ESP VS EGP: ENGLISH MATERIALS IN 2013 CURRICULUM

Dita anggi purbasari

Abstract

The government has launched the new policy that called 2013 curriculum. It has been
two years since it was launched. At the first year, it was implemented to some schools and
later, it has implemented to all schools in Indonesia. 2013 curriculum provides books both for
teacher and students. Vocational and Senior High school have the same English materials
while the students have different purposes after they graduate from school.
The aim of this article is to discuss English materials for Vocational and Senior high
school. English materials for Vocational high school refers to English Specific for Purposes
(ESP) but English materials for Senior high school refers to English General for Purposes
(EGP). Actually, ESP and EGP come from the same board, that is English Academic for
Purposes (EAP). Then, EAP is broke down into two, that are ESP and EGP. It is seen from
ESP’s and EGP’s goal.
ESP’s goal is to help students to study language that will be implemented in
workplace field and EGP’s goal is to help students to study language as the requirements for
students to continue their study into a higher level (university).
ESP and EGP are different in four aspects. The first aspect is viewed from students’
need perepective. Second aspect is viewed from their charecteristics, subject learner, and the
last is language content.
In conclusion English materials on 2013 Curriculum can be used to teach Senior high
School students, but they can not be implemented for Vocational High School students
because the materials are not suitable with Vocational students’ need.
In order to reach the goal of study English, in designing the materials must pay
attention to some aspects as follow: who the subject learners are and the reasons why the
learners learn language. From this point of view, it is assumed that the government must
revise the English materials and English books for Vocational High Schools or Vocational
teachers create their own materials which are suitable to students’ need with 2013 Curriculum
framework.

Keywords: EAP, Vocational School, Senior School, Students’ need, ELT

Introduction

In the middle of 2013, the government has launched the new policy of Curriculum in
Indonesia, it is well known as 2013 curriculum. Actually, 2013 curriculum was developed by
previous curriculum “kurikulum satuan tingkat pendidikan (KTSP) 2006” and “Kurikulum
Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK) 2004”. KTSP and KBK focused on students’ knowledge and

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students’ skill while 2013 curriculum focuses on students’ knowledge, skill, and attitude. The
government tends to change students’ behaviour become more polite and more religous. The
government expects that by implententing 2013 curriculum Indonesian students will be better
in the future, they are not only master as theoritical and practical but also they have a good
attitude. The government beliefs that a good attitude and strong religion are basic things that
should be learnt by students since they were children. That is why the learning process in
Elementary school is more stressed to attitude and religion while middle schools are stressed
to the knowledge and High School are stressed to skill or competance. Why? Because attitude
and religion are bound that should be had by people. These two things are used as foundation
in facing the future. These two characters must be built since children because children are
pure and it is easier to build characters to children than to older. In middle school, the biggest
portion is knowledge, the government beliefs when their characters have built, they have to
learn a lot of knowledge. By mastering knowledge, they will know the truth based on
scientific theories and it increase students’ interest to know more about some theories. Then
they decide to do an observation to prove those theories, they will get a lot of chances to do
experiment when they are in Senior and Vocational High School. It can be said that the goal
of 2013 curriculum is producing Indonesian who have skill and competance in their majors
with good attitude and behaviour.

The changing from previous curriculum (KTSP) into 2013 curriculum is very
significant. It can be viewed from some aspects. The first aspect is students’ assesment.
Students’ assesment consist of three parts, they are konwledge’s assesment, skill’s assesment,
and attitude’s assesment.. Knowledge’s assesment is used to assest students’ knowledge and
it is taken by using test. Skill’s assesment is used to assest students’ competence in their
major and it is taken by producing a product (project work). Attitude’s assesment is used to
assest students’ attitude, religion, and social interaction at school or outside school (at home).
It is taken by observing students’ behaviour in and out school. Here, students’ attitude,
religion, and behaviour are not only assested by teachers but also assested by parents and
other students.

The second point is the concept of 2013 curriculum, 2013 curriculum offers a new
concept that is stressed to students, it is known as students’ center. Students are expected to
find the answers of each problem in learning by reading some relevant sources and doing
observation. Scientific approach introduces to help students and teachers in achieving the
goal of learning process. Scientific approach is an approach in learning process which based

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on fact or phenomenon that can be explained logically. It occurs five stages, that are:
observing, questioning, collecting data, associating and communicating. By impelenting this
approach, the government expect that Indonesia students are able to think critically and
logically in facing some certain phenomenon.

In 2013 curriculum, the government combines some subjects into one subject, it is
known as “tematik terpadu” subject for elementary school and junior high school. For
example mathematics subject, Bahasa Indonesia subject, PKN subject, and social subject are
combine into one subject based on one theme. For Senior and Vocational high school, there is
no significant differences in their subjects but time allotment of some subjects has changed.
For example in previous curriculum (KTSP), English subject was taught for 5 hours a week
in Senior and Vocational high school, but it is taught only 4 hours a week in Senior high
school and 2 hours a week for Vocational high school. Most of English teachers, especially
English teacher at Vocational High School, were shocked when they knew it, they worried
how they teach a number of English materials with limited time, is it possible?. Their
shocked were improved when they saw that English syllabus and materials for Vocational
High School are similiar to English syllabus and materials for Senior High School. However,
students from Senior High School have different purposes from students from Vocational
High School. Students from Senior High school tend to continue their study to a higher level
education but students from Vocational High school tend to get a job after they graduate.
Based on their purposes, it can be stated that there should be a different materials for Senior
and Vocational high school.

This theoritical article concern to discuss English materials for Senior and Vocational
High school viewed from students’ need perspective.

Discussion

English materials for Senior and Vocational high school must be differentiated based
on their need. The purpose of Vocational students study English is to master English related
to their major so that they are able to implement what they have learnt in workplace.
Meanwhile, the purpose of Senior High school students study English is to continue their
study to a higher level education. English is one of the requirement that should be passed to
continue their study to university. It can be concluded that English materials for Vocational
school are English Specific for Purposes (ESP) while English materials for Senior school are

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taught generally. Johns et al (1991: 298) in Anthony stated that ESP is in contrast with
General English Purposes (GEP).

Basicly, ESP and EGP come from the same frame, that is English Language Teaching
(ELT). ELT itself divide into some branches, it can be seen from following diagram.

By seeing the diagram above, it can be assumed that the main board of learning
English is English language teaching (ELT). ELT is divided into two branches, that are
English as Foreign Language (EFL) and English as Second Language (ESL). Both of EFL
and ESL are divided into English Academic for Purposes (EAP) and English Occupation for
Purposes (EOP). EAP is still divided into English Specific for Purposes (ESP) and English
for General Purposes (EGP) temporarily EOP focus on English materials which are addressed
for people who have worked. This article discuss about ESP and EGP.

First of all, it is important to know what is ESP and what is GEP?. ESP stands for
English specific for purposes. It can be said that English materials are designed with specific
purposes related to learners’ need. Strevens (1988) in Milevica defines ESP as absolute
characteristics. He said that language teaching is designed to meet specified needs of the
learner, related in content to particular disciplines, occupation and activities, centered to the

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language appropriate to those activities in syntax, text, discourse, semantics, and etc., and
analysis of the discourse, designed in contrast with General English. Robinson (1991: 3) in
Milevica added the definition of ESP is based on two criteria: 1) ESP is normally ‘goal
directed’; 2) ESP courses develop from a need analysis which aim to specify what exactly it
is that students have to do through the medium of English. In contrast, GEP is a number of
English materials which designed not for specific purposes, but it is designed to help students
to achieve their objectives and to attend the university. Hyland (2006) in Zohrabi defines
GEP is itended to provide an efiicient problem-solving and solution-oriented way to different
groups of students by attending to their specific needs. Zohrabi added that this branch tries to
equip students with necessary communicative skills and strategies to perform effectively at
university and achive their objectives. Dudley-Evans & St.John (2000) in Zohrabi also stated
that EGP as the skill and language that are common to all disciplines.

Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that both of ESP and EGP are
based on the students’ need. Then, what makes ESP and EGP different?. The first difference
is ESP and EGP’s need. ESP provides specific materials that will be learnt by students from
specific major. It means that it is based on the reason why the students learn English. In
contrast, General English Purposes provides materials that will be learnt by students
generally in order to help students in achieving their goal to attend to the university. From
this point of view, it can be seen that ‘needs’ needed by Students from Vocational and Senior
High School are different. For example: in a syllabus written that students are able to know
and understand about descriptive text. Both of students from Vocational and Senior High
School must achieve the same goal. In real situation, Students from automotive major must
get different descriptive text materials from Senior High School students. Automotive
students must get a descriptive text related to the machine while Senior High School students
get a descriptive text about recreation places, people, or animals. Theoritically, both of
automotive students or Senior High School students study about descriptive text but,
practically, they study different things. It is proved by Hutchinson et al (1987: 53) in Anthony
when people asked “what is difference between ESP and Genereal English Approach?”. They
answered, “in theory nothing, in practice a great deal”. It can be concluded, as theoritical ESP
and EGP are based on the students’ need, but practically, both of ESP and EGP are different.
ESP is based on the specific students’ need related to their major while EGP is based on the
students’ need related to their future collage.

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 Second differentation is ESP and EGP’s characteristics. Based on Carter (1983) in
Zohrabi the main characteristics of ESP are purpose-related orientation, authentic materials,
and self-direction. Purpose-related orientation means that students learn to present and to
practice language in the classroom communicatively which are required in the workplace
(target situation). Authentic materials concern to the selecting materials based students’ major
that will be used in the language classroom in order to achieve students’ goal. It is suggested
to modify authentic materials based on the students’ competance. Self-direction refers to
students’ readiness to bring language from classroom to real situation. Meanwhile, EGP’s
characteristic is problem-solving and solution oriented way to different groups of students by
attending to their specific need (Hyland; 2006 in Zohrabi). It means that the students concern
to communicative skill and study strategies in order to perform their ability effectively in
University and to reach their goal. They study all disciplines language and perform it in the
classroom communicatively. For example: ESP students from accounting major study how to
write a memo. Here, their purpose is they are able to write a memo that can be implemented
in their future workplace. They get authentic materials of ‘memo’, so that they know exactly
a memo which is used in the workplace. Then they try to make memo in the classroom and
try to implement it in real situation. Is the memo suitable with real situation or not? If it is not
suitable, they have to try to make a new one. Despite, EGP students from any Senior High
School study all dicipline language, they study all kinds of functional text include memo but
they do not implement what they have learnt in real situation. They study memo to add their
information.

Thirdly, ESP and EGP have differences in subject learner. Anthony stated that ESP is
likely designed for adult learners. Meanwhile EGP can be taught for all learners from young
learner to advanced learner. For example: ESP is only taught from Vocational High School,
in fact Vocational students indicate adult learners. EGP is not only taught from Senior High
School, but also, it is taught since learners learn language. In Indonesia, EGP is taught since
learners are in Elementary school who indicate young learners until undergraduate learners
who indicate adult learners.

The last point is ESP’s and EGP’s language content. According to Anthony ESP is
centered on the language appropriate (of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and
genre). Differently with Anthony, Zoharbi stated that EGP is centered on the language system
(grammar, vocabulary, and pronounciation) study skills and language skills.

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 After knowing more about ESP and EGP, it can be stated that before designing
English materials, it is better to know who the subject are, the reason the learners learn
language, and what the goal in learning language is. Why? Because it will be more effective
and help teachers and learners in reaching the goal.

After seeing the literature above, it can be assumed that when the government made
English materials for high school students, the government did not pay attention to their need,
so that the government made English materials of Vocational school are as similiar as English
materials of Senior High School. Here, there is a miss concept with “students’ need”.
Although English materials of Vocational School and Senior School are based on the
students’ need, but it has difference need. Vocational School has need which more specific
than Senior School. A number of students who came from same Vocational school also have
difference need related to their major. From this point of view, it can be said that English
materials in 2013 Curriculum for High School students can be implemented for Senior High
School only. It can not be used to teach English for Vocational School. It contrast with
Vocational School students’ need.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that English Students Books of 2013 Curriculum that provided by
government can not be implemented in Vocational High School. Because the materials are
not suitable with the purpose of Vocational students. Indeed, they need English materials
related to their subject in order to achieve their goal. It seems that the government must revise
English books related to students’ need, and it will need a long time. Because Indonesia has
many Vocational school with various majors.

The government must do some research to know and to analyze the students’ need
before the materials and the books were made in order to reach the goal of learning English.
It is also an effective and useful way to transfer and to deliver the materials, so it will go
straight to the learners.

There is still a chance to implement the materials given by the government, that is by
using teachers’ creativity. It means that the Vocational teachers create their own materials
based on syllabus of 2013 Curriculum. Then, they adopt and modify authentic materials
related to students’ need. Teachers also create a real atmosphere related to the future
workplace, so that, the goal of teaching English for Vocational students can be achieved.

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