The Role Of ESP Teacher In The Age Of 21th Century Skills
Abstract
Due to technology and globalisation, the world has turned into a global village, resulting not only in a real mix of cultures, languages, and races but also in the booming of multinationals in every part of the world. This rapid increase in multinationals entailed the necessity of revisiting the way instruction is delivered in educational institutions to digital students whose interests and needs are different from their predecessors. Today’s students are more inclined to use knowledge acquired in class in a particular field with a high mastery of interpersonal communication skills. The study aimed at finding out whether ESP teachers’ instruction promoted 21stcentury skills and highlighting the importance of shifting to a new mode of teaching based on students’ engagement in the teaching-learning process by adopting an integrative approach for students to see the link between different subjects and transcend any acquired knowledge in real life situations. The study used mixed methods research: qualitative and quantitative data collection, encompassing classroom observation, and a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that the main problem with ESP teaching is that it is mostly theoretical and teacher-centred, with no chance for students to put into practice what they have learned.
