What is the importance of needs analysis in EAP?

Needs analysis plays an important role in the design and implementation of EAP course, as it determines the learners’ current and target needs of the language which consequently facilitates forming a strong foundation for the course.

What is the function of needs analysis in curriculum development?

Needs analysis in language curriculum development is defined as the process of determining the needs for which a learner or group of learners requires a language and arranging the needs according to priorities. Needs analysis is normally required before syllabus can be developed for language teaching.

What are the role of need analysis in designing an English curriculum?

Needs analysis is a process of collecting and analyzing information about learners in order to set goals and contents of a language curriculum based on their needs (Kayi, 2008). It examines what learners already know and what they need to know (Nation & Macalister, 2010).

Why is it important to do a needs analysis in a language program or in the curriculum?

Needs analysis is an important means of conducting research prior to designing and evaluating lessons/materials/syllabus and it helps draw a profile of students/course in order to determine and prioritize the needs for which students require English (Richards et al, 1992).

What is needs analysis and curriculum development in EAP?

Needs analysis research in English for academic purposes (EAP) / English for special purposes is mainly descriptive. Researchers identify and describe existing elements of the target situation to provide the basis for curriculum development. Critical needs analysis, on the other hand, considers the target situation as a site of possible reform.

Why is needs analysis important for curriculum design?

Needs analysis is fundamental to curriculum renewal, course and syllabus design, materials development and methodology updating • EAP courses should not only be skills-based but promote the development of subject-specific vocabulary and be customized with the core subject in mind.

When did needs analysis start in ESP schools?

Needs analysis in ESP programmes is not a new concept; “it has a long history and is constantly evolving and redefining itself. Before the 1970s, needs analyses were based on teacher intuitions and sometimes informal analyses of students’ needs” (West, 1994, as cited in Flowerdew, 2013b, p. 326).

Which is an example of critical needs analysis?

This article explores the literature on needs analysis, offers critical needs analysis as an alternative approach to examining target situations, and describes an example of critical needs analysis and EAP curriculum development in a paired ESL writing/psychology course at a U.S. college.