Responding to LSP teacher needs: Evolving challenges and new paradigms

This chapter investigates the teaching of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) and the needs of its teachers in the light of teacher identity issues. It stems from the acknowledgement that quality teaching in LSP can be successfully fostered by taking into account not only the learner’s needs but also the demands expressed by the teachers involved. This constitutes a paradigmatic shift from a one-dimensional approach (focusing almost exclusively on one of the categories involved in the learning process, i.e. the students) to a multidimensional perspective, which aims to respond to teacher needs as well. In particular, this study aims to investigate how the numerous roles that LSP teachers assume result in a variety of (often unaddressed) needs and in the coexistence of different professional identities, which are often ignored and whose management can be problematic. Along these lines, it also explores the education and training gaps which may affect the quality of teaching in this field.