Designing STEM-Specific Student-Friendly Reading Content for the Engineering English Classroom

Introduction:
Teachers of English for specific purposes (ESP) face challenges when helping engineering students to comprehend discipline-specific reading materials because these students have not been exposed to engineering reading materials at the secondary-school level. This study examines how to best create Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-specific, student-friendly reading materials for engineering learners to make the transition from general topics to engineering topics comfortable.
About the case:
Working at affiliated colleges of Anna University, Chennai, India, we substituted reading materials for those used in textbooks to improve our students’ receptivity to reading classes. We discuss reading as a skill, the level of reading comprehension needed in the engineering context, and its relevance to technical and professional communication.
Situating the case:
The study focuses on the need to design materials for the engineering classroom.
Methods:
Our methods include a present-situation analysis to examine the challenges that teachers encounter, and analysis of qualitative feedback on the reading materials and activities introduced in the classroom.
Results and discussion:
The paper includes our experiences in designing reading materials: conducting the present-situation analysis, finding and designing appropriate reading materials, creating and implementing reading activities, and collecting feedback. The responses of the learners indicate that introducing STEM-specific material may increase the learners’ participation and improve their comprehension skills.
Conclusion:
The study shows that STEM-specific, student-friendly reading materials fostered a positive attitude and improved, high-level comprehension.