Toward Designing Education 4.0 Competency-Based ESP Curriculum (E4CEC) in the Context of Iranian Education: Challenges and Opportunities

Dashtestani, Reza; Forutanian, Shadi

doi:10.22049/jalda.2025.29868.1710

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Reza Dashtestani ¹
Shadi Forutanian ²

¹ Associate Professor of TEFL, Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

² PhD Candidate in ELT, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2025.29868.1710

Abstract

Developing students’ various competencies and skills of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has made serious challenges for university students. However, just a few studies have been done regard to incorporating project-based learning activities that integrate general education and Fourth Industrial Revolution competencies as education 4.0 project-based ESP curriculum (E4PEC). Therefore, this exploratory mix method study has been carried out to create a Medical English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course that is in line with a specific academic institution's curriculum, in order to understand how students perceived the challenges and benefits of studying Medicine based on E4PEC. A total of 64 fourth-year medical majors, with 46 females and 18 male students at Najafabad Islamic Azad University in Iran participated in the study. Cronbach’s Alpha was run to test the reliability of the questionnaires’ items with a coefficient to measure students’ perceptions of the challenges and benefits of E4PEC. Regarding their perceptions of benefits, it is evident that all five categories received the students’ positive attitudes; especially, most of the students perceived that PBL brought those benefits of language and content knowledge and skills and enhancement of self-responsibility and personal qualities. The study findings suggest that the E4PEC-based ESP medicine courses were more beneficial than challenging for the students and has the potential to improve students' utilization and development of technology, communication, critical thinking and analysis, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Nevertheless, issues with peers frequently surface, including a lack of digital and research skills, as well as difficulties with both hard and soft skills. This study suggests implications for the integration of E4PEC into ESP medical classes in Iranian higher education and other similar education contexts.

Keywords

Main Subjects

1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)

Article Title [Persian]

در راستای طراحی برنامه درسی مبتنی بر شایستگی زبان تخصصی (E4CEC) در حوزه آموزش ایرانی: چالش‌ها و فرصت‌ها

Authors [Persian]

دکتر رضا دشتستانی ¹
شادی فروتنیان ²

¹ دانشیار آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده زبان ها و ادبیات خارجی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران

² دانشجوی دکتری آموزش زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

انقلاب صنعتی چهارم نیاز به نیروی انسانی برای توسعه شایستگیها و مهارتهای مختلف را به وجود آورده است. ادغام آموزش عمومی و شایستگیهای انقلاب صنعتی چهارم در فعالیتهای یادگیری مبتنی بر پروژه میتواند به تحقق این الزامات کمک کند. هدف این پروژه طراحی یک دوره آموزشی انگلیسی پزشکی برای اهداف خاص (ESP) است که با برنامه درسی یک موسسه دانشگاهی خاص (از این پس E4CEC نامیده می شود) همسو باشد. اجرای این برنامه درسی جدید دانشجویان را قادر می‌سازد تا ابزارهای لازم برای انجام تحقیقات و برآورده کردن نیازهای نیروی کار آینده را به دست آورند. مطالعه اکتشافی حاضر به منظور بررسی چگونگی درک دانشجویان دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی نجف آباد در ایران از چالشها و مزایای تحصیل پزشکی بر اساس E4CEC انجام شد. این مطالعه از سه روش جمع‌آوری داده‌های اولیه، یعنی مصاحبه با دانشجو، پرسش‌نامه و یادداشت‌های روزانه توسط 64 دانشجوی پزشکی ESP استفاده کرد. نتایج مطالعه نشان می‌دهد که دوره‌های پزشکی ESP مبتنی بر E4CEC برای دانشجویان سودمندتر و چالش‌برانگیز بود. E4CEC پتانسیل افزایش استفاده از فناوری و توسعه، ارتباطات، تفکر انتقادی و تجزیه و تحلیل، خلاقیت و مهارتهای حل مسئله را دارد. با این حال، مشکلاتی از جمله فقدان مهارت‌های دیجیتالی و پژوهشی، و همچنین مشکلاتی در مهارت‌های سخت و نرم برای دانشجویان وجود دارد. یافته های این مطالعه بر اهمیت E4CEC در آموزش عالی تاکید کرده و دانش موجود در مورد E4CEC را تکمیل میکند.

Keywords [Persian]

آموزش 4.0
برنامه درسی مبتنی بر پروژه
انگلیسی برای اهداف ویژه
فرصت ها
چالش ها

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Toward Designing Education 4.0 Competency-Based ESP Curriculum (E4CEC) in the Context of Iranian Education: Challenges and Opportunities

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Volume 13, Issue 1April 2025Pages 91-108

Volume 13, Issue 1
April 2025
Pages 91-108