An Integrated Approach to ESP Teaching: A Case Study

Abstract

This article is about the relevance of the integrated approach in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching. The purpose was to show the extent to which that teaching approach is essential in meeting ESP learners’ needs, as compared to a training based on grammar points and discrete items of the language. The study was grounded in the genre theory and it was made around main questions as follows: what is the appropriate approach to ESP teaching-learning? Should teaching ESP be about discrete items, grammar, or an integrated approach? What does the adoption of the integrated approach entail? To address these concerns, we conducted a research with the target population (6 learners from two different companies), through a semi-structured interview guide. The findings revealed that the integrated approach gives to ESP courses more meaning. The implementation of authentic activities is a means of giving the possibility to the students to build and acquire global knowledge in the language, which is far better than focusing on grammar points and isolated and floating terminologies.