DO ESP / EAP COURSE BOOKS FOR RUSSIAN STUDENTS PREPARE PROFESSIONALS OF THE INFORMATION AGE?

Abstract

The modern world of work is unthinkable without such a tool as the Internet. However, can the modern student use this tool to its full potential when its resources are in English? The aim of the research project was to explore whether English language course books written by Russian authors for university students prepare future professionals to effectively work with resources in this language on the Internet. Do these materials contain tasks aimed to teach and practice such skills? To answer the research question, the authors analyzed 30 course books for teaching English at the tertiary level, which were published in Russia in the years 2007–2017, to see if they contain tasks developing students‟ skills in using Internet-based English resources. To provide evidence that students do need such skills, we used the findings of a small-scale research project conducted by 117 a group of sociology students at two universities. The authors conclude that most course books written by Russian authors for university courses of English fail to address this need.