Contributions and Applicability
Conclusion
References
Appendix A. Reform Timeline
Appendix B. Survey (English Translation)
Appendix C. Interview Questions (English Translation)

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Background of the Study
Background of the Course Reform
Purpose of the Study
Theoretical Frameworks of the Course
Learning by Doing
Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC)
Course Content and Classroom Practice
Course Setting
Teaching Model (CREATE)
Instructional Design
Research Methodology
Quantitative Methods
Qualitative Method
Research Design
Results
...