Open AccessQUESTIONING EAP: A CRITIQUE OF THE ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES COURSES AT UNIVERSITY
Author(s) -
Natalia Fedorova
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes/≠the ≠journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2334-9212
pISSN - 2334-9182
DOI - 10.22190/jtesap2103401f
Subject(s) - english for academic purposes , english language , language assessment , language proficiency , test of english as a foreign language , psychology , mathematics education , higher education , pedagogy , medical education , sociology , political science , medicine , law
Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses are meant to prepare international students for their undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in an English-speaking academic environment. Prospective university candidates for whom English is not the first language are required to complete a pre-sessional EAP course if their IELTS score is lower than the admissions requirements. Even though, in terms of the language requirement, the lack of language proficiency is the only reason preventing international students from entering their degree programmes directly, the course they are required to take is an EAP course rather than a General English one, hence, not directly addressing their lack of general language proficiency. In this essay I question the need to impose such a course on international students: is EAP in its current shape necessary for their success at university or is it merely a product of neoliberalism in higher education?