English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Program Evaluation:Perspectives from Three Faculties

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program offered to the first- year undergraduate students enrolled in a foundation university in Turkey. One hundred eighty-eight students taking ESP courses in three faculties participated in the study. Data were collected through a five-point Likert type questionnaire and the results were calculated through one-way ANOVA analysis followed by post hoc comparisons. The findings indicated that the students were not satisfied with the ESP program and there was a significant difference among the perceptions of the students taking English for Engineering course, English for Business Administration and English for Aviation Management courses. Data analysis also revealed that the students who obtained 85-90 points on the Proficiency Test of English (PTE) were less positive about the program than those who obtained 60-70 points on the PTE. Therefore, we suggest that the ESP program needs to be redesigned in light of the findings of the study. The views and needs of all stakeholders must be thoroughly investigated with the aim of designing higher quality ESP programs in future.