PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES (ESP) IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

English for Specific Purpose appeared due to the
awareness that general English course was not suitable for the
learners’ need, especially in higher education. In the teaching of
ESP, the materials are focused on the learners’ needs or their
specific fields of study and it is assumed that they have basic
language skills of general English. The purpose of this study was to
analyze the problems that arise in teaching English for Specific
Purpose (ESP) in higher education. The writer investigated the
problems and the causes by reading many literature reviews related
to the topic. The findings showed that there are five main problems
in ESP. They are related to (1) teaching pedagogy, (2) the teachers
,(3) the design of the course, (4) students’ ability and (5) students’
needs. Some suggestions are also given to solve the problems in
teaching English for Specific Purpose in higher education.