A proposal for the design of task-based materials in the teaching of English for Hospitality and Tourism at technical professional schools in Chile

Abstract

This study attempted to provide a proposal for the design of task-based materials for the teaching of English in tourism and hospitality ESP modules at technical professional schools in Chile. The proposal consisted of principles, guidelines and sample task- based materials that aimed to support ESP teachers in the material development process. This proposal derived from the revision of relevant literature on task-based language teaching, ESP, materials development, and semi-structured interviews with three ESP teachers in the vocational context. Findings revealed the need of contextualised materials and to expose students to real language use and maximise communication opportunities in the classroom. This study suggests future research about the effectiveness of the task-based approach and task-based materials in the EFL vocational context.