A Needs Analysis Approach: An Investigation of Needs in an EAP Context

Abstract

Abstract—Needs analysis, sometimes called Needs Assessment, has been one of the major motives for the emergence of ESP as the umbrella term and thus EAP as a subdivision. Apparently, in such courses, a “one-size-fit-all” approach is discredited and each setting has to be matched with its own context and its own participants’ needs. Moreover, several authors have emphasized the vital position that Needs Analysis holds in syllabus design and curriculum development, particularly for EAP. Thus, the present survey aims at adding to the body of knowledge that exists about the Iranian context of EAP and specifically for the students majoring in Computer Engineering as well as Information Technology. Moreover, it aims at investigating the probable mismatch (es) that exist/s between what has been highlighted in literature about the currently most prominent skill included in EAP textbooks in Iran and what the students perceive as their real needs. As the findings of the study suggest, the students preferred to learn productive skills of writing and speaking rather than the reading and listening skills. Similarly, the interview results provided more in-depth information about the sub-kills perceived as necessary by the interviewees.