Section 3: Theoretical Framework
Needs analysis is the most important step In ESP course
design. Although this importance has been repeatedly emphasized. Little work
has been done on creating the link between NA and course design. The reason for
this is that the task of linking the two is more complex than it may seem .
Consequently, to conduct our research we are going to take Needs Analysis
within Course Design as a theory of investigation relying on Dudley-Evans
and St-Johns' works and perspectives of 1989.
1.8 The Use of Needs Analysis in Course
Design
Language courses for business English learners should be
designed considering their needs, wants and expectations about foreign language
communication in their field. Dudley Evans and St-Johns see Needs Analysis as a
process of identification and defining valid curriculum and instructional and
management objectives in order to facilitate learning in an atmosphere that is
closely related to the real life situations of the student. NA is an important
component for designing a language course. Consequently, it is essential for a
teacher to have reliable information of their learner variables in order to
reduce the gap among learners, teachers, and teaching materials.
Dudley-Evans and St-Johns (1989) agree on the importance of
combining needs analysis with course design. For them NA is neither unique to
language teaching nor within
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The Review of Literature
language training, but it is often seen as being the
cornerstone of ESP and leads to a much focused course. That is to say, Needs
Analysis is a fundamental step for designing a course in ESP. For Dudley-Evans
and St-Johns (1989), Needs Analysis should be the first step in curriculum
design for it can provide validity and relevancy for all the follow up
curriculum design. Moreover ,they claim that it is the process of establishing
the «how» and «what» of a course in ESP.
1.9 How to Design a Course in Business English through
NA
Needs Analysis is the key for an appropriate Business English
course. However, it must be effective, helpful and practical. It can be
performed through three different acts: planning, collecting data and putting
information into the analysis. The ESP teachers or course designers, before
conducting the needs analysis, must devise a valid plan of action. Before
undertaking any serious course, he or she should answer questions regarding the
type of information needed, the purpose of the information and how to attain
it. After he/she answers the questions, he/she should construct research
questions in relation to those questions. After crafting a fitting plan and
proper questions, the teacher can then collect the data. Analysts changing the
BE syllabus layout by usage of the need analysis theory should keep in mind the
need to study the precise requirements of the school, society and its
learners.
As cited above, implementing Needs Analysis in designing ESP
courses has a great importance for both teachers and learners for a successful
course. In fact, NA is a key component of ESP course design and development,
its role is clearly indisputable. It is an obligatory step before and after
designing an ESP course. Moreover, it is a way to collect information about a
particular problem that learners face and find out language skills a learner
needs in a course. Furthermore, Needs Analysis helps determining whether the
ESP course meets the real needs of the learners or not.
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