Exploring English Reading and Writing Needs of Undergraduate Science Students: A Case Study in Thailand
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Abstract
This paper aims to investigate English Reading and Writing Needs of Undergraduate Science Students at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand. The data were collected from both 100 first-year to fourth-year Science students and ten ESP teachers. An English reading and writing needs questionnaire as well as an interview protocol were developed to collect the data from the student participants, while an interview protocol was utilized to explore the ESP teacher participants’ perceptions. The data gained from the questionnaire were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, namely, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and those obtained from the interviews were analyzed by using the content analysis. In terms of reading, the results of the study revealed that ‘reading assigned textbooks and course handouts’ was considered a very important sub-skill, whereas, as for writing, ‘writing assignments and homework’ and ‘writing answers to exam questions’ were viewed as the most important writing sub-skills. Regarding Science students’ in English reading and writing in the scientific context, the findings in the realm of reading showed that ‘skimming the text for main ideas’ was the most important problems among Science students, while, as for writing, ‘using language correctly and appropriately’ was found as the most problematic sub-skill. The pedagogical implications of the study help suggest some fruitful avenues for English language teachers who are interested in developing an English reading and writing course for Science students.
Keywords: English Reading and Writing Needs, English Reading and Writing Problems, Science Students
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