English Language in Focus (ELIF)

Differentiated Learning in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Class: A Students’ Perception Study

Apriana Diana, Daffa, G. K. Chithra — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The increasing adoption of the Merdeka Curriculum in Indonesian higher education shows the importance of implementing differentiated learning to meet the different needs of students in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms. This study aimed to examine Mechanical Engineering students’ perceptions of differentiated learning as an instructional approach in an ESP context. The research involved 68 first-year students who had completed one semester of ESP. Data were collected through a researcher-developed a questionnaire with 30 positive statements about themselves on a five-point Likert scale. The analysis revealed that the majority of responses fell in the “Strongly Agree” category with 1,259 answers (61.2%), whereas only 68 responses (3.3%) indicated “Strongly Disagree.” These findings demonstrate that students perceive differentiated learning very positively, showing that it can help students with different learning styles and improve language learning. The novelty of this study lies in integrating differentiated learning within tertiary-level ESP instruction, an area with limited empirical evidence. Practically, the results provide insights for ESP lecturers and curriculum developers to incorporate differentiated strategies in higher education, helping students be stronger engagement, improved outcomes, and better professional readiness.

Keywords: Differentiated instruction, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Students’ perceptions, Engineering students.

Medical-Adapted Fable in Teaching English for Nursing Purposes

Ferra Dian Andanty; Rahmat Setiawan — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

English proficiency is essential in nursing education, as nurses must communicate medical information accurately while demonstrating empathy and ethical awareness. However, many English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses remain limited to vocabulary and grammar memorization, neglecting contextual and humanistic aspects of learning. This study introduces medical-adapted fables as an alternative medium for English instruction in nursing. Employing a mixed-method exploratory–descriptive design, data were gathered from 150 nursing students in Surabaya through questionnaires, complemented by interviews with three participants for deeper insights. Findings reveal that students could recognize key medical vocabulary such as blood pressure (80%), infection (76.7%), and diagnosis (74.7%), along with medical devices including thermometer (86.7%), stethoscope (83.3%), and syringe (80.7%). Ethical communication values were also strongly perceived, particularly empathy (88%), active listening (84.7%), and confidentiality (76.7%). Perception scores exceeded 4.2 on a Likert scale, indicating positive responses toward storytelling as a learning tool. Interviews further highlighted that fables provided memorable and emotionally engaging contexts, fostering confidence and sensitivity in English use. The novelty of this research lies in integrating narrative pedagogy into ESP for nursing, offering promising implications for vocabulary learning, ethical awareness, and global communication readiness.