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  • I

    DELTA Module 3: Extended Essay

    EAP: An EGAP Course

    Mustafa Akincioglu

    Centre Number: .....

    Candidate Number: .....

    Date: June-2012

    Word Count: 4474

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course II

    Table of Contents

    Part 1 ........................................................................................................................... 1

    Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1

    Part 2 ........................................................................................................................... 5

    The Learners ............................................................................................................ 5

    Needs Analysis ........................................................................................................ 5

    Findings ................................................................................................................... 6

    General Information .............................................................................................. 6

    Learning Styles ..................................................................................................... 6

    Motivation ............................................................................................................. 6

    Self-Diagnosis ...................................................................................................... 7

    Language Level .................................................................................................... 7

    Part 3 ........................................................................................................................... 8

    Aims and Objectives ................................................................................................ 8

    Course Constraints ................................................................................................ 10

    Syllabus Design ..................................................................................................... 11

    Part 4 ......................................................................................................................... 13

    Assessment and Course Evaluation ...................................................................... 13

    Assessment ........................................................................................................ 13

    Course Evaluation .............................................................................................. 16

    Part 5 ......................................................................................................................... 16

    Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 16

    Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 19

    Appendices ................................................................................................................ 23

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course III

    Appendix 1: Course Plan ....................................................................................... 23

    Appendix 2: Needs Analysis and Test Results ...................................................... 33

    Appendix 3: Completed Samples of the Needs Analysis Instruments ................... 36

    Appendix 4: Completed Diagnostic Test ................................................................ 36

    Appendix 5: Samples of Assessment and Evaluation Tools .................................. 36

    Appendix 6: Samples of Course Materials ............................................................. 36

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 1

    Part 1

    Introduction

    I have chosen English for Academic Purposes (EAP) for my DELTA Module 3

    Extended Assignment. The reason for this choice is that as a non-native speaker

    who has recently gone through the intensive DELTA and an Applied Linguistics

    Masters program, I have become more aware that academic skills are of seminal

    importance if one is to be successful within an academic community. Hence, I have

    decided to further expand my understanding of this subject area both to help myself

    become a more successful academic and also to help the students whom I tutor.

    The concept of EAP first manifested itself at an institutional level when the

    British organization, Special English Language Materials for Overseas University

    Students was formed in 1972 (Hamp-Lyons, 2001). As a sub-branch of English for

    Specific Purposes (ESP) (Jordan, 1997), EAP can be described as programs

    designed to prepare non-native users of English for English-medium academic

    settings and as being a branch of applied linguistics (Hamp-Lyons, 2001:126).

    Further to this, it has two main branches; English for General Academic Purposes

    (EGAP) and English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) (Jordan, 1997).

    Before looking specifically at issues within EAP, we must briefly discuss how

    EAP differs from General English Teaching (GET). In doing so, we will refer to

    Alexander, Argent and Spencer (2008).

    1. EAP is goal driven whereas GET is level driven;

    2. In EAP contexts, time for courses is usually limited and study is often a one-

    off endeavour whereas in GET contexts, time parameters are more flexible;

    3. EAP courses are high stakes as the outcome of the course dictates whether

    students will gain entry onto their chosen courses/whether they will be

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 2

    successful within their academic field. GET is lower-stakes as students are

    often studying for personal/general reasons.

    4. EAP students are often instrumentally motivated whereas for GET students

    motivation can vary;

    5. In EAP contexts, teachers and students are more equal whereas GET

    teachers are seen as language experts;

    6. In EAP, content is limited to academic discourse whereas GET includes a

    wide range of communicative situations;

    7. In EAP, the main emphasis is on reading and writing whereas in GET

    speaking and listening are usually prioritised;

    8. In EAP, materials are chosen from academic disciplines and written texts

    must conform to academic standards. In GET, materials often focus on self-

    expression and creativity;

    9. In EAP, study-skills and strategy training are prioritised whereas in GET there

    is little emphasis on these skills.

    As mentioned above, EAP can be broken into two main categories; EGAP and

    ESAP. This divide has been contentious as those in favour of EGAP claim that EAP

    should be concerned with a common core of universal skills or language forms (e.g.

    Spack, 1988) whilst those in favour of ESAP argue that as there is clear evidence

    that academic discourses represent a variety of specific literacies (e.g. Hyland and

    Hamp-Lyons, 2002:5) we must focus on discipline specific genres, languages, and

    skills (ibid.). These opposing viewpoints challenge course planners to take a stance

    on how they view language and learning and examine their courses in the light of

    this stance (Hyland, 2008:9). A course designers stance has obvious implications

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 3

    for the way teaching is organised (Hyland and Hamp-Lyons, 2002) and the training

    EAP teachers need in order to perform their roles effectively.

    In order to determine which approach is more suitable, we must look more

    closely at ESAP and EGAP advantages and disadvantages. Hyland (2006:10-13)

    states that an advantage of EGAP courses is that they help students with limited

    English proficiency develop a set of language forms/skills that are transferrable

    across disciplines which acts as a good base for them to begin tackling more subject

    specific language/skills. Another important advantage is that EGAP courses may be

    considered more practical as they tend to be less complicated in terms of course

    design as they focus on and teach pre-determined core academic forms/skills.

    Furthermore, it is easier to train EAP teachers to teach such courses as they do not

    need a high degree of subject-specialist knowledge. However, this holistic approach

    can also turn in to a disadvantage, especially when learners aim to go into

    disciplines such as medicine, history, engineering etc. that do not share much in

    common in terms of commonly shared language skills and academic conventions

    (ibid.).

    Despite the practicality of EGAP courses, today ESAP tends to be preferred

    due to the notion that EAP teachers cannot rely on subject specialists to teach

    discipline-specific literacy skills, as they are not trained to do so (ibid.). One

    important advantage of this approach is that ESAP courses aim to equip learners

    with subject-specific language skills and academic literacies that will be of great use

    when they start their studies. Whilst this is a great advantage, in practical terms, it

    may not be possible to organise EAP courses for specific disciplines due to the

    constraints of the course centres (Lynch, 2001). Another disadvantage is that ESAP

    approaches require EAP teachers to have subject-specific knowledge. Training EAP

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 4

    teachers to conform to these qualities poses a great challenge for the teacher

    training programs as they need to train teachers who either have specialist-

    knowledge in a variety of disciplines, which is a formidable target to achieve, or have

    specialist-knowledge in a specific discipline, which requires the course centres to

    employ a greater number of ESAP teachers than they normally do. Having looked at

    both approaches, it still remains problematic to determine which approach is more

    comprehensive as EAP contexts vary vastly and each course brings about unique

    needs and challenges; thus, the specific needs of the EAP course to be designed

    and delivered will dictate which approach to be taken.

    Finally, there are two other important ethical issues within EAP that must be

    considered. The first is the dramatic growth of the field due to the hegemony that

    English enjoys within the global academic community (Canagarajah, 1999), which

    has negatively impacted scholarly writing in other national cultures (Hyland, 2006:8).

    The second is EAPs aim to socialise learners into particular academic discourse

    communities (Alexander, Argent, & Spencer, 2008), which is felt, by some, to be a

    form of linguistic imperialism and therefore damaging to other cultures it maintains

    unequal power relationships within the international community (Phillipson, 1992).

    Whilst the above is undoubtedly unjust, all EAP teachers can do is to develop critical

    awareness and the ability to de-naturalize the discourses that they are a part of in

    order to become more critically aware of the environments they find themselves in

    (Fairclough, 1989).

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 5

    Part 2

    The Learners

    A..... and B..... are planning to come to the UK for their undergraduate degrees in

    Economics and Medicine respectively. I chose them for this assignment because I

    know them well as I was their English teacher.

    Needs Analysis

    Before devising the course for my learners, I carried out a needs analysis survey,

    which as Jordan (1997) states, should be the starting point for any EAP

    course/syllabus designer as it allows one to make decisions on materials and

    teaching approach, which are apposite to the students needs.

    I used the following needs analysis tools:

    Firstly, I requested advanced documentation (suggested by Alexander,

    Argent, & Spencer, 2008) from the students school in order to gain their perspective

    on the learners linguistic needs and reviewed the results of a proficiency exam the

    students had sat (IELTS) in order to gain an understanding of their general

    characteristic level (Harmer, 2001). After this, I conducted a series of diagnostic

    assessments in order to build up an analytic profile of the learners reading, writing,

    speaking and listening skills. These tests came in the form of the Academic IELTS

    reading, writing, speaking and listening papers that were marked using the IELTS

    published analytic marking scales.

    Subsequently, I asked the learners to complete three questionnaires;

    Perceived Needs, as EAP learners tend to be very proficient judges of their own

    needs Lynch (2001); Learning Styles; (online test based on Honey and Mumford,

    2000); VAK test based upon Dun, Dun and Prices (1975) learning inventory in order

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 6

    to determine my learners preferred way of receiving and processing information. I

    also had an informal chat with them to find out their motivation type to study English.

    Finally, to prepare the learners for the target language use situations where

    they would need to perform/function, I referred to Jordans (1997:7-8) study

    situation/activity and study skills analysis to I plan my course.

    Findings

    General Information

    Both students are Turkish, 18, and attend a selective Turkish private school. They

    are learning within a CLIL environment and both are planning to study for their

    Undergraduate degrees abroad. Although they both had the required IELTS band

    scores to start their courses, they decided to attend a 4-week pre-sessional course

    to better adapt to their new learning environments.

    Learning Styles

    The learning styles questionnaires revealed that A..... is a pragmatist. In terms of

    strengths, this means that she approaches her study with logic and objectivity and

    likes to think things through carefully. In terms of weaknesses, she may have the

    tendency to be too much of a perfectionist. The VAK questionnaire revealed that

    she, like B....., likes to receive information in visual formats. The questionnaires

    showed that B..... is a reflector and is therefore a thoughtful and analytical student

    whilst also being a good listener. One drawback of this learning style is that he may

    be likely to procrastinate and to keep a low profile.

    Motivation

    In light of the informal chat that I had with both learners prior to the course, I believe

    that A..... has strong instrumental, integrative and intrinsic motivation as she stated

    that she liked learning English, enjoyed learning about British culture, and was

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 7

    looking forward to studying aboard. I believe B....., contrastingly, was not as highly

    motivated to learn English and was instrumentally motivated as he stated that he

    found English hard and was learning because without it is impossible to study

    abroad.

    Self-Diagnosis

    A..... states that she has difficulties with each of the four skills sometimes and B.....

    states that he has difficulties with listening, reading, and writing sometimes but has

    difficulties often with speaking. Within each skills area both students have also

    identified more specific areas that they would like to focus on. For example, in

    writing, both students would like to improve their ability to edit their own work and in

    reading, B..... states that he has difficulty guessing the meaning of unknown words in

    a text, and A..... states that she has difficulty locating specific information in a text. In

    addition to this, both learners state that they would particularly like to improve their

    lecture note-taking skills and B..... states that he would particularly like to improve his

    speaking in small groups.

    Language Level

    Reviewing the IELTS results reveal that both learners are at a band 7. The

    diagnostic tests reveal that writing is weaker than other skills for both learners, as

    both learners obtained a band 6 in writing. For A....., her speaking, band 7.5, is her

    strongest skill as she was very fluent and easily managed to get the meaning across

    using circumlocution where necessary. B..... on the other hand was strongest in

    reading, band 7.0, and listening, band 7.5. Indeed, in the listening paper he was

    able to pick out key pieces of information in long and complex spoken texts well.

    Some of the main difficulties the learners have, reveal in this test, are:

    Lack of general vocabulary impedes expression in writing and speaking

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 8

    Speaking lacks accuracy

    Lack of awareness of academic style and register

    Lack of organisation of ideas, especially at paragraph level

    Misuse of cohesive devises

    Poor editing and revising skills

    Reading is slow and laboured

    Inability to pick out key points within complex texts

    Inability to select information from a text discerningly to support a point they

    want to make

    Part 3

    The course was an intensive two-week, 40 hours course, taught by myself. (This

    assignment will look at the first 20 of these hours). The course took place in

    (country) in a private language school during 2012. During each week 20 hours of

    tuition was timetabled. Lessons ran from 14.00pm - 18.30pm with a 10-minute break

    between each hour.

    Aims and Objectives

    As Richards (2001) states, course aims broadly define the purpose of the course.

    This course aimed to:

    Develop the English language skills learners need to study for a degree at a

    British university.

    Raise learners awareness of what will be expected of them in their university-

    learning environment.

    Develop necessary study skills and learner autonomy.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 9

    Course objectives provide a basis for the organisation of teaching activity (ibid.).

    This course aimed to help learners:

    Writing

    Write in different genres appropriate to their future target language use

    situation.

    Write in an appropriate academic style and register.

    Successfully use lexical, rhetorical, and grammatical cohesive devises and

    techniques.

    Understand how grammar and vocabulary are used in academic texts.

    Correctly refer to sources and avoid plagiarism.

    Plan, structure, revise and re-draft work.

    Reading

    Deduce meaning of unfamiliar lexical items.

    Identify the main point in discourse.

    Distinguish the main idea from supporting details.

    Extract salient details to summarise.

    Extract relevant points from a text selectively.

    Skim to gain an overall understanding of the text.

    Scan to locate specifically required information.

    Speaking

    Successfully use markers in spoken discourse to introduce an idea, develop

    an idea, transition to another idea, conclude an idea, to indicate important

    information, and to anticipate a contrary view.

    Express relationships between parts of a spoken utterance through cohesive

    devices.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 10

    Mark the main points or important information in spoken text through vocal

    underlining and through verbal cues.

    Planning and organising information in formal expository discourse.

    Listening

    Deduce meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items.

    Understand attitudinal meaning in spoken text and utterances.

    Distinguish main ideas from supporting detail.

    Listen to obtain the gist of spoken text.

    Listening for specific details in spoken text.

    Note-take from spoken text.

    Extract salient points to summarise specific idea or topic in text.

    Selectively extracting relevant key points from text.

    General

    Develop active knowledge of a wide range of academic lexical items.

    Develop a range of study skills that will lead to learner independence.

    Course Constraints

    As Alexander, Argent and Spencer (2008) state, possible constraints on the course

    may include availability of time, class composition, access to resources, teachers

    experience/expertise, learners experience, and institutional practices. As this

    course took place during the learners semester break there was a two-week time

    constraint. Although there were only two learners, the needs analysis revealed that

    despite both learners being of roughly the same English language level, their

    motivation, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, and target language use

    situations varied considerably in some areas. I planned to overcome these

    difficulties through differentiation where appropriate. As I had previous EAP teaching

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 11

    experience both in Turkey and the UK I understood the differences between the

    Turkish education system and the British education system and would be able to

    guide these students appropriately. Further to this, I am a part-owner of a private

    language school, therefore access to resources such as teaching materials, a space

    to carry out the course etc. was not an issue. Finally, as I did not have access to

    their prospective university tutors I could not analyse the target language use

    situations to determine these learners subject-specific language needs. Therefore, I

    decided to design an EGAP course.

    Syllabus Design

    The course syllabus was based upon the following important principles outlined by

    Alexander, Argent and Spencer (2008):

    Identify and describe the students needs;

    Identify the needs to be met through discrete course components;

    Prioritise and sequence these needs in a comprehensive hierarchical

    framework;

    Include recycling in order to allow students to consolidate learning.

    In terms of building a hierarchical framework for the course, as Alexander, Argent

    and Spencer (2008: 88) state, because EAP syllabi are closely related to student

    needs in academic disciplines, they are necessarily eclectic. With this in mind, I

    chose a multidimensional syllabus as described by Hedge (2000), which combines

    different organising principles. As the needs analysis revealed that the learners

    needed to develop in a range of different ways, for example, their understanding of

    sentence level grammar, academic vocabulary, rhetorical functions, genres, and text

    level grammar, as well as their academic skills and autonomy, this syllabus type

    allowed me to include aspects that addressed all of these needs. Further to this, it

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 12

    allowed me to centre learning, where appropriate, around the task types that the

    learners may be required to perform at university (Alexander, Argent & Spencer,

    2008) which made learning more authentic and meaningful for the students.

    I took a learning-centred approach (described by Hutchinson and Waters,

    1987) to ensure the course took into account the learners, their situations, and their

    linguistic lacks. Furthermore, I sought to construct a negotiated syllabus (Lynch,

    2001) with the learners based on their input during the needs analysis procedure, as

    this would make the course more learner focused. For example, B..... stated that he

    needed to work on communicating in small groups. Due to this, I included a focus on

    this area.

    As in university learning contexts in the UK autonomy is expected from

    student members of the academic community (Lynch, 2001), the course not only

    sought to strike a balance between all four skills, but also aimed to help the learners

    develop greater autonomy. As the goal of autonomous learning is the negation of

    the teaching-learning distinction (Benson, 1996, cited in Lynch, 2001:394), one way

    this will be achieved is through methodology, specifically, by the teacher acting as a

    facilitator, resource, and counsellor (Voller, 1997, cited in Lynch, 2001:394) rather

    than as a transmitter of information. Another way in which this will be achieved is to

    integrate strategy training into the course learning activities in order that learners

    develop their own ways of working independently of their teacher.

    In terms of materials, we used EAP Now! (Cox and Hill, 2004) as a basis for

    the course as it takes an integrated skills approach, seeks to engage learners in

    tasks and activities similar to those that they will encounter in their target language

    use situations, and integrates strategy training into these tasks and activities. This

    approach suits my multidimensional syllabus type well and will also help me to

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 13

    facilitate the development of learner autonomy. The course will also be

    supplemented with Focus on Vocabulary (Schmitt & Schmitt, 2005) to help the

    learners increase their academic vocabulary, Academic Writing (Bailey, 2003) to

    help the learners focus on particular writing skills such as paragraph level

    organisation and cohesion, and reading and note taking, Instant IELTS (Brook-Hart,

    2004), Check Your English Vocabulary (Wyatt, 2007), my own materials, and

    authentic reading sources, again in order to make learning similar to what will be

    expected of them in their future academic contexts.

    Part 4

    Assessment and Course Evaluation

    Assessment

    Assessment, incidental or intended, is an integral aspect of teaching and learning

    (Brown, 2003) and refers to the ways we evaluate information about learners

    language achievement or ability (Hyland, 2006).

    Brown (2003) proposes the below main assessment categories:

    1. Informal: mostly incidental and embedded in classroom tasks.

    Formal: systematic and aims to appraise both teacher and students.

    2. Formative: supporting learners progress; looks forward.

    Summative: evaluates learners achievement; looks back.

    3. Norm-referenced: aims to place test-takers along a mathematical continuum

    in rank order.

    4. Criterion-referenced: aims to give test-takers feedback usually in form of

    grades.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 14

    Furthermore, as Hyland (2006:99) states, assessment enables teachers to:

    1. Identify students strengths and weaknesses for needs assessment or to

    indicate where remedial action is needed (diagnostic).

    2. Enable learners to demonstrate the progress they have made in a course

    (achievement).

    3. Indicate students ability to perform target academic tasks (performance).

    4. Assess general competence (proficiency).

    5. Provide funding authorities with evidence that intended outcomes have been

    met and expenses justified (accountability).

    Finally, Bachman and Palmer (1996) also argue that assessment tasks, in terms of

    their usefulness, need to have six qualities, namely reliability, construct validity,

    authenticity, interactivity, impact and practicality. In line with this, Hyland (2006)

    states that test reliability, which requires an assessment task to measure consistently

    both in terms of the same student on different occasions and the same task across

    different raters, and construct validity, which requires an assessment task to assess

    what it claims to assess, are the two most important qualities that an assessment

    task should have.

    In terms of assessment on this course, as my objectives were skills focused, I

    did not include any formal, summative, discrete item tests and the learners

    development in the areas of grammar and vocabulary were considered within the

    context of their spoken or written output. Having said this, during the course as a

    learning experience the students did engage in some discrete item activities, and the

    learners performance during these activities informed my teaching decisions.

    Overall, given the skills based objectives, assessment came in the form of

    performance testing and was formative apart from a final IELTS test at the end of the

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 15

    40-hour course, the results of which were compared with the baseline assessment

    IELTS test scores from the beginning of the course.

    In terms of the formative assessment, in order to assess the learners

    progress in speaking I conducted a performance test, asking them to deliver an oral

    presentation which I graded using a self-constructed rubric which included elements

    of the published IELTS speaking marking scale. As there was a cross over between

    my rubric and the IELTS one, I was able to compare the learners performance in the

    presentation to their performance in the baseline assessment mentioned above.

    In terms of writing, again I conducted performance tests. For example, I

    asked the learners to write a 1000 word explanatory essay describing and explaining

    the Turkish education system. In order to grade this assessment, again, I used the

    published IELTS assessment scale and was able to compare the results of this

    essay task with the learners scores on the IELTS baseline assessment. This data

    helped me to evaluate the usefulness of the course later.

    In terms of reading and listening, the assessment was mostly based on the

    learners performance in classroom activities and sought to emulate the type of tasks

    the learners would have to carry out in their future target language use situations in

    order that the assessments were more meaningful to them (Bachman & Palmer,

    1996). For example, the learners completed section four of an IELTS listening

    paper. Section four is an example of a lecture situation. After answering the

    questions on the paper, I asked the learners to take notes on the lecture and judged

    their listening in terms of their ability to select key points from the spoken text as this

    is what they would have to do in a lecture situation.

    Further to the above, as one of the objectives of the course was to develop

    learner autonomy, I also sought to develop the learners ability to self and peer-

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 16

    assess. Due to this, I supplied the learners with checklists so that they could check

    their own written and spoken work. For example, I video recorded the learners oral

    presentations, after which I got the students to watch themselves, supplied them with

    a marking criteria, and got them to grade their own performance.

    Course Evaluation

    As suggested by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), the course evaluation was planned

    to be carried out during, at the end of, and after the course. In order to evaluate the

    usefulness of the course, the degree to which the course met the learners needs

    and its targets (ibid.), I held informal interviews with the learners throughout the

    course to gain an understanding of their perception of its usefulness. Further to this,

    halfway through the course and at the end I asked the learners to complete a

    feedback form about the usefulness and delivery of the course and about their own

    progress. Further to this, my students and I also agreed to meet to have an informal

    discussion about the success of this course after they started their pre-sessional

    courses at their future university in the UK, as at this point they would be better able

    to judge the usefulness of the course (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).

    Part 5

    Conclusion

    In summary, to successfully address the learning needs, firstly, I gathered and

    analysed the data, i.e. the diagnostic assessment results. Secondly, I determined

    their learning needs, motivation to attend this course, and learning

    styles/preferences. Finally, I analysed the target language situations, in light of

    which, I designed a multidimensional syllabus EGAP course and delivered it.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 17

    Both learners improved their writing by one IELTS band which I believe was

    mainly due to the intensive support they received and the content of the course

    specifically addressing their learning needs. However, as in this 40 hours course

    there was not enough time to study the varying genres and length of the papers they

    will need to write when they get to their universities the students will need further

    support in their writing when they start their pre-sessional courses in order to

    broaden their understanding of the genres they will have to write in. Having said

    this, the learners gained a solid understanding of how to reference, which is a very

    good starting point for developing their academic writing as plagiarism is a serious

    consideration within UK university contexts.

    During informal interviews after the course, designed to evaluate the courses

    usefulness to the students, B..... expressed great positivity with the level of

    improvement in his speaking and stated that he started feeling more confident to

    converse with people in small groups. In his school he did not get enough

    opportunities to talk in classes of 25 and felt intimidated. As this course was a small

    group and, unlike his classes at school, was fully delivered in English, he was

    exposed to intensive use of English.

    As is evidenced in the assessment data, the students reading also showed

    progress. The intensity of the reading they did in this course was lower than their

    future university, however, and although I used lot of authentic texts to support the

    learners to become familiar with the academic style that they will encounter in their

    future target language use situations, I believe they will need more support in

    reading, which will hopefully be provided by the pre-sessional course they will attend.

    Two main limitations of the course were its limited time (40-hour) and its

    intensive nature. As there was so much to take in a short period of time, the learners

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 18

    may not have internalised everything covered in the course. Further to this, we did

    not have enough time for the learners to practice and therefore develop all of the

    skills they will need when they go to university. However, any remaining issues I

    believe will be addressed during the four-week pre-sessional programme the

    learners are going to attend.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 19

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    Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Essex:

    Pearson Education Limited.

    Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford:

    Oxford University press.

    Honey, P., & Mumford, A. (2000). The learning styles helper's guide. Maidenhead:

    Peter Honey Publications Ltd.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 20

    Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes. Cambridge:

    Cambridge University Press.

    Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes: An advanced resource book.

    London: Routledge.

    Hyland, K., & Hamp-Lyons, L. (2002). EAP: issues and directions. Journal of English

    for Academic Purposes , 1, 1-12.

    Jordan, J. J. (1997). English for Academic Purposes: A guide and resource book for

    teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Lynch, T. (2001). Promoting EAP Learner Autonomy in a Second Language

    University Context. In J. Flowerdew, & M. Peacock (Eds.), Research

    Perspectives on English for Academic Purposes (pp. 390-403). Cambridge:

    Cambridge University Press.

    Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge:

    Cambridge University Press.

    Spack, R. (1988). Initiating ESL Students into the Academic Discourse Community:

    How Far Should We Go? TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1 , 22 (1), 29-51 .

    Course Books / Materials

    Bailey, S. (2003). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (2nd

    ed.). New York: Routledge.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 21

    Brook-Hart, G. (2004). Instant IELTS. Cambridge: Cambridge University

    Press.Cambridge Univeristy Press. (2011). Cambridge IELTS 8. Cambridge:

    Cambridge University Press.

    Cambridge Univeristy Press. (2009). Cambridge IELTS 7. Cambridge: Cambridge

    University Press.

    Cambridge Univeristy Press. (2006). Cambridge IELTS 5. Cambridge: Cambridge

    University Press.

    Cox, K. K., & Hill, D. (2004). EAP Now!: English for Academic Purposes Student's

    Book. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

    Forman, D., Donoghue, F., Abbey, S., Cruden, B., & Kidd, I. (1990). Campus

    English: A Problem-solving Approach to Study Skill Student's Book. London:

    Macmillan Publishers.

    Schmitt, D., & Schmitt, N. (2005). Focus On Vocabulary: Mastering the Academic

    Word List. White Plains, USA: Longman.

    Wyatt, R. (2007). Check you English Vocabulary TOEFL. London. A & C Black

    Publishers.

    Website Based Materials

    No Author. (n.d.). Public version of IELTS Writing Task1-2 band descriptors.

    Retrieved 19 March, 2012, from

    https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/113300_public_writin

    g_band_descriptors.pdf

    No Author. (n.d.). Public version of IELTS Speaking task band descriptors.

    Retrieved 19 Match, 2012, from

    http://www.ielts.org/pdf/UOBDs_SpeakingFinal.pdf

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 22

    No Author. (n.d.). Learning styles questionnaire based on Honey and Mumford

    (2001). Retrieved 02 April, 2012, from

    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/learnstyle.htm

    No Author. (n.d.). VAK learning styles questionnaire. Retrieved 02 April, 2012, from

    http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm

    No Author. (n.d.). International students perspectives. Retrieved from

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTI_5hYOSQQ

    No Author. (n.d.). Academic Word List. Retrieved from

    http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/academic/sublist01/

    No Author. (n.d.). Harvard System of Referencing Guide. Retrieved from

    http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

    No Author. (n.d.). APA Style Referencing Guide. Retrieved from

    http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

    No Author. (n.d.). Funny Presentation. Retrieved from

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXILI9Q1jIw

    No Author. (n.d.). Live Presentation. Retrieved from

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtraR3gezQw

    No Author. (n.d.). International Student Support. Retrieved from

    http://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/studyskills/

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 23

    Appendices Appendix 1: Course Plan

    Course Objectives

    Reading Writing Speaking Listening

    Deduce meaning of unfamiliar lexical items.

    Identify the main point in discourse.

    Distinguish the main idea from supporting details.

    Extract salient details to summarise.

    Extract relevant points from a text selectively.

    Skim to gain an overall understanding of the text.

    Scan to locate specifically required information.

    Write in a range of different genres appropriate to their future target language use situation.

    Write in an appropriate academic style and register.

    Successfully use lexical, rhetorical, and grammatical cohesive devises and techniques.

    Understand how grammar and vocabulary are used in academic texts.

    Correctly refer to sources and avoid plagiarism.

    Plan, structure, revise and re-draft work.

    Successfully use markers in spoken discourse to introduce an idea, develop an idea, transition to another idea, conclude an idea, to indicate important information, and to anticipate a contrary view.

    Express relationships between parts of a spoken utterance through cohesive devices.

    Mark the main points or important information in spoken text through vocal underlining and through verbal cues.

    Planning and organising information in formal expository discourse.

    Deduce meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items.

    Understand attitudinal meaning in spoken text and utterances.

    Distinguish main ideas from supporting detail.

    Listen to obtain the gist of spoken text.

    Listening for specific details in spoken text.

    Note-take from spoken text.

    Extract salient points to summarise specific idea or topic in text.

    Selectively extracting relevant key points from text.

    General

    Develop active knowledge of a wide range of academic lexical items.

    Develop a range of study skills that will lead to learner independence.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 24

    Day Objectives Hour Suggested Activity Suggested

    Materials

    1 To raise the learners awareness of the skills and language the learners will need to succeed in an English medium university and to discuss the organisation and goals of the course.

    To provide an opportunity for learners to develop reading skills including prediction, skimming, scanning, and selecting relevant points from a text selectively.

    To develop the learners understanding of the structure and features of explanation texts.

    To develop awareness and understanding of cohesion and coherence.

    To develop understanding of the rhetorical function, cause and effect.

    Subsidiary Objectives:

    Provide

    1 1. Discuss the reasons the students have for wanting to study abroad in the UK. The teacher will explain the course objectives and how the course activities will be designed to help prepare the students for their new academic environments as well as improve their English discuss study skills, independence, autonomy these are important aspects of being a successful student in the UK.

    2. Task A & B - Discuss questions in pairs. Feedback.

    3. Teacher input explain different essay questions require different responses from students essays will be organised differently etc. The teacher explains that some common essay types or explanation, discussion, etc.

    4. Students work in pairs tasks C E. Feedback.

    5. Teacher will explain that to begin with, the students will focus on learning to write explanation essays. Students do task A & feedback.

    1. N.A. 2. EAP Now! (p.

    11) 3. N.A. 4. EAP Now! (p.

    12 14). 5. EAP Now! (p.

    14, Task A)

    2 1. Students work in pairs. Feedback & discussion after each task.

    2. Watch YouTube clip about one students experiences. Teacher to set comprehension questions to develop listening for gist and for specific information. Discuss ideas in the clip lead onto:

    3. Discussion about what may be different about studying in the UK compared to the students home countries. Feedback and teacher input.

    4. Do Task A then read the text on Western Education Systems. The students read to see if their predictions were true.

    5. The teacher will set some additional comprehension questions. Students read to find answers. Check answers in pairs and feedback & discuss the ideas/vocabulary in the text with the teacher.

    1. EAP Now! (p. 15 18)

    2. www.youtube

    .com/watch?

    v=lTI_5hYOS

    QQ

    3. EAP Now!

    (p.2, Task A)

    4. EAP Now!

    (p. 21 24)

    5. Smartboard slide

    3 1. Next, students work in pairs to analyse the text for structure (task b) and discuss the purpose of the text explanation.

    2. Students identify the main idea of each paragraph and then write an outline for the essay not an outline for an essay about their own country as suggested in task C. Teacher

    1 3. EAP Now! (p. 21 24 + page 13)

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 25

    opportunities for learners to develop oral fluency through discussion with other learners and the teacher.

    Develop listening for gist and for specific information

    and students discuss which essay outline on page 13 would suit this situation best.

    3. Next, the learners take the key points of each paragraph and compare what is said about Western education with education within their own country write notes on similarities and differences.

    4 1. Write an essay outline for an essay about their own countrys education system.

    2. Focus on cohesion do activities in pairs. Feedback. Discussion.

    3. On Smartboard teacher displays paragraphs from the text read in hour 1. The teacher highlights referents and asks students to identify what they relate to.

    4. Correct paragraphs cohesion mistakes 5. Review of the day feedback from students

    regarding course content/level.

    1. N.A. 2. EAP Now!

    (p. 25 & 26)

    & Academic

    Writing

    (Bailey,

    2003:73-74)

    3. Smartboard Slide

    4. Own Materials

    5. Smartboard Slide.

    Day Objectives Hour Suggested Activities Suggested Materials

    2 To extend learners academic vocabulary range.

    To raise awareness of vocabulary study strategies and vocabulary recording methods.

    To develop understanding of academic referencing and of what plagiarism.

    To develop positive writing processes including note-taking, planning

    5 1. Recap what was covered the day before in class quick quiz. Remind students/elicit the type of essay they read the day before (explanation).

    2. Focus on cause and effect do activities in pairs. Feedback. Discussion.

    3. Teacher takes half sentences from the text and students have to complete them using because/as a result of/owing to/due to/consequently etc. and the correct information.

    1. Smartboard slides

    2. Academic Writing (Bailey, p. 70 71)

    3. EAP Now! (p. 21 24)

    6 1. Focus on academic vocabulary: Using words on the academic word list/education specific from the text (EAP Now! p. 21 24) students do worksheet in pairs. (Worksheet asks the learners to build the word families of 15 words within the text), asks them to define the words, state their word class, and write a sentence of their own containing the words.

    2. Next, students read the text and are asked to pick out between 5 and 10 words they personally would like to develop their understanding of, using a dictionary and the teacher as a resource the students research these words individually and record their findings onto the vocabulary record sheet

    1. Own materials based on the text from EAP Now! (p. 21 24).

    2. Check your English vocabulary for TOEFL (p. 110).

    3. N.A. 4. Own

    materials & Smartboard

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 26

    and drafting skills.

    To develop the ability to extract relevant points from a text selectively.

    Subsidiary Objectives:

    Provide opportunities for learners to develop oral fluency through discussion with other learners and the teacher.

    provided by the teacher. 3. Students share their understandings of their

    personal words and explain their meaning to each other.

    4. Teacher shows students a range of different vocabulary record sheets and asks the students how they currently study vocabulary. The teacher makes some suggestions and students and teacher discuss the pros and cons of the different record sheets and vocabulary study strategies. The teacher discusses with the students what it means to really know a word and tells the learners that there is an academic word list, explaining its relevance to them.

    slide containing link to the academic word list: http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdic

    tionaries.com/

    academic/sublist01/

    7 1. Next, the teacher draws the learners attention to the referencing in the text.

    2. Gives them a short oral quiz (which they do together) based upon Academic Writing (p. 99) to find out what they know about the rules of referencing and about plagiarism.

    3. Look at and discuss the examples of summaries and quotations provided in Academic Writing and also discuss the different ways in which the learners can record their notes. The teacher will also show them some examples of his notes and other students from his Masters course. The students discuss which one might work best for them

    4. The students do the exercises in the book together. Feedback.

    5. The teacher explains now about Bibliographies and that there are different referencing styles. The teacher shows the learners the two websites one for the Harvard referencing system the other for APA. He allows the students to read through the website. He brings some books along and gets one of the learners to practice writing a reference list using these books as props in APA and the other to practice writing in Harvard style. Finally the students compare their reference lists and find the similarities and differences.

    1. EAP Now! (p. 21 24)

    2. Own Materials

    3. Academic Writing (p. 99 100)

    4. Academic Writing (p. 100 101)

    5. Academic writing (p. 201) http://libweb.a

    nglia.ac.uk/referencing/harv

    ard.htm &

    http://owl.engli

    sh.purdue.edu/owl/resource/

    560/01/

    8 1. The teacher now asks the learners to get out their essay plans (about education within their own country) from the day before. He explains that in the rest of the lesson they are going to do some research, take notes on what they have read, and subsequently fill out their plans

    1. N.A.

    2. http://www.meb.gov.tr/stats/a

    pk2002ing/apa

    ge29_48.htm

    & http://en.wikip

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 27

    with relevant information so that each section is more comprehensive. This will help them when they come to write their draft essays (for homework).

    2. Students work individually to take notes. The teacher will be on hand to answer any questions and to support the learners.

    3. The students swap notes to see what quotations and/or pieces of information they each found to be important.

    4. The students work together to fill out their plans with the new information, discussing what pieces of information are most relevant to each section etc

    (Homework write draft essay)

    edia.org/wiki/E

    ducation_in_Turkey &

    http://www.fulb

    right.org.tr/en/

    about-turkey/turkish-

    educational-

    system

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 28

    Day Objectives Hour Suggested Activities Suggested Materials

    3 To develop proof-reading skills and develop learner autonomy.

    To develop note-taking, planning and drafting skills.

    To develop skim reading skills

    To develop the ability to extract relevant points from a text selectively.

    To develop the ability to plan and organise information in formal spoken discourse.

    To develop the learners ability to express relationships between parts of a spoken utterance through cohesive devices.

    9 1. Recap from day before quick referencing quiz again to see how much the students remember.

    2. The teacher asks the students to swap drafts, and using the writing check list provided the students pretend that they are the teachers and give feedback to each other on their essays.

    3. The students read their feedback and make changes where required.

    4. The teacher then takes in the essay to give feedback on them himself (they will be returned the next day).

    5. The teacher explains that for the rest of the day the learners are going to research and plan a short presentation about studying at a UK university. In two days time, the teacher has arranged for a group of students attending the language school at which these learners are studying to be the audience.

    6. Start off by watching a couple of examples of bad presentations. The students watch and make notes on what the presenters are doing wrong. Afterwards they share their notes with each other and discuss what they think a good presentation looks like. The teacher writes down the students ideas on the board.

    7. The teacher now gives the learners a checklist stating the elements of a good presentation. The students check their thoughts on the matter (written on the board) with what the checklist states. The teacher says they can add anything they feel might be missing from the checklist.

    1. Quiz from day before

    2. Writing checklist & writing marking key from EAP Now! (p. 248)

    3. N.A. 4. N.A. 5. N.A. 6. http://www.youtu

    be.com/watch?v=wXILI9Q1jIw &

    http://www.youtu

    be.com/watch?v=KgObza4ek1U &

    http://www.youtu

    be.com/watch?v=

    TtraR3gezQw 7. Own Materials

    10 1. The teacher gives the learners some more details about the presentation requirements (length/that there should be a PowerPoint presentation to accompany it).

    2. The teacher now asks the learners what they think they should include in a presentation about moving to the UK to study at a British university. He encourages the learners to think of their audience (students like themselves who have never studied abroad, and some who havent visited the UK before, but who are going to

    1. N.A. 2. N.A. 3. N.A. 4. N.A. 5. http://www.exeter

    .ac.uk/internation

    alstudents/studyskills/

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 29

    study at UK universities next academic year). What would they like to know? What are the most important points to cover about study/culture etc.?

    3. Together the teachers and students make a rough presentation outline on the board, however, the teacher tells the students that this may change as they begin to do some research and read what other people have to say on the matter. He makes the point that planning should always be flexible.

    4. The teacher gives the learners a link to begin their research; however, he also encourages the learners to look wider than this one source. Students now together read and take notes (in the style they were shown the day before).

    11 & 12

    1. The students start to create their PowerPoint and plan what they are going to say during the presentation. The teacher acts as a resource and facilitator and gives input where applicable.

    2. The teacher helps the learners edit their PowerPoint and draws attention to, but doesnt correct, their mistakes. The teacher makes sure that the students reference any sources theyve drawn on. Homework students edit and correct their

    Presentation.

    1. Language Scaffold own material (sentence stems, cohesive devises that may be useful, useful discourse markers, key vocabulary).

    2. Marking key from EAP Now! (p. 248)

    Day Objectives Hour Suggested Activities Suggested Materials

    4 Develop the learners ability to mark the main points or important information in spoken text through vocal underlining and through verbal cues.

    To develop the learners ability to express relationships between parts of a spoken

    13 1. The students rehearse their presentations. The teacher records their rehearsals and then models presenting himself and records that too.

    2. The teacher asks the students to listen to the two recordings. He asks them to note the differences between his version and theirs in terms of speed, intonation, and stress. He gives some examples first and also points out some examples of linking and elision.

    3. After analysing the recordings the students practice again, this time adjusting their speed, intonation and stress patterns in order to underline certain important pieces of information.

    4. The students practice once more and record themselves. The teacher asks them to listen to their recording and write down

    1. Laptop with recording facility

    2. Worksheet for self-reflection own material

    3. N.A. 4. N.A.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 30

    utterance through cohesive devices.

    To develop awareness of aspects of connected speech including stress, intonation, strong and weak forms, linking and elision.

    Provide an opportunity for learners to develop the ability to note-take from spoken text.

    Develop ability to extract salient points to summarise specific ideas in a spoken text and to selectively extract relevant key points.

    Develop ability to independently edit and redraft the students own written work.

    Develop the ability to organise information at

    between 3 5 things they think they still need to work on for homework. (For homework they will practice their presentations the next day they will perform them for a small audience of students who will be studying in the UK next academic year).

    14 1. After this the focus will shift back to the students draft essays. The teacher returns the learners draft essays and gives them individual feedback. Whilst one of the learners is receiving feedback, the other will be given a listening task to perform this will be part 4 of the Academic IELTS listening exam they will be asked to do this questions and then check their own answers after which they will be asked to take notes on the lecture they are listening to.

    2. After giving individual feedback, the teacher will go through the listening exercise with the learner, using it as a learning tool why did they answer as they have? Where is the correct answer to be found if the students didnt answer correctly the first time? Etc. The teacher will also get the learners to swap notes and discuss why they have selected the pieces of information they have teacher input if necessary about which parts of the lecture are most important. Discussion about how to take notes short hand or directly typed onto a laptop? Which is best?

    1. Instant IELTS (p. 26 27, but not question 3 + answer key), note-taking scaffold, individual headphones and two laptops so that the learners can play the track.

    15 1. After going through the listening and receiving their individual feedback there will be a focus session on writing introductions. In pairs students do the exercises in Academic Writing. Feedback. Teacher input.

    2. After this, students work together to make a checklist outlining the features and purpose of a good introduction.

    3. Students use these criteria to check their own introductions to their essays about the Turkish Education System. Correct/re-write as necessary.

    1. Academic Writing (p. 52 55)

    2. N.A. 3. N.A.

    16 1. Focus session on writing conclusions - in pairs students do the exercises in Academic Writing. Feedback. Teacher input.

    2. After this, students work together to make a

    1. Academic Writing (p. 56 59).

    2. N.A.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 31

    paragraph level logically and coherently.

    checklist outlining the features and purpose of a good conclusion.

    3. Students use these criteria to check their own conclusions to their essays about the Turkish Education System - Correct/re-write as necessary.

    3. N.A.

    Day Objectives Hour Suggested Activities Suggested Materials

    5 Develop self-reflective practices in order to facilitate further learner autonomy.

    Develop oral presentation skills.

    Develop active knowledge of a wide range of academic lexical items.

    To develop the ability to deduce meaning of unfamiliar lexical items from context.

    To develop the ability to identify the main point in discourse.

    To develop the ability to distinguish the main idea from supporting details.

    To develop the ability to extract salient details to summarise.

    17 1. Students come and run through their presentation once. The audience then comes to the classroom and the students deliver their presentation.

    2. The teacher will video record their presentation whilst also marking them using a checklist.

    3. After the presentation the teacher will congratulate the students. He will show the students the checklist he used to mark their presentation performance but will not at this stage share his marks with them. Instead he will explain the checklist carefully so that the students fully understand each section of it. Next, together the students will watch the recording of their performance/delivery on the SMART Board using the same checklist as the teacher to mark themselves.

    4. Students together will discuss/compare the marks they have given themselves and argue their point if there are any discrepancies.

    5. Finally, the students and the teacher will compare their gradings and the teacher will give feedback on the students performance.

    1. SMART Board/Data projector

    2. As above & a video camera & checklist

    3. Checklist 4. N.A. 5. N.A.

    18 Change of focus vocabulary

    1. The teacher will explain that during the next week they will focus on a new topic ways of living. This will include ideas about how inventions have changed the way we live and interact, about society etc. The teacher explains that they are going to read a text about how society has changed over the last 300 years. The teacher shows some pictures that depict how society in Turkey has changed over the last 300 years. The students discuss the getting started questions in Focus on Vocabulary.

    2. The teacher sets a pre-reading task how do you think the text will say society has changed over the last 300 years. Read to

    1. Focus on Vocabulary (p. 2 10), SMART Board/Data projector

    2. Own materials 3. Own materials 4. Focus on

    Vocabulary

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 32

    find out. Feedback. 3. The teacher now sets comprehension

    questions. Read. Feedback answers. Teacher uses the opportunity as a learning experience shows learners where they may have gone wrong and where the correct answers are in the text.

    4. Next students do the taret word and work meaning sections from Focus on Vocabulary. Share answers. Feedback.

    19 20

    1. Students now work in pairs to complete the exercises from pages 6 10, and the teacher supports.

    2. Learners record any vocabulary they feel is important to their own development onto vocabulary record sheets and staple them into their books.

    3. Students fill in an evaluation sheet for the first week of the course.

    4. The teacher asks the students also to write down three things they feel that they have achieved during the week, and three things they feel still needs more work.

    1. Focus on Vocabulary (p. 6 10)

    2. Vocabulary record sheets

    3. Evaluation form

    4. Notebooks.

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 33

    Appendix 2: Needs Analysis and Test Results Learner Profiles

    A.....s Learner Profile Name: A.....

    Gender/Age: Female / 18

    Nationality/L1 Turkish/Turkish

    Country of

    residence

    Turkey

    Educational History:

    A..... started her education at a private school in Ankara. This private school, which has a good reputation for delivering high quality education at all levels

    namely primary, secondary and high school, provided A..... with ample of

    opportunities to develop intellectually. She has achieved high grades particularly in social sciences and language studies at school.

    Language

    Learning

    Background:

    A..... has been studying English since first grade at primary school. Although

    she has been studying English in a target language removed context, the

    school, especially the English department, has created an English intensive learning environment as part of the schools CLIL approach. In addition to

    English lessons, 8 hours a week, and core subjects delivered in English,

    Science, Maths, ITC, she had the opportunities to attend the school trips to abroad, where she used her English language skills for real communication in

    authentic contexts. Her family trips to various countries with her advanced level

    of English speaker parent also have been a valuable part of her English learning

    background.

    English level From the IELTS exam she took in December: band 7.0

    Writing: 6.5 / Reading: 7.0 / Listening: 7.0 / Speaking: 7.5

    From the diagnostic assessment IELTS exam: band 7.0

    Writing: 6.0 / Reading: 6.5 / Listening: 7.0 / Speaking: 7.5

    According to publishes IELTS band descriptors, she is a good user who has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies,

    inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. She generally

    handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning. (http://www.ielts.org/institutions/test_format_and_results/ielts_band_scores.aspx

    )

    Learning style Pragmatist, who approaches studying

    with logic and objectivity and likes to think things through carefully. One

    possible disadvantage of this learning

    style that she may have the tendency to be too much of a perfectionist.

    Visual learner, who prefer receiving

    information in visual formats.

    Self directed

    English study

    In addition to her school studies, she takes part at the school theatre. They are

    preparing a play in English. She spends 5 hours a week studying for her part

    and 4 hours a week for rehearsal. She also watches TV shows in English and reads fiction books in English, which overall take 20 hours a week.

    Motivation She has both intrinsic and integrative, instrumental motivation for studying

    English. Her intrinsic motivation results from the fact that she wants to study in

    the UK and learn more about the culture and life there. On the other hand, her instrumental motivation results from her parents who encourage her to study

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 34

    abroad, and from the scholarship she has been awarded, which requires her to

    meet the university acceptance criteria including her language level.

    Self perceived needs

    A..... believes that she needs language support as she sometimes has difficulties with her language skills. She believes that especially reading and

    writing skills are of high importance at her studies. She thinks that she needs

    support in her writing particularly in revising and editing her own writing, and in reading particularly in terms of locating specific information given in texts.

    Advanced

    documentatio

    n

    According to her school records, A..... is in top-10 of her grade. She has

    excellent English language skills. According to her English subject teacher this

    year, she has excellent speaking and listening skills. Her teacher states that A..... will need to adapt to reading and writing academic texts as at school this

    particular area is not addressed enough.

    Strengths and weaknesses

    according to

    diagnostic test

    results and need analysis

    results

    Strengths:

    She is a fluent speaker with small inaccuracies, and she can easily

    manage to get the meaning across using circumlocution where

    necessary

    She can listen to and understand accurately long and complex speeches. Weaknesses:

    Lack of awareness of academic style and register

    Lack of organisation of ideas, especially at paragraph level

    Misuse of cohesive devises

    Poor editing and revising skills

    Reading is slow and laboured

    Inability to select information from a text discerningly to support a point

    they want to make

    B.....s Learner Profile

    Name: B.....

    Gender/Age: Male / 18

    Nationality/L1: Turkish/Turkish

    Country of

    residence

    Turkey

    Educational

    History:

    B..... started his education in a small city, Kars, and graduated from government

    primary and secondary schools in the same city. When his parents moved to

    Ankara, he was offered a place by his current private high school as he had

    exceptionally high marks from Grade 8 National exams. He is particularly successful at science and maths.

    Language

    Learning

    Background:

    B..... started studying English in secondary school where they had 2 hours

    weekly English classes only. English only became an important subject to study

    when his started his new school in Ankara, which has a special focus on English as they follow a CLIL approach. He is particularly successful at Science and

    Maths, which are delivered in English. He has been studying English in a

    language-removed context and he hardly needed to use English out of school environment.

    English level From the IELTS exam she took in December: band 7.0

    Writing: 6.5 / Reading: 7.0 / Listening: 7.5 / Speaking: 6.5

    From the diagnostic assessment IELTS exam: band 7.0

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 35

    Writing: 6.0 / Reading: 7.0 / Listening: 7.5 / Speaking: 6.5

    According to publishes IELTS band descriptors, he is a good user who has

    operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies,

    inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. She generally

    handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning. (http://www.ielts.org/institutions/test_format_and_results/ielts_band_scores.aspx

    )

    Learning style Reflector, who is thoughtful and

    analytical student whilst also being a good listener. They enjoy observing

    others and will listen to their views

    before offering their own. One drawback of this learning style is that he may be

    likely to procrastinate and to keep a low

    profile.

    Visual learner, who prefer receiving

    information in visual formats.

    Self directed English study

    Video games are the only activity that requires him to use his English skills, mainly reading and listening. He does not have any other extra curricular

    activity that can help him improve his English further.

    Motivation B..... clearly states that the only reason that he needs English is to pass his classes, and more recently the scholarship that requires him to meet the

    language level in order to study in the UK. Therefore he has strong instrumental

    motivation for studying English.

    Self perceived needs

    B..... believes that he needs language support as he states that he sometimes has difficulties with writing, reading and listening, and has often difficulty with

    speaking. Further to this, he wants to improve his skills to edit his own work,

    and wants to be better able to guess the meaning of unknown words in written texts. Finally, he especially like to improve his speaking in small groups.

    Advanced

    documentatio

    n

    According to his school records, he is an excellent learner and he has

    exceptional talent in science and maths. However, according to remarks of his

    maths and science teachers, he prefers explanations in Turkish when new topics are introduced, and according to his English teacher, although he gets high

    marks from the exams, he is not really interested in English lessons, and he

    mostly avoids participating in speaking activities.

    Strengths and weaknesses

    according to

    diagnostic test results and

    need analysis

    results

    Strengths:

    He is able to pick out key pieces of information in long and complex

    spoken texts well.

    He is an efficient reader who can deal with long and complicated texts

    well in terms of comprehension and locating specific information. Weaknesses:

    Lack of awareness of academic style and register

    Lack of organisation of ideas, especially at paragraph level

    Misuse of cohesive devises

    Poor editing and revising skills

    Speaking lacks accuracy, and fluency

  • Akincioglu / EAP: An EGAP Course 36

    Appendix 3: Completed Samples of the Needs Analysis Instruments

    Appendix 4: Completed Diagnostic Test

    Appendix 5: Samples of Assessment and Evaluation Tools

    Appendix 6: Samples of Course Materials