The Effect of Negotiated Syllabus on the Reading Comprehension of ESP Students

Journal of Language and Translation

مقاله 9، دوره 9، شماره 4، دی 2019، صفحه 121-133   

نوع مقاله: Research Articles

نویسندگان

Golnaz Peyvandi¹؛ Maryam Azarnoosh^{* 2}؛ Masood Siyyari³

¹PhD candidate of TEFL, Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

²Assistant Professor of TEFL, Department of English, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran

³Assistant Professor of TEFL, Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

چکیده

Negotiated syllabus addresses learners‟ needs and assists them in developing their own on-going syl- labus through shared decision-making in the classroom. Many studies focus on the effect of this learner-centered syllabus on language learning. However, few studies exist on its effect on the reading ability of language learners, especially in the area of English for specific purposes (ESP). To address this gap, this quasi-experimental pre-test post-test intact group design examined if negotiated syllabus has any significant effect on developing the reading comprehension of ESP students. To this end, 32 students in the experimental group were given the choice to design a negotiated syllabus through col- laboration while 39 students in the control group received a pre-designed syllabus. The data analysis showed that the ESP learners in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group on the reading post-test. The results of this study have implications for authorities in higher education, educational policy makers, and teacher professional development in ELT and ESP in par- ticular which are discussed in detail in the paper.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Curriculum؛ ESP؛ Higher education؛ Negotiated syllabus؛ Reading comprehension

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