Reframing Authenticity in ESP: Vocational Students’ Perceptions in Engineering-Focused English Courses

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has evolved to meet the dynamic demands of globalized industries by fostering learners’ ability to use English in discipline-specific contexts. In vocational education, particularly for engineering students, the authenticity of learning materials and tasks is crucial in bridging classroom instruction with real-world professional communication. While existing studies have examined authenticity broadly in ESP, limited research has focused on students' lived experiences within technical vocational settings at the secondary level. This study investigates the perceptions of authenticity among Grade 12 engineering students in an ESP course at a private vocational high school in Indonesia. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, quantitative data were first collected via an online questionnaire administered to 259 students across various engineering majors. Subsequently, qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews with five students representing different engineering disciplines. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Level of Respondent Achievement (LRA), while qualitative data were interpreted through Miles, Huberman, and Saldana’s (2014) analytical framework encompassing data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing. Findings revealed an average LRA of 71.4%, suggesting a moderate perception of authenticity. However, qualitative analysis surfaced significant gaps, including minimal integration of workplace-relevant content, lack of alignment between classroom tasks and professional practices, and absence of authentic assessment strategies. These findings underscore a misalignment between pedagogical design and students' future professional realities. This study contributes to the growing discourse on authenticity in ESP by emphasizing the need for contextualized material development and outcome-based curriculum design tailored to specific vocational fields. Implications are discussed for ESP practitioners, curriculum developers, and policy-makers in aligning ESP instruction with the competencies demanded by 21st-century technical professions.