Research article | Open Access
Innovational Research in ELT 2026, Vol. 7(1) 29-44
Development and Evaluation of an ESP MOOC for Personal Trainers
pp. 29 - 44 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/irelt.2026.1450.3
Publish Date: June 15, 2026 | Single/Total View: 0/0 | Single/Total Download: 0/0
Abstract
Given the growing internationalization of the fitness industry and the limited availability of profession-specific English training for personal trainers, there is a clear need for accessible ESP instruction tailored to this field. This study aims to develop and evaluate an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) tailored for personal trainers. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a needs analysis was conducted by examining coaching education curricula offered by state universities in Türkiye and online personal trainer certification programs on Udemy, as well as semi-structured interviews with 38 personal trainers. These analyses were conducted in Microsoft Excel and aimed to identify the professional English-language needs in the field. The findings from this phase informed the design and development of a 14-week ESP MOOC. In the second phase, the developed course was evaluated through qualitative data collected from five participants who completed the program. The evaluation was conducted through online interviews to explore participants’ experiences and perceptions of the course. The findings revealed that the course was preferred due to its flexible online format, its focus on profession-specific English content, and its contribution to participants’ professional competence. This study provides important implications for educators, fitness professionals, and policymakers by emphasizing the value of needs-based ESP course design and the potential of MOOCs to enhance and standardize personal trainer education on a global scale.
Keywords: English for Specific Purposes, Course Design, Fitness Education, Massive Open Online Course, English as Foreign Language
APA 7th edition
Ergun, I., & Cesur, K. (2026). Development and Evaluation of an ESP MOOC for Personal Trainers. Innovational Research in ELT, 7(1), 29-44. https://doi.org/10.29329/irelt.2026.1450.3
Harvard
Ergun, I. and Cesur, K. (2026). Development and Evaluation of an ESP MOOC for Personal Trainers. Innovational Research in ELT, 7(1), pp. 29-44.
Chicago 16th edition
Ergun, Ilayda and Kursat Cesur (2026). "Development and Evaluation of an ESP MOOC for Personal Trainers". Innovational Research in ELT 7 (1):29-44. https://doi.org/10.29329/irelt.2026.1450.3
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