ESP coursebooks design: Issues to consider and design-based research as an effective solution

This paper provides a conceptual framework for ESP (English for Special Purposes) coursebook design that can help ESP teachers, who often have to either adapt existing learning materials or design their own learning materials. Despite a large number of ESP coursebooks for different courses and fields of study available on the market, it is still rare to find those which meet both the students’ needs and the particular course requirements. Every learning or teaching situation is unique and influenced by such factors as the constraints imposed by
syllabuses, the dynamics of the classroom, and the expectations and motivations of the students. Since no comprehensive concept of ESP coursebook design has yet been published, the purpose of this paper is to discuss, analyse, and consolidate different approaches to coursebook design, particularly with regard to SLA theories. In addition, the paper suggests design-based research as a suitable method for ESP coursebook design. One of the fundamental characteristics of the design-based research is its two-fold yield: apart from developing a research-based intervention as a solution to an educational problem, it leads to the development of the theories on which the intervention is based. The two-fold yield of ESP coursebook design-based research thus results in a product, in this case an ESP coursebook, that is both usable and effective and in design principles that contribute to the development of theories of ESP coursebook design.