Designing a Multi-focus Syllabus to teach ESP for Communication: the Case of Pharmacy Students at Blida University

Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to shed light on the English language needs of Pharmacy students in the Faculty of Medicine at Saad Dahlab- Blida University. The needs identification and analysis revealed that communication plays a pivotal role in academic and workplace situations. Besides, students particularly need to develop their reading and speaking skills and improve vocabulary comprehension and acquisition. As a consequence, a multi-focus syllabus was designed and implemented, through action research, in the second year class to allow a wide array of functions, skills and topics to be integrated within tasks and activities that are most relevant to students‘ needs. The Results demonstrate the positive impact of the syllabus on students‘ learning outcomes and communication skills, as it also creates an enjoyable learning atmosphere where students are actively involved in the learning process.