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Ch3 Needs analysis

9710008M Venus

9710009M Carl

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Introduction

• What are “needs”? Wants, desires, demands, expectation, motivations,

lacks, constraints, and requirements (Brindley 1984) P54• What are “needs analysis”? Procedures for collecting information about learners’

needs• When did “needs analysis” introduced into

teaching? 1960s; through the ESP movement (P28)

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The Purpose of needs analysis

1. To find out what language skills a learner needs

2. To help determine if an existing course adequately addresses the needs of potential students

3. To determine which students are most in need of training in particular language skills

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The Purpose of needs analysis

4. To identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel is important

5. To identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they need to be able to do

6. To collect information about a particular problem learners are experiencing

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The Purpose of needs analysis

• ‘Needs’ also includes students’ rights ‘It’s school’s responsibility to take into account the

cultural, political, and personal characteristics of students …. in order to plan activities and objectives that are realistic and purposeful.’ (Linse, 1993)

Immediately needs: 1. employment; 2. students’ right

Not so immediately needs: 1. compulsory subject

2. consider best for ss

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The Purpose of needs analysis

• Needs also includes perceived and present needs, potential and unrecognized needs

• Needs analysis may take place

1. prior to

2. during

3. after a language program

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Examples of needs analyses conducted prior to a language program

• Method: Staff questionnaire: * background information about the course the lecturer was describing * overview of problems experienced by ESL students * linguistic demands of the course * suggestions to which language skills should be focuses on * modifications made in teaching or in examinations

Students questionnaire

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What are needs?

• Needs: 1. a linguistic deficiency 2. “It’s not a thing that exists and might be encountered real-made on the street” (Porcher 1977) 3. language needs—need to survive in a English-dominant society• Planning an ESL curriculum involves: identifying ss’ language needs, but seeks “to

enable them to critically examine” and become active in shaping their own role in it. (Auerbach 1995)

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The users of needs analysis

Large-scale needs analysis• curriculum officers in the ministry of education• Teachers• Learners• Writers• Testing personnel• Staff of tertiary institutions

Small-scale needs analysis• Teacher• Program coordinator

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The target population

• Language learners or potential language learners• Policy makers• Ministry of education officials• Teachers• Academics• Employers• Vocational training specialists• Parents• Influential individuals and pressure groups• Academic specialists• Community agencies

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The target population

• Subcategories of respondents

students currently enrolled in a foreign language course

students previously enrolled but no longer studying a language

students who have never studied a foreign language

• An important issue in determining the target population: Sampling

Sampling involves asking a portion of potential population instead of the total population

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Administering the needs analysis

• Who will administer the needs analysis, collect and analyze the results?

* academic or research assistant * colleagues in different department * students who piloted the questionnaire * academic staff of the university * secretarial support

Procedures for conducting needs analysis• Questionnaires• Self-ratings• Interviews• Meetings• Observation• Collecting learner language samples• Task analysis• Case studies• Analysis of available information

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1. Questionnaires a. advantages 。 prepare easily 。 make tables to analyze easily b. Two types 。 Structured items (limited answers chosen) 。 Unstructured items (open-ended answers) c. disadvantages 。 superficial or imprecise probably 。 need a follow-up to gain more understandings 。 many badly designed questionnaires* Advice: to familiar with the principles of good questionnaire design.

2. Self-ratings

a. using scales to rate knowledge or abilities

b. might be included as part of a questionnaire

c. a disadvantage

。 provide imprecise (impressionistic) information

3. Interviews (face-to-face or telephone)

a. allowing for a more in-depth exploration of issues

b. being useful at the preliminary stage

c. disadvantages

。 take time

。 being proper for smaller groups

4. Meetings

a. allow to collect many information in a short time

b. disadvantages

。 Impressionistic (imprecise information)

。 subjective

。 more ideas of outspoken members

5. Observation

a. learners’ behavior in a target situation

b. a disadvantage

。 perform not well while being observed

c. specialized-training observer

6. Collecting learner language samples

a. written or oral tasks

b. simulations or role plays

c. achievement tests

。 test the abilities in different domains

d. performance tests

。 test on job-related or task-related

7. Task analysis

a. analyze many tasks the learners carry out

。 future occupational or educational setting

。 Assessment of demands of the task

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8. Case studies

a. a single student or a selected group of students

。 through a relevant work or educational experience

。 in order to determine the characteristics of the situation

9. Analysis of available information

a. various sources of available information

。 books

。 journal articles

。 reports and surveys

。 Records and files

b. first step in a needs analysis normally

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Designing the needs analysis1. being made on the practical procedures

a. collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reporting

2. avoiding information too much

a. collect the information that will actually be used

3. Procedures for larger-scale needs analysis:

a. literature survey b. analysis of a wide range of survey questionnaires c. contact with others d. interviews with teachers e. identification of participating departments f. presentation of project proposal g. development of a pilot student and staff questionnaires

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g. review of the questionnaires

h. piloting of the questionnaires

i. selection of staff and student subjects

j. developing a schedule for collecting data

k. administration of questionnaires

l. follow-up interviews

m. tabulation or responses

n. analysis of responses

o. writing up of report and recommendations

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4. Procedures for smaller-scale needs analysis:

a. initial questionnaire

b. follow-up individual and group interviews

c. meetings with students

d. meetings with other teachers

e. ongoing classroom observation

f. test

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Making use of the information obtained1. Making a list

a. consisting of information from different sources and summarized in ranking

2. Needing more analysis and research

a. in order to develop aims and objectives

3. Some changes needed

a. degree of importance of needs

b. immediate or longer-term

c. more consultation (discussion) needed

4. Stufflebeam et al. (1985) remind the goal of analysis

a. bring meaning to the obtained information

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5. Take various views into account

a. learners’ view

b. academics’ view

c. employers’ view

d. teachers’ view

6. The function of the result of needs analysis

a. provide the basis for evaluation

b. offer the basis for planning goals and objectives

c. assist with developing tests

d. help with the selection of proper teaching methods

e. provide the basis for developing a syllabus and materials

f. provide other information used as part of a course

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Thank you for listening !!

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