Needs Analysis

FACTORS AFFECTING COURSE

DESIGN

WHAT? LANGUAG HOW?

Syllabus E Methodolog
Language y
Learning
COURSE
Description
Theories

Nature
of
particula
r target
and
learning
situation

WHO? WHY?
WHERE? WHEN?
Needs Analysis
Hutchinson &Water (1993)
What distinguishes ESP from GE is
not the existence of a need but
rather an awareness of the need
It is not so much the nature of the
need which distinguishes the ESP
from the General course but rather
the awareness of a need
the irreducible minimum of an
ESP approach to course design,
would be needs analysis, since it
is the awareness of a target
situation a definable need to
communicate in English that
distinguishes the ESP learner
from the learner of General
English
Hutchinson and Water (1987, p 54)
ESP specialists, therefore, are often
needs assessors first and foremost,
then designers and implementers of
specialized curricula in response to
identified needs. It is probably no
exaggeration to say that needs
assessment is seen in ESP as the
foundation on which all other
decisions are, or should be, made.
Because of this emphasis on needs,
the dividing lines in ESP between
researchers and teachers, or
curriculum designers, materials
 The Process of Needs
Analysis
Graves Process (2000):
1. Deciding what information to
gather and why;
2. Deciding the best way to gather it:
when, how and from whom;
3. Gathering the information;
4. Interpreting information (needs
analysis)
5. Acting on the information
6. Evaluating the effectiveness of the
action
 Needs Analysis
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY NEEDS?
Concerning types of needs, there are
different views of needs which have
been paired such as objective
versus subjective needs (Richterich,
1980), perceived versus felt needs
(Berwick, 1989), goal-oriented and
process-oriented (Robinson, 1991).
 What do we mean by
Needs (con.t)
Definition of need by Hutchinson & Water
(1987)
It is necessary to make basic distinction
between:
target needs = what the learners need to
do in the target situation
learning needs = what the learners
need
to do in order to learn
 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
NEEDS?

Necessities

TARGET NEEDS Lacks

Wants
 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
TARGET NEEDS?
a) Necessity = What the learner has to know
in order to function effectively in target
situation

b) Lacks = The gap between the existing

proficiency and the target proficiency
c) Wants = learners may have their own view
of their "necessities" and "lacks" and their
own wishes, which may conflict with
perceptions of course designers, sponsors,
teachers
 Approaches to Needs
Analysis:
TSA & PSA
TSA = TARGET SITUATION ANALYSIS
PSA = PRESENT SITUATION ANALYSIS

ROBINSONS (1991)
a needs analysis which focuses on
studentsneeds at the end of the language
course can be called target situation
analysis
a PSA seeks to establish what the students
are like at the start of the language
course, investigating their strength and
weeknesses
 Approaches to Needs
Analysis:
TSA & PSA (cont.)
PSA also involves fundamental
variables which should be
considered before or simultaneously
with TSA.
Thus, Needs Analysis may be seen as
a combination of TSA and PSA.
There is another term, called LNA =
Learning Needs Analysis.
PSA LNA TSA
 Physical activities
Situation
Tasks performed Which of 4 skills
Which functions are used
Degree of code utilization
TSA Linguistic component Degree of accuracy of code
Notions employed
Knowledge required Knowledge of Subject matter:
Behavioral
Conceptual
NEEDS ANALYSIS Linguistics

Students Level of abilities

PSA Teachers Resources
Teaching institution Views on language Society learning
and teaching
Target Situation Analysis and Present Situation analysis
(Robinson, 1985:44)
 HOW TO GATHER INFORMATION
ABOUT NEEDS?

By: - questionnaires
- interviews
- observation
- data collection e.g. gathering
texts/documents
- shadowing
- fieldwork
- record-keeping
- informal consultations with sponsors,
learners, teachers, employers
 From whom?

client group (students)

ex-students
English teachers
subject teachers
employers (labor users)
relevant sources of documents
research on ELT/ESP in that field
 Assessing needs
Remember:
possible different
values/perceptions/beliefs
What questions are asked?
What information is sought?
Who asked the questions ?
Who analyses the data and how?
A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework
1- Why is English needed?
For study ? For work? For training?
For a combination of these?
For other purposes e.g. status,
exam, promotion?
A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework (cont.)

2- How will English be used?

medium: Listening? Speaking?
Writing? Reading..
channel: e.g. telephone? face to face?
types of text or discourse: e.g.
academic text, lectures, technical
manuals, catalogues?
 A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework (cont.)

3- What will the content

areas be?
subjects: e.g. medicine, biology,
architecture. engineering
Level: e.g. technician, craftsman,
A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework (cont.)
4- Who will the learner use
English with?
native speakers or non-native?
level of knowledge of receiver: e.g.
expert or layman, student?
relationship: e.g. colleague,
teacher, customer, superior,
subordinate?
A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework (cont.)
5-Where will English be used?
physical setting: e.g. office, hotel,
workshop, library, lecture hall?
human context: e.g. alone, meeting,
demonstration or telephone?
linguistic context: e.g. in own
country or abroad?
A Target Situation Analysis
(TSA) Framework (cont.)

6-When will English be used?

concurrently with ESP course or
subsequently?
frequently, seldom, in small or large
amount?
 A Framework for
Analyzing Learning
Needs
1- Why are the learners taking
the course?
compulsory or optional?
apparent needs or not?
Are status, money, promotion involved?
What do learners think they will
achieve?
Their attitude toward the ESP course?
 A Framework for
Analyzing Learning
Needs (cont.)
2- How do the learners learn?
What is their learning background?
What is their concept of teaching &
learning?
What methodology will appeal to
them?
What sort of techniques are likely to
bore/interest them?
 A Framework for
Analyzing Learning
Needs (cont.)
3- What resources are available?
number and professional competence
of teachers?
attitude of teachers towards ESP?
teachers' knowledge of and attitude
towards the subject content?
materials
aids?
opportunities for out-of-class activities
 A Framework for
Analyzing Learning
Needs
4- Who are (cont.)
the learners?
age/sex/nationality
what do they know already about
English?
what subject knowledge do they have?
what are their interest?
what is their socio- cultural
background?
What teaching styles they are used to?
their attitude towards English ?
 A Framework for
Analyzing Learning
Needs (cont.)
5- Where will the ESP course take place?
are the surrounding pleasant, dull, noisy,
too hot?
6- When will the ESP course take place?
time of day?
everyday/once a week?
full-time/part-time?
concurrent with needs or pre-needs?
 Some examples of bad
questions
1- Do you find your class useful and
interesting? Yes [ ] No [ ]
2- Do you talk a lot in the class?
a lot [ ]
a little [ ]
not much [ ]
3- Does your lecturer give enough
opportunity for every student to
express his/her own views in class?
Yes [ ] No [ ]

4- Do you prefer a friendly student-

centered approach to a rigid teacher-
dominated approach?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
5- What qualifications does your lecturer
have? Diploma [ ] B.A/B.Ed
[ ]
M.A? M.Ed [ ] Ph.D [ ]
6- If a student's utterance is linguistically
deviant and peer-correction does not
occur, does the lecturer usually give a
non-metalinguistic response? Yes [ ]
No [ ]

7- Which of the following causes you

difficulty in the course?
- understanding lecture? [ ]
- reading textbook? [ ]
- writing essay? [ ]
8- How much individual consultation
with the lecturer would you like to
have for each assignment?
---------------- hours

9- What is your opinion of the course?