A Study of an ESP Program for University Engineering Students

The current study is a report of an intensive ESP program conducted for engineering freshmen in a Korean university. The program was planned to enhance students' reading proficiency in comprehending the subject contents they would learn in the future years. The program consisted of three different components: reading in General English, reading in IT English, and speaking and listening. For each course, either published textbooks or course packets were used. To see whether the program helped the students enhance their reading proficiency, a pre and a post tests were taken: one at the beginning of the camp and the other at the end of the camp. The analysis of the results of the tests shows that the program benefits the relevant students. It also suggests that the lower level students need more help than the higher level students, which accords with a generally accepted view that ESP programs are generally targeted for advanced or intermediate learners who possess basic knowledge of the language system (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998).