The delivery of EAP courses within the changing linguistic landscape of Hong Kong: A time for reassessment

Efforts to make EAP courses more effective and pedagogically enriched have a long pedigree. While there is much research concerning various aspects of this branch, there is little consensus on which kinds of programs can guarantee a high degree of language proficiency. The twin purposes of this paper are to review some of the contemporary research findings in relation to the general linguistic expectations and outcomes of EAP courses in Hong Kong, as well as to examine the applicability of some of the field-tested experiences in the Hong Kong context. Concretely, the study reveals that EAP courses in Hong Kong are a hybrid of general ESL and EAP programs. Owing to the students, insufficient oracy skills, one training focus is to upgrade their listening and speaking competence. Hence, there is a cogent argument that the training of basic language skills should receive priority in general EAP courses. Although team-teaching between language instructors and subject teachers may be a desirable model for teaching, it is of limited use in Hong Kong for various reasons. Flowing from the research, some teaching strategies are examined, which include the use of a variety of general sources rather than the use of subject-specific materials, integrating field observation with the analysis of student needs.