EFL for University Majors Textbook - Theology with CLT and Process Writing

Abstract

Introduction • Purpose: to create an ESP/EAP textbook that mixes communicative language learning and multimedia to engage EFL students with a specific subject • Target learners: young adult to adult, mixed gender, university students • Proficiency: intermediate-high to advanced-low according to ACTFL • Learning contexts: university Theology course for EFL students, after-school program in a private English educational institution, church or independent. The English education system in Korea can sometimes leave out specific interests when creating English language learning materials. By trying to make classes that are economical for the most amount of students, often the material continues to repeat many of the same patterns and situations (i.e. memorizing vocabulary, rote grammar, scenario conversation practice) for the same subjects (i.e. travel, food, hobbies). As students get older, even if their proficiency level increases, the topics and genres they are working on can basically stay the same. The group of students I seek to address is adult or young adult Korean students who study at the college or university level, and are non-native English speakers but have been studying English as a second or foreign language for much of their life. While they would be capable of getting high test scores, these students may not be proficient in using English outside of standardized testing, and therefore their English may not progress after high school and beyond. However, most higher education majors in Korea require English courses in order to graduate so they may struggle when required to participate in communicative tasks and genre production for subject-specific tasks. I am proposing a textbook series that could be used as a complementary course text for any subject major by maintaining academic sophistication while also scaffolding relevant EAP language skills. This series could focus on students of any major, from Engineering to Economics, but the specific textbook I am designing for my portfolio is targeted at Theology majors. I have chosen this focus because I believe there is a gap for material targeted towards non-native speakers who would be studying Theology at a higher level. On the other hand, the educational English language online video series, The Bible Project, which uses animation and colloquial language to analyze the Bible and Christianity from a modern and compelling academic perspective, would greatly benefit Theology students in Korea to engage with English more effectively.