Journal of English Language Teaching

Teaching EAP in Information Technology Engineering from a Disciplinary Literacy Perspective

Dr. Khamseng Baruah

Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English Language Teaching, Gauhati University

Dr. Parismita Sarma

Assistant Professor, Dept of Information Technology, Guhati University

Keywords: EAP, information technology, engineering, disciplinary literacy, ESL

---

Abstract

This paper examines the level of preparedness among students studying an undergraduate programme in an Indian university to handle the academic demands of a specialist course. The participants are a group of 80 students studying engineering in IT in an Indian university and 8 discipline experts teaching in the same university. The data reveals the challenges that the learners face as far as their literacy in IT is concerned and foregrounds the need to teach EAP from a disciplinary literacy perspective.

---

References

Dudley-Evans, T. & St. John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes: a multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press

Fang, Z. (2012). Language correlates of disciplinary literacy. Topics In language Disorders, 32(1), 19-34.

Flowerdew, L. (2012). English for Academic Purposes. The Encyclopedia of Applied

Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0376.pub2

Gao, L. X., & Zhang, J. Z. (2020). Teacher learning in difficult times: examining foreign language teachers cognitions about online teaching to tide over covid-19. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.549653.

Hyland, K. (2012). Disciplinary identities: Individuality and community in academic discourse (1st ed.) Cambridge University Press.

Hyland, K. (2014). English for Academic Purposes. In Leung, C. & Street, B. (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of English Language Studies. London: Routledge.

Hyland, K. (2017). English in the disciplines: Arguments for specificity. ESP Today, 5(1), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2017.5.1.1

Moje, E. B. (2007). Developing socially just subject-matter instruction—A review of the literature on disciplinary literacy teaching. Review of Research in Education,31(1), 1-44. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07300046001.

Moje, E.B. (2008). Foregrounding the disciplines in secondary literacy teaching and learning: A call for change. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,52( 2), 96-107.

Jacobs, C. (2007). Towards a critical understanding of the teaching of disciplinespecific academic literacies: making the tacit explicit. Journal of Education, 41, 59-81.

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40–59.

Shanahan, T. & Shanahan, C. (2012). What is disciplinary literacy and why does it matter? Topics in Language Disorders, 32(1), 7-18 https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0b013e318244557a.