model as "essentially a training operation which seeks to provide learners with a restricted competence to enable them to cope with certain clearly defined tasks" (Widdowson, 1983, 3).
The problem therefore to be investigated in the present study is stated as follows: what specific factors shape or influence the delivery and outcomes of ESP learning initiatives in tertiary-level institutions in Kuwait? More specifically, the study will examine the efficacy of ESP programming as delivered to medical records students in the College of Health Sciences at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait City.
Several research questions are relevant to the foregoing problem statement. These questions are:
Have English language teachers at the target institution been adequately trained to teach ESP and English for paramedical purposes?
What are the views of teachers toward ESP and its demands at the target institution?
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