from an appraisal of iranian esp courses to curriculum development

the applicability of second language instruction to various situations including academic settings provides great opportunities for students and researchers to access fresh sources of knowledge. this is extended to the majority of iranian students receiving courses such as english for specific purposes (esp) and english for academic purposes (eap) who may not find instruction compatible with their needs and aspirations. the present study intends to provide an insight into the current status of esp and eap courses within the iranian context. to this end, 120 male and female university postgraduate students majoring in various non-english fields were selected and given a survey questionnaire to report on their needs and on the quality of the language courses presented to them. the results of the statistical analysis showed that 44.2 % of students believe that listening comprehension is the most required skill followed by reading, speaking and writing skills at 41.7%, 39.2% and 17% of frequency respectively. meanwhile, the most satisfying esp and eap skills currently presented at universities were found to be listening, speaking and reading, in order of preference. in fact, it seems that the current instructional trend ought to be discontinued or modified in various ways. finally, a comprehensive analytical analysis of the needs and components of each skill has been provided, discussing the potential of the current research for improving esp and eap instruction inside iran.