Research On Materials Development Criteria Of English For Specific Purposes In Vocational Education Institutions

English for Specific Purposes (ESP), as an important branch of English Language Teaching (ELT), plays a vital role in the process of rapid development of modern science and technology. No doubt, ESP is an indispensable requirement for the multi-skilled personnel with China's entry to WTO (World Trade Organization) and economic globalization.The vocational education sector is most closely related to economic development among the three education sectors, the other two being higher education and schools. The high-technicians cultivated by vocational education institutions should be equipped with both qualified technical skills and ESP competences. The purpose of this dissertation is, based on the review of currently used ESP materials in vocational education institutions, to identify principles and criteria of developing ESP materials.Started from the social needs of ESP and combined with the important roles of materials in ESP teaching and learning, this dissertation introduced the origin, definition and current status of ESP. Subsequently, the dissertation conducted a problem analysis on existing ESP materials in vocational education institutions grounded on Hutchinson & Waters, Cunningsworth and Littlejoin's material design principles.In order to make the judgment in the preliminary analysis more objective, a survey was implemented. Questionnaires and group meetings were administered to and held for teachers, students, employers, particularly in Chongqing Electronic Science and Technical College. The three priorities regarding the English for specific industry sectors are Electronics, Business and Tourism, with Automotive sector partly supporting. The collected data were analyzedOn the basis of review and analysis, the conclusion was drawn in terms of learner-centered and goal-oriented principles of ESP material development. Three criteria of ESP material development are shaped in terms of needs, content and methodology. All the more, material writers should play developer as researcher, observer, teacher, learners' partner, collaborator, evaluator as well as assessor.