The Integration of Digital Technology into ESP Learning and Teaching: A Critical Review

This paper explores the integration of digital technology into English for specific purposes (ESP) pedagogy and research, with a view to characterising the nature of the relationship between ESP learning/teaching and digital technology. To this end, the intersections between ESP, language learning and digital technology are progressively examined through secondary research based on previously published papers. This critical review lays the foundations of the emerging field of Technology-enhanced ESP Learning And Teaching (TESPLAT) as it emphasizes the ‘special relationship’ between ESP learning/teaching and digital technology as shown by a number of specific affinities. As TESPLAT sits at the intersection of research and practice, the need for a research agenda for this emerging field of research is addressed, calling for more empirical investigations into the effects of various digital tools, as well as advocating for tighter connections between research and practice to ensure the implementation of more research-informed pedagogical practice.