IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF ESP COURSES FOR UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANS IN CHINA AND KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The discussed ESP module for librarians was one of eight modules developed and implemented within the DIREKT Erasmus+ project funded by the European Commission through the Capacity Building in the Higher Education Program. The aim was to improve, develop and modernise higher education systems in Asia through university cooperation. The idea behind teaching English to librarians was to equip them with an ability to provide support to academic staff and students concerning information resources, databases and research studies, which are available mainly in English. Librarians are the key link between the activities of academic staff, students and the library, therefore there is a need for librarians to reach at least an A2 level of the CEFR in English. The ESP module is aimed to develop a functional language for the library staff in authentic library situations, such as borrowing and returning books, using library jargon, providing assistance, guidance and advice in finding quality library sources and databases, referencing, citation and avoiding plagiarism. This research study aims to evaluate the implementation of the ESP module for librarians at five universities in China and Kazakhstan. Research methods applied in this study were observation, students’ questionnaires and teachers’ evaluations. To summarize the findings, it was discovered that even though the taught module was the same, there were differences in focus, teaching techniques, activities and used materials.