Innovation (i.e., a new beneficial idea or practice) in English language teaching (ELT) has been a constant subject of academic discussion over the last few decades. This topic continues to be a concern to all English language practitioners because, as teachers, we are constantly encouraging new challenges in our teaching context and as a result we find new ways of addressing and resolving them. Innovation in the context of ELT is, however, still under-researched (Waters, 2014) although this area of research is emerging in the fields of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (e.g., see Hyland & Wong, 2013). Despite both EAP and ESP tending to be innovative, pioneering practices are often limited to individual teachers or institutions. Therefore, there is a need for more research in this area of EAP and ESP. Such innovative practices can benefit other EAP and ESP practitioners globally. In this context, this edited volume, the fourth book from the IATEFL ESP SIG, aims to contribute by bringing together EAP and ESP practitioners from around the world to share their innovations and research on their novel practices.
Innovations in EAP and ESP are generally initiated locally to meet certain needs. Innovative practices, due to their nature being small-scale and local, may not flourish if there is no institutional support or there is resistance to change (Waters, 2009). Even if the innovation is national or large-scale, implementing it may still be challenging (Hu & McGrath, 2011). Despite these barriers, if local innovative practices in EAP and ESP are shared with other practitioners, EAP and ESP learners from around the world may benefit from these innovative practices given the increasing demand of English language skills globally for various purposes. As you will see, this volume aims to showcase local innovations from a global perspective in each of the 12 chapters