EAP/ESP practitioners’ perceptions on university writing in a Hong Kong EMI university setting

English is said to have become the ’lingua franca’ of academia (Mauranen, 2011, p.94). According to Lillis & Curry (2010), the vast majority of scientific literatures are published in English. Hyland (2006) confirms the importance of the role academic writing plays at higher education at large, citing that the use of written information in the form of books and journal articles is how academics communicate and share ideas and thoughts, and is thus highly valued in all academic disciplines.

While there is a great deal of literature on EAP skill development amongst undergraduates and postgraduates, the author argues that ELT teachers' mindset on EAP is an underresearched area that is worthy of attention. Given the important role EAP plays in students' academic success, it warrens a deeper understanding on the professionals who deliver EAP courses in higher education settings – ELT professionals - many of whom have received little or no formal training in teaching EAP. It is therefore of paramount importance to gain an insight into their perceptions of what constitutes EAP, their own experience with academic writing skills development, experience teaching EAP courses to L2 learners, and their EAP teaching approach. It is believed that this kind of knowledge is essential to the professionalization of EAP as a discipline.

This paper reports on a study of six ELT professionals teaching EAP/ESP courses to undergraduates at a Hong Kong English-medium university. Through semi-structured interviews and discussions of artefacts such as course materials and assessment methods, this study aims to explore the aforementioned aspects in relation to the teaching and learning context.