ESP Material Development in Chinese Universities : Problems and Solutions

This paper comes out of concern about instructional principles of developing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials in China. It points out the major problems of ESP material development in China: incapability to write ESP materials; selection of materials; imbalance between carrier content and real content; imbalance in language skills development. To solve these problems, it is suggested that a learning-centered approach be utilized in the process of material development. Based on this approach, principles are provided in terms of key factors that need to be considered in pre-development, in-development and post-development stages. A sample teaching unit is also provided, aiming to improve traditional ESP classroom practice.