Needs Assessment in ESP: A Review

Adeel Khalid

Abstract


Needs assessment of the learners in English language is considered as an important domain that comes under the ambit of ESP “English for Specific Purposes”. English cogitates as a lingua franca and a cornerstone for success in any field. However, in ESL/ELT it is imperative to design a course that caters for the needs of the learners. Thereby this study attempts to evaluate the existing needs assessment literature to corroborate its relevancy and adequacy in preparing the nursing professionals for their professional English language requirements. In this evaluative study, needs analysis and assessment literature have been reviewed. ESP is explored in various ways like its definitions, classification, development, different approaches to needs analysis.


Keywords


Needs assessment of the learners in English language is considered as an important domain that comes under the ambit of ESP “English for Specific Purposes”. English cogitates as a lingua franca and a cornerstone for success in any field. However, in ESL/E

Full Text:

PDF

References


Afzali, K., & Fakharzadeh, M. (2009). A needs analysis survey: The case of tourism letter writing in Iran. ESP World, 1(22), 8. Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info

Ahmed, N. (2005) Legal English: A case for ESP (PhD thesis). Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan. Retrieved from http://eprints.hec.gov.pk/

Alexander, O., Argent, S., & Spencer, J. (2008). EAP essentials: A teacher’s guide to principles and practice. Reading: Garnet Education.

Anthony, L. (1997b). ESP: What does it mean? Why is it different? On Cue. Retrieved 2015, May 10 from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/abstracts/ESParticle.html

Anthony, L. (1997a). Defining English for specific purposes and the role of the ESP practitioner (pp.115-120). Center for Language Research 1997 Annual Review.

Antic, Z. (2007). Forward in teaching English for medical purposes. Series: Medicine and Biology, 14(3), 141-147.

Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bailey, K. M., & Nunan, D. (2001). Pursuing professional development: Self as source. Heinle and Heinle.

Basturkmen, H. (2003). Specificity and ESP course design. RELC Journal, 34(1), 48-62.

Basturkmen, H. (2006). Ideas and options in ESP. Roultedge. London.

Belanger, Y. (2006). Tools for creating a culture of assessment: The CIPP Model and utilization-focused evaluation. Retrieved 2015, March 2 from http://www.arl.org/arldocs/stats/statsevents/laconf/2006/Belanger.ppt

Bloor, M. (1998). English for specific purposes: The preservation of the species (some notes on a recently evolved species and on the contribution of John Swales to its preservation and protection). English for Specific Purposes, 17,

47-66.

Bloor, M., & Bloor, T. (1986).Languages for specifi c purposes: Practice and theory (occasional paper No.19). Dublin: TrinityCollege.

Blue, G. (1988a). Individualizing academic writing tuition. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Academic writing process and product. ELT Documents 129.

Bordens, & Bruce. (2002). Research design and methods: A process approach. USA: McGraw Hill Companies.

Bruce, I. (2005). Syllabus design for general EAP writing courses: A cognitive approach. In Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4, 239-256

Brunton, M. (2009b). An evaluation of students’ attitudes to the general English and specific components of their course: A case study of hotel employees in Chiang Mai, Thailand. ESP World, 4(25), 8. Retrieved 2014 from http://www.esp- orld.info/Articles_25/ESP%20world%20study.

pdf

Bryman, A., & Cramer, D. (2001). Quantitative data analysis with SPSS release 10 for windows: A guide for social scientists. London; Philadelphia, PA: Routledge.

Chen, Y. (2005). Designing an ESP program for multi-disciplinary technical learners. ES World, 4(2), 10. Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info/articles_10/issue_10.html

Coskun, A. (2009). An ESP course for tourism students. ESP World, 18(4), 25.

Cresswell. J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand oaks: Sage Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.

Dafa-Allah, A. M. F. (2012). ESP learners’ needs: A case study of medicine students at some sudanese universities. English for Specific Purposes World, 12(36). Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info

Dudley-Dudley-Evans, T., & St. John, M. J. (1998). Developments in ESP: A multidisciplinary approach. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.

Ellis, R. (1997). The empirical evaluation of language teaching materials. ELT Journal, 51(1), 36-41.

Flowerdew, J., & Peacock, M. (2001) Research Perspectives on English for Academic Purposes.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fontana, A., & Frey, J. H. (2005). The interview: From neutral stance to political involvment. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp.695-728). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2007). How to design and evaluate research in education (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Freihat, S., & Al-Makhzoomi, K. (2012). An English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for nursing students in jordan and the role a needs analysis played. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(7), 129-145.

Gass, J. (2012). Needs analysis and situational analysis: Designing an ESP Curriculum for Thai Nurses. English for Specific Purposes World, 12(36). Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info

Gatehouse, K. (2001). Key issues in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum development. The Internet TESL Journal, VI(10). Retrieved 2014, November 29 from http:// iteslj.org/

Harding, K. (2007). English for specific purposes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hassen Kabouha, R. (2015). Vocabulary learning strategies of medical English terminologies: The case of foundation year students at Ibn Sina Medical College. English for Specific Purposes World, 16( #1). Retrieved from http:// www.esp-world.info

Hussein Hatam, A,. & Shafiei, S. (2012). The evaluation of the effectiveness of ESP courses in enhancing technical translation proficiency: A case study of ESP course for mechanical engineering students. English Language Teaching, 5(5).

Hutchinson, & Waters. (1987). English for specific purposes. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Johns, A. M. (2013). The handbook of English for specific purposes. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Jordan, R. R. (1997). English for academic purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Juan, L. (2014). Needs analysis of business English graduates: A case study of Shandong. Jiaotong University, Higher Education of Social Science, 6(3), 111-117.

Littlewood, W. (1986) Communicative language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lofland, J., Snow, D., Anderson, L., & Lofland, L. H. (2006). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis. Canada: Thomson Wadsworth.

Mackay, R., & Mountford, A. (Eds.). (1978). English for specific purposes: A case study approach. London: Longman.

Malek, F., Jariah Muhamad, A., Haliza Engku Ibrahim, E., Mohd Noor, Z., Mechraoui, A., & Sarudin, I. (2013). Stakeholders’ perceptions of an English for occupational purposes course. World Applied Sciences Journal, 21, 73-87. (Special Issue of Studies in Language Teaching and Learning).

McGrath, I. (2002) Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinurgh: Edinburgh University

Press.

Mehdi, H. S. (2008). Introduction to needs analysis. English for Specific Purposes World, (4). Retrieved 2015, January 10 from http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_20/DOC/Introduction%20to%20Needs%20Analysis.pdf

Nasser, A. M. (2014). An investigation of the English language needs, motivations,and attitudes of Saudi police cadets. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 3(2). Retrieved 2015, June 12 from http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.3n.2p.201

Nikiforou, E., & Hadjiconstantinou, S. (2012). ESAP courses: An innovative vista in language learning. From needs analysis to evaluation. English for Specific Purposes World, 12(36). Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info

Nunan, D. (1994) The learner—centred curriculum (7th ed.). Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2004). Curriculum foundations, principles, and issues (4th ed). USA: Pearson.

Pavel, E. (2014). Teaching English for medical purposes. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov, 7(56).

Punch, K. F. (1998). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Radu, M. (2008). English for medical purpose teaching. Terminologie Medicalå, Revista Românå De Stomatologie, Liv(2-3), 145-147.

Robertson, P., & Adamson, J. (Ed.). (2007). The Asian ESP Journal, 3(1). Retrieved from http://www.asian-esp-journal.com

Robinson, P. (1980). ESP (English for specific purposes) the present situation. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press.

Robinson, P. (1991). ESP today: A practioner’s guide. New York: Prentice Hall.

Shomoossi, N., Rad, M., & Rakhshani, M, (2013). Efficacy of English language programs as judged by nurses and students of nursing: Do nurses in Iran need to know English. Scientific Journal of the Faculty of Medicine in Niš, 30(3), 137-143.

Shukor, M. D., Devi, S., Tan, S. C., & Balasingham, N. (1993). Towards ESP programmes in technical and vocational institutions in Malaysia. Retrieved 2015, June 10 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED369286.pdf

Strevens, P. (1988). ESP after twenty years: A re-appraisal. In M. Tikoo (Ed.), ESP: State of the art (pp.1-13). Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

Tachom, K. (2014). Researching innovation in task-based teaching: Authentic use of professional English by Thai nursing students (Unpublished thesis). University of Southampton Faculty of Humanities. Retrieve 2015, February 12 from http://eprints.soton.ac.uk

Taşçi, Ç. (2007). An analysis of medical students’ English language needs (Unpublished thesis). The Department of Teaching English as a Foreign Language Bilkent University Ankara.

Tayyebi, M. (2012). Personal pronouns in English and persian medical research articles. English for Specific Purposes World, 12(36). Retrieved from http:// http://www.esp-world.info

Van Naerssen, M. (Speaker). (2007). Linking ESP needs assessment and research. Seattle, WA: 2007 TESOL Convention. Available through TESOL Resource Center.

Van Naerssen, M., Donna, B., & Lyudmila K. (Speakers). (2005). Sorting out ESP, CBI, and other cousins. San Antonio, Texas: 2005 TESOL Convention.

Wilkinson, A. (1958). A brief history of nursing in India and Pakistan (p.115). Delhi: Trained Nurses’ Association of India.

Yalden, J. (1994). Principles of course design for language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University.

Yong, C. (2006). From common core to specific. Asian ESP Journal Online, 1(3), 24-47. Retrieved 2015, April 28 from http://www.asian-esp-journal.com/ June_ 2006_yc.php

Zahid Jmer, M. (2013). Investigating English language needs: Medical undergraduates perspective in a Saudi context. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), 33( 2), 363-377.

Zahra, A., & Mansoor, T. (2015). Reassessing the ESP courses offered to engineering students in Iran (a case study). English for Specific Purposes World, 8(23). Retrieved 2015, May 10 from http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_23/manuscript.%20ESP%20World.pdf

Zamanian, M., & Naderi, A. N. (2014). Relationship between subjective and objective needs analysis of ESP students at M.A. level. International Journal of English and Education, 3(2).




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/8161

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2016 Studies in Literature and Language

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Share us to:   

 

Online Submission: http://cscanada.org/index.php/sll/submission/wizard


Reminder

How to do online submission to another Journal?

If you have already registered in Journal A, then how can you submit another article to Journal B? It takes two steps to make it happen:

1. Register yourself in Journal B as an Author

Find the journal you want to submit to in CATEGORIES, click on “VIEW JOURNAL”, “Online Submissions”, “GO TO LOGIN” and “Edit My Profile”. Check “Author” on the “Edit Profile” page, then “Save”.

2. Submission

Go to “User Home”, and click on “Author” under the name of Journal B. You may start a New Submission by clicking on “CLICK HERE”.


We only use three mailboxes as follows to deal with issues about paper acceptance, payment and submission of electronic versions of our journals to databases: caooc@hotmail.com; sll@cscanada.net; sll@cscanada.org

 Articles published in Studies in Literature and Language are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY).

 STUDIES IN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE Editorial Office

Address: 1055 Rue Lucien-L'Allier, Unit #772, Montreal, QC H3G 3C4, Canada.
Telephone: 1-514-558 6138 
Website: Http://www.cscanada.net; Http://www.cscanada.org 
E-mail: office@cscanada.net; office@cscanada.org; caooc@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2010 Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture