3.2.3 Results of Section Three: Needs Analysis and Course
Design
Question 13: Do Business English classes take
place under the form of :
45
A- Courses
46
The Presentation of the Findings
B- Tutorials
40%
80%
60%
20%
0%
Courses Tutorials ( TD)
33%
66%
Diagram 23: The Form of BE Classes
As it appears in diagram 23, the majority of time BE classes
take place under the form of tutorials. In fact, (66%) of the teachers teach BE
with small groups of learners . However (33%) of them claim having teaching BE
in the form of classes.
Question 14: How can you define Course
Design?
Course Design has been defined by some teachers as being a
means for ensuring a good course content for the learners. Some of them have
said that it is a preparation of what ? when ? and how of a course. i.e It is a
preparation of what is going to be thaught during each course.
Question 15: Do you analyze the needs of your
learners before designing a course?
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Number of Participants
|
6
|
0
|
6
|
|
Percentage
|
100 %
|
0 %
|
100%
|
Table 15: The Implementation of NA before Course
Design
As presented in the table above, 100% of the teachers analyze the
needs of the learners before designing a course, i.e course design is
done by the analysis of the learners' needs.
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The Presentation of the Findings
Question 16: Do you take into consideration the learners'
level to identify their needs?
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Number of Participants
|
6
|
0
|
6
|
|
Percentage
|
100 %
|
0 %
|
100%
|
Table 16: Learners' Level and Learning
Needs
For the purpose of identifying learners' needs, all
the teachers do take into consideration the learners' level so as to meet their
appropriate needs.
Question 17 : What are the instruments that are used
in order to identify learners' needs and wants?
a. Questionnaires.
b. Interviews.
c. Placement tests.
d. Others.
100%
40%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
30%
20%
10%
0%
a b c d
33.3%
66.7%
100%
0%
Diagram 24: The Instruments Used to Identify
Learners' Needs and Wants
The statistics of diagram 24 indicate that 100% of the
teachers use placement tests in order to identify the needs of the learners. A
great majority (66.7%) make interviews with
48
The Presentation of the Findings
their learners in order to identify their needs and wants.
Yet, a minority of the teachers, that is 33.3%, rely on questionnaires in order
to identify the needs of the learners.
Question 18: Step by step, how do you design
the courses in relation to the needs of the learners?
All the teachers being asked have argued that designing a
course always starts by identifying learners' needs, and this begins
each time by making placement tests, interviews or
questionnaires in order to know the learners' level in English. After
this, each learner is put in a classroom or level that suit his needs and then
each course is designed according the the needs of each level of learners.
3.3 Presentation of the Results of the Teachers'
Interview
This section is based on the analysis of the questions asked
in the interview. The questions have been asked for three (3) teachers at the
INPED of Boumerdes. The interviewees are all teachers of ESP that have been in
the domain for more than five years. The Content Analysis Method has
been used as a method to analyze the teachers' answers so as to gather
their different perceptions and views concerning course design and needs
analysis in ESP settings ,precisely in Business English.
Q1: Have you had some training in ESP
teaching?
Two teachers have declared that they have had some training
before teaching in the field, whereas one has said that he has never had any
training in ESP.
Q2: Do you think that training is important for teaching
ESP?
All the interviewed teachers have affirmed that training is
very important in ESP teaching as it helps them to be equipped with a variety
of skills other than teaching methodology. They have added that these skills
may include some basic knowledge of their
49
The Presentation of the Findings
students' subject area, course designing, materials
production, organizational skills, soft skills, etc.
Q3: Do you follow any program while teaching Business
English?
All the teachers have answered that they do follow an
official program while teaching Business English. However, they sometimes add
their own teaching aids.
Q4: How do you design this program?
The teachers have said that the program is designed
through identifying learners' needs and wants. They have added that it
is usually designed through having a meeting with the majority of the
teachers, then analyzing the learners needs or what they call trainees' needs
that are presented in a letter they receive from the company where the
trainees work (e.g.Sonatrach), and then confirm those needs with the company
training managers ( CTM) .
Q5: What do you do in order to design the appropriate
course content?
In order to design the appropriate course content, most of
the teachers select courses either from the pedagogical program or from
authentic materials. These courses are chosen according to the needs of the
learners in order to make them better users of English for their specific
purposes.
Q6: Can you define needs analysis ?
Two teachers have defined Needs Analysis as a method to
analyze the needs of the learners before the beginning of their training period
in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses so as to design the
appropriate courses for them. One teachers have added that Needs
Analysis is an attempt to gather data about learner's needs and goals of
learning ESP or Business English.
50
The Presentation of the Findings
Q7: Do you think that identifying learners' needs at
the beginning of a course leads to a better teaching and learning ?
All the teachers have agreed that identifying learners needs
at the beginning of any academic year leads to a better teaching and learning.
In fact, they have affirmed that analyzing those needs helps in designing a
course that answers the needs of the learners and that leads to remarkable
success. For them, identifying learners' needs ensures the
success of the ESP or Business English course and it is the key for a good
teaching which ensures an effective learning process
Q8: What is the objective you want your learners to
achieve at the end of the course?
The ESP teachers have not only given one objective they want
their learners to achieve at the end of the course.In fact, one of them has
stated the importance of the development of the four skills (listening,
speaking, reading and writing) at the end of a course for a good mastery of
Business English. Two others have said that the mastery of technical
terminology especially related to their occupation or field and the ability to
use the language successfully for job related functions are the main objectives
that learners must achieve at the end of any course.
Q9: Do you think that the learners are satisfied with
the courses designed to them? All the teachers argue that the Business
English learners are satisfied with the courses
designed to them.
How do you know so?
One teacher has said that appreciation forms are given to the
learners to complete at the end of their training so as to know if they are
satisfied or not. Another one has added that he usually asks his students this
question and he always gets a positive answer. The last teacher has answered
that since the courses are designed on the basis of Needs Analysis, there is no
doubt about their satisfaction.
51
The Presentation of the Findings
Q10: Do they become better users of Business English
through the ESP courses designed to them?
All the teachers have argued that the learners have become
better users of Businnes English through the designed courses. One of them has
added that «if they do really want to
communicate Business in English, they will be able to do so.
And if they do follow the instructions and all the pieces of advice
given by the institution, they will succeed».
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