English Education for Economics Students : Analysis of Current Status and Design of ESP Curriculum

ESP（专门用途英语）在日本的意识在20世纪90年代开始上升。然而，经济学专业英语的意识并没有像科学专业英语那样迅速发展。因此，立命馆大学经济系开始了ESP研究人员、经济学教授和英语教授合作编写相关材料的研究，以成为英语课程的一种模式。本研究首先通过对经济学专业的毕业生进行需求分析来了解工作场所的需求，获得经济学教授在讲座中对学生英语能力的需求结果，并收集其他经济学课程和经济学相关课程的英语课程信息，从而确定目前的状况。此外，还提出了大学英语教育的三个重点：学习者自主性与培养;语言使用意识;从语言学习者到语言使用者的转变。以这三个重点和ESP方法为基础，阅读和沟通与写作课程的材料被创建。随着课程开始使用新材料，外部测试被用来衡量学生的进步，并作为毕业要求，将一部分学生的补救教育的需要放在首位。在一个学院看到的学生英语能力的高度可变性指出了一个不可避免的事实，即解决各种能力的英语课程是必要的，并且所有大学都必须接受所有申请人，这种可变性在其他大学也会很明显。基于目前的研究结果，以下领域将是下一个研究的重点领域：（1）检查外部测试的可行性和可靠性;（2）开发一个系统，可以培养学习者自主性的意识，为不同的学生能力。

ESP (English for Specific Purposes) awareness within Japan began to rise in the 1990s. However, awareness of ESP for Economics has not developed as quickly as that in Science. Thus, research was commenced at Ritsumeikan University's Faculty of Economics to create relevant materials with the cooperation of ESP researchers, Economics and English professors in order to become one model of an English curriculum. The research began with ascertaining the current status by carrying out a needs analysis of the Economics alumni to understand needs within the workplace, obtaining the results of needs for student English ability by Economics professors in lectures, and gathering information of English curricula in other Economics programs and Economics-related programs. In addition, three foci for university English education were established : learner autonomy and nurturing ; language use awareness ; change from language learner to language user. With these three foci in mind and an ESP approach as a basis, materials for Reading and Communication and Writing courses were created.As courses commenced using the new materials, an outside test was used to measure student progress and set as a graduation requirement bringing the need of Remedial Education for one portion of students to the fore. The high variability of student English abilities seen in one Faculty points to the unavoidable fact that an English program addressing various abilities is necessary, and with all universities having to accept all applicants, the variability will be as pronounced in other universities. Based on the results of this current research, the following areas will be the next areas of focus in research : (1) to examine the feasibility and reliability of outside tests ; and (2) to develop awareness of a system that can nurture learner autonomy for variable student abilities.