The aim of this task-based needs analysis is two-fold: firstly, to uncover the tasks performed by U.S.-based Spanish-language flight attendants and the associated language needs and, in doing so, to expand the breadth of task-based needs analysis (TBNA) through the application of multiple methods and sources (Long, 2005) and tackling the…

For successful English language communication, EFL students are not only required to have effective language skills for the workplace, but also be able to use the language socially. This study aims to 1) examine student progress in language achievement in the airline context and 2) to investigate student attitudes towards the use of CLT activities…

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) plays a pivotal role in enhancing the communicative competence of students preparing for careers. In order to develop the ESP learning materials for ground handling students, this study focuses on the needs analysis. The needs analysis will capture two aspects: 1) The participants' perspectives on the…

A lack of technical vocabulary is a major problem for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learners in a foreign setting. In this paper, we argue for using word lists to help learners expand their technical lexis repertoire. Therefore, we propose English word lists in three disciplines constructed from compiled corpora--the Tourism Business Word…

This study was conducted to examine the needs of the students of cabin services program regarding English in order to guide the design of a vocational English language curriculum. The research design used in this study was the concurrent triangulation approach, one of the mixed methods models. This approach can be used when the researcher collects…

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established English Language Proficiency Requirements (LPRs) for all flight crews operating on international routes, all air traffic controllers who communicate with foreign pilots, and air professionals. The ICAO requires those who operate on international routes to be qualified at least in…

The research aimed to study and experimentally verify the efficiency of the use of problem-based methods in teaching future air traffic controllers to conduct radio exchange in non-routine situations. The professional readiness to conduct radio exchange is viewed as a complex of professional skills and knowledge (communicative, cognitive and…

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is often governed by predefined communicative functions and rules within a specific domain. Radio communication between pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) is one such domain. Mandatory plain language testing, introduced in this domain in 2008, whilst clearly laudable in its safety related objectives, has…

This article explores the issues of pronunciation and comprehension in the English as a lingua franca (ELF) context of pilot--air traffic controller radiotelephony communication, and how these are handled in the proficiency rating scale globally used to assess pilots and air traffic controllers engaging in international flight and air traffic…

Aviation English proficiency is a core competency in the global air traffic controller profession. There is, however, growing concern about the current ineffective paper-based assessment methods and the severe lack of interactive online testing for such a critical profession, one that should be ideally assessed in an authentic task and situation…

In 2003 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) strengthened the provisions that English be made available for international radiotelephony communication. ICAO also developed standards for English proficiency for international pilots and air traffic controllers. However, these standards are applied variably from country to country and…

The proceedings of the first Language Testing Forum in 1980 were published in "ELT Documents 111: Issues in Language Testing" (Alderson & Hughes, 1981). Discussants at the 1980 Forum raised a number questions on Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) testing relating, notably, to test specificity, test content, the relationship between…

This article describes part of a European Commission Leonardo project that aimed to design a multimedia course for English language learners seeking work as ground staff in European airports. The structural-functional analysis of the dialogues written from the course showed that, across the four trades explored (security guards, ground handlers,…

This qualitative action research study explored the interactions of young-adult learners carrying out self-reflection on their learning processes in an ESP (English for special purposes) course at an airline training-center in Bogotá, Colombia. Needs analysis revealed that learners had poor knowledge of technical English, and lacked strong…

The Lancaster Language Testing Research Group was commissioned in 2006 by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) to conduct a validation study of the development of a test called ELPAC (English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication), intended to assess the language proficiency of air traffic…