Towards a Project-based Approach to ESP Teaching and Learning. The case of Graduate Students of the Department of Mathematics at Abbess Laghrour University, Algeria

Abstract

The English language has indulged itself within the Algerian educational system among its tertiary-level institutions and has gained a prominent place not only in EFL classes, but also in other fields of study ,namely, economics, law, technology, science, human science, engineering, and so many others. Students in these departments are exposed to English courses i.e., English for specific purpose courses which are supposed to be aligned along with their needs, serve the communicative objective and equip students with the working skills. However, graduate students in the Department of Mathematics at Abbess Laghrour University find that ESP courses do not match the professional needs they face after graduation. This paper attempts to explore graduate students' attitudes towards ESP courses and to investigate the challenges ESP teachers encounter. This study proposes the integration of the project-based approach to overcome challenges faced by ESP teachers and students as well as prepare this later to acquire the necessary competencies under the umbrella of learner-centeredness. To fulfill this paper's objective, a descriptive study is conducted. Qualitative data are gathered by the means of a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 20 graduate students and 5 teachers of English in the Department of Mathematics. The findings show that project-based approach is indeed a better way of bridging the gap between theory and practice and a vital means for helping learners’ to fulfill their potential inside and outside the university’s setting.