What autonomy in learning among ESP - science students? Case study of oral presentation in English

Abstract

Oral production is often a challenge for ESP (English for Specific Purpose) - science students and has not been much explored. This article presents an action research conducted with students in L3 at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse in the oral presentation which is often preferred for ESP student assessment. The article aims at, on the one hand, showing how students have made progress in the 2nd semester after being guided in the 1st semester because some forms of guidance can foster autonomy (Rivens Mompean & Eisenbeis, 2009) and, on the other hand, how autonomy in learning appeared. After situating the theoretical background (oral presentation, autonomy) and the framework of the study (public, module), we will discuss the results obtained in the first and second semesters. From satisfaction questionnaires handed out to the students, assessments and observations of the teacher, we will also analyze the perception of the work by both actors. Then we will propose an optimization of the system so that the students become autonomous.