Topic: English for Specific Purposes | Sustainability in ELT
Presenter: Raveena S
Presentation details
The growing environmental challenges of the twenty-first century demands the educational approaches to integrate language learning with sustainability awareness. Traditionally, English for Specific Purpose (ESP) emerged to address the communicative competence of the learners in the specialised fields such as business, science, technology, higher education and international mobility.
This paper proposes Eco-ELT, a framework extending traditional ESP by pairing language acquisition with environmental literacy and sustainable development. Leveraging the principles of needs analysis, communicative language teaching, and learner-centered pedagogy, the study examines how sustainability-related themes can be incorporated into specialized English instruction.
However, the contemporary educational policies, UN agenda and the UN’s greening curriculum, entail a broader conception of “specific purpose” that extends beyond occupational and academic communication to encompass sustainability education and climate-conscious citizens. In this context, the paper explores how sustainability-oriented perspectives can be integrated into ESP and argues that sustainability communication has become an important area of specialized language use.
It examines the evolution of ESP from a needs-based approach to a framework capable of addressing contemporary global concerns. The study suggests that integrating sustainability themes into English Language classrooms can help learners develop meaningful language competencies while engaging with issues of sustainable development and global responsibility.
It concludes that ESP provides a relevant and flexible framework for aligning English language education with the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainability education, and global citizenship.
About the presenter
Raveena S is a PhD Research Scholar in English at St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, affiliated with Bharathidasan University, India. Her research focuses on Eco-ELT, sustainability education, and English Language Teaching, with particular interest in integrating climate education and sustainability literacy into language learning. She is committed to exploring innovative approaches that connect language education with contemporary global challenges.