An Investigation of the Needs Analysis and English Learning Process for the Hospitality Students at a Vocational High School

Abstract

This study aims to find out the needs of the Hospitality students in learning English pertaining to the learning needs, present situation, and target needs. Furthermore, these findings would be elaborated on and find out the compatibility with the current learning process and the current condition of the Hospitality industry needs. The research was conducted in one vocational high school in Cirebon employing a mixed-method case study. The data were derived from the observation; questionnaire to thirty-five students in the 11 th and 12 th grades of Hospitality major; interview with one English teacher, six selected 11 th and 12 th grade students, one hotel general manager; and document analysis such as syllabus, handouts, and students' assignment sheet. The findings revealed that speaking skills and vocabulary related to the specific terms for a Hospitality major are most needed by the students. In addition, the learning process in this study does not meet the needs of students specifically related to their major. This is also supported by the hotel general manager based on the Hospitality industry needs. The result suggests that English teaching for Hospitality majors in vocational schools should be provided with adequate knowledge and skills and, thus, the students possess the competencies needed in the current Hospitality job markets.