Abstract

English for Specific Purposes is not a different variety of English in its nature. In the sense of
linguistic terminology, ESP means what learner needs/ wants to function in target situation or
even what they needs according to his/her own views. So, Needs analysis is first preliminary
step undertaken by any teacher to determine the basics for developing a course. Their primary
role does not stop at this point; it involves more than defining their student’s requirement and
even more than teaching. Thus, the following article will strive to cater Needs Analysis
process, as well as the teachers’ roles within an ESP classroom.

Keywords: Needs analysis - Communication Needs Processor - deficiency analysis - strategy

analysis - means analysis - learning Centered approach - target situation - learning needs -
ESP practitioners - language teacher - Course Designer and Material Provider – Researcher –
Collaborator - Evaluators
 Needs Analysis and Course Design

Within the ESP teaching and learning process, analyzing learners’ needs and finding
out their interest is of paramount importance. According to many researchers, the way to
elaborate an efficient ESP course could be through Learners needs Analysis which will
certainly lead the teachers to act different roles. Thus, the present article will provide a
systematic examination of Needs Analysis, then, the several roles of teachers within and ESP
class. Then, the simplest questions that could be highlighted: what is meant by: Needs
Analysis? And what are the tremendous roles played by teachers in ESP class and that
could promote the teaching quality and learning quantity?

To start with, Needs analysis (also known as needs assessment) has a vital role in the
process of designing and carrying out any language course, whether it is English for Specific
Purposes (ESP) or other general English courses as Hutchinson and Waters (1987) argue:
“Any language course should be based on needs analysis. Needs analysis is fundamental
to an ESP/EAP approach to course design”. This quotation defined Needs Analysis as
being the collection of information that will serve as the basis for developing a curriculum
that will meet the needs of a particular group of students.

To put it simple, learners needs’ notion is one of the crucial standards which is adopted
and validated in ESP, as Robinson (1991) explains: ‘an ESP course is based on a needs
analysis, which aims to specify it is that students have to do through the medium of English.’ .

The word “needs” has always been ambiguous and imprecise for many scholars since it
includes a wide range of definitions as well as conception; yet, general agreement has been
reached on that needs refers to the students requirement according to the field or the
profession they want to be integrated in.

The idea of focusing on learners’ needs originated in the 1970s resulting from the
interest in the design of language courses that could satisfy individual and social needs
(Palacios Martínez 1992). Its development evolved in association with the teaching of
languages for specific purposes.

So, in 1978, the first to suggest the principals of an ESP course design was Munby in
his noteworthy contribution “Communication Needs Processor” (CNP). It was quite
influential, but widely criticized for two apparently conflicting reasons: its over-fullness in
design and mainly, it fails to take into account (that is, socio-political considerations,
logistical considerations, administrative considerations, psycho-pedagogic, and
methodological considerations).

Therefore, to counter the shortcomings of Munby’s Model, various forms of pedagogic

needs have been identified to give more information about the learner and the educational
environment. These forms of needs analysis are: deficiency analysis, strategy analysis, and
means analysis.

Deficiency analysis: According to Allwright (1982) , learners’ present needs or wants

may be called analysis of learners’ deficiencies or lacks; it gives information about what the
learners learning needs are, i.e. which of their target situation needs they lack/ or feel they
lack. The Strategy analysis: According to (West 1998), this type of needs analysis has to do
with the strategies that learners employ in order to learn another language. This tries to
establish how the learners wish to learn rather than what they need to learn. The Means
analysis: Investigates the educational environment in which the ESP course is to take place.

After that, it was thanks to both Munby’s Model and Allright contributions that many
other researchers could advocate a more detailed and clear approach toward needs analysis as
for Hutchinson and Waters (1987) who offered a “learning Centered approach” . They
suggest that this approach is the best route to carry learners from the starting point to the
target situation. So, Learners are approached from two directions: target situation and
learning needs.

The term Target Situation Analysis (TSA) refers to what learners are required to do in
the target situation; hence, it would be more functional to look at the target situation in terms
of: necessities, lacks and wants. First , “learners’ necessities” means what the learner has to
know in order to function effectively in the target situation, their “lacks” signifies the
discrepancy between necessity and what the learner already knows, finally their “wants”
stands for what the learner actually wants to learn or what they feel they need.

The “learning Situation Analysis” is often seen as how language teachers think. It
seeks to investigate the students’ strengths and weaknesses”. According to Richterich and
Chancerel (1980), there are three basic sources of information: the students themselves, the
language-teaching establishment, and the ‘user-institution’; for each of these, an ESP
practitioner seeks information regarding their respective levels of ability; their resources; and
their views on language teaching and learning. ESP practitioners might also study the
surrounding society and culture: the attitude held towards English language and towards the
learning and use of a foreign language.
 Consequently, after analysis students’ needs, teachers are required to play many roles.
Swales (1985) preferred to use the term ESP practitioners instead of ESP teachers to reflect
this specific scope and to emphasize that ESP teaching involves much more than only writing.
Thus, according to Dudley-Evans and St John (1998), the ESP practitioner has five key roles:

The ESP teacher is, first of all, a language teacher in the case of ESP classes, most of
the time, the students themselves are frequently the primary knower’s; they may know more
about the course contents than the teacher. So, ESP teachers need to flexible and willing to
listen to learners, take interest in the disciplines or professional activities the students are
involved in.

Moreover, the teacher is also a Course Designer and Material Provider; since it is
rarely possible to find suitable published material (Textbooks) for identified needs, ESP
practitioner’s basic role is to arrange for the course materials.

The ESP teacher is also a Researcher, ESP teachers need to be in touch with the
research; that is, for the purpose of carrying out student needs analysis. First of all, the teacher
should research their aims in what really they want to achieve. Then, research is necessary to
design a course, to write teaching materials, and to find out the ESP students’ particular
interest.

Dudley Evans and John (1998) also see that they are also most of the time
Collaborators mean cooperating with subject specialists. The fullest collaboration is where a
subject expert and a language teacher team-teach classes.

Furthermore, ESP teachers are Evaluators, which is not a new function; all teachers
should be involved in various types of evaluation: the most popular is “testing students”. tests
are conducted to evaluate the students’ progress and teaching effectiveness. Hence, constant
evaluation is said to create a successful ESP course.

To summarize, this paper has attempted, albeit briefly, to review the approaches to
needs analysis in one way, being the first necessary steps to course design and that will lead
practitioners to act differently within an ESP class. That is, teachers’ numerous roles from
another side are of paramount importance if practitioners are to improve their learners’
learning process as well as enhancing their professional levels.
References:

- Lowe I , “Needs Analysis”, 2009, downloaded from

www.scientificlanguage.com/esp/needsanalysis.pdf

- Lidia Gómez García , “The importance of needs analysis in syllabus and course

design. The CMC_E project: a case in point”, , Universidade de Santiago de

Compostela.

- Custi Astika, The Role of Needs Analysis in English for Specific Purposes,

Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga

- Tariq Mahmood Khan1, et al, Needs Analysis of English for Occupational and

Specific Purposes, University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan.

- Nima Shakouri Massouleh, et al, Needs Analysis: ESP Perspective on Genre, Vol

3, No 6, 2012, page : 69.

- IRINA Petrova , Needs Analysis As A Starting Point For Designing A Syllabus for

English For Specific Purposes Courses, University Of Tartu, 2008.

- Stephen van Vlack, English for Specific Purposes, 2009.

- http://www.udveksling.com/ESP/ESPWeek6Ans.