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An analysis of curriculum renewal in ESP context
Umida KHAYDAROVA
1
Tashkent State University of Law
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received September 2022
Received in revised form
25 October 2022
Accepted 20 November 2022
Available online
25 December 2022
This article is devoted to the research of the foreign language
curriculum set by the department of language training.
Specifically, it proposes some changes to the current curriculum
of the module “English for lawyers”. In fact, the data were
collected from second-year learners and the curriculum of this
module. The current curriculum for this module partially meets
the standards of the university. The research entails several
steps prior to the drawn conclusion. The first step was carried
out through needs analysis in order to gather sufficient data
about the learners and their preferences. Secondly, the existing
curriculum was researched and its advantages and
disadvantages were found out. Some drawbacks contain
inappropriate teaching materials, lack of legal writing and not
well-explained assessment criteria. The gathered outcomes
helped to provide some suggestions which include changes
regarding the syllabus, textbooks, and methods of the teachers.
All these suggestions are based on the drawbacks and
advantages of the curriculum. The suggested curriculum
includes the integration of all skills; content, skill and task-
based syllabus; reading novels related to their profession and
succinct explanation of the tasks as well as the assessment
criteria. All of these suggestions would be effective for the
further development of future lawyers.
2181-
1415/©
2022 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol3-iss11/S-pp288-295
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
curriculum,
content,
task-based syllabus,
learners’ needs,
outcomes,
research methods,
observation,
questionnaire and etc.
ESP kontekstida o‘quv dasturining tahlili
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so
‘
zlar:
o‘quv dasturi,
mazmuni,
vazifalarga asoslangan o‘quv
Ushbu maqola ingliz tili fani dasturi ustida olib borilgan
ishlar natijalari haqida. Qolaversa, maqolada hozirda mavjud
bo‘lgan ungliz tili moduli o‘quv dasturiga qo‘shimchalar yoki
1
Senior teacher, Department of Foreign Languages, Tashkent State University of Law. E-mail: u.xaydarova@tsul.uz.
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rejasi,
talabalar ehtiyojlari,
natijalar,
tadqiqot usullari,
kuzatish,
anketa va boshqalar.
yangilik kiritish to‘g‘risida fikr yuritiladi. Bundan tashqari,
maqolada ikkinchi kurs moduli va talabalaridan yig‘ilgan
ma’lumotlar asosidagi natijalar ko‘rsatilgan. Hozirda mavjud
dastur universitet tomonidan o‘rnatilgan mezo
nlarga qisman
to‘g‘ri keladi. Ushbu tadqiqot xulosagacha bo‘lgan ma’lum
bosqichlarni o‘z ichiga oladi. Birinchi bosqich talabalarining
taklif va talablarini bilish uchun o‘tkazilgan so‘rovnomadan
iborat. Ikkinchi bosqichda esa ushbu dastur to‘liq o‘rganilg
an
hamda uning yutuq va kamchiliklari ko‘rsatib o‘tilgan, xususan,
huquqiy yozma materiallar hamda baholash mezonida ayrim
kamchiliklar mavjud.
Qo‘lga kiritilgan natijalar asosida dastur,
kitoblar va metodlar haqidagi kiritilishi zarur bo‘lgan
o‘zgarishlar
e’tirof etiladi. Barcha takliflar dasturning
kamchiliklarini bartaraf etishga qaratilgan. Mazkur taklif
qilinayotgan dastur til o‘rgatishdagi malaka va ko‘nikmalar
integratsiyasi, topshiriqlarga asoslangan kalendar reja, kasbiy
rivojlanishga qaratilgan ad
abiyotlar va qayta ko‘rib chiqilgan
baholash mezonini o‘z ichiga oladi. O‘ylaymizki, maqolada
keltirilgan barcha takliflar yuristlarning yanada salohiyatli
bo‘lishiga xizmat qiladi.
Анализ обновления учебной программы в контексте ESP
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
учебный план,
содержание,
программа,
основанная на задачах,
потребности учащихся,
результаты,
методы исследования,
наблюдение,
анкетирование и т.д.
Данная статья посвящена исследованию учебной
программы по иностранному языку, утверждённой
кафедрой Языковой подготовки. В частности, предлагается
внести некоторые изменения в существующую учебную
программу модуля «Английский язык для юристов». Был
проведён опрос учащихся второго курса, в рамках
исследования учебной программы этого модуля. Текущая
учебная
программа
для
этого
модуля
частично
соответствует стандартам университета. Исследование
проводилось в несколько этапов. Первый шаг был
выполнен посредством анализа потребностей учащихся и
их предпочтениях. Во
-
вторых, была изучена существующая
учебная программа, выявлены ее преимущества и
недостатки. Некоторые недостатки включают в себя
неподходящие
учебные
материалы,
отсутствие
юридических документов и недостаточно четкие критерии
оценок. Собранные результаты помогли дать некоторые
предложения, которые включают изменения в учебной
программе,
учебниках
и
методах
преподавания.
Предлагаемая учебная программа включает в себя
интеграцию всех навыков; содержание, основанное на
поставленных задачах и результатах; чтение романов,
связанных с профессией и кратким объяснением задач;
критериях оценок. Все эти предложения будут эффективны
для дальнейшего развития будущих юристов.
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A learner needs analysis report
✓
Introduction
The worldwide increase in the use of English has led to many changes in
educational institutions. Today, English is no longer simply taught as a foreign language,
but in an increasing number of countries serves as the medium of instruction, even in
non-
English speaking countries. ‘Successful organization
s are biased towards action and
they avoid stultification by developing and changing rather than remaining routinized
and standardized’
[1].
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmers are no different from other
organizations. Although some ESP programs change little over time, seemingly content
with the comfort and security of the status quo, many ESP programs view change as a
natural and integral part of program life. In such programs, curriculum renewal
represents one effective way of responding to the evolving needs of students and faculty,
to the shifting circumstances of the educational programs themselves, and to new
insights from the professional literature. Curriculum renewal that is grounded in sound
decision-making and a thoughtful consideration of the factors impacted by reform can
ensure program integrity, viability, responsiveness, and competitiveness [2].
Initially, this needs analysis was carried out at Tashkent State University of Law. In
this institution, EFL teachers deliver classes to 1
st
, and 2
nd
-year students, but for this task,
1
st
-year learners were particularly chosen since they have more challenges as opposed to
other students. In this institution, students learn both ESP and general English. For ESP
they have a legal English course book, which they study for a year, and for general
English, they practice B2 level course books. Most of them face difficulties in writing
academic essays and case studies. Hence, in writing classes, instructors try to use
different helpful materials. In this need, analysis concentration was drawn to one of my
learners who is very eager to learn English. Even though Student A joined the class a bit
later, he is very active in the group, but it was interesting to know about his other skills;
therefore, in a bid to find out his learning goals, his personal traits, strategies this
research was carried out and outcomes through the gathered data were analyzed.
Learner profile
The target group consists of 23 students: 11 girls and 12 boys. They are all Uzbek
with different backgrounds. When it comes to their language proficiency my three-month
observation proves that their level differs from Pre-intermediate to Intermediate. Nearly
all of them are good at English, but some are a bit introverted. Their listening and
speaking are much better than their reading and writing skills. They prefer more
interactive activities since they participate more actively in these types of warm-ups.
The learner chosen for this needs analysis is a 20-year-old boy hailing from an
Uzbek family. Student A is a second-year student now at the University of Law and he has
been very intrigued to learn languages since his mother is a language teacher. According
to his personality relying on the observation, it can be said that he is very outgoing, clever
and open-minded. Nowadays his knowledge of English is Intermediate and speaks
English more fluently in comparison with other students. He is a movie buff since he likes
watching movies in English. Besides, he is very punctual as he does all the assignments
on time. However, his main challenge is writing. He does not favor writing much and
makes more mistakes compared to his speaking. However, he is trying to cope with his
difficulties in writing as well via writing more and reading sample essays.
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✓
Methodology
According to Richards, one source of data can be insufficient in conducting a needs
analysis. Therefore, he suggests applying a triangular approach to collect more reliable and
precise outcomes. [3] In this needs analysis the data were collected via the following tools:
•
Observation
–
while teaching this target group and particularly one of the
learners was observed in a bid to find out their challenges, learning styles, strategies and
participation in the class. After each class entries regarding that lesson to work on the
action plan were written.
•
Questionnaire
–
a number of written questions were asked from students about
their learning styles, difficulties in the class, desires and opinions in learning English.
Besides, this survey was held to know their opinions about the course they are studying
in and whether their needs are met in those classes. Questionnaires were distributed to
the learners at the beginning of the lesson
•
Samples of students’ writing
–
in the lesson students were given a task to write
an opinion essay. It was carried out in order to assess their overall writing. Importantly,
this assignment was given to them as writing is more challenging for them
•
Placement test
–
this test was done to assess their four skills.
Even though this learner has been observed for only three months, sample
information was acquired about him through classes.
✓
Findings
Having collected all essential tools, the concentration was on analyzing their
outcomes. Firstly, while observing their participation in the class and conducting the
questionnaire it was clear that they get more active when they are given more group or
pair works (85 %). They prefer to work more collaboratively in debates, discussions and
presentations.
Reading and writing tasks seem more difficult for them. When the question about
difficulty of acquiring skills was asked most of them found writing and reading are rather
complicated. [4] It was obvious in the observation as well because in speaking and
listening activities they feel more active and positive, while in writing and reading they
spend more time on the tasks and make more mistakes.
15%
85%
Question 6
working alone
working in groups
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In addition, the results of the reading and writing are lower than speaking and
listening as most of them found more correct answers in these skills. Nearly all of them
rated the difficulty of reading at four, writing at five, listening at three and speaking at
one respectively.
Overall, most students are satisfied with the classes and found teaching materials
useful and helpful, and they are expecting to enlarge their vocabulary, speak more
fluently and read more authentic materials in the further classes.
Regarding Student A, it can be that he is a visual learner since he likes to learn the
language by watching English movies and reading books. He likes more speaking
activities rather than other skills. During the lessons, several questions were asked about
his goals and it is obvious that he is willing to become an International lawyer because it
is his major and long-awaited dream. For this purpose, he has to know as many languages
as possible and now he is learning English and Japanese languages. In terms of his
personality as well as being very punctual, he is more self-assured, sociable and
considerate. Although he has some mistakes in his speaking, he feels quite confident to
convey his opinions.
It is evident in the observation and questionnaire that he is more active as
compared to others and can express his opinions more easily. He always tries to do his
best in all tasks. Like other learners, he also prefers more collaborative work and finds
writing much harder. Via checking his essays, it was figured out that he has more
problems with linking sentences with the help of appropriate transitions. Apparently,
most of them have the same problems with linking words. Moreover, he does not
consider the rules of academic writing much and makes some grammar errors related to
the usage of articles apart from spelling mistakes. His results from reading are very good
since he found all of the answers correctly (13 out of 13), but he made more mistakes in
listening (21 out of 40).
Considering everything, it is evident that these findings are very crucial in teaching
and addressing students’ problems in learning English. One of the prominent scholars
Richards believes that the basis to plan goals and objectives for a future program may be
developed by a needs analysis.[5] Counting on his beliefs and this current needs analysis
I would like to work on my students’ problems by setting more precise goals and
objectives as well as improving my classes. Admittedly, while conducting this needs
analysis I also learnt my own mistakes in teaching because before I tried to meet my
reading
listening
writing
speaking
1
4
3
5
Question 4
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learners’ needs partially. However, after analyzing the outcomes of the questionnaire and
observation it was figured out that not all of their needs were met during the lessons.
With the help of this analysis some changes have to be done in teaching by using more
interactive activities, authentic materials and motivating them towards the classes.
✓
Research outcomes
Indeed, the goal of this program is to develop students’ communicative, linguistic
and sociolinguistic competence in both general English and legal sphere. More
specifically, by the end of the year students will be able to learn how to write academic
essays, speak about any social topic as well as gaining ample knowledge to write and
assess different legal cases in English with the help of appropriate legal terms.
Secondly, curriculum content is decided according to students’ needs and level.
Since students are future lawyers they learn both legal and general English. The content
is suitable for B2 level and the legal course book is also relatively easier as compared to
the third-year textbook. The stakeholders involved in this curriculum are module
coordinators, teachers, students, ministry of education officials and academic specialists.
Moreover, the curriculum is vertically organized centering on continuity and sequence.
As it is required in National Standards the language is taught in integration and topics
including grammar points and other competencies are selected according to their
simplicity, frequency and centrality. In this way it meets the criteria mentioned
by Richards [6].
Furthermore, the module coordinator appropriately to each lesson mostly chooses
classroom activities and materials, but teachers also use various other authentic
materials, such as articles, games and warm-ups related to that class. Activities mainly
entail role-plays, case situations, debates and discussions. [7] Besides, lesson plans are
developed sequentially entailing all objectives, stages of the lesson and outcomes. The
teacher’s role in the classroom is to facilitate the lesson via giving instructions, involving
learners, meeting their needs and providing a communicative environment, whereas
students are engaged in pair and group work in order to help each other and speak more
fluently [8].
Subsequently, outcomes are determined based on the students’ needs and goals of
the curriculum. Relying on Tyler’s opinions the aims and objectives, content, organization
and evaluation were taken into consideration (Richards, 2010, p. 39), and main positive
and negative aspects were found during the observation as well. Clearly, during this
process formative evaluation was done through the feedback of students and some
teachers [9]. As for strengths of the curriculum the followings are included:
✓
Communicative approach is widely used in both general English and legal
classes. One of the prominent curriculum designers, Omaggio Hadley stated that the
syllabus should be built on interactions and this curriculum also intends to achieve this
target. [10]
✓
From simplicity to complexity.
✓
The content is concise including all important points and references.
The drawbacks are:
✓
Some textbooks are not properly chosen as they do not correspond to learners’ level
;
✓
Lack of legal writing;
✓
Testing assessment is not well-explained;
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After analyzing both upsides and downsides of the curriculum some changes are
needed. It is deemed that lesson plans and teaching materials are good as they focus on
more interaction, but it would be better if more legal writing was added since law students
need to practice more formal applications and cases. Lastly, some textbooks should be
chosen taking their level into account and precise testing assessment has to be made.
✓
Further suggestions
In fact, the existing curriculum includes a topical/content-based syllabus.
As Coxhead, A. and Nation, P. claimed that content-based syllabus serves merely to
practice the language and sometimes choosing an appropriate content is problematic
[11]. Creating a combination of content, skills and task-based syllabus is of importance,
because at this university students are required to achieve B2 level in both general and
legal English; that is why, they need to practice and incorporate all four skills and having
them do different tasks facilitates the learning process.
In addition, the existing curriculum does not have an English version as well as
suitable textbooks corresponding to learners’ needs. Therefore, since the learners have
more challenges in writing and reading more tasks have to be added which combine both
of these skills. At least three novels should be given to read and discuss in the group prior
to writing a reflection on them. A newly created curriculum would involve all the criteria
in a sequence as well as the succinct explanation of the tasks. Dudley-Evans, T. and St
John, M.J. put forward the view that course rationale should guide the planning of
different components of the course, explain the process of teaching and learning, and
represent the course goals and values. [12]
Focusing on their views the rationale was also created for this course. Importantly,
it entails main outcomes of the course and assessment rubrics which the current
curriculum lacks. Richards stated the importance of the alignment of the curriculum with
the learners’ needs, therefore, we also have to meet this criterion.[12]
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Curriculum development in language teaching
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