ACADEMIC ENGLISH NEEDS OF IRANIAN PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS: AN ESP CONTEXT

This paper investigates English for Specific Purposes (ESP) needs of Iranian paramedical students who study ESP in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) environment. The studentsʹ perceived needs are compared with their English job requirements in health care centers in future. This study was designed on a qualitative- quantitative survey basis. The participants of this study consisted of 260 undergraduate paramedical students. The data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The results of the study indicate that majority of the participants were dissatisfied with the number of current ESP courses for BA students. Extensive qualitative and statistical analysis of the data revealed that most of the students perceived they needed to develop their language proficiency before they attended their specialized courses. The participants complained about their limited knowledge of semitechnical and technical vocabulary related to their field of study. And they proposed to have both general and specialized medical terminology courses to develop vocabulary knowledge to a large extent. The results of the needs analysis revealed that ESP courses proposed at universities can make the grounds for the subjects’ future job purposes but they are not sufficient to account for the specific job requirements of nurses, midwifes and surgical technologists. All of the participants put emphasis on ESP classes to develop their translation skills as the widely required skill both in carrying out their studies and in their future job practice. However, it can be implied from the results of the study that students need English more than practitioners.