Design of an ESP course for Pottery Artisans and Traders of Guaitil, Guanacaste

Abstract

This article shows the result of the implementation of an ESP course designed for Chorotega pottery artisans and traders in Guaitil, Guanacaste. The project included the analysis of needs, wants and lacks of the target population as well as the curricular design and implementation of the program. After the needs analysis was implemented, it was determined that the population required English for Occupational Purposes, that the main need was to carry out an effective communication with English-speaking tourists, and that the use of a semi-technical vocabulary and an adequate register in the business context focusing on oral and auditory macro-skills were required. The content of the course included three units developed in fourteen weeks under the ESP methodology and the Task-Based Approach with a population of six participants. After comparing the performance of each participant between the initial diagnostic test and a competence test administered at the end of each unit, it was found that the population achieved the objectives proposed to a great extent. Based on the results, it can be determined that the population made significant progress, considering that each participant advanced from two to three levels according to the measurement instruments used to assess their competence.