Uncovering the Principles Behind EAP Programme Design: Do We Do What We Say We’re Going to Do?

Abstract

English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) programmes are highly valued in higher education as they provide students with knowledge and understanding of the cultures, literacies, discourse and practices of their academic communities. This article examines an ESAP, pre-sessional programme for Masters students developed by the Language Centre at The University of Leeds, UK. Its aim was to deliver nine discipline-specific courses in collaboration with subject specialists from the wider University. The article investigates the principles underlying the programme with reference to official documentation and data from semistructured interviews with course designers. It shows that a principled approach to programme design facilitated the development of coherent ESAP courses, despite the many constraints that influenced the design process. A set of principles is proposed which reflect the aims and ethos of an ESAP approach to programme design. It is argued that specificity in EAP programme design is both desirable and