ESP materials development Using situation-based vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region of Vietnam.pdf

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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
TRẦN THỊ NGỌC MỸ
ESP MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT:
USING SITUATION-BASED VOCABULARY IN
COMPOSING AN ENGLISH HANDBOOK FOR
CUSTOMS OFFICERS IN NORTHWEST REGION
Xây dựng tài liệu Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành:
Sử dụng từ vựng dựa trên tình huống trong việc soạn thảo
Sổ tay Tiếng Anh cho cán bộ Hải quan vùng Tây Bắc
M.A. THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology (Type 1)
Field Code: 8140231.01
HANOI - 2018

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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
TRẦN THỊ NGỌC MỸ
ESP MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT:
USING SITUATION-BASED VOCABULARY IN
COMPOSING AN ENGLISH HANDBOOK FOR
CUSTOMS OFFICERS IN NORTHWEST REGION
Xây dựng tài liệu Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành:
Sử dụng từ vựng dựa trên tình huống trong việc soạn thảo
Sổ tay Tiếng Anh cho cán bộ Hải quan vùng Tây Bắc
M.A. Thesis
Field: English Teaching Methodology (Type 1)
Field Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Dr. HUỲNH ANH TUẤN
HANOI - 2018

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DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “ESP materials development: using situation-
based vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs officers in
Northwest region” is entirely my own research work and has not been taken from the
work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged
within the text of my work.
Hanoi, 2018
Trần Thị Ngọc Mỹ

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am indebted to many whose warm support, cheerful encouragement, and genuine
guidance have been deeply appreciated.
First and foremost, I would like to express my honor to be a part of the project
KHCN-TB.26X/13-18 - Tay Bac Program, which is conducted by University of
Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University.
I would like to send my enormous gratitude to Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan, my beloved
supervisor, who had patiently guided me throughout the thesis process, for his
insightful comments, invaluable guidance, thoughtful suggestions, and inspiration.
I am profoundly grateful to all those who participated, the wonderful Customs officers
in Vietnam and English teachers at University of Languages and International Studies
- Vietnam National University, who acted as informants in my research. I would also
like to thank Ms. Phan Thi Van Quyen, Ms. Le Thi Hong Duyen, and Ms. Vu Thi
Nga, who have given me such many precious support and thorough collaboration
during the study.
I would like to make special mention of my mother, Ms. Pham Thi Hang who has
given me an unending supply of all sorts of help and whose support has made it
possible for me to complete this study. Special thanks to my friends including Quynh
Trang, Thuy Linh, Thi Linh who have always been my full-time companions.
Thanks also go to family and friends who are not mentioned here for their support and
encouragement.

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ABSTRACT
In the context of international and regional integration and exchange, English
communication for work has become an essential requirement for cadres and civil
servants in various professions. It is in places where there is a lot of trade and
interaction with foreigners. Among them, the Northwest border customs is considered
one of the places where cadres and civil servants have many opportunities to interact
with foreigners coming from different countries. Recognizing the importance of the
English language as a tool of trade and exchange in the international environment, and
on the basis of practical needs of customs officers at the North West border gate, the
Northwest program team decided to compile a handbook of typical English words and
situations in Customs with the expectation of supporting the staff here in carrying out
daily tasks, thereby improving the efficiency of work and bringing about Economic
benefits for the North West area. This study is an attempt to investigate the principles,
strategies and procedures to compose an English handbook for Customs officers in
Vietnam. The research primarily focuses on the process of selecting situation-based
vocabulary for the officers to utilize in their real-life circumstances. In order to
develop common situations and select appropriate English vocabulary in Customs, the
team investigated the documents that are currently used in Nortwest border gates then
conducted observations, interviews at a customs office of the Northwest region, and
consulted experts in Linguistics and Customs to better modify the handbook. In
general, the vocabulary in the composed handbook has met the needs of Customs
officers in terms of both quantity and quality. The results gained from the finding and
data analysis has contributed to the ESP material development process. This study can
help ESP developer of other fields know how to start and what to do during materials
development procedures.
Key words: Northwest Program, ESP materials development, Customs, situation-
based vocabulary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION..................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................ii
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...........................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES................................................................vii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION......................................................................1
1.1. The rationale of the study...............................................................................1
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study ...................................................................4
1.3. Research methodology....................................................................................4
1.4. Scope of the study............................................................................................5
1.5. Significance of the thesis.................................................................................5
1.6. Organization of the thesis...............................................................................5
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................7
2.1. ESP materials development ...........................................................................7
2.1.1. Definition of ESP...........................................................................................7
2.1.2. Principles and procedures of developing ESP materials............................8
2.1.2.1. Pre-development: Needs analysis ...........................................................9
2.1.2.2. While-development: Developed content and Real content....................11
2.1.2.3. Post-development: On-going Evaluation..............................................12
2.1.3. ESP materials evaluation .............................................................................13
2.2. Situation-based vocabulary..........................................................................13
2.2.1. The importance of vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning .....................14
2.2.2. Situation-based vocabulary..........................................................................14
2.2.3. Strategies and principles of selecting situation-based vocabulary in
developing ESP materials......................................................................................15
2.2.3.1. Choosing words: how many and which ones ........................................16
2.2.3.2. Learning tools for new vocabulary .......................................................17
2.2.3.3. Selection of vocabulary for developing ESP materials.........................18
2.3. Related Studies on ESP material development for Customs Officers .....19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY................................................................24
3.1. Research questions...........................................................................................24
3.2. Research Design ...............................................................................................24
3.3. Research Context .............................................................................................25

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3.4. Description of the informants .........................................................................27
3.5. Data collection instruments.............................................................................27
3.5.1. Document review.........................................................................................27
3.5.2. Observation..................................................................................................28
3.5.3. Interviews.....................................................................................................29
3.5.4. Questionnaires .............................................................................................29
3.6. Data collection procedures ..............................................................................31
3.7. Data analysis procedure ..................................................................................33
3.8. Statement on how results were presented......................................................34
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS...............................................................................35
4.1. Pre-development: The needs of Customs Officers in the Northwest region
of Vietnam................................................................................................................35
4.2. While-development: The process of selecting situation-based vocabulary in
composing an English handbook ...........................................................................37
4.2.1. Choosing words: how many and which ones ..............................................37
4.2.2. Learning tools for new vocabulary..............................................................38
4.2.3. Selection of vocabulary for developing ESP materials ...............................39
4.3. Post-development: The modifications of the handbook after reviewed......40
4.3.1. Evaluation of Language Experts..................................................................40
4.3.1.1. Strengths of the handbook .....................................................................40
4.3.1.2. Weaknesses and modification of the handbook.....................................41
4.3.2. Evaluation of Customs experts ....................................................................44
4.3.2.1. Strengths of the handbook .....................................................................44
4.3.2.2. Weaknesses and modification of the handbook.....................................44
4.4. The English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region ..............47
4.5. Discussion..........................................................................................................48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION........................................................................50
5.1. Summary of the findings .................................................................................50
5.2. Contribution of the research and ESP development implications ..............51
5.3. Limitations of the study and suggestions .......................................................51
REFERENCES..................................................................................................53
APPENDIXES ................................................................................................- 1 -
Appendix 1: List of most common questions in Customs at Border gate....... - 1 -
Appendix 2: Observation field note.................................................................. - 26 -
Appendix 3: Questionnaires for reviewers ...................................................... - 27 -

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
ESP: English for Specific Purposes
EFL: English as Foreign Language
ESL: English as Second Language
GE: General English
L2: The second language
ULIS: University of Language and International Studies
VNU: Vietnam National University

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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
TABLES Page
Table 1: Procedure of composing the English handbook for Customs
Officers
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Table 2: Feedback from language experts for modification 41
Table 3: Feedback from Customs experts for modification 44
FIGURES Page
Figure 1: Process for preparing new materials 11
Figure 2: Process for selecting vocabulary for the handbook 39

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
This initial chapter states the research problem and rationale of the study. Aims and
objectives of this research are also highlighted together with the three research
questions, and then the significance and scope of the study are introduced. Lastly, it
provides the organization of the study in order to guide readers into the right track of
the paper.
1.1. The rationale of the study
1.1.1. Northwest Program
Northwest Program or Tay Bac Program is a state-level key science and technology
program in the 2013 – 2018 period titled "Science and Technology for the Sustainable
Development of the Northwest Region" (called in short as the Northwest Program).
This program, targeted at Northern midland and mountainous provinces in Bắc Kạn
province, involved multiple stakeholders including the Bắc Kạn provincial People’s
Committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and
Training in coordination with VNU.
The Northern midland and mountainous region has great potential and tremendous
advantages for development, but also has to confront with difficulties and challenges
in development realities. Along with many target programs, the investment projects of
economic, social, cultural and educational development for the Northwest, on 28th
June 2013, implementing the directive of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Science
and Technology signed Decision No. 1746/QD-BKHCN on approval of the goals,
content and expected product of the Northwest Program. VNU was assigned to be in
charge of the program and former VNU President Phùng Xuân Nhạ is the Chairman of
the program.
The Northwest Program is the concretization of the strategic policy of the Vietnamese
Party and State: considering Science & Technology as the primary national policy to
promote to the highest degree the intellectual resources and create an impetus for the

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development of knowledge-based economy in the Northwest region of Vietnam. By
solving issues in the development realities of the region and of each locality, the
program hopes to raise production capacity and competitiveness, promote the
advantages, resources and potential, to create an impetus for the raising of overall
growth level of the region and bring about the practical benefits to the community of
ethnic minority groups living in the Northwest provinces, contributing to ensuring the
national defense and security.
1.1.2. The role of English in Customs at the border gate
English has been acknowledged by most countries in the world as an international
language. Consequently, English has to be used in international communication both
orally and in written communication, for general as well as specific needs. English’s
role in the early development of modern technology has cemented its global
importance. In the context of rapid economic globalisation, Vietnam is now
conducting international business with countries across the world. As a result, English
is increasingly used as a lingua franca by Vietnamese people for foreign interactions
and communication.
The challenge of communicating at border gates is to create cohesion between
culturally distinct workforces. English, often considered a relatively neutral language,
acts as a bridge that connects people across countries and cultures, providing a
pathway for innovation. As a result, English has been chosen as an agent language
among countries. English has all the capabilities to facilitate the innovation economy
because it allows individuals and companies and organizations around the world to
communicate, and therefore collaborate toward a common vision or goal.
1.1.3. The necessity to conduct a study of composing an English handbook
for Customs Officers
In the context of international and regional integration and exchange, English
communication for work has become an essential requirement for cadres and civil
servants in various professions. It is in places where there is a lot of trade and

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interaction with foreigners. Among them, the Northwest border customs is considered
one of the places where cadres and civil servants have many opportunities to interact
with foreigners coming from different countries. Recognizing the importance of the
English language as a tool of trade and exchange in the international environment, and
on the basis of practical needs of customs officers at the North West border gate, the
team learn and develop a handbook of typical English words and situations in customs
with the expectation of supporting the staff here in carrying out daily tasks, thereby
improving the efficiency of work and bringing about Economic benefits for the North
West area.
Working at the border gate means the major working environment of Customs
Officers is international. English becomes an important communication instrument
thanks to its globalization. Vietnam has a long border shared with Chinese, the use of
English as agent language can limit the superiority of Chinese and Chinese language
users in communication.
In addition, the number of travellers heading up into this part of the country is
increasing annually, due to the long-awaited opening of the border crossing into Laos
near Dien Bien Phu. As a result, foreign language is one of the basic requirements
imposed by employers in most of the industries, including the customs service. In this
regard, the Customs Officer administration required an English handbook aimed to
improve the knowledge of this language for their employees.
With the support of Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training and specialists from
University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, as a
part of Northwest program, the project “An English handbook for Customs Officers”
has been conducted. The target group consists of officers working Customs major in
general and Tay Bac Customs Officer Department in particular for communication
with tourists, enterprises and partners.

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1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of the project is to develop an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) material
necessary for the efficient fulfilment of duties in customs, as well as facilitate cross-
border communication.
To achieve this aim, the following objectives are established:
- To get an overview of the strategies and principles related to ESP materials
development to select vocabulary for Customs Officers in composing specialized
situations
- To conduct a needs analysis to identify the Customs officers’ working
situation, the officers’ need
- To propose an appropriate English handbook with appropriate vocabulary for
the target students based on the relevant theories and the need analysis.
- To investigate the opinions of experts and customs officers towards selected
vocabulary
The objectives can be summarized by three research questions below:
1. What are the process and the principles of choosing best-suited situation-based
vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs Officers in Northwest
region of Vietnam?
2. What is the need of Customs officers in Nortwest regions of Vietnam?
3. What are the opinions of the Linguistics experts and the Customs experts towards
the vocabulary used in the handbook?
1.3. Research methodology
To achieve the above aims, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were
used in this study, including secondary data collection, semi-structured interview, and

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questionnaires. First, relevant literature, studies and available materials were reviewed
in order to get in-depth information. Second, the most common Vietnamese situations
in Customs field were collected from a Customs Department. A semi-structured
interview was conducted to find out the needs of targeted Customs officers. The first
draft of the handbook was produced based on the analysis of their needs. Both open-
ended and close-ended questions were administered to Customs experts and officers to
find out their opinions towards the vocabulary and situation used in the handbook. The
results of the questionnaires led to the next modifications of the handbook.
1.4. Scope of the study
The focus of the study is on the situation-based vocabulary selected for the English
handbook for Customs officers; Customs experts and officers’ opinions towards the
vocabulary and the possible modifications for the handbook. There have been a
certain number of issues that worth digged into, such as the effectiveness of the
handbook or a suggested process for designing an ESP material for other majors.
However, they are not in the scope of this thesis because of the time limitation and
hoped to be investigated in another research.
1.5. Significance of the thesis
The researcher hopes that the findings of the study would help to generate a list of
useful vocabulary for Customs officers and figure out the difficulties ESP designers
may encounter while developing ESP materials. Practically speaking, the utilization of
the selected vocabulary is hoped to improve working effectiveness of Customs
officers in situations using English. The writer also expects strategies for composing
more practical English handbooks with integrated situation-based vocabulary which
can maximize the use of the material. The finding also benefits a large number of
customs officers who desires to use the handbook for self-study.
1.6. Organization of the thesis
The thesis is composed of five chapters in total. Following this introductory chapter
with some significant background issues concerning the current study is Chapter II in

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which the theoretical framework for analyzing and interpreting the data collected for
the study, in coordination with related studies, is covered. In Chapter III, the research
site, research subjects, research instruments, the process of the field work as well as
the methods of data analysis are explained. Then in Chapter IV, with the guide of the
theoretical framework and research questions, the results of the study are displayed.
Finally, in Chapter V, the concluding chapter, the findings of the study drawn from
the research are summarized for related future work will also be presented.

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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
The aim of this research is to develop situation-based vocabulary for Customs officers
in the Northwest region of Vietnam, the theoretical framework was used is completely
based on ESP materials development. This chapter is concerned with the review of a
theoretical base to develop a framework in which the study operates. As a way of
start, I will first explore the two notions, ESP definition, principles in developing ESP
and material evaluation. Then, I will present an overview of vocabulary, situation-
based vocabulary and process of selecting situation-based vocabulary. Last but not
least, previous studies on ESP development are mentioned.
2.1. ESP materials development
This section discusses the issues related to the ESP materials development. All the
ESP developers should take the following terms under consideration:
- What is ESP?
- What are the issues to consider in developing the ESP materials?
- What are the techniques used for material evaluation?
The reviewed term will set light on the way we conduct the research in composing a
handbook for Customs Officers in Northwest regions of Vietnam. ESP can be defined
as teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language for the purpose of
using it in a particular domain.
2.1.1. Definition of ESP
ESP has become a separated part of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
since 1960s owing the fact that English has become the contemporary lingua franca.
The growing demand for English as a medium of communication and the introduction
of governmental mass educational programs contributed to the rapid expansion of
ESP.

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There have been a number of ESP definitions, “situations where the student has some
specific reasons to learn a language” in the opinion of Harmer (1983, p.45) or “an
approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and methods are
based on the learner’s reason for learning” by Hutchinson et al (1987, p.89). The same
idea is stated by Strevens in The Learner and the Teacher of ESP that “ESP is
particular case of general category of special-purpose language training.” (1988,
p.132)
Ten years later, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998, p.1) state that “the main concerns of
ESP have always been, and remain, with needs analysis, text analysis, and preparing
learners to communicate effectively in the tasks prescribed by their study or work
situation”. They classify ESP into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English
for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and claim these distinctions are very important as
they will affect the degree of specificity that is appropriate to the course.
As specified by Kim (2008, p.76), in more recent times, the following characteristics
of EOP have emerged: i) There is a clear purpose (e.g., business skills for
presentations in English, business letter writing, etc.); ii) It addresses needs in
proficiency, as revealed by a needs analysis, of workplace needs; iii) It tantamounts to
responding to, and satisfying, educational needs; iv) The relevant vocabulary and
expressions related to their workplace; and, v) It is more suited to immediate needs,
and serves more practical purposes than GE in the workplace. Those are the features
that are adopted in this research as it draws an overview about EOP/ESP materials that
are being developed.
2.1.2. Principles and procedures of developing ESP materials
Given the characteristics of developed materials, design processes are always divided
into steps and phases in order to make sure that checks and tests are carried out at the
appropriate time to avoid any lengthy and costly time consuming modifications at the
end. ESP development involves the following three stages: pre-development, while-
development and post-development. Analyzing learners’ specific needs and
evaluating the relevant existing materials is the first and foremost steps. Then several

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important factors need to be considered in the development process. After finishing,
developers also need to get a full understanding of the feedback from the
materials users and experts.
2.1.2.1. Pre-development: Needs analysis
According to Cunningsworth (2002), what makes ESP different from GE is that
ESP is goal-oriented and based on the awareness of learners‘ needs. Thus,
identifying what learners need has a significant influence on the development of
appropriate ESP materials.
Since the begining stages of ESP (the 1960s and early 1970), needs analysis have
consisted in assessing the communicative needs of the learners and the techniques of
achieving specific teaching objectives. Nowadays, the tasks of needs analysis is much
more complex. According to Angouri (2010), ESP seeks a congruent approach to
provide learners with both content of the specialist and the linguistic knowledge to
develope communicative skills necessary for work-related communication. ESP has
been defined as “viewing learners in terms of their work or study roles, not personal
needs or general interest” (Basturkmen, 2010, p. 3). The value of ESP and other
content-related language teaching is that they are context specific and marry specific
workplace needs with language learning. This is important because “the linguistic
proficiency in everyday settings is incommensurably different from the linguistic
proficiency in classroom settings, even in classrooms that purport to be
communicatively oriented” (van Lier, 2002, p. 145). ESP prepares learners to be able
to use English in academic, professional or workplace settings (Mohammadi &
Mouasvi, 2013).
For Robinson (1991), needs analysis may be a combination of both the target
situation analysis (TSA) and present situation analysis (PSA). TSA aims at students‘
needs at the end of the course while PSA focuses on students‘ strengths and
weaknesses at the start of the course. Two divisions of need, target needs and
learning needs, are also identified by Hutchinson & Waters (1987). Target
needs are analyzed in terms of (i) what the learner has to know in order to

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function effectively in the target situation, (ii) the gap between learners‘ existing
proficiency and target proficiency, and (iii) learners‘ view as to what their needs are.
However, consideration of target situation needs alone is not enough since the
target situation is not reliable in terms of what is needed or useful in the ESP
learning context.
Only after analyzing the students’ needs and determining the objectives of the
language course, we can select a material that meets the needs of the students.
Therfore, needs analysis is the foundation on which we can develop materials that can
lead to increasing the language users’ motivation and success. Because ESP materials
are based on needs analysis, the objectives are more obvious than would be in the case
of general ESL ones and it can be assumed that students will be more highly
motivated in learning about topics and texts which are related to their study or work
areas. So, needs analysis and material evaluation are tighted together so that needs
analysis determine the needs for a defined group of people and evaluation helps the
ESP designers determine to what extent those materials meet the learners’ needs|.
(Stern, 1992, p.82).
In 1987, Hutchinson and Waters created a framework concerning the relevant
information that a course designer needs to gather from an analysis of target needs and
learning needs. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) believed that asking question is a
pathway to receive the assessment of target situation needs and learning needs. What
the learners have to do in the target situation (language use) are target situation needs,
while language learning is how people study the language. Below is the list of the
target situation analysis framework:
- Why is the language needed?
- How will the language be used?
- What will the content areas be?
- Who will the learner use the language with?

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- Where will the language be used?
- When will the language be used?
2.1.2.2. While-development: Developed content and Real content
Dudley-Evan & St John (2009) highlight that matching between developed content
and real content should be taken into consideration in the process of preparing new
materials. Developed content can be defined as the subject matter used to teach the
specific language whereas real content refers to the language or skill content of a
language practice. The former is usually found in ESP textbook or documents
whereas the latter is the language tool used in real-life situations. It would be
considered to be a qualified material if those two are as similar as possible so that the
language learners can apply what they have learned into their daily use and make the
language knowledge their own. Due to that relationship, Dudley-Evans & St
John then propose two possibilities in preparing new materials with the two
types of content as shown in the graph below:
Process for Preparing New Materials
Starting point A
have some developed content
determine its real content
match real and developed
content to course framework
Starting point B
need material for specific objective
search for suitable developed content
Figure 1: Process for preparing new materials (Dudley-Evans & St John, 2009, p. 177)
The first possible starting point is to have good developed content. The next
stage involves analyzing it to decide on the real content and think about how
the real content can fit in. The second possibility starts from where there is a need for
some materials to reach the specific course objectives but there is no suitable one at
first, so searching for the suitable developed content is necessary.

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Moreover, the ESP developers should pay careful attention to the clarity, conciseness
and explicitness of the materials structure. ESP materials should go with clear
instruction and guideline so that users can use them for their self-study as well. As
recent research has shown (Frydrychova Klimova & Poulova, 2013), the ESP
materials should be as follows:
 ESP materials should have a clear, concise, logical and simple structure
(information in bullets is preferred).
 The materials should be comprehensible and up-to-date.
 They should be easily navigated.
 They should be interactive with appropriate multimedia components.
Another factor in developing materials is the level of authenticity of the material itself.
designers should consider using real life, authentic materials that reflect the target
audience specialization. (Abudhahir, Mahdun and Md. Nor, 2014). This will help
language users who are weak in the English Language to at least comprehend reading
text for example due to the background knowledge that they have. Hence ESP
materials should attach context in it, which is integrated with their field of study so
that the background knowledge that they have will help them in understanding terms
and jargons easily. By using real life materials, users will be happy and will feel at
ease when they are learning because they are familiar and comfortable with the
materials.
2.1.2.3. Post-development: On-going Evaluation
As stated by Mo (2003), last but not least, evaluation is a process of measuring which
can help material designers work out the unsatisfactory features of the material and
conduct on-going amendment. Accomplishment of writing the material is not
supposed to be the end. Feedback from experts and users can also help writers of ESP
materials with valuable ideas and useful information for continuous improvement.

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2.1.3. ESP materials evaluation
Evaluation plays a very essential role in the development of materials. As stated by
Tomlinson (1998, p.3), materials evaluation is defined as “a systematic appraisal of
the value of materials in relation to their objectives and to the objectives of learners
using them”. The major participants of evaluating stages are material users, experts
and the developers themselves. A lot of technique are used to evaluate materials as
mentioned below:
- Questionnaires: the most popular methods of data collection that can collects
comments on wide range of issues.
- Interviews: take in-depth information on specific questions and provide the
opportunity for extended exploration but time-consuming
- Observation: specialized work that can focus on specific aspect but requires
careful preparation
- Document analysis: requires valuable sources
Under the circumstance of this study, the researcher applied the most appropriate
method that suits the particular situation, that is questionnaires to evaluate the ESP
outcome product.
2.2. Situation-based vocabulary
The English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest of Vietnam consists of two
main parts, which are situations and vocabulary. This section discusses the selection
process of choosing words in each situation that can facilitate the Customs officers in
their real-life situations. To set a basement for the process, the following questions
need to be answered:
- What is the importance of vocabulary in using English?
- What are the characteristics of situation-based vocabulary?
- What are the process of choosing vocabulary for each situation?

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2.2.1. The importance of vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning
Vocabulary is an element that draws a huge attention from many linguistics and
language teachers. As claimed by Jenkins and Dixon (1983), vocabulary is a core
component of language and provides much of the basis for how learners speak, listen,
read and write. As claimed by Gardener (2009, as cited in Adger, 2002), vocabulary is
not only confined to the meaning of words but also includes how vocabulary in a
language is structured: how people use and store words and how they learn words and
the relationship between words, phrases, categories of words and phrases.
Undoubtedly, words do possess power that links fours skills of speaking, listening,
reading and writing all together. In order to communicate well in a foreign language,
students should acquire an adequate number of words and should know how to use
them accurately. The power of words comes from the message they convey and when
one wants to learn a language, learning vocabulary of that particular language is
essential. With its importance, both academic vocabulary and semi-technical
vocabulary should be given priority in teaching by ESP teachers because, according to
Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, p.83), this type of vocabulary is used in general life
contexts but also has a higher frequency of occurrence in scientific and technical
descriptions and discussions.
As a consequence, in order to better the language proficiency of the Customs officers,
enhancing their English vocabulary, both academic and semi-technical vocabulary, is
a must, especially words relating to their specific purposes in using the language. Each
type of the vocabulary plays different roles in different situations it is used in.
2.2.2. Situation-based vocabulary
It has been acknowledged that the vocabulary of a foreign language is more easily
learned if it is organized in coherent semantic groups around "situations" or "centers
of interest." What is needed is a logical and non-arbitrary taxonomy of situations,
which have been categorized into two main types: open and closed situations (Ellis. N
and A. Beaton, 1993). Closed situations regard to an analysis of reality that bears

15
definite features recognizable by all the users of a language. In contrast, open situation
is virtually unlimited, lacks pre-established organization, and varies from individual to
individual. Within closed situations one detects a further dichotomy between
positioned and unpositioned frames. In preparing vocabulary for situation-based
teaching, it is proper not only to organize subjective "open" situations according to
age and interest, but also to take advantage of the fact of closed situations in language
learning.
Situation-based vocabulary is to simulate the real communication environment, So
that the ESP users learn to use the new vocabulary, reproduction of the text in the plot,
the maximum reduction of the text of the scene. Traditional classroom teaching
methods to a certain extent, it is difficult to stimulate students interest in
learning English, but let students feel that learning is a boring process (Nation,
1990). Therefore, to help students in a short time to remember a large number of
words. Situation-based teaching method will be a series of words in a scenario, which
is for language users to learn a memory clue. These memory clues are not boring,
abstract, but interesting, vivid. Through these memory trails, students are provided
with a memory strategy to convey the contents of short-term memory to long-term
memory. In this research, situation is not only a set of scenario for Customs officers to
“read out loud” when it comes to reality, but it also is a way to help the officers to
learn new English vocabulary.
2.2.3. Strategies and principles of selecting situation-based vocabulary in
developing ESP materials
After choosing situations to introduce the vocabulary, approaches to the content are
taken under consideration. According to Romiszowksi (1986), there are three basic
approaches to planning content, which are: (1) topic-orientated, (2) concept-orientated
and (3) task- or objective-orientated. In the topic-orientated approach to content, the
topic is the first priority. First, it is broken down into components or associated sub-
topics. Most teachers find this method fairly easy to apply since it is so widely used in
education. On the other hand, concept-orientated approach is similar to the topic-
orientated one, but focuses on concepts rather than topics. It is an approach that can

16
work well in concept-rich subjects (such as the sciences), but is difficult to apply to
subjects where the content is more open (e.g., tourism). Task- or objective-orientated
approach starts from the overall achievement that you wish your students to have and
then break it down into learning objectives. It then breaks down into its skills and
knowledge components and the pre-requisite knowledge that the designer will assume
when writing the materials. Based on the need analysis and the characteristics of the
material users, in this study, we choose topic oriented and objective oriented to choose
the vocabulary in composing the handbook.
2.2.3.1. Choosing words: how many and which ones
The needs of learners are in the center of all kinds of teaching, including vocabulary
teaching. Beginning to plan one’s vocabulary introduction, a language material
developer evaluates how many words learners need in order to be able to use the
target language in situations that they are likely to confront. The situations most L2
learners are likely to encounter are usually not as diverse as those of a native speaker
(Schmitt 2002), so it is not a necessity to learn as many words as a native speaker
(Laufer & Nation, 2012). Most learners do not necessarily need as large a vocabulary.
But the more complex the subjects of conversations, texts and situations are, the more
vocabulary the learner needs. Many second language learners aim at being able to
communicate in the target language and to read some authentic texts. In second
language learning, it has been estimated that the so called core vocabulary or threshold
level for being able to operate in daily conversations is about 2,000-3,000 words
(Thornbury 2007, Milton 2009, Schmitt 2002). Many studies suggest that learning the
2,000 or so most frequent words should be the centre of vocabulary teaching because
they accumulate the learning of other words (Nation 2011, p.5).
In teaching and learning ESP vocabulary, it is essential to distinguish between
different types of vocabulary because different types of vocabulary need different
focus and treatment or some types of vocabulary will be given priorities and emphases
in teaching and learning according to learners’ different aims of learning. There are
several categories to classify vocabulary:

17
1) High-frequency words include many content words
2) Academic words include many words that are common in various kinds of
academic texts
3) Technical words are closely related to the topic and subject area in the text
4) Low-Frequency words include words like quarantine, phytosanitary,
automatated, tariff.
2.2.3.2. Learning tools for new vocabulary
As stated by Nakata (2008), the two most common ways to present vocabulary are
flashcards and wordlists beside puzzle, worksheet, and so on. However, because of the
level of feasibility and convenience, this project choose wordlist as the main way to
elicit the vocabulary from the situations.
The effectiveness of vocabulary lists has been proved by so many (Millington and
Siegel, 2010; Sokmen, 1997; Schmitt and Schmitt, 2012) and several benefits have
been ascribed to the use of vocabulary lists. Millington and Siegel (2010) states, “the
creation of vocabulary lists should be taken as an important duty that can have
profound implications, assuming that students will invest time and effort attempting to
acquire these lexical items, in addition to being evaluated on vocabulary tests” and
they will probably acquire more knowledge about the target words since they spend
considerable time engaged with new vocabulary.
One of the problems with making use of a word list is that some learners focus solely
on working with the list alphabetically and they might not find the words in context in
materials they are reading (Coxhead, 2011). Another problem that might arise is that
students may never practice the words in any meaningful way if they focus only on
the spelling and meaning of words, but not on using the words themselves in speaking
and writing (Coxhead, 2011). Therefore, in order to get the real benefit from the
wordlists, the material developers need to make sure that they provide users “frequent
encounters with the words being taught” since it is crucial to vocabulary acquisition
(Watts, 1995). As Stahl and Fairbanks (1986) suggest, when students are exposed to

18
the same words many times, the result will be a higher degree of learning, an
increased ability to remember and use the word.
Having considered all these, the study described in this paper use the situation-based
wordlist to enhance the participants’ vocabulary knowledge as well as their attitudes
toward the selected vocabulary.
2.2.3.3. Selection of vocabulary for developing ESP materials
Preparing the vocabulary component for the handbook, the material designers should
have the basic words to refer to and ‘they need to judge whether a particular word
deserves attention or not’ (Nation, Warring, 1997). Given description of word lists
suggest that large vocabulary word lists as the major source of vocabulary learning are
preferable in the teaching and learning of the English vocabulary.
2.2.3.3.1. Word lists at an early stage
According to GSL (West, 1953), UWL (University Word List) (Xue and Nation,
1984) and AWL (Academic Word List) (Coxhead, 1998), word lists contribute great
help because they are derived from different corpora developed from millions of
words. They are high utility general academic words profitable to ESP learners. Word
lists show that they can not only help ESP materials developer to select those words
worth attention and introducing but also enable learners to have a systematic study of
specific words they need for specific purposes.
2.2.3.3.2. Awareness of criteria in selection
Although the benefits of wordlist are undeniable, some criteria should be taken into
account when words are selected for designing the material.
Firstly, the word lists must contain words that are representative of the varieties of
words they are intended to reflect. For example, if we are to present vocabulary of
Customs, we must first make sure that the word list we select should be based on the
corpora with real situation data which show the representativeness of the words to be
listed or learned.

19
Secondly, the words selected should occur across a range of different situations. The
occurrence of a word in a wide range of circumstances will be beneficial to learners
who major in different areas for specialized purposes.
Thirdly, special concern should be shown to some vocabulary items with multi¬units
whose meaning are not deducible from the meaning of the individual words.
2.2.3.3.3. The use of concordances
The use of concordances in selecting words is a good way to promote vocabulary
learning because of the following advantages. Learners can meet the vocabulary in
real contexts with a variety of aspects of knowing a word including collocates,
grammatical patterns, word family members, related meanings and homonyms
presented. The use of concordances can challenge the learners to actively construct
generalizations, note-patterns and exceptions’ ( Nation, 2001, p.111).
In composing a material for Customs officers, the designers have to be aware that the
officers need to learn what specialist words mean, how they are used and how they are
pronounced. The choice of words in communication depends on the style and register
used in a certain context, for example, Customs officer use different registers when
talking to a entrepreneurs and when talking to officers from different countries.
2.3. Related Studies on ESP material development for Customs Officers
To investigate areas in which ESP materials for Customs officers has been developed,
the researcher has reviewed a number of relevant studies conducted in different parts
of the world and at different times.
The need of ESP materials for Customs officers are worldwide recognized, which are
shown in the following studies and documents. Park (2015) conducted a research on
needs analysis of English for Korean naval officers for English courses offered at the
educational institutions of the Korean navy. A comprehensive survey and interviews
were conducted to identify the target situations and tasks for which Korean naval
officers must use English. Also investigated were their wants for the English courses

20
and their perceptions of their own use of English. Fourteen Korean naval officers were
then interviewed, and a survey of 64 Korean naval officers was administered. A
survey of three U.S. naval officers was also administered to achieve triangulation of
the data. The research outcome states that none of them can avoid the use of English
in every situation, and that a naval officer’s sufficient command of English is an
advantage not only to the individual officer but also to the Korean navy in many
situations.
This demand is also acknowledged in Thailand’s context, which is stated in “Needs
and problems analysis in using English for international trade: a survey of Thai
customs officers” The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs, problems
and remedies of English for international trade of Thai customs officers regarding
their English. The study was conducted by means of questionnaires. The research was
limited to a sample of 100 Customs Technical Officers in Practitioner Level and
Professional Level who worked at Suvarnabhumi Airport Cargo Clearance Customs
Bureau. This study indicates that reading international trade documents is the most
necessary English usages of the officers. The main barrier to the officers fỏ every skill
is the problem of lexis, that is vocabularies, slangs, idioms, choices of word and
technical terms.
Nguyen (2017), in her Ph. D dissertation – “Aligning English for specific purposes
(esp) curriculum with industry needs: language practices for Vietnam’s globalized
workplaces” also investigated the language resources needed for communication in a
large multinational import/export company and a customs office in an international
airport in Vietnam. The study was focused on the English language demands of the
workplaces and the levels of the alignment with associated ESP courses. To explore
the communicative practices used in the two workplaces, the researcher employed
methods of observations, semi -structured interviews, and document collection to
collect data. The findings showed how the workers’ mobile language repertoire was
not tied to the criterion of linguistic accuracy, but rather favored the achievement of
meanings and functions.

21
To meet the demand of the ESP materials in Customs services, there have been
numerous English handbooks for border guards all over the world that have been
developed. One of them is “ESP - English for customs officers” composed by Arčnik
(2000) focuses on the use of English for specific purposes - English for custom
officers. The author intended to present material designed for English courses for
customs officers and to stress the special needs required for designing these
specialized courses and material. The material was designed with authentic texts, a
selection of specialist language (terminology and content), and exercise structures.
In 2007, The Peacekeeping English Project of British government released a book
named “Professional English for Border Officials” by Vaik and Buckmaster. The book
aims at improving the English language communication skills of the police and armed
forces, and so improve international co-operation in 24 countries in central and eastern
Europe and Central Asia. The main approach of the book is guiding users to self-learn
with authentic texts, exercises, mini-dictionary and assessment sheets. Nevertheless,
the book is written entirely in English, which can be an obstacle for those with low
English proficiency.
In 2011, Stepanovienė has design an English handbook which is a supplementary
material English for Border Guards in Lithuanian. The 66-page book was specially
designed for the students of Law and State Border Guard and law enforcement
officers as well as for other specialists and practitioners interested in this subject. The
author states that it can be used for classroom activities as well as for
individual/distance learning. It covers five units on different topics prepared on the
basis of original texts and accompanied by specially designed tasks aimed at
developing students’ reading, writing and speaking skills, outlines for spoken practice,
extra materials and tasks for individual work and a list of bibliography. The
supplementary material is aimed at developing students’ understanding of the key
features of law enforcement language, developing their awareness of different types of
border law and law enforcement language discourse, as well as developing reading,
writing and communicative skills based on target language.

22
There is also an English book for Customs composed by Lobachevsky (2016), which
consists of collection of texts for reading and tasks in the English language for
students of the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship, students of the specialty
Customs. The book is a set of topic-oriented lessons of five most common topic used
in Customs in Russia. The main purpose of the proposed manual is the provision of
practical assistance to persons studying vocational-oriented English, which includes
systematically repeating vocabulary on topics and actively using various
communicative techniques. However, the book mainly focuses on helping the users to
learn English through the main texts on a specific subject of customs, and textual
lexical and grammatical exercises accompanied by a translation into Russian.
After recognizing the need of ESP materials for Customs officers, the process of ESP
materials developments is taken under the consideration. Mo (2013) stated that ESP
material writers in China are ESP teachers who may have rich experience in teaching
ESP but not have been trained for developing ESP materials. They are either specialty
majors with little knowledge of ESP theories and methodology or English majors with
little background of particular subject areas, with the result that the production of ESP
materials is unlikely to suit the target learners’ needs. It is noteworthy that many ESP
materials are produced on the basis of the writers’ assumption rather than the analysis
of learners’ real needs and expectations. In compiling the ESP materials, many
writers focus much on language usage instead of language in use (Chen, 2004; Liang,
Chen & Lu, 2006; Wang, 2004).
In 2006, Cai, in his research: Problems and solutions (2006), gave out the conclusion
that ESP material development problems in Chinese universities lie in the lack of
theoretical guidance among ESP material writers after the evaluation of 268 nationally
published Business English course books. She further argues that the majority of
business English course books investigated fail to demonstrate the theoretical
principle their books are based upon.
To meet the demand of Customs officers, the General Department of Vietnam
Customs, composed a training material of English for Customs as an English course

23
book for students in Vietnam Customs School (Tran et al., 2017). The book consists
of 18 Units divided into 3 main parts: i) Trade Related Documents; ii) Customs
Procedures and Facilitation, iii) Enforcement and Compliance. Each unit includes
extensive reading about different topic in Customs. There is a glossary with
Vietnamese equivalents after each reading and problem-solving tasks at the end of
each unit. The book is designed for English specialized students in internal circulation
of the department so the instructions and tasks were entirely written in English.
Hence, the book users need instructor’ guidance to properly use the book.
After investigating multiple ESP materials in Customs, the researcher realized that
there are none English books designed for Customs officers to self-study. Most of the
studies either have focused on class-based tasks, or they aim at different country
which means they haven’t had Vietnamese equivalents. Hence, they demand a high
English proficiency to use. More notably, the available literature does not help to fully
understand the various aspects of Customs officers’ needs in their workplaces in
Vietnam. For that reason, none of these studies offer sufficient reliability of the
research findings. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a specific needs analysis in
order to gain more practical and reliable information about Customs officers’ needs
for English, especially in the context of Vietnam mountainous border area. The
findings of this needs analysis would also give useful implications for selecting
situation and situation-based vocabulary in composing an English handbook for
Customs officers to self-study in Northwest region of Vietnam.

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CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
In the preceding chapter, the literature on the research topic was briefly reviewed for
the theoretical basis of the study. This chapter describes in detail the methodology
applied in conducting this research, including the research method, the research
subjects, as well as the procedures of data collection and analysis.
3.1. Research questions
1. What are the process and the principles of choosing best-suited situation-based
vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs Officers in Northwest
region of Vietnam?
2. What is the need of Customs officers in Nortwest regions of Vietnam?
3. What are the opinions of the Linguistics experts and the Customs experts towards
the vocabulary used in the handbook?
3.2. Research Design
To formulate the research design for this study, careful consideration was given to the
five major research purposes adapted from Johnson and Christense (2004), namely:
exploration, description, explanation, prediction, influence. Considering the three
objects of the study, it was determined that the exploration and description were the
primary nature of the study. This exploratory and descriptive nature demand the use of
combined data collection methods, which can investigate not only the breadth but also
the depth of the strategies and procedures related to situation-based vocabulary
selection in composing an English handbook for Customs officers in the Northwest
region of Vietnam.
 Exploration: using primarily inductive methods to explore a concept, construct,
phenomenon or situation in order to develop tentative hypotheses or
generalization;

25
 Description: identifying and describing the antecedents, nature and aetiology of
a phenomenon;
It was apparent that a single method could hardly answer the three research questions
above to achieve the study pre-designed objectives. Therefore, a mixed methods
approach was employed, which included both quantitative and qualitative data
collection methods.
In the process of collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research could be
constructed as a research strategy with an emphasis on quantification. This strategy
entails a deductive approach to the theory-research relationship with a focus on theory
testing. By contrast, qualitative research emphasis on words instead of numbers. The
former can facilitate comparison and statistical aggregation of the data while the later
can produce rich data and detailed information about a small number of people and
cases, and therefore increase the depth of the cases and situations studied (Patton,
2002, p.14)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of composing an English
handbook for Customs officers, from analyzing their needs, creating stimulated
situations to selecting best-suited vocabulary; therefore, it is a descriptive, exploratory
study and the methods used were both qualitative and quantitative. Four data
collection instruments were used to achieve the triangulation (Creswell, 2002). This
research strategy would help to “give a fuller picture and address many different
aspects of phenomena” (Silverman, 2000, p.50)
Following is the description of the research context, sample or subjects or participants,
instrumentation, data collection process or procedure, and data analysis of the study.
3.3. Research Context
Northwest region located in the mountainous northwestern part of the country. It
consists of six provinces: Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Sơn La, Hòa Bình, Lào Cai and Yên
Bái and shares the border with Laos and China. In the general border of Vietnam, it
can be said that the North West is the most difficult area. This region converges all

26
three elements: mountainous, highland and border. Border trade in the North West is
considerably important to Vietnam’s economy because the mountainous provinces in
this region occupy a large area with potential and advantages of agriculture, forestry,
hydropower, minerals, tourism and border gate economy.
The study was conducted in Customs Branch of a border gate in North West area
which is the target of the Tay Bac Program. Located in Lai Chau province - a
mountainous provice sharing the border line with Yunnan (China), Ma Thu Lang
Border Gate is one of the main border gates between Vietnam and China. According
to the People’s Committee of Lai Chau Province, Lai Chau Province is bordering with
and is 9,068 square kilometres with 265.095 km border.
After 10 years of establishment, the province has the attention and support from the
government, thus the infrastructure of the economic zone of Ma Lu Thang has been
upgraded to meet the demand for export and import and trading of businesses and
local people. Besides, the manpower factor is now taken under consideration and Tay
Bac Program was born to help improve the officers working along the border. The
subject of the study is Customs Branch in Ma Lu Thang border gate where five
Customs officers are working in four fields: border guard station, customs office,
quarantine board and border gate economic department that are divided into the
following fields:
1. Border: human management
2. Customs sub-department: goods management and people on exit and entry
3. Quarantine board: quarantine goods, animals, food
4. The border-gate economic section: to collect means of transport
In four rooms: Registration, Tax, Inspection and Supervision
1. Registration: Receipt of applications to open the declaration
2. Taxes: tax on import and export goods

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3. Inspection: inspection of goods
4. Supervision: supervision of the inspection and the lead
3.4. Description of the informants
The target handbook users were pre-experience learners who were senior college
students of Customs Schools or Departments in Vietnam. They had definite subject
knowledge as they had learned Customs subjects in Vietnamese for three to four
years. From the first year to the last year they had a compulsory general English
course. To become a Vietnam government officer, the majority had achieved A2 level
in CEFR, which means that their English was at the pre-intermediate level. They can
understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most
immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local
geography, employment). They also can communicate in simple and routine tasks
requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matter
or describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and
matters in areas of immediate need.
3.5. Data collection instruments
3.5.1. Document review
The first instrument was document review, often used in combination with other
qualitative research methods as a means of triangulation - “the combination of
methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon” (Denzin, 1970, p. 291). As a
research method, document analysis is particularly applicable to qualitative case
studies - intensive studies producing rich descriptions of a single phenomenon, event,
organization, or program (Stake, 1995; Yin, 1994). Documents can serve a variety of
purposes as part of a research undertaking. Firstly, documents can provide data on the
context within which research participants operate so the researcher can use data
drawn from documents, for example, to contextualize data collected during
interviews. Secondly, information contained in documents can suggest some questions
that need to be asked and situations that need to be observed as part of the research.

28
Document analysis helped generate new interview questions, and participant
observation at community events provided opportunities to collect documents
(Goldstein & Reiboldt, 2004, p. 246). Third, documents provide supplementary
research data. Fourth, documents provide a means of tracking change and
development. Where various drafts of a particular document are accessible, the
researcher can compare them to identify the changes, as stated by Atkinson and
Coffey (1997, 2004). In sum, documents provide background and context, additional
questions to be asked, supplementary data, a means of tracking change and
development, and verification of findings.
In this study, documents review was used to investigate the topics and situations
Customs officers in Northwest region may encounter in their daily workplace. Then it
established the foundation for the interview questions and choosing the best-suited
vocabulary to present and how to present in each field. Finally, it is the reflection for
the author to make any further modifications for the list of vocabulary.
3.5.2. Observation
Observation is considered an instrument to collect factual information since it
gives researchers opportunity to “observe actions/interactions, behaviors and listen to
the conversations while simultaneously observing the context” (Bloor, & Wood, 2006,
p.71). In this study, I will play the role of a privileged observer who “has access to the
cultural scene and events under study but does not act as a participant” (Jackson,
2000, p.245). In order to get “a spontaneous picture” of the participants’ “naturalness
and completeness of behavior”, “non-controlled observation” in which “no attempt is
made to use precision instruments” (Kothari, 2004, p.97) was used. The observations
conducted were non-obtrusive because it gave officers opportunity to act as naturally
as they could and the presence of the researcher did not affect the officers’ activities.
The focus of the observations is only on five chosen officers. This instrument is
certain to increase the validity of the findings because this instrument generates more
objective data about how collected data is actually used. The Customs department was
informed in advanced regarding my presence and before the workday started. I had
asked for officers permission to take note during the observation.

29
3.5.3. Interviews
Mackey and Gass (2005) suggest that in order to “investigate phenomena that
are not directly observable” (p.173), interviews were conducted in qualitative research
to have an insight answers into the research questions from the perspective of the
participants. The use of interviews to questions the participants provided “flexibility
of response” “to obtain adequate information” (Walliman, 2011, p.99). Customs
officers’ needs in an English handbook were elicited through the semi-structured
interviews. According to Mackey and Gass (2005), semi-structured interviews are
applied as "researcher uses a written list of questions as a guide, while still having the
freedom to digress and probe for more information" (p.173). On the other hand, there
might be one problem emerged in the interviews. The interviewees might be not
familiar with such kind of interviews and they would feel unwilling to give long and
detail responses or find it difficult to express their thought. Therefore, I had tried to
make the interviewees as comfortable as possible by conducting the interviews in the
most convenient place for the officers, beginning with small talk to relax the
interviewees, keeping encouraging open-ended discussion and using mother tongue
during the interviews. The interviews containing open-ended questions were
conducted in the form of informal noted talks. Before the interviews, I would start
with a short talk introducing the topic and explaining key term. All interviews were
carried out in Vietnamese, depending on the convenience and interest of interviewees.
The participation of the Customs officers plays an important role in helping the
researcher to investigate their needs, decide the topic and the amount of vocabulary to
compose the handbook. Moreover, in the later stage of the research, their comments
also contribute to the modifications of the product.
3.5.4. Questionnaires
As questionnaires save time and effort for both researchers and participants, in this
research, questionnaires for language experts and Vietnam Customs officers are
employed as one of instruments for data collection. Moreover, the anonymity of the
respondents can encourage partcipants to share their honest opinions and experiences
without any pressure. The questionnaires will be delivered both through email and

30
directly to the participants because face-to-face questionnaire emerges as the best
choice for us to explain any wondering and confusion for participants immediately.
In this research, the questionnaire for Customs officers and language experts is
designed to find out the information about their own perspective toward the handbook
product and the role of selected vocabulary used in Customs situation. Besides, they
are also asked to give some suggested solutions to deal with these problems. This was
designed for two research, that is this research and another contemporaneous study.
The questionnaires began with a brief greeting, introduction of the research topic and
a request for personal information with a promise of confidentiality. They were
written in Vietnamese. The questionnaire consisted of four open-ended questions
regarding the participants’ perspective towards the handbook (section 1, 3, 4, 5) and
20 Likert-type scale questions (section 2) from 1 to 5 equivalent to “Strongly
disagree”, “Disagree”, “Neither/nor agree”, “Agree” to “Strongly disagree”.
 The first five questions asked for the participants’ preference about the format
of the handbook according to five categories namely logicality, consistency,
clarity and user-friendly interface. The answer contributed to the modifications
of the handbook’s format, a part of research question 3.
 The next seven questions regarded the level of relevance and practicality
whether the language experts and Customs officers think the handbook has met
the demand of Customs officers in terms of vocabulary and related topics.
These questions are emphasized to seek the answers for all three research
questions.
 The following three questions concerning the attitude of the language reviewers
on the convenience of the product in use, which helps answer the second
research questions.
 The ensuing five questions belongs to the other research that was mentioned
above.

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3.6. Data collection procedures
Phase 1: Preparation for the observations and interviews
In this phase, the researchers called for authentic source of document related to
Customs field. Everyone in the group searched for documents, collect communication
situations related to border customs. At the beginning of this stage, the authors started
with some common processes at Customs workplace collected from Customs books
written in Vietnamese and on Customs counselling websites. More than 20 common
border-gate customs situations were collected along with some procedures for customs
clearance at border gates. Then one of the officers in Northwest region sent a list of
300 questions commonly used in Customs, as a foundation for next steps: interviews
and observation. The authors conducted two meetings to finalized the topics and list of
questions to ask in the interview. One of the authors contacted the border gate customs
regarding the required paperwork.
Phase 2: Observations
After getting the chance to talk with the officers, the researchers come to Lai Chau
Customs department to observe real-life situations Customs office. The researcher
observed the language of officers according to six criteria, namely
- Why is the language needed?
- How will the language be used?
- What will the content areas be?
- Who will the learner use the language with?
- Where will the language be used?
- When will the language be used?
To avoid influencing officers’ reactions during their working time, the observer sat at
the back simply to take notes of the activities conducted during the work day.

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Phase 3: Interviews
Interviews were conducted after the observations. Officers accepting the interview
invitations were asked for a convenient time to participate in the interviews. Each
officer was interviewed individually. Therefore, there were 5 face-to-face interviews
conducted in total. Each interview began with a short informal dialogue about the
field. During the interview, extra questions arose in order to encourage the officers to
respond more fully. During the interviews, the list of 300 questions were shown to the
interviewees to enable them to classify which questions are frequently used and which
are not. Each interview took place within 45 to 60 minutes on average. The longest
interview lasted for 90 minutes, and the shortest one occurred for more than 30
minutes. No restrictions on the content or manner of response placed on the
interviewees.
Below are some guided interview questions. The use of guided open-ended questions
is flexible because it allows the interviewer to “probe so that she/he may go into more
depth if she/he chooses, or to clear up any misunderstanding” and to “encourage co-
operation and help establish rapport” (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2005, p. 275). The
order and numbers of the questions can vary depending on the responses of each
interviewee:
1. Is English used in your daily working time?
2. What are the most common topics between Customs officers and people passing
by at the border gate?
3. Which of those questions are frequently used and which are not?
4. Can you recall any conversation in which the questions are used?
5. Can you add more common questions that you use every day or every week at
work?
The result of the interviews is summarized and shown in Appendix 1

33
Phase 4: Questionnaires
In this phase, the questionnaires are handed out to other Customs officers and experts
through emails and at a conference held after the handbook was finised as the first
trial. The researchers briefly explain the purpose and the terms to the officers and
reviewers. They will be encouraged to answer without any hesitation or pressure in
order to give the researchers the reliable data. Any questions to clarify anything
unclear in the questionnaire are welcome.the researcher contacts via email or phone
the authors and officers or in person.
The data from this phase serves as the evaluation for further modifications of the
handbook to enhance the quality of the products.
 Each component of a lesson has a format that is consistent with the content,
consistent across the material
 The selected vocabulary in the document are clear, standardized and easy to
follow.
3.7. Data analysis procedure
First, data are collected through document review. The received data was classified
according to different topics then it was used to generate interview questions. The
collected data from the observations and interviews are transcribed to support for the
findings. Secondly, the data are synthesized based on the document review. The next
step is composing situations and sort out lists of vocabulary into different fields in
Customs. After the completion of the handbook, it was sent for feedback and
comments from Customs officers as well as language experts through questionnaires.
If any received questionnaire has errors spotted or is unclear, it will be left out. These
statistics and findings will lead the researchers to the answers for the raised questions
above.
The detail procedure of composing the handbook was illustrated in the following
table:

34
Stages Results
1 Examine the collected real-
life content
Most common topics and situations at the border
gate
2 Build up the practical
situations that include as
many useful expressions and
vocabulary as possible
50 situations categorized into 12 topics and
presented bilingually in Vietnamese and in
English. Each situation consists of from 10 to 15
turn-taking.
3 Build up glossary for each
situation and a mini
Vietnamese-English
dictionary for the handbook
750 common words or phrases used at Nortwest
region border gates
4 Get feedback from reviews
for the first time
Feedback
5 Adjust the handbook
according to the feedback
Revise the handbook for the first time
6 Get feedback from reviews
for the second time
Revise the handbook for the first time
7 Finalize the handbook The final version of the handbook
8 Complete and accept the
handbook
The handbook gets the acceptance after the
feedback of the council.
9 Release the handbook An English handbook for the Customs officers in
Northwest region of Vietnam
Table 1: Procedure of composing the English handbook for Customs Officers
3.8. Statement on how results were presented
The research is the composition of 4 chapters. Introduction is the first chapter which
presents the rationale, scopes, objectives and overview of the study. In the second
chapter, definition of key terms and the literature review of related studies are
included. The elaborations on participants, data collection, analysis instrument and
procedure are placed in chapter 3, followed by analyzing and discussing findings from
data collection. Eventually, chapter 4 summarizes the key issues and recommends a
number of solution and suggestions for further studies as well.

35
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS
This chapter reports collected data - the findings into four main sections: the first
section presents the need analysis of the Customs officers collected from document
review, interview and observation; the second section shows the process of choosing
situational vocabulary to present, the third section concerns the evaluation during
development stages and the last section discuss the difficulties in composing an
English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region of Vietnam.
4.1. Pre-development: The needs of Customs Officers in the Northwest
region of Vietnam
Having adapted the framework of Hutchinson and Waters (1987), the author group
attempted to answer the list of target situation analysis framework questions.
1. Why is the language needed?
Being as a part of Tay Bac program, the handbook project has been carried out to
meet the demand of Customs officer in using English in their daily life. Before the
decision to compose the handbook was made, the Tay Bac group had conducted
surveys in some Northwestern provinces such as Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Lang Son and
Lao Cai. The demand for foreign language skills for cadres, civil servants, officers in
Customs, Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Border Protection, is recognized and all the
participant officers proved the statement once again that they have to use English in
their daily conversation at work.
2. How will the language be used?
Northwest border gates welcome thousands of foreigners crossing China-Vietnam
border every day. English acts as an agent language to better understanding between
the Customs officers and people from other countries. Moreover, English is also the
official language in documentation and administration.
3. What will the content areas be?

36
The data from Document collection is analyzed and categorized into 14 fields.
a. Import and export
b. Temporary import for re-export; temporary export for re-import
c. Imported and exported investment with tax or with tax exemption
d. Freight forwarding
e. Certificate of origin application
f. Storage
g. Loading and unloading of goods
h. Plant quarantine certificate application
i. Food safety certificate application
j. Goods insurance
k. Packing and shipping
l. Customs clearance
m.Different types of transit
n. Communication with tourists
4. Who will the learner use the language with?
After observation and interviews at Ma Lu Thang border gate, Customs officers
frequently communicate with enterpreneurs, transporters, tourists and Customs
officers from other countries.
5. Where will the language be used?
With the aims to manage human, goods, quarantine, and means of transport, the
Customs Department is divided into four main rooms:
 Registration: Receipt of applications to open the declaration
 Taxes: tax on import and export goods
 Inspection: inspection of goods
 Supervision: supervision of the inspection and the lead

37
6. When will the language be used?
Although Northwest region shares border with China, most of documents and
technical terms are translated into English to serve as a bridge to connect the Customs
officers and people crossing the border gates.
4.2. While-development: The process of selecting situation-based
vocabulary in composing an English handbook
4.2.1. Choosing words: how many and which ones
To decide the number of words to select, the authors had to consider the amount of
information comprised into the handbook, which depends on the size of the book.
There are a large number of book’s size and thickness in printing. After analyzing
other handbooks’ format, the authors intended to make the handbook convenient to
put into pocket and hold with one hand, so it should be 13 centimeters wide and 21
centimeters tall, and the thickness is about 2 centimeters equivalent to approximately
300 pages according to the quality of the paper. The next step is to build up
meaningful situations, each of which needs from 10 to 15 turn-taking. Because the
handbook is written bilingually, it can comprise upto 50 situations (4 pages per
situation) and 100 pages of glossary (after each situation for vocabulary checking and
in a concordance at the back of the book for easy look up). In order to make each
situation easy to follow for Customs Officers at A2 level in CEFR, there should be an
appropriate number of new words and we came up with one new word in each turn-
taking. As a consequence, we targeted to select 750 words to present in the handbook.
As to meet the aims of the handbook in terms of content, it was desgined to prepare
for the use of the English language in Customs target situations, that is, the situations
the officers will meet during their working time. In relation to this, the designing of
each ESP material should be preceded by the analysis of the users’ language needs,
the needs concerning their occupation and the analysis of the language used in their
target situations.

38
For this reason the handbook for Customs officers should comprise the use of English
in the following areas: 1) verbal communication with border-crossing people and
other Customs staff, 2) written Customs communication (application form, referral
letters, filling in inspection documents, etc.), 3) reading law papers, 4) delivery of
papers and presentations at international conferences. Customs officers must be given
specialist vocabulary since it is necessary in the development of all the skills which
are required in their professional setting. While working in international context they
must communicate with both international citizens and other Customs staff. The gap
between the officers’ current language knowledge and target proficiency should be
covered by the English handbook. Customs officers need to learn what specialist
words mean, how they are used and how they are pronounced. Specialist words in
Customs fields are classified into the following types: 1) High-Frequency words
including many content words, e.g., government, goods, production, transport,
represent, document; 2) Academic words include many words that are common in
various kinds of academic texts, e.g., policy, article, inspection; 3) Technical words
are closely related to the topic and subject area (words from the field of Customs) in
the text, e.g., customs clearance, intellectual property, trafficking, tariff, authorization,
tax exemption; 4) Low-Frequency words include words like quarantine, phytosanitary,
automatated, tariff.
4.2.2. Learning tools for new vocabulary
As mentioned in chapter II, the two most common ways to present vocabulary are
flashcards and wordlists beside puzzle, worksheet, and so on. However, because of the
level of feasibility and convenience, this project choose wordlist as the main way to
elicit the vocabulary from the situations. It is easy for the Customs officers to look up
for the words meaning and their pronunciation. The most apparent problems with
making use of a word list are that some learners focus solely on working with the list
alphabetically and they might not find the words in context in materials they are
reading or students may never practice the words in any meaningful way if they focus
only on the spelling and meaning of words, but not on using the words themselves in
speaking and writing. In this project, those problems are solved because we use the

39
situations to present the words in various context. By providing users frequent
encounters with the selected words, the handbook gets the real benefit from the
wordlists. The handbook users are given chances to expose to the same words many
times, the result is hoped to be a higher degree of learning, an increased ability to
remember and use the word. There is also a concordance at the back of the handbook
to serve as a mini dictionary for Customs officers.
4.2.3. Selection of vocabulary for developing ESP materials
Adapting the process for preparing new materials by Dudley-Evans & St John (2009,
p. 177), the authors developed the selection of vocabulary in two ways.
Process for selecting vocabulary for the handbook
Starting point A Starting point B
Customs vocabulary list collected from
World Customs Organization website
and English course book for students in
Vietnam Customs School
Collect the Vietnamese documents that
are currently applied in Customs fields
Find the vocabulary to translate the
document into English
Find the topics and real-life situations
based on the collected vocabulary
Build up situations that match the
real-life data with the vocabulary
Build up situations that match the
real-life data with the vocabulary
Figure 2: Process for selecting vocabulary for the handbook
Preparing the vocabulary for the handbook, the material designers had to make sure
that the word lists must contain words that are representative of the varieties of words
they are intended to reflect. For example, if we are to present vocabulary of Customs,
we must first make sure that the word list we select should be based on the Customs
field mentioned above, namely: 1) Registration: Receipt of applications to open the
declaration; 2) Taxes: tax on import and export goods; 3) Inspection: inspection of

40
goods; 4) Supervision: supervision of the inspection and the lead; with real situation
data (Appendix 1) which show the representativeness of the words to be listed or
learned. Secondly, the words selected should occur across a range of different
situations. The occurrence of a word in a wide range of circumstances will be
beneficial to learners who major in different areas for specialized purposes. Thirdly,
special concern should be shown to some vocabulary items with multi¬units whose
meaning are not deducible from the meaning of the individual words. A modular
design, with each unit being as self contained as possible, allows Customs officers to
continue to study effectively even when there are not any teacher’s instructions.
Materials which can be used for individual study whenever time is available will also
be advantageous, allowing users to cover the part each officer has missed to work
independently on material which is particularly relevant to their needs.
4.3. Post-development: The modifications of the handbook after reviewed
There have been numerous comments both positive and negative, however, we
emphasized on the latter onew to meet the aims of the research that is the completion
of the handbook. By receiving the feedback and suggestion, the authors were able to
make proper and timely modifications.
4.3.1. Evaluation of Language Experts
4.3.1.1. Strengths of the handbook
All of language reviewers (100%) agree that the handbook provides technical terms
used in Customs field. Besides, most of the them think that the notebook is designed
to be small in size and easy to use. Thus, the number of selected vocabulary is suitable
accordingly the size of the book. In addition, the book is divided into two main
sections: the first part is the Customs situation, which consists of 50 common
bilingual Vietnamese-English situations arranged in specific business fields; the
second part is the vocabulary. The vocabulary after each situation is listed according
to the consquencial order the words appear in the situation, so it will be convenient for
the officers to check the meaning of the words. The concordance at the end of the
book, which is arranged in alphabetical order, makes it easy for the staff to look up

41
words and make their own dialogues. Last but not least, Vietnamese words always
come along with equivalent English words and corresponding pronunciation, which
will help the Customs officers pronounce words correctly.
4.3.1.2. Weaknesses and modification of the handbook
Although the usefulness of the handbook and the efforts of the authors are totally
recognized, there are also comments on the accuracy of terms, structure, content
layout. The modifications after review or reasons not to adjust are also presented in
the table below.
No Reviewer’s comments The modification after
reviewing the comments
Reasons not to adjust
1 About the Vietnamese
language: should be more
standardized (e.g. “Đồng
chí” and “Ông bà”)
The development team has
reviewed the product and
edited the language
according to the expert
review.
2 Check the correspondence
between the two languages
(eg “Tôi có thể kiểm tra lại
giấy tờ và số hàng hóa trên
xe được không? vs. Can I
recheck the documents and
the quantity of the oranges?)
rechecked the mistake and
edited the language
according to the expert
suggestion.
3 The corresponding
Vietnamese and English
arrangement should be
paralleled by (cell) gips for
tracking or teaching.
The whole book has been
re-formatted inaccordance
with the suggestion of the
comment.
4 Some conversations have no
correspondence in terms of
reviewed the product and

42
language. The Vietnamese
language is longer, and the
English language is missing.
edited the language
according to the review.
5 Check the consistency in the
word table: English words
differ from the phonetics
given
The typing team has
corrected typos in response
to the comment.
6 Some English language
settings may not be
appropriate in terms of style
in communication.
The authors reviewed all
conversational situations
and adjusted more
appropriately to the
feedback.
7 Recheck the language more
carefully: The same words
are not synthesized plural
and singular forms in the
same context,
(e.g.“intellectual property
right” and “intellectual
property rights”.
reviewed the words and
edited the according to the
review.
8 The documentation should
be supplemented with a
manual that outlines the
purpose, the object, how to
use it, how to use it (why
each section is needed, what
is the purpose of each
section, etc.)
The editorial team added
the Foreword to the
handbook.
9 Currently the fields are
seamlessly aligned but the
field naming errors (lack of
This is an error in the text
alignment process. The
editorial team has amended

43
field D) and supplemented the
problem.
10 Situations only offer one
way English translation for a
turn of Vietnamese words.
Authors may consider not
only one way of speaking
English but also several
equivalent expressions for
the user to choose.
In fact, in different
situations we have also
used a number of
different structures in
similar situations.
There are, however, a
number of repeating
structures aimed at
helping customs
officers to remember
structures more easily
in specific situations.
11 Additional illustrations
should be provided so that
documentation is not
monotonous.
Due to the many
conversations and the
small area of the
handbook to facilitate
the use of cadres in the
work process, the team
limited to use
illustration or pictures .
12 Compilers should also note
the choice of fonts to be
transcribed, because when
printing this font may be
faulty, affecting the quality
of the document.
The compilation team
has reviewed and used
international standard
translations to ensure
the accuracy and
reliability of the ESP
material.
Table 2: Feedback from language experts for modification

44
4.3.2. Evaluation of Customs experts
4.3.2.1. Strengths of the handbook
After a period of time having been edited corresponding to language reviewers, the
Engligh handbook was announced and welcomed more constructive feedback from
Customs experts from all over of Vietnam. All of the readers at the conference at
Vietnam Customs school agreed that the handbook had a practical approach to the
existing needs of Customs officers in general. The topics are streamlined, scientific
and can cover a wide range of real-life situations. The chosen vocabulary is suitable,
sufficient in accordance with the topics. The attached appendix is complete and is
capable of providing good information. The content is rich, with 50 scenarios in 12
diverse fields. Each situation is compiled with the Vietnamese part and the English
translation and vocabulary section is followed right under the situation, which is
advantageous. The accompanying appendix containing alphabetical ordered wordlist
is easy to access.
4.3.2.2. Weaknesses and modification of the handbook
However, the Customs experts suggested that the authors should take their comments
as follows under consideration to make the handbook better in terms of content, layout
and vocabulary. After reviewing the comments, the authors realized there are some
contradicts between opinions of the Customs officers in pre-development process nd
in post-development process. They led to the explanation for our reasons not to adjust
the handbook in the table below.
Reviewer Reviewer’s comments The
modification
after reviewing
the comments
Reasons not to adjust
1. Customs
Officers
- It is necessary to
specify the situation
that needs to use
- The handbook is not only
an instantly used materials
but also a reference

45
English so that the
content is arranged
appropriately
material for all Customs
officers to use in any
appropriate situations.
- You should expand
the scope of the survey,
not only in the
Northwest region, but
also in other areas.
- Due to the limit of time
and human resources, we
narrowed down the scope
to meet the demands of
Customs officers in
Northwest region as a sub-
goal of Tay Bac program.
- You should condense
situations and choose
more specific situations
to increase the number
of Customs terms.
- The selected words need
to be put into context,
which is suitable for
officers at A2 level -
CEFR so we wanted to set
simple scenes for them to
easily follow.
- There are some
situations as specialized
as HS, value that
should be edited to add
more specialization in
Customs.
- The mentioned
situations have
been edited to add
more specialized
Customs terms.
2. Customs
Newspaper
- If the focus is on
North West Customs,
there is a lack of use
cases specific to this
section such as border
policy, etc.
As mentioned above, this
product is an ESP material
for all Customs officers in
Vietnam to use in
appropriate situations, we
tried to make the situations
as flexible as possible.
- There is some - With given glossary

46
knowledge that is too
specialized such as HS
code, Customs value
HQ. Those will be
consulted with written
document instead of
spoken situations.
under each situations, the
authors hoped that the
selected vocabulary would
also help Customs officers
in written documents.
3. Teachers
at Customs
school
- The vocabulary does
not have part of speech
for each word.
Part of speech has
been added for
each word.
- It is important to add
more specialized
English terms than
regular expressions.
- The style needs to be
adjusted (eg, calling
“the comrade is not
appropriate because
foreigners only call
each other sir/ madam))
- The word
“comrade” (đồng
chí) is used in
Vietnamese part
which is natural
in Vietnamese.
4.
Department
of Customs
officers
- Situation number 17
and 18 don’t follow the
general process (The
customers don’t need to
come back after
clearance)...  need
more official
consultation.
This is contradicted to the
opinions of pre-
development interviewed
Customs officers and
consultation on online
Customs websites.
Table 3: Feedback from Customs experts for modification

47
4.4. The English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region
The handbook covers 50 scenarios with exchanges between customs officers, border
guards and tourists or businessmen who carry out daily tasks and are organized into 12
common customs areas include:
- Field A: Handling of violations
- Field B: Inspection and transportation charges
- Field C: Intellectual property and origin of goods
- Field D: Classification of goods
- Field E: Business related to value
- Field F: Commodity Policy
- Field G: Sectoral Management
- Field H: Customs clearance
- Field I: Automatic clearing system
- Field J: Post-clearance inspection
- Field K: Consultation
- Field L: Supervision
Arranging situations in frequent fields and categorized lists will enable customs
officers in different situations to easily look up the vocabulary in relation to their
needs. In addition, the vocabulary glossary placed under each situation, these
vocabularies are also arranged in alphabetical order at the end of the book for the
convenience of customs officers in the process of searching and learning vocabulary.
The entire English handbook has been attached as Appendix 4.

ESP materials development Using situation-based vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region of Vietnam.pdf

ESP materials development Using situation-based vocabulary in composing an English handbook for Customs officers in Northwest region of Vietnam.pdf

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