The Role of Materials in ESP

In the ESP context, the use of authentic materials is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Such materials are selected because they provide the 'carrier content'—the technical or professional information - through which the 'real content' (the target language structures and skills) is practiced. According to Dudley-Evans and St John, the authenticity of the task is often more important than the authenticity of the text itself. By using a technical manual in an 'Agroecology' course, the instructor ensures that the classroom environment mirrors the communicative demands of the students' future professional lives."

DUDLEY-EVANS, T.; ST JOHN, M. J. Developments in English for Specific Purposes: a multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. p. 115.

A teacher selects a technical manual for an "Agroecology" course. According to the framework established by Dudley-Evans and St John (1998), the primary justification for this choice is that: