The Need for Professionally Oriented ESL Instruction in the United States

Increasing numbers of foreign students are coming to the United States for university-level studies. Most go on to professional careers where English is needed for sophisticated and complex uses. Unfortunately, these students and professionals seldom receive English language training adequate for this purpose, either in school or on the job. Using engineering as a case in point, this article argues that there is a growing need for professionally oriented ESL instruction in American colleges, universities, and companies. Such instruction should combine aspects of both ESL and ESP in what is here called “generalized ESP.” Two illustrations of this approach—technical communication courses for university students and troubleshooting for technical professionals—are discussed. Since World War II, increasing numbers of foreign students (FSs) have been coming to the United States to pursue university studies. FS enrollments during this time have grown at an average annual rate of more than 10%; at last count (1982-83), it stood at 336,990 (Scully 1983). The American Council of Education’s (ACE) Committee on Foreign Students and International Policy, as recently as two years ago, predicted enrollments of more than one million FSs in American colleges and universities by the early 1990s (Scully 1981). Although the rate of enrollment has slowed since then, it still appears likely that the one million mark will be reached before the turn of the century. Most of these students have studied English for many years and have received satisfactory scores on the TOEFL, Michigan Test, or some other test of English proficiency. Nevertheless, their English is often quite weak, especially in the productive skills. Most FSa are