UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA SISTEMA DE ESTUDIOS DE POSGRADO TACKLING COMPLEX LISTENING TEXTS IN AN ESP COURSE FOR INVESTMENT EXPERTS Trabajo final de investigación aplicada sometido a la consideración de la Comisión del Programa de Posgrado en Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera para optar al grado y título de Maestría Profesional en Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera CLAUDIA LUCÍA MARÍN MONTERO LARIZA EUGENIA MAYORGA VARGAS JESÚS EMILIO MONTERO NÚÑEZ Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, Costa Rica 2023 ii DEDICATORIA I dedicate this project to my family, especially to my husband who has supported me through the years and to my mother who has always been an example of perseverance to me. Claudia I dedicate this project to God because without him, I would not be the person that I am, and to my family who has supported me during the entire process of this master’s program. I am thankful that they would not let me give up. Lariza I dedicate this project to baby Emmanuel, my son, who in his short stay in this world taught me to value all moments in life and to my wife, Joselyn, for her support in life and in this program. Emilio iii AGRADECIMIENTOS I want to thank my husband for supporting and listening to me when I needed the most. Also, I want to thank Lariza and Emilio for being the best teammates one could wish for. Thanks to professor Randolph Zúñiga for his patience, guidance, and teachings during this process, and to professors Roxana Chevez, Alonso Canales, and Henry Angulo for providing valuable feedback and support. Claudia I want to thank my family for always being there, motivating and cheering me up. I also want to thank my classmates and professors from the master’s program for their kindness, support, and professionalism at all times. Special thanks to my colleagues, Claudia and Emilio, who were patient enough to work with me and who taught me that teamwork can be challenging and frustrating sometimes but rewarding. Thanks to Professors Roxana Chévez, Randolph Zúñiga, Henry Angulo, Alonso Canales, and Ana Cristina Alvarado for their thoughtful and valuable feedback, advice, and support. Lariza I want to thank my colleagues, Claudia and Lariza for their hard work, patience, and support in difficult times. I also want to thank professor Zúñiga for all his guidance and teachings during this practicum process. Finally, and most important of all, to my wife for supporting me since the very first time I thought about enrolling in the program, her motivation during the process and for listening to me when frustration arrived. Emilio iv HOJA DE APROBACIÓN v TABLA DE CONTENIDO DEDICATORIA ......................................................................................................... ii AGRADECIMIENTOS .............................................................................................. iii HOJA DE APROBACIÓN ........................................................................................ iv TABLA DE CONTENIDO .......................................................................................... v RESUMEN ............................................................................................................. viii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. ix LISTA DE TABLAS ................................................................................................... x LISTA DE FIGURAS ................................................................................................ xi LISTA DE ABREVIATURAS ................................................................................... xii Tackling Complex Listening Texts in an ESP Course for Investment Experts ........ 1 Chapter I: Needs Analysis ....................................................................................... 2 General Description of the Participants ........................................................................... 2 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 2 Research Approach ..................................................................................................... 2 Context ......................................................................................................................... 3 Participants .................................................................................................................. 3 Instruments .................................................................................................................. 4 Procedures ................................................................................................................... 4 Interests of Primary Stakeholders .................................................................................... 5 General Group Profile ...................................................................................................... 7 Participants’ Job Positions ........................................................................................... 7 Participants’ Needs ...................................................................................................... 8 Participants’ Wants .................................................................................................... 12 Participants’ Lacks ..................................................................................................... 16 Diagnostic Test .............................................................................................................. 18 vi Test Administration Issues ......................................................................................... 18 Diagnostic Test Design .............................................................................................. 19 Diagnostic Test Results ............................................................................................. 23 Discussion of Results ..................................................................................................... 27 Chapter II: Syllabus Design ................................................................................... 30 Course Logo .................................................................................................................. 30 Course Name ................................................................................................................. 30 Course Description ........................................................................................................ 30 Statement of Goals and Objectives ............................................................................... 31 Unit 1: Investing in Reading Stocks ........................................................................... 31 Unit 2: Investing in Listening Stocks .......................................................................... 32 Unit 3: Investing in Speaking Stocks .......................................................................... 32 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 33 Approach .................................................................................................................... 33 Classroom Dynamics ................................................................................................. 34 Tasks and Techniques and their Rationale ................................................................ 35 Role of the Learners ................................................................................................... 36 Role of the Teachers .................................................................................................. 37 Assessment ................................................................................................................... 37 Assessment Tasks ..................................................................................................... 39 Assessment Rationale ............................................................................................... 40 Contents ......................................................................................................................... 42 Unit 1: Investing in Reading Stocks ........................................................................... 42 Unit 2: Investing in Listening Stocks .......................................................................... 44 Unit 3: Investing in Speaking Stocks .......................................................................... 46 Chapter III: Literature Review and Critical Reflection ............................................ 49 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 50 vii Key Terms .................................................................................................................. 51 Strategies and Task Characteristics to Tackle Complex Listening Texts .................. 57 An Evidence-based Reflection ....................................................................................... 65 Teaching Decisions: Strategies Implemented ............................................................ 67 Successful Outcomes ................................................................................................ 73 Less Successful Outcomes ........................................................................................ 78 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 86 Limitations ............................................................................................................. 87 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 88 References ............................................................................................................ 91 Appendices ............................................................................................................ 96 viii RESUMEN La comprensión auditiva es un aspecto clave en la comunicación y el contexto del IFE no es una excepción a esto. En la literatura, los resultados más prominentes son estudios acerca de estrategias para enseñar comprensión auditiva y sobre la carga cognitiva de los audios utilizados en clases de escucha, pero muy pocos de ellos están relacionados con contextos IFE. Este estudio se concentra en las estrategias para enfrentar audios complejos en un curso de IFE para expertos en inversiones, quienes son usuarios básicos del inglés. Esta investigación cualitativa tomó en consideración las necesidades de un grupo de catorce expertos en inversiones para la creación de un curso IFE para ellos, el estudio de necesidades mostró que la escucha era la habilidad con la que sentían más aprehensivos y la que tuvo los resultados más bajos. Además, este proyecto presenta el análisis de los resultados de la aplicación de estrategias de procesamiento ascendentes y descendentes en la enseñanza de la escucha y la Teoría de Carga Cognitiva para modificar audios auténticos en las clases que los cinco estudiantes de este grupo tomaron. Los resultados muestran que bajar la carga cognitiva de los audios y de los materiales y la combinación de estrategias de procesamiento ascendentes y descendentes pueden marcar una diferencia en el éxito de las tareas realizadas y en la manera en la que los estudiantes perciben esta habilidad. Palabras clave: comprensión auditiva, IFE, inversiones, estrategias de escucha, textos auténticos, carga cognitiva, enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera ix ABSTRACT Listening comprehension is a key aspect in communication, and an ESP context is not the exception to it. In the literature, the most prominent results are studies about strategies on how to teach listening comprehension and about the cognitive load of the audio texts used in listening classes, but very few of them are related to ESP settings. This study focuses on strategies for tackling complex listening texts in an ESP course for investment experts who are basic users of English. This qualitative research took into consideration the needs of a group of fourteen investment experts for the creation of an ESP course for them. The needs analysis showed that listening was the skill that they were more apprehensive about and the one that had the lowest results. In addition, this project presents the analysis of the results of the application of bottom-up and top-down strategies for teaching listening and of the Cognitive Load Theory to modify authentic listening texts in the classes the five students of this group took. The results show that lowering the cognitive load of the audio texts and the materials and a combination of bottom-up and top-down strategies can make a difference on the success of the tasks presented and the way students perceive the skill. Keywords: listening comprehension, ESP, investment, listening strategies, authentic texts, cognitive load, teaching English as a foreign language x LISTA DE TABLAS Table 1: Participants’ Job Positions …………………………………………………………… 8 Table 2: Tasks Level of Difficulty ……………………………………………………………… 16 Table 3: Evaluation of the Course …………………………………………………………….. 39 Table 4: Contents for Unit 1 ………………………………………………………………..….. 42 Table 5: Contents for Unit 2 ……………………………………………………………………. 45 Table 6: Contents for Unit 3 …………………………………………………………………….. 47 xi LISTA DE FIGURAS Figure 1: Participants’ Own Perceived Proficiency Level ……………………………….….. 9 Figure 2: Participants’ Use of the English Macro-Skills in their Jobs …………………….. 10 Figure 3: Tasks Related to the Participants’ Job Profiles ………………………………….. 12 Figure 4: Class Activities Participants Prefer ………………………………………………... 14 Figure 5: Topics Preferences for the Course ………………………………………………... 15 Figure 6 : Reading Proficiency Level …………………………………………………………. 24 Figure 7: Listening Proficiency Level …………………………………………………………. 25 Figure 8: Speaking Proficiency Level …………………………………………………………. 26 xii LISTA DE ABREVIATURAS C.C.S.S.: Costa Rican Social Security Fund CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CLT: Cognitive Load Theory EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language ESP: English for Specific Purposes IFE: Inglés con fines específicos L2: Second language ORI: Office of Retirement Investments TBLA: Task-Based Language Assessment TBLT: Task-Based Language Teaching 1 Tackling Complex Listening Texts in an ESP Course for Investment Experts The present study is focused on the design and teaching of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for the Office of Retirement Investments (ORI) of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (C.C.S.S, for its acronym in Spanish), and it was done to opt for the Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the University of Costa Rica. The course was held once a week via Zoom for about fourteen weeks and the students had to perform several tasks linked to their field of expertise. The units presented in the course were divided into three different skills: reading, listening, and speaking based on students’ needs. To design this ESP course, the Practicum team carried out different processes to expand their knowledge of the target population’s characteristics as professionals as well as their desires to learn the language. These processes are going to be explained in the following two chapters. Firstly, Chapter I describes the participants’ needs, lacks, and wants. Therefore, it discusses the methodology followed to carry out the project, the instruments, and the diagnostic test design and results. Secondly, bearing clear in mind who the participants were, their needs, wants, and lacks, it was time to think about the course syllabus. Chapter II presents the process undergone to design the course syllabus. This section includes the course logo and its rationale, the description of the course, the units to be developed through the course with the corresponding statement of goals and objectives, the methodology to be followed during the ESP course, and the assessment criteria to be implemented. Finally, Chapter III analyzes the strategies that can be successfully, and not so successfully, used in the teaching of listening to basic users of English in an ESP course for investment experts since this skill was the one that was proven to be the most problematic for the participants in the stages described in chapters I and II. 2 Chapter I: Needs Analysis This chapter seeks to gather relevant information that can help the Practicum team to guide the development of an ESP course specially designed for the ORI employees. This analysis will provide information about the participants’ background in terms of the target language and their learning preferences and styles, as well as their overall proficiency level, which will then be used to prepare the syllabus of the course. General Description of the Participants To start with, the target population is a group of employees at the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. This group is heterogeneous in the sense that all participants perform different tasks in their job; for example, there are auditors, risk analysts, secretaries, investment analysts, among others. Thus, their daily tasks are varied; for instance, some of them need to attend webinars, analyze the international market, and read and watch the news to gather updated information on what happens in the world that could affect investments. Therefore, learning English is highly relevant for this population because it opens doors to access new markets, have more sources of information, and start new relationships with colleagues abroad. In other words, having the right information and being able to analyze it is fundamental for the ORI employees to make more informed decisions. Methodology Research Approach The Practicum team adopted a qualitative approach to conduct the needs analysis with the aim of learning about the perspectives, needs, wants, and lacks of the target population. The data were obtained through an online semi-structured interview and a questionnaire that contained questions about the target’s population field, the activities 3 they perform, the materials they usually work with, and the different topics they need and would like to study throughout the course, as well as their current English proficiency level. Gentles et al. (2015, as cited in Mojahan, 2018) assert that qualitative research “is the observations and interpretations of people’s perception of different events, and it takes the snapshot of the people’s perception in a natural setting” (p. 2). In a similar vein, Creswell (2003, as cited in Williams, 2007) says that qualitative research is “an effective model that occurs in a natural setting that enables the researcher to develop a level of detail from being highly involved in the actual experiences” (p. 67). Both definitions assert that qualitative studies focus on the participants’ perceptions and the way that researchers interpret and describe the results obtained while they try to find commonalities or recurring themes, which is exactly what the Practicum team did to analyze and discuss the results. Context The data for this needs analysis were collected from 14 professionals who are employees of the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. According to the two representatives of the stakeholder, who at the same time belong to the ESP course, they need to learn English because this Office is looking forward to taking part in the international market, which is a new and exciting experience for them. Participants The participants in this project were 14 professionals, seven men and seven women, with working experience ranging between 3 and 27 years at the ORI of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. The participants’ ages ranged from 26 to 57 years, and most of them mentioned that they hold a Licenciatura degree or higher. In addition, 12 participants have taken English lessons after graduating from high school, but they believe that still after taking these courses, they have a beginner’s level of proficiency in the language. 4 All the participants were part of a voluntary response sample because they requested an ESP course from the Master’s Program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the University of Costa Rica. Therefore, to start working with that population, everything was arranged by the instructor in charge of the Practicum course and the director of the master’s program. Instruments Semi-structured Interview. The purpose of this instrument (Appendix A) was to gather information to serve as the basis for the design of the subsequent questionnaire and to understand in which situations the ORI employees have to use English for work purposes. The interview consisted of 11 open-ended questions intended to have the participants elaborate on relevant information about their field, activities, and the need for learning English. These questions were asked in Spanish to facilitate the participants’ comprehension and to avoid missing relevant information. Needs Analysis Questionnaire. The questionnaire (Appendix B) was designed using Google Forms, and it was written in Spanish. It was divided into six sections: personal information, English background, linguistic skills in English, learning preferences, use of English at work, and expectations of the ESP course. The sections and the questions followed a logical sequence from general information to specific. In addition, the questionnaire comprised open and closed response questions such as short answers, multiple-choice, checklists, Likert scales, and ranking questions. For example, for the use of English at work, the Practicum team created a list of tasks that people who work at the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund may perform using the target language. Procedures To obtain the data from the population and start working on the needs analysis, the Practicum team initially contacted via email the two stakeholder’s representatives and two 5 other people that had been appointed as contacts by the ORI to request their participation in a semi-structured interview. As soon as they responded, another email was sent to set the date and the virtual platform on which the meeting was going to take place. On the day of the interview, only the stakeholder’s representatives attended the meeting via Zoom, and the three members of the Practicum team asked them a set of questions about their field of expertise, the focus of their work, interests, specific situations in which they might require English at work, and the register they must use in communication. Additionally, at the end of the interview, the team requested samples of materials or documents in English that they use at work. The interview lasted 30 minutes, and it was fully recorded with the consent of the participants. The second step was to analyze the information gathered during the interview for the purpose of developing the online questionnaire, and the third step was to design it. As a fourth step, the questionnaire was piloted with some participants to see if the questions were clear and unbiased and whether any problems might affect the instrument’s reliability. For that purpose, an email with the online questionnaire was sent to three of the participants. The email had clear instructions on how to access the file, and it specified the importance of adding comments and suggestions in case of having doubts or problems filling out the form. After receiving the answers with no comments about the clarity and usefulness of the instrument, the questionnaire was emailed to the other 12 participants on the list provided by the Master’s program. In the end, 14 out of the 15 people contacted answered the questionnaire over the next two days. Interests of Primary Stakeholders According to the stakeholder’s representatives, the use of English is of great importance since the ORI is looking forward to investing retirement funds in international markets. For this reason, they consider good command of the English language is a necessity. They specified that their field is mainly focused on investments. For this reason, 6 they have to know and understand the current world situation in areas such as the economy, finance, and politics; make informed decisions, advise the institution on investing and taking risks in the stock market, and keep updated information handy to send to their team members. For this purpose, they are always monitoring information available on different websites such as Baha Breaking News, Investing.com, Bloomberg, The New York Times, Yahoo Finance, and others. That means that their work revolves around reading and listening to the news about events around the world that could likely affect the stock market. After that, they have to write reports in Spanish for their colleagues to analyze and evaluate the information. These reports include aspects like the financial situation of stock-issuing organizations, the risk ratings of both the organizations and the stocks, and their results. The reports are then used to propose strategies for a better performance of investments. When reading and listening to these kinds of texts, the participants are required to use micro-skills such as activating schemata, scanning, skimming, predicting, extracting main ideas and details, summarizing, reporting, identifying facts from opinions, and drawing conclusions. Apart from reading and listening to the news, the stakeholder’s representatives also mentioned that, oftentimes, the participants listen to a variety of podcasts on the topic of investments as a way of staying informed and up-to-date, and that they also attend a variety of webinars on the same topic in English. The stakeholder’s representatives also highlighted that sometimes they have to speak with people from different brokerage houses around the world. Even though this communication occurs with the help of an interpreter, the participants are willing to be able to communicate with those brokers without the need for an interpreter in the near future. In reference to their usual kind of communication, and considering their field of expertise, the stakeholder’s representatives stated that the register they have to use is always formal and technical. For that reason, 7 they expect to learn that type of vocabulary and useful expressions to make communication accurate, fluent, and appropriate at the same time. In conclusion, learning the target language for this population represents an opportunity to improve their current job in areas of interest for the ORI as they seek to invest money in the international market. In this regard, their current needs deal with a more accurate use and understanding of the language since acquiring the necessary vocabulary would probably make their job more efficient. To meet their expectations, it is necessary to prepare them with learning strategies that help them develop their abilities in the target language in such areas as reading, listening, and speaking. General Group Profile This section deals with a general description of the participants in terms of the information they provided in the needs analysis questionnaire. Aspects like job position, the participants’ linguistic abilities in English, their needs, wants and lacks, and their learning strategies, learning styles, and attitudes will be analyzed. Participants’ Job Positions First of all, as previously stated, the subjects of the needs analysis in this project are all employees from the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, who hold different positions at the institution and perform varied tasks. Table 1 illustrates the participants' job positions. 8 Table 1 Participants’ Job Positions Job Title Number of People Investment Analyst (Professional 4) 6 Upper Management Executive Assistant 1 Audit Assistant 2 Director 1 Economist/Risk analyst 1 Portfolio Administration Manager 1 Assistant Investment Analyst (Professional 3) 1 Executive Secretary 1 Source: Online survey administered to participants As can be seen, job positions at the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund are varied, with the largest group, investment analyst, representing a little less than half of the total, and the other positions being held by only one participant in most cases. Thus, the participants as a whole are likely to perform a broad variety of tasks. At the same time, the tasks specifically performed by financial analysts should be given a relative importance similar to their proportion in the population. Participants’ Needs Another important aspect worth analyzing is the participants’ linguistic abilities in English. To gather this information, the participants were asked to answer questions about their perceived proficiency level in each of the language macro-skills, the frequency with which they use English macro-skills in their job, relevance of learning job-related vocabulary, the level of formality in their communications, and job-related tasks. 9 Participants Perceived Proficiency Level. Figure 1 shows the participants’ perception regarding their proficiency level in each of the macro language skills. Figure 1 Participants’ Own Perceived Proficiency Level Source: Online survey administered to participant As can be seen, most participants reported that they have a beginner’s level in each of the macro-skills of the English language. Specifically, at least eight out of the 14 participants perceived their level in each of the macro skills as beginner, with speaking and writing having the most self-perceived beginners (n=14 and n=12, respectively). Reading had the most participants who perceived themselves as intermediate (n=6), but it was still under half of the total. Overall, instructors should pay sufficient attention to task design to help students succeed in the learning process by following scaffolding strategies guiding them from basic to proficient stages. 10 Use of Macro-Skills in English at Work. With regard to macro-skills learners need to use in their daily work, Figure 2 shows the frequency with which the participants report using each of the skills in their jobs. Figure 2 Participants’ Use of the English Macro-Skills in their Jobs Source: Online survey administered to participants The data show that reading and listening represent the macro-skills the participants require the most when performing their jobs, with at least 10 out of the 14 reporting frequently or always for each. Writing and speaking were the skills that the participants highlighted as rarely used in their jobs. An important aspect to consider is that some of the participants reported that they never use any of the macro-skills in their jobs. For example, three participants indicated they never speak in English in job-related tasks, and two said that they never listen to anything in English to carry out their job. Something similar happens to reading comprehension and writing in English, with one participant in 11 each of the macro-skills indicating that they never perform those activities in English while working. Importance of Learning Job-related Vocabulary. When asked about the importance of learning job-related vocabulary to participate in international markets, the vast majority (n=12) gave it the top rating (4), and the remaining participants (n=2) gave it the next rating in importance (3), showing that this type of vocabulary is important or extremely important for the entire group. Formality of Communication. To determine the level of formality of the participants’ job-related communication in English, they were asked to rate it on a Likert scale where 4 represented the highest level of formality and 1 the lowest. The data suggest that communication in the participants’ field takes place at a high level of formality since the largest group (n=8) rated it as highly formal, more than twice the number that rated it only as formal (n=3) or somehow formal (n=2). Only one participant rated communication as informal. Job-related Tasks. The participants were also given a list of 13 tasks related to their job profiles and required to select those that they carry out or could carry out in English. Figure 3 shows the results obtained. 12 Figure 3 Tasks Related to the Participants’ Job Profiles Source: Online survey administered to participants As can be seen, out of the 13 tasks, the most frequently selected (n=12) were reading documents (news stories, informative bulletins, reports) and listening to conferences, webinars, and/or watching the news. These were followed by reading emails and messages (n=11) and participating in meetings (n=10). On the other hand, tasks that were chosen the least involve requesting information orally (n=5) followed by negotiating with other people (n=3), and providing information orally (n=3). This provides student- teachers with valuable insights on the kind of tasks and skills they need to focus the ESP course on to meet the participants’ needs and expectations. Participants’ Wants In order to better understand the participants’ wants related to the English teaching-learning process, it is relevant to learn about their perceptions in terms of 13 teaching-learning preferences as well as topics and skills they would like to address. To gather this information, the participants were asked about the grouping techniques they prefer when studying the language, the kinds of activities they like to engage in, and the topics they would like to study in a future ESP course. Grouping Preferences. To know about the participants’ preferences for carrying out class work, they were asked to rank a series of grouping techniques. It is important to highlight that in this question the participants were able to mark more than one answer. The results show that most of the participants (n=10) prefer to work individually, half (n=7) of them like working in pairs, and a minority (n=3) like group work as a learning strategy. In spite of these results, the course will be developed implementing a variety of grouping techniques since collaborative work represents a key element in the teaching approach being implemented for this ESP course. Preferred Class Activities. Figure 4 displays the participants’ preferences concerning types of activities carried out in a language class. 14 Figure 4 Class Activities Participants Prefer Source: Online survey administered to participants As can be seen, dialogues and fill-in-the-blanks activities are the most popular activities with around two-thirds of the responses, followed by multiple choice and true and false exercises with just over a third of the group each. Moreover, discussions and puzzles show a good level of acceptance among the participants with four responses each. Preferred Class Topics. Finally, the participants were asked about the possible topics they would like the ESP course to be focused on. They selected three out of a list of seven topics derived from the answers to the semi-structured interview. Figure 5 displays the participants’ preferences. 15 Figure 5 Topics Preferences for the Course Source: Online survey administered to participants Out of all the topics presented, Investment Analysis was the one participants preferred to study in an ESP course (n=10) followed by Stock Markets (n=8). On the other hand, International Relations (n=3), Audit (n=3), and International Politics (n=1) represent the least rated topics. This data becomes relevant in the process of designing the ESP course since it gives future student-teachers an overall trend to choose the topics to be covered in the course. Finally, when designing an ESP course, it is necessary to know about the target population’s needs, but it is also important to consider what learners perceive as difficult for them when performing in the target language because this will permit the Practicum team to think about materials and tasks that suit participants’ job-related needs in the near future. 16 Participants’ Lacks In order to determine the participants' perceived difficulty in developing a series of potential work-related tasks in the English language, they were asked to rank each task according to the level of difficulty it represented for them when carrying out tasks in English. Table 2 shows the results. Table 2 Tasks Level of Difficulty Tasks Level of Difficulty 1 2 3 4 a. Understanding voice recordings, videos, webinars, and conferences 0 6 2 6 b. Speaking in public 0 3 1 10 c. Participating in spontaneous conversations 0 3 4 7 d. Pronouncing words correctly 1 4 4 5 e. Expressing clear ideas orally 1 1 3 9 f. Making clarification and follow-up questions orally 1 2 3 4 g. Expressing clear ideas in writing 0 4 5 5 h. Making clarification and follow-up questions in writing 0 4 5 5 i. Writing summaries or reports 1 3 3 7 j. Using correct spelling and punctuation 1 2 4 7 k. Reading and comprehending information related to my area of expertise 1 2 4 7 l. Using grammar structures correctly 0 4 5 5 m. Using technical vocabulary 1 3 3 7 Source: Online survey administered to participants 17 As can be seen, the vast majority of the participants found it very difficult to perform most of the tasks using the English language, since they ranked most of them as difficult (3) or very difficult (4) to perform in English. The data collected also pointed out that oral tasks represent the biggest challenge for the participants. They indicated a perceived high level of difficulty in at least three of the tasks involving speaking. Speaking in public was the task most frequently rated as very difficult (n=10), followed by easy (n=3), and finally difficult (n=1). Another relevant aspect has to do with tasks that involve writing abilities. In general terms, the participants answered that they found writing in English difficult. For example, some tasks needed to perform in writing such as using correct spelling and punctuation, using grammatical structures correctly, and writing summaries or reports in English were ranked with the highest level of difficulty, with ten or more of the participants ranking each of these tasks as difficult or very difficult. When asked about the level of difficulty to carry out tasks that involved listening using vocabulary related to their jobs or reading job-related texts, most of the participants (n=10) ranked them from difficult to very difficult. Listening exercises such as comprehension of videos, webinars, conferences, or recordings in English was the task with greater variation in answers because the same number of participants (n=6) perceived it as easy and very difficult, while the remaining participants (n=2) marked it as difficult. Moreover, half of the participants (n=7) considered the use of vocabulary related to their jobs as a very difficult task to perform when using English at work. Most of the participants (n=11) also expressed that reading comprehension exercises that involved job-related passages are difficult or very difficult tasks to perform. The results shed some light on the kind of tasks that need to be created to help this population overcome the perceived difficulties when performing English tasks that involve the skills and abilities previously stated. For example, the design of speaking tasks 18 included in the course design will have to consider the learners’ perception and focus on providing them with the necessary support to overcome this perceived difficulty. Diagnostic Test Before designing an ESP course to meet the needs of a specific population, a diagnostic test must be administered to the participants to identify the weaknesses that teachers should address during the course. The results of a diagnostic test can provide teachers with valuable insights into the skills that the participants need to learn, develop, and practice to become more proficient users of the target language. Test Administration Issues Even though at the beginning 14 participants were convened for the diagnostic test and were given the option of different schedules, it was administered to 11 people only since the other three alleged time issues to take it. During the first week of classes another person wanted to be part of the course. This person was not in the initial list of possible participants; thus, no test was administered to him. Furthermore, in order to accept him in the course, the Practicum team requested him to take the diagnostic test, which increased the number of test takers to 12 and the number of participants to 15. The platform used for the exam was Zoom. The document with the test exercises was shared as a Google Docs link, so each participant received a personalized link with their names. During the Zoom session, one of the teachers showed the test to the participants and gave the instructions for them to complete it. After that, the participants could ask clarification questions, and then, they started answering the test. Each test taker had 90 minutes to finish the three sections included in the instrument. For this purpose, days before administering the test, the Practicum team concluded that 10 minutes for instructions, 40 minutes for the listening section, 30 minutes for the reading section, and 10 minutes for the speaking section were enough for the participants to complete the diagnostic test. In this respect, the participants 19 were able to finish the activities in the time planned, but the Zoom session took more than 90 minutes because some participants had questions and comments about the test. Diagnostic Test Design Test validity and reliability are two principles that must be analyzed before administering the diagnostic test in order to avoid biased information. Gronlund (1998, as cited in Brown, 2004) states that validity is “the extent to which inferences made from assessment results are appropriate, meaningful, and useful in terms of the purpose of the assessment” (p. 22). A diagnostic test must be valid in the sense that it must include appropriate, meaningful, and useful tasks for the target population. It has to portray real- life situations that fit the participants’ immediate and delayed needs while putting into practice different macro and micro-skills that they will use at work. Additionally, the test should be reliable. According to Brown (2004), reliability means that the test is consistent, so “if you give the same test to the same students on two different occasions, the test should yield similar results” (p. 20). To achieve that purpose, reliability depends on elements such as its construction, length, time assigned, teacher’s conditions (inexperience, mood, tiredness, or understanding of the rubrics), and students’ affective elements (anxiety, fatigue, motivation, etc). In summary, the key test features to ensure validity and reliability are to verify that the tasks given are related to the needs of the population, and that the different elements of the test (construction, length, and time) and the teacher’s and student’s conditions are the appropriate ones. The rationale for the creation of the diagnostic test (Appendix D) for employees of the ORI was based on assessing their needs and interests according to their answers to the self-administered questionnaire completed in the first stage of the needs analysis process. In this case, the test is considered to meet the validity assessment principles because the tasks used to evaluate the students are focused on their current and future needs. They were asked to complete three sections focused on listening, reading, and 20 speaking as the most important macro-skills identified for them to study and practice in their professional activities and in the ESP course. The test is also considered reliable because the total of points was 35, and the time assigned was more than enough to solve the full test. In addition, the time in which the test was administered was chosen by the participants to avoid interference at work. Listening, reading, and speaking were the three macro-skills selected for the design of the diagnostic test in light of the answers provided by the target population in the interview and questionnaire. According to their answers, writing is a skill that they do not currently need to improve because most of the field tasks that they perform are related to listening and reading, while speaking is also needed by a lower percentage. Nevertheless, some participants stated that they would like to know more about taking notes, writing emails, and writing short messages in English; therefore, even though writing was not evaluated in the test, some of the course lesson plans will comprise explanations and exercises for the participants to put into practice those writing micro-skills within the other three macro-skills. Regarding the selected micro-skills, the listening section was based on exercises about understanding main ideas, identifying supporting details, and paraphrasing information. The reading section was based on exercises about the same micro-skills as the ones used in the listening section. Finally, the speaking section was based on exercises about activating prior knowledge, summarizing information, elaborating from a given situation, and using a sufficient number of words to convey a message while paying attention to grammar and fluency aspects. Reading Section. Reading, as one of the main skills that the participants want to improve, was assessed in the test. Participants were asked to read an online newspaper article about the Netflix stock price drops in the first quarter of 2022 to evaluate the constructs of extracting main ideas and important details by filling out eleven blank spaces in an outline for a total of eleven points. 21 Listening Section. The listening portion of the test consisted of two tasks. In the first one, the participants had to select the paragraph that best describes the information given in the listening passage, and the answer had a value of one point. The second task was aimed at participants activating schemata at the same time that they had to pay attention to main ideas and supporting details, which are the constructs being evaluated, to fill out an outline while listening. There were eleven blank spaces for a total of eleven points. Both listening passages were different in content and length, and the participants had the opportunity to listen to the passages three times. The topics of the texts were technology stocks and investment portfolios. Speaking Section. This section was designed for the participants to show their oral skills while introducing a meeting. For this purpose, the participants were given a situation in which they were in charge of leading a meeting with team members and people from an international investment company. They were required to read the agenda for the meeting and then record a video on Flipgrid in which they introduced the meeting using a greeting, a personal introduction, the meeting agenda, and a transition to start the meeting. Grammatical accuracy, vocabulary, and fluency were the constructs used to assess the task. Evaluation Parameters. Furthermore, to determine the estimated level of proficiency in each of the tasks, the Practicum team adapted parameters from the CEFR guidelines to locate the target participants in the following bands: Basic, Independent, Proficient, and Highly Proficient. Each of the levels was determined based on the number of items that each participant could answer correctly, reflecting what they were able to do successfully in the test. The items were designed considering the descriptors for each of the bands, where learners could move from simpler tasks involving familiar vocabulary and factual information to tasks requiring higher order thinking, making predictions, and/or guessing meaning from context. This decision was made considering the fact that even 22 when all participants work for the same department at the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, their daily activities are varied, and thus, their needs for using the target language are different. Furthermore, as Willis and Willis (2007) state “The Common European Framework ... is a brave and seemingly thorough attempt to foresee the needs of general learners” (p. 181), which helped the Practicum team have a general view of the language related needs learners have. Reading Section. The parameters of the reading comprehension section (Appendix E) involved comprehension of simple texts that contained familiar issues related to their jobs, which consisted of high frequency vocabulary for the participants. They also evaluated the participants’ ability to implement different techniques such as scanning to fulfill specific tasks and show comprehension of longer texts with a certain degree of independence while at the same time, they might experience certain difficulty understanding the texts due to low frequency vocabulary. Finally, the participants must be able to show comprehension of virtually all types of texts (newspapers, magazine articles, or professional writing) with high structural complexity . Listening Section. The listening comprehension component was also evaluated considering the parameters that the Practicum team adapted from the CEFR guidelines (Appendix F). These parameters were used to demonstrate learners’ ability to move from simple tasks such as recognizing the topic and main idea of a familiar passage delivered in standard or non-standard English to more cognitively complex tasks such as understanding and locating details, arguments, facts, and opinions as well as implied meanings of a passage in spite of the number of speakers, complexity of sentences, and variety of accents. Speaking Section. In reference to the spoken section of the test, the Practicum team decided to implement an analytic rubric since “[they] are better suited to judging complex performances … involving several significant dimensions… [and] they provide 23 more specific information about the strengths and weaknesses of a performance” (McTighe, 2016, p. 9). Information obtained from such an analysis can help the Practicum team decide on particular areas of interest to focus on as it shows the target populations’ needs in the skill. As a result, to determine learners’ proficiency level (basic, independent, proficient, or highly proficient), content, structure, and fluency were considered as important elements to evaluate. Learners were evaluated in each of the constructs on a scale from 1 to 4, where 1 represented the minimum and 4 the maximum score (for further reference see Appendix G). Each of the constructs was divided into different parameters that determined the learners' ability to fulfill the task according to instructions and their use of the target language (see Appendix H). For example, in reference to the content component, learners were evaluated considering that, at a minimum level, they should provide information to describe the purpose of a meeting and make announcements that were intelligible for the audience, advancing in message complexity as they moved from a basic language user to a highly proficient language user. Similarly, the structure construct was evaluated considering that learners were able to move from creating simple utterances using familiar language to producing a combination of sentence types while they used linking words and subordinating conjunctions appropriately to convey a meaningful message. Finally, regarding the fluency component, the Practicum team decided to evaluate the task by analyzing learners’ performance in terms of their ability to communicate moving from a slow, stumbling message showing a certain degree of nervousness to a message that showed a confident language use and adapted to the different scenarios and possible audiences. Diagnostic Test Results The results presented in this section are based on the diagnostic test completed by 12 of the 15 participants. The three participants who did not take the test alluded to time 24 limitations for not doing it. The results will be analyzed by macro-skill evaluated in the diagnostic test: reading, listening, and speaking. Reading Figure 6 Reading Proficiency Level Source: Diagnostic test results Reading showed to be the macro-skill with the greatest variety of results. As can be seen in Figure 6, the predominant proficiency levels were basic and independent users of English. Based on the parameters created for this diagnostic test, basic users in this macro-skill can find concrete information that includes high-frequency words. However, two of the participants labeled as basic users did not obtain any points in the reading exercise, which means that they are not able to perform this task either. Based on the results obtained, some of the weaknesses of the basic-level participants are that they are not able to scan the text for specific information, to make inferences from context, or to understand abstract or complex information of the text. On the other hand, the results 25 obtained showed that the independent users, in addition to the characteristic of basic users, can scan for specific information in different parts of the text to complete the task, but they are unable to infer information from the text. Moreover, only one participant obtained the level of proficient user, who also has the characteristic of being able to infer information from the text but still has difficulty understanding abstract and complex information. Finally, test results showed that one of the participants was a highly proficient language user, who, apart from being able to apply a variety of techniques to gather varied information, can understand virtually all types of texts including abstract, structurally complex, or highly colloquial non-literary writings. Listening Figure 7 Listening Proficiency Level Source: Diagnostic test results As shown in Figure 7, the listening macro-skill showed less variation in the results by having 10 of the 12 participants placed on the basic user level. Based on the parameters, these users can understand the main idea of a listening passage. This was 26 the case for most of the basic users identified but for one participant, who marked an incorrect option for the main idea of the passage; on the contrary, according to the results, the participants who are basic users have difficulty understanding supporting details, implying meaning, and understanding complex information provided in the listening passage. On the other hand, independent users can listen for main ideas and specific details; however, this was not the case for one of the participants who obtained this category, who was able to identify specific details but did not answer the question for main ideas. Speaking Figure 8 Speaking Proficiency Level Source: Diagnostic test results As shown in Figure 8, the speaking task showed as little variation as the listening task did. In this case, nine of the 12 participants who completed the task obtained the basic user category. In general, a basic user can give simple presentations with rehearsed 27 or memorized vocabulary and simple sentences and connectors. However, something worth highlighting is that three of the participants in this level were not able to complete the task: two decided not to record the presentation, and one recorded a message in Spanish explaining his inability to do it. The other basic users showed difficulty creating more developed presentations, using more complex structures and vocabulary, and speaking in a fluent way. On the other hand, the two participants who obtained an independent level were able to give a more spontaneous and fluent presentation with fewer noticeable pauses and with somewhat more complex vocabulary. The main difficulty these users had was the use of more complex structures and connectors. In addition, their fluency and vocabulary can still improve. Finally, one of the participants obtained the level of proficient user. These users are able to make descriptions and presentations about complex topics with clarity and details including sub-themes, developing particular points and providing appropriate conclusions. Moreover, a proficient user can speak fluently with appropriate stress and intonation patterns to convey meaning. Discussion of Results This needs analysis chapter represents a significant step in the development of the ESP course directed to the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund since it provides valuable background information about the participants in terms of their previous experience with the language, perceived strengths and weaknesses in the target language, and job-related tasks that they perform or will need to perform in English. Based on the data obtained through the semi-structured interview and the needs analysis questionnaire, it can be concluded that the target population has a real and urgent need for learning English for different purposes at work. For example, watching and reading news about international events that could affect investments; holding or attending 28 conferences, webinars, and meetings; and writing reports for other department members to analyze. The data also show that participants' profiles are varied; thus, the kinds of job- related tasks they perform are very different, causing needs among the participants to vary as well. For this reason, an ESP course to address their needs, wants, and lacks should be developed considering priorities and commonalities among the participants. For example, a vast majority of the participants indicated difficulties in performing job-related tasks that require the use of English. This information proves to be valuable for the Practicum team because it provides ideas on how to deal with the course development with a heterogeneous group like the one they have to work with. In fact, the target population needs to develop reading, listening, and speaking skills through tasks that resemble their daily working environment such as reading documents (news stories, informative bulletins, reports), listening to conferences, webinars, and/or watching the news. In addition, the results obtained after administering the diagnostic test shed light on the participants’ language related needs due to their proficiency level. Based on the obtained data, it can be stated that the population shares characteristics that make it homogeneous to a certain degree. For example, 10 of the 11 participants that completed the test are basic users in at least one of the macro-skills while only one of them scored consistently on an independent level. Consequently, the Practicum team will have to create lessons that challenge the basic students enough but do not bore the independent students. For example, when teaching listening skills, the Practicum team will have to provide enough scaffolding for students to feel confident when faced with the audios, and they will also have to provide strategy training. This scaffolding and strategy training will have to be used with every skill to avoid feelings of frustration. 29 Despite the population’s similarities in listening and speaking, a greater variation is shown in the reading proficiency level with the group almost evenly divided between basic and independent users, one student scoring as proficient, and another as highly proficient. Hence, the exercises of the unit in which reading is emphasized will also need to include variations to meet the different needs of the participants. For example, even though the helpful language included to complete the exercises will need to meet mainly the needs of those basic users, independent and proficient users can still benefit from this vocabulary. In addition, during the administration of the diagnostic test, it could be determined that the participants experienced a noticeable level of stress and anxiety when faced with materials in English. As a result, one of the main purposes of the Practicum team is to be able to build self-confidence in the participants. One of the strategies that will be implemented with this purpose is to use the same topics in the different units, so by the end of the course, the participants will be able to build vocabulary about the topics and use it with the different macro-skills. 30 Chapter II: Syllabus Design Course Logo The logo is formed by a speech bubble with a graph inside. This represents the communication skills that the students will obtain and the name of the department they work for, in addition to the main topic of the course. The colors represent those of the University of Costa Rica along with the ones of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. The name was chosen because of the stakeholders’ main purpose for asking for the course: being able to improve their English skills to be more prepared to invest internationally. Course Name English Investment: An English course for the employees of the Office of Retirement Investment of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. Course designed by Marín, C., Mayorga, L., and Montero, E. Course Description English Investment is a course designed for employees of the Office of Retirement Investment of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, whose proficiency level ranges between basic and proficient based on a scale adapted from CEFR. Its main purpose is to provide students with strategies to accomplish the English listening, reading, and speaking tasks they may face in their daily work. Since this course is directed to a population that 31 works in investments, the kind of topics developed through the course address topics like investment analysis and risks, portfolio management, and stock markets. In this regard, the participants need to read and/or watch international news about current situations that might affect the economy, and participate in training sessions, webinars, and meetings to later report to their co-workers about topics of interest and investment opportunities. The course will be taught online, with synchronous and asynchronous classes, between August and November, 2022 and will last 14 weeks. The online synchronous classes will be carried out on Tuesdays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Furthermore, the students will have an additional hour of asynchronous class every week, for a total of 42 hours. According to the stakeholder’s representatives and the participants themselves, learning English will be useful for them to analyze the economic situation worldwide and make decisions about investments. Moreover, it will help them interact with international partners when participating in training sessions, webinars, and meetings. In order to reach these goals, the participants will take part in a variety of individual and group tasks that require active participation and interaction; for example, learners will take part in reading exercises that require them to make decisions about the information presented, participate in listening comprehension tasks for later reporting the content presented, and engage in conversation to reach agreements and make decisions. Statement of Goals and Objectives Unit 1: Investing in Reading Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to appropriately show understanding of online newspaper articles by skimming and scanning, discriminating between facts and opinions, and completing graphic organizers to later write complete summaries in their native language. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 32 1. accurately locate the gist and key details within an article about the stock market by skimming and scanning the text. 2. orally report the findings from an article about portfolio management by discriminating facts from opinions effectively. 3. appropriately summarize the main ideas and supporting points of an article on investment risk by completing a graphic organizer. Unit 2: Investing in Listening Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to effectively extract main ideas and key details from webinars, news reports, and conferences on investment related topics in order to later write complete summaries in their native language. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 1. successfully analyze key details from a webinar about portfolio management by using the notes taken during the webinar to make decisions. 2. successfully extract details from a news broadcast about the stock market by completing an outline. 3. effectively report the details of a webinar about investment risks by identifying the consequences of different economic factors. Unit 3: Investing in Speaking Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to orally participate in oral presentations and meetings about portfolio management, stock markets, and investment risk by using the appropriate register, grammar structures, and vocabulary. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 1. orally report upon the information presented on a reading about portfolio management by giving an oral presentation. 2. orally provide investment recommendations in the stock market by giving a formal oral presentation. 33 3. successfully take part in an investment risk meeting by preparing, rehearsing, and delivering an oral presentation about stock movement in the market. Methodology Approach The course syllabus will be focused on the Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach because it is an approach that permits to carry out a language course focused on the development of tasks which address the needs of the ESP population, and it also allows teachers to design a learner-centered course. According to Ellis, Skehan, Li, Shintani, and Lambert (2019), the TBLT approach “emphasizes the importance of engaging learners’ natural abilities for acquiring language incidentally as they engage with language as a meaning-making tool” (p. 1). Implementing a TBLT approach in this course will allow learners to see the usefulness of the language as they are faced with job-related tasks they perform on a daily basis. Thus, making the language learning process meaningful to them as they engage in tasks that will help them improve in their jobs. This method focuses on students completing tasks associated with real-life situations. Richards and Rodgers (2001) define the TBLT as an approach where the process is more important than the product, communication and meaning are key, interaction is part of every single class, the sequence of tasks goes from the easiest to the most difficult, and tasks are developed according to the knowledge and background of the target population (p. 224). Thus, lack of motivation, lack of self-confidence, frustration, and anxiety, among other obstacles that prevent students from getting successful results should be avoided. Ellis, Skehan, Li, Shintani, and Lambert (2019) state that a task is “a structured plan for the provision of opportunities for the refinement of knowledge and capabilities entailed in a new language and its use during communication” (p. 6). Furthermore, in order for the ESP course to be meaningful and make learners take the most out of it, it is necessary to carry out tasks that resemble what the participants need to do in their daily 34 work activities to help them develop their communication skills. In addition, having students work on tasks that are somehow related to their interests will trigger their motivation since students tend to forget things that are not linked to their lives or personal experiences (Solís, 2007, p. 235). Working with a variety of students with different personalities and job positions is a challenge that forces instructors to develop appealing tasks for the target population to be engaged during the whole process of learning a second language. Tasks can be suitable for this purpose. Richards and Rodgers (2001) state that if tasks are “varied in format and [in] operation,” learners tend to be more motivated and attentive to complete the tasks (p. 229). For that reason, the tasks in this course are focused on the process rather than the final product, and their main objective is to enhance communication and meaning. In other words, interaction, collaborative work, negotiation of meaning, and problem-solving, paramount in the TBLT approach, will also be key features of this ESP course. Classroom Dynamics The classroom dynamics of this course involve three student facilitators working collaboratively to plan lessons, develop materials, teach and assess students, and support each other every single week to achieve success as a team. According to Nevin and Thousand (2015), “coteaching is a vehicle for bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and interests to share knowledge and skills to generate novel methods to individualize learning” (p. 241). Thus, students will get more benefits from being monitored by three individuals with varied personalities and ways of working that can foster their participation; in addition, having a variety of instructors should encourage them to be part of every single lesson regardless of who the person teaching is. The lessons will take place in Zoom once a week, and the instructors will take turns to lead the sessions. During each lesson, the instructors not leading the class will serve as assistants monitoring students’ work, organizing and setting up materials, delivering materials, guiding students 35 while working in break out rooms, modeling conversations, and answering particular questions that students might have while the main instructor is not available, among others. In addition, the co-teachers will be taking notes on students’ performance and observing some students’ weaknesses that could be improved for future weeks. It is expected that by having three instructors teaching the lessons, the participants get benefited through a more individualized attention. Moreover, participating in a variety of tasks and activities is of benefits for them since it provides them with more opportunities for interaction in the target language at the time that they develop learning strategies such is negotiating meaning, making requests, and reaching agreements, among others. Tasks and Techniques and their Rationale Students taking this course need to learn different strategies to tackle the diversity of situations in which English is present in their lives, especially at work. To achieve that goal, they will encounter a variety of tasks and techniques to boost their engagement and participation while learning English for specific purposes. During the course, students will work on communicative tasks that will help them to gain confidence and be more fluent in order to improve communicative strategies in the target language. In this respect, different authors provide classifications of tasks that can be used for communicative purposes. First, Prabhu (1987, as cited in Nunan, 2004) classifies tasks into “information-gap,” “reasoning gap,” and “opinion-gap” (p. 57). Next, Pattison (1987, as cited in Nunan, 2004) divides tasks into “question and answers,” “dialogues and role-plays,” “matching activities,” “communication strategies,” “pictures and picture stories,” “puzzle and problems,” and “discussions and decisions” (pp. 57-58). Finally, Richards (2001, as cited in Nunan, 2004) explains a typology that includes jigsaw, information-gap, problem-solving, decision- making, and opinion exchange tasks (pp. 58-59). As different authors point out, tasks represent a variety of strategies that help language learners boost their communication. All 36 in all, the use of those tasks goes hand in hand with the strategies that students should apply in each class as a way to master the target language in job-related situations. In this regard, Nunan (2004) indicates that strategies can be conceived as “cognitive, interpersonal, linguistic, affective, and creative” (p. 59). Moreover, when teaching a language course, concentrating on the contents to be developed and the tasks to carry out is not enough to make the learning experience a meaningful one. It is necessary to make those tasks engaging and see them as opportunities for the learners to develop and improve strategies such as predicting, taking notes, inferencing, discriminating, co-operating, discussing, summarizing, skimming, scanning, self- evaluating, and brainstorming as they practice reading, listening, and speaking about topics like portfolio management, stock markets, and investment risks. Furthermore, working collaboratively and adapting the strategies depending on the circumstances are essential components of this ESP course as the dialogues, discussions, matching exercises, and other tasks that students perform will be done individually, in pairs, and in groups. Finally, English Investment will not only give learners the opportunity to develop and improve their linguistic abilities as they engage in tasks that are directly related to their daily working environment, but it will also help them improve specific learning strategies and soft skills needed for their job. Role of the Learners Richards and Rodgers (2001) indicate that learners’ roles in a language class vary depending on the approach adopted for the course. They mention that in the case of TBLT, where the focus on task completion is a central learning activity, learners’ primary roles concentrate on being “group participant,” “monitor,” and “risk-taker and innovator” (p. 235). In the case of English Investment, the participants should get involved in different individual, pair, and group activities in which they have to produce language as much as possible. They will have to negotiate meaning, solve problems, guess the meaning from 37 context, and use other strategies to complete each task. They are required to play an active role in which participation and risk-taking will be crucial as they create and interpret messages. Learners will have to be aware of their oral production and monitor the usage of language by means of self and peer assessment. In addition, they should ask clarification questions, and consult every single time they have difficulties understanding the instructions or the contents presented. Role of the Teachers To deal with all situations presented in a language class and meet learners and administrators’ expectations, teachers need to play different roles. Richards and Rodgers (2001) classify these roles as “selector and sequencer of tasks,” “preparing learners for tasks,” and “consciousness-raising” (p. 236). During this ESP course, the student instructors will be in charge of selecting suitable resources, designing materials, writing lesson plans, and monitoring students’ performance in class. The instructors will also sequence tasks and design lesson plans by using warm-ups, pre-tasks, main tasks, and post-tasks to complete a whole cycle. Additionally, they will prepare students for each activity by giving them the right tools and instructions to complete each task, as well as different models they can use as samples to guide themselves in the process of accomplishing the cycle. Finally, another fundamental role of teachers is to provide feedback to students before, during, and after a task with the purpose of helping them to improve their level and acquire the target language accurately. Assessment Assessment plays a significant role in any educational program. In this regard, Graves (2000) points out that assessment serves as a way to determine students’ needs and learning as well as a form of evaluating a course (p. 207). Furthermore, different authors indicate that assessment can be formal, informal, summative, or formative (Koroluk, 2017; Brown, 2004; Graves, 2000; Wright, n.d.). According to Wright (n.d.), 38 “informal assessment… is integrated with other learning activities… it is immediately actionable,” and it functions as a way of identifying learners’ strengths and weaknesses that can be improved in future performance (p. 1). Formal assessment, on the other hand, “is designed to assess readiness for progression by providing evaluations of performance” (Wright, n.d., p. 1). For the purpose of this ESP course, the student-teachers decided to implement both informal (formative) and formal (summative) assessment since the two of them serve different purposes. Informal assessment is going to be applied during class time. The type of feedback provided will depend on particular situations and/or the tasks carried out, for instance, delayed and/or immediate feedback in the form of general comments, marginal comments (in the case of writing tasks), and peer and/or self- evaluations. Formal assessment will be implemented in the form of graded evaluations that need to be completed during the course development and that will receive a score. This kind of assessment can function as a way to determine the learners’ degree of achievement in relation to the established goals. In order to implement assessment in this ESP course, the instructors adopted a Task-Based Language Assessment (TBLA) approach because, like Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), TBLA “is also organized around tasks” (Shehadeh, 2012, p. 156). Moreover, this approach tends to establish a link between the learners’ performance when being evaluated and their performance when faced with real life situations, which is congruent with what the Practicum team seeks to achieve in this ESP course. Additionally, TBLA is performance-referenced in the sense that it measures learners’ abilities to use the language in specific contexts; additionally, it is seen as authentic because it involves real- world language use (Shehadeh, 2012, p. 157). TBLA is a suitable assessment approach for this ESP course since, as it has been explained, the target population’s needs are centered on occupational purposes; thus, communicating in the target language in situations that resemble what they do on a daily basis at work is a must. 39 Assessment Tasks The following table presents the distribution of evaluation tasks for this course. Table 3 Evaluation of the Course Task Value Test 1 (Unit 1-Reading) 20% Test 2 (Unit 2-Listening) 20% Test 3 (Unit 3-Speaking) 20% Homework Assignments 15% Oral Project (group work) 25% Test 1 (Unit 1 - Reading). This ESP course includes a reading test. This test is directed to test the learners’ capacity to implement reading strategies taught during the course to extract information from a variety of written texts related to their field of expertise to determine main ideas and supporting details, make inferences, and answer comprehension questions to later report to other audiences. Moreover, this test will also measure grammar and vocabulary studied during the unit. Test 2 (Unit 2 - Listening). Another assessment tool implemented in this course is a listening test. This test is aimed at determining the students’ ability to understand spoken passages of different natures involving a variety of speakers and/or accents to extract information that helps them detect main ideas and supporting details, make inferences, distinguish facts from opinions, and use the extracted information to later report to other audiences. This test will also measure grammar and vocabulary studied during the unit. Test 3 (Unit 3 - Speaking). Learners will also take part in a speaking test. This test measures their ability to communicate in spoken form in job-related tasks dealing with investment analysis, the stock market, investment risks, and portfolio management. To 40 evaluate learners’ performance on this test, the student-instructors will analyze their use of communicative strategies appropriate for the kind of task, as well as content, fluency, and the use of appropriate structures. Homework Assignments. Along the course, learners will take part in different asynchronous tasks pertaining to the units they will study. These tasks will be assigned as homework and will be carried out before each test. These assignments will resemble the kind of tasks that learners will be required to fulfill during the test and will be based on the main skills studied and the learning strategies trained in each of the units. Just as in the tests, these assignments will be similar to in-class tasks to ensure that learners are familiar with what is expected from them. Oral Project (group work). In small groups, learners will be required to carry out an oral project that asks them to interact with one another on job-related tasks based on the contents of the course such as project portfolio management, investment risks, and stock market. This project will be developed at the end of the course and will require learners to demonstrate mastery of structures, vocabulary, and communication strategies studied along the course. To carry out this project, the student-instructors will provide learners with input, in the form of prompts and reference materials and ask them to carry out an oral task. Assessment Rationale As Graves (2000) states “assessment plays three interrelated and overlapping roles in course design … assessing needs, … assessing students’ learning, and … evaluating the course” (p. 207). That is why assessment needs to be carefully planned and developed in any language program, especially in an ESP course like English Investment, which seeks to prepare learners to fulfill their immediate job-related need to communicate effectively in English. 41 Bearing this in mind, the Practicum team decided to implement a series of assessment activities, formative and summative, throughout the course to evaluate learners’ progress in learning the target language. In this regard, Brown (as cited in Graves, 2000, p. 210) indicates that “Assessment activities… provide a way of observing or scoring students’ performances and giving feedback… [this] can enlighten the students and teachers about the effectiveness of the language learning and teaching involved”. In the same vein, Graves (2000) pinpoints that assessing learners’ progress is a way of getting to know what the learners have learned in relation to what has been taught during a course (p. 212). In order to assess learners' progress, it is necessary to develop an assessment plan “that may include factors such as … project work, completion of individual assignments, and so on” (Graves, 2000, pp. 212-213). That is why the Practicum team adopted the assessment activities described above as a way to evaluate learners’ progress during the course and the course itself to identify improvement opportunities “for making further decisions about instructional procedures and teaching methodology” (Shehadeh, 2012, p. 160). Moreover, since English Investment is focused on preparing learners to communicate effectively in the target language in their current jobs, the kind of tasks selected for assessment represent what Shehadeh (2012) calls authentic assessment, in the sense that “It is an assessment… that involves… the kinds of language processing found in real-world language use, that is, the task’s characteristics must match those of the target-language tasks” (p. 157). For this reason, the Practicum team decided to evaluate learners’ performance by implementing the TBLA approach, where assessment is developed through tasks that require students to demonstrate “their ability to do [the tasks] effectively, and their ability to produce accurate samples of the language…” (Willis, 2007, p. 181). 42 Finally, since assessment activities follow the task-based methodology and learners are requested to demonstrate their ability to use the target language in job-related situations, “Learners will be asked to do under examination conditions the sort of things they have become accustomed to doing in the classroom” (Willis, 2007, p. 181). This will ensure that learners are familiarized with the kind of activities they have to do, and their performance will not be affected by tasks that are unknown to them. Contents The following are three units to be developed during the course: Unit 1: Investing in Reading Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to appropriately show understanding of online newspaper articles by skimming and scanning, discriminating between facts and opinions, and completing graphic organizers to later write complete summaries in their native language. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 1. accurately locate the gist and key details within an article about the stock market by skimming and scanning the text. 2. orally report the findings from an article about portfolio management by discriminating facts from opinions effectively. 3. appropriately summarize the main ideas and supporting points of an article on investment risk by completing a graphic organizer. Table 4 Contents for Unit 1 General Objective Tasks Skills Language Focus Strategies Time alloted 1 Identifying main ideas and key details in an R, S, L, Vocabulary Scanning Identifying specific details 1 lesson 43 article about the stock market and W stock market-related vocabulary (shares, the bell) Grammar Simple past Pronunciation -ed endings Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning 2 Discriminating facts from opinions in an article about portfolio management R, S, L, and W Vocabulary Words related to portfolio management (asset allocation, diversification) and signal words to discriminate between facts (numbers, statistics) and opinions (believes, adjectives) Grammar Word functions (verbs and adjectives) Simple present (X person states…) Pronunciation -s endings (states, says) Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Self- monitoring Making decisions Underlining 1 lesson 3 Using a graphic organizer to summarize an article about investment risks R, S, L, and W Vocabulary Words related to investment risks (large-cap stocks, Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning 1 lesson 44 conservative risk, speculative risk) Grammar Simple present tense Pronunciation - s endings (/s/, /z/, /ız/) Self- monitoring Making decisions Showing understanding Summarizing Unit 2: Investing in Listening Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to effectively extract main ideas and key details from webinars, news reports, and conferences on investment related topics in order to later write complete summaries in their native language. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 1. successfully analyze key details from a webinar about portfolio management by using the notes taken during the webinar to make decisions. 2. successfully extract details from a news broadcast about the stock market by completing an outline. 3. effectively report the details of a webinar about investment risks by identifying the consequences of different economic factors. 45 Table 5 Contents for Unit 2 General Objective Tasks Skills Language Focus Strategies Time Allotted 1 Reporting the main ideas of a portfolio management webinar. L, S, R, and W Vocabulary Portfolio management terms (equities, commodities, currency, savings, cash, bonds, property, etc.) Grammar Infinitives of purpose (the speaker made the presentation to propose…) Pronunciation Stress patterns Showing understanding Taking notes Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Monitoring production 1 lesson 2 Outlining to identify supporting details in a news broadcast about stock markets. L, S, R, and W Vocabulary Sniff out Uptrend Bear market Struggling Headwind Choppy Trough Grammar Simple present tense Showing understanding Taking notes Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Monitoring production 1 lesson 46 Pronunciation -s endings (/s/, /z/, /ız/) 3 Identifying consequences in a webinar about investment risks L, S, R, and W Vocabulary Words related to investment risk (large-cap stocks, conservative risk, speculative risk) that’s going to… what you generally see… that would probably… we could see then so assumption effect to cause to expect Grammar Simple present tense Showing understanding Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Monitoring production 1 lesson Unit 3: Investing in Speaking Stocks Goal: At the end of the unit, students will be able to orally participate in oral presentations and meetings about portfolio management, stock markets, and investment risk by using the appropriate register, grammar structures, and vocabulary. General objectives. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to 47 1. orally report upon the information presented on a reading about portfolio management by giving an oral presentation. 2. orally provide investment recommendations in the stock market by giving a formal oral presentation. 3. successfully take part in an investment risk meeting by preparing, rehearsing, and delivering an oral presentation about stock movement in the market. Table 6 Contents for Unit 3 General Objective Tasks Skills Language Focus Strategies Time Allotted 1 Reporting the information from a reading about portfolio management. S, L, R, and W Vocabulary Words related to portfolio management (asset allocation, diversification) Wh- words (what, when) Grammar Simple present tense Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Discussing Expressing opinions Speaking in public 1 lesson 48 2 Making a presentation about investment recommendations S, L, R, and W Vocabulary Words about the stock market Signposting language for presentations (addition, contrast, conclusion) Pronunciation Intonation (falling and rising) Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Discussing Expressing opinions Speaking in public Reporting 1 lesson 3 Taking part in an investment risk meeting S, L, R, and W Vocabulary Words about investment risk (large-cap stocks, conservative risk, speculative risk) Transition words (first, then, lastly) Signposting language Grammar Simple future (the meeting will have…) Pronunciation Stress and intonation (falling and rising) Working collaboratively Negotiating meaning Discussing Expressing opinions Making decisions Speaking in public Reporting 1 lesson The students will receive a student friendly syllabus that summarizes the design of the course (Appendix J). 49 Chapter III: Literature Review and Critical Reflection Listening comprehension represents a significant part of the communication process, and the same holds true for ESL and EFL contexts. In this regard, Osada (2004) states that “it is true that listening is vital in language learning in that it provides input for the learner. Without understanding inputs, students cannot learn anything” (p. 63). Unfortunately, this skill has often been neglected throughout the history of English teaching for different reasons, one of them being the lack of knowledge on how to teach it due to “insufficient attention given to listening pedagogy in teacher training programmes” (Lestari et al., 2021, p. 503). In ESP courses, listening is as important as in a general English course, but it poses the additional difficulty that authentic materials are required due to the real-life nature of the job-related or academic tasks in these courses. However, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, research on the field has mainly focused on strategies for teaching listening comprehension in general English courses, and little research concerning listening comprehension in ESP courses has been carried out. Databases such as JSTOR, ERIC, CORE, and Google Scholar were consulted using a series of keywords related to the research topic, but no specific information for ESP courses about investments was found. Some keywords for the search criteria were listening comprehension, difficulties in listening comprehension, challenges in listening comprehension, ESP investment courses, listening in ESP courses, and ESP listening comprehension. In addition, since ESP courses are specialized in teaching functional language that students will need to use in job-related tasks, the available studies do not match the objective or the population of this study. In light of this gap, Chapter III is aimed at identifying ways for teachers to tackle complex authentic listening materials in tasks for a group of basic proficiency level students enrolled in an ESP course about investments through a literature review and an evidence-based reflection on the experience of a 50 specialized course taught to employees of the Office of Retirement Investments of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. Literature Review In English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts, it is crucial to understand students’ needs before designing a lesson plan. A series of authors provide different definitions for ESP, but all of them agree on the importance of a needs analysis to design a suitable ESP course (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987; Strevens, 1988; Robinson, 1991, as cited in Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998). In a similar vein, Wilson (2016) emphasizes that “ESP courses are goal-oriented; by the end of the course the students should be able to do something in English that is essential for their career or their studies” (p. 131), while Richards and Rodgers (2001) affirm that “activities that involve real communication are essential for language learning” (p. 223). In this regard, ESP teachers have to be mindful when designing tasks so that they provide opportunities to practice the language that students would use in real life. When it comes to listening, teachers should implement a series of strategies to facilitate the students’ comprehension of listening passages by using a set of scaffolded tasks that can help them achieve the main objective of the class and hopefully will boost their motivation as a result. Designing listening comprehension tasks for students with a basic level of proficiency in the target language in an ESP context can be challenging because students may be anxious about facing complex non-adapted audio materials. In this regard, Ur (2009) presents a set of comments from low-proficiency students in general English courses about dealing with listening tasks: “I have trouble catching the actual sounds of the foreign language,” “I can understand people if they talk slowly and clearly; I can’t understand fast, natural native-sounding speech,” or “if the listening goes on a long time [sic] I get tired, and find it more and more difficult to concentrate” (p. 111). These perceptions, while not necessarily coming from ESP students, also apply to the conditions 51 of ESP listening tasks that teachers need to address to support their students, particularly, if they are low proficiency. For that reason, this literature review aims to explore what features of task design the student-teachers can implement to tackle complex authentic listening materials in tasks for a group of basic proficiency level students enrolled in the ESP course about investments. In this section, the necessary key terms for the research will be defined first. Then, the current state of the literature about listening comprehension teaching in general English and in ESP contexts will be developed. Key Terms For this research, it was important to set a terminological framework to serve as a guide for the evidence-based reflection later. Since the main aim of this study is to identify