Needs Analysis.pptx of language teaching and learning

Tikrit University
Collage of Education and Humanities
English Department
M.A. Candidate
Needs Analysis
BY:
Rasha Edaan
Hanan Abdullah
Bashaer Husain
Maryam Amer
Submitted to:
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ibtisam

Need analysis
One of the basic assumptions of curriculum development is that a sound educational program should be
based on an analysis of learners' needs. Procedures used to collect information about learners' needs are
known as needs analysis Needs analysis as a distinct and necessary phase in planning educational
programs emerged in the 1960s as part of the systems approach to curriculum development and was part
of the prevalent philosophy of educational accountability (Stufflebeam, McCormick, Brinkerhoff, and
Nelson 1985). If providers of training programs wanted public or other sources of funding in order to
provide different kinds of training programs, they were required to demonstrate that a proposed program
was a response to a genuine need (Pratt 1980). Subsequently needs analysis developed into something of
an industry.
Needs analysis was introduced into language teaching through the ESP movement. From the 1960s, the
demand for specialized language programs grew and applied linguists increasingly began to employ
needs analysis procedures in language teaching. By the 1980s, in many parts of the world a "needs-
based philosophy" emerged in language teaching, particularly in relation to ESP and vocationally
oriented program design (Brindley 1984)

The purposes of needs analysis
Needs analysis in language teaching may be used for a number of different purposes, for example:
1. to find out what language skills a learner needs in order to perform a particular role, such as sales
manager, tour guide, or university student q
2. to help determine if an existing course adequately addresses the needs of potential students
3. to determine which students from a group are most in need of training in particular language skills
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
In the case of K-12 ESL programs (e.g., for ESL students in public schools) Linse (1993) identifies the
following purposes for needs analysis:
7. to compile a demographic profile of all the languages and language groups represented by the students
8. to assess their level of language acquisition in their native language and in English
9. to determine their communicative abilities in English
10. to determine their formal knowledge of English
11. . to find out how students use language on a daily basis to determine what English language skills are
necessary to enable

6. students to participate in all school and community activities in English
7. to find out what prior experiences students have had with formal education
8. to determine the attitudes of the students and their families toward formal schooling and education
9. to find out what preliteracy and literacy skills the students possess
10.to ascertain the students' level of cognitive development and acquisition of academic skills in their
native language(s)
11. to ascertain what cognitive and academic skills students have acquired in English
12. to determine the cultural, political, and personal characteristics of student
The first step in conducting a needs analysis is therefore to decide exactly what its purpose or purposes
are.
In many cases, learners' language needs may be relatively easy to determine, particularly if learners
need to learn a language for very specific purposes, for example, employment in fields such as
tourism, nursing, or the hotel industry. In this case the tasks employees typically carry out in En- glish
can be observed and the language needs of those tasks determined. The information obtained can then
serve as a basis for planning a training program. In some cases, "needs" also includes students' rights.

In other cases, learners' needs may not be so immediate - for example, students learning English as a
secondary school subject in an EFL context. Here English may be a compulsory subject that is
considered an important part of a child's general education. However, even though the students may not
have any immediate perceptions of needs, curriculum planners will generally have consulted employers,
parents, teachers, and others to find out what knowledge of English they expect high school graduates to
achieve. In many countries, the introduction of English or another foreign language in elementary or
secondary school is based on what curriculum planners consider best for students to study at school in
the same way that math, his- tory, and physical education are included in the school curriculum.
Learners are not consulted as to whether they perceive a need for such knowledge. Their needs have
been decided for them by those concerned with their long-term welfare. Needs analysis thus includes the
study of perceived and present needs as well as potential and unrecognized needs.
Needs analysis may take place prior to, during, or after a language program. Much of the literature on
needs analysis is based on the assumption that it is part of the planning that takes place as part of the
development of a course. It assumes that time and resources are available to plan, collect, and analyze
relevant information for a planned program of instruction, This "a priori" approach to needs analysis
requires long-term planning and assumes adequate time and resources to devote to needs analysis.
In some cases, however, long-term planning is not an option.
At other times, the bulk of the information that constitutes the needs analysis may be collected after the
course is finished. The information collected is then analyzed in order to obtain a more comprehensive
view of the learners' needs as a basis for evaluating and revising the program (see

What are needs?
The term needs is not as straightforward as it might appear, and hence the term is sometimes used to
refer to wants, desires, demands, expectation, motivations, lacks, constraints, and requirements
(Brindley 1984, 28). Needs are often described in terms of a linguistic deficiency, that is, as de-
scribing the difference between what a learner can presently do in a language and what he or she
should be able to do. This suggests that needs have objective reality and are simply there waiting to be
identified and analyzed. Porcher (1977, in Brindley 1984, 29) offers a different perspective: "Need is
not a thing that exists and might be encountered ready-made on the street. It is a thing that is
constructed, the center of conceptual networks and the product of a number of epistemological choices
(which are not innocent themselves, of course)." What is identified as a need is dependent on
judgment and reflects the interests and values of those making such a judgment Teachers, learners,
employers, parents, and other stakeholders îscussed in the next section) may thus all have different
views as to what needs are. For example, in considering the needs of immigrants, representatives of
the majority population may see the immigrants' needs as achieving cultural and linguistic assimilation
as quickly as possible and hence may want a needs analysis to identify the language skills immigrants
require in order to survive, and ultimately, assimilate into the dominant culture. The immigrants
themselves, however, may see their goals as concerned with communication for survival and
independence, particularly economic survival, but may have no wish to assimilate into the dominant
culture (Burnett 1998).

Auerbach (1995, 9) has pointed out that English language teaching has often been viewed as a
"neutral transfer of skills, knowledge, or competencies" and that such an approach is based on the
needs of social institutions, rather than language learners, and ignores questions of power.
Needs are often described in terms of language needs, that is, as the language skills needed to survive
in an English-dominant society. But as Auerbach (1995) and others have pointed out, in many cases,
particularly that of immigrant minorities in English-dominant societies, such persons also have other
kinds of needs. These relate to housing, health care, access to schooling for their children, access to
community agencies and services, and ways of addressing exploitation and discrimination in the
workplace. How can the curriculum give learners the linguistic and other resources they need to
understand and access resources they have the right to make use of in the community and to articulate
and defend their own rights and interests? Planning an ESL curriculum in this case not only involves
identifying students' language needs, but seeks "to enable them to critically examine [the existing
order] and become active in shaping their own roles in it" (Auerbach 1995, 15). This issue will be
examined in more detail when we consider alternative curriculum models and their value.

The users of needs analysis
A needs analysis may be conducted for a variety of different users. For example, in conducting a needs
analysis to help revise the secondary school English curriculum in a country, the end users include
:
•
curriculum officers in the ministry of education, who may wish to use the information to evaluate the
adequacy of existing syllabus, curriculum, and materials
•
teachers who will teach from the new curriculum
•
learners, who will be taught from the curriculum
•
writers, who are preparing new textbooks
•
testing personnel, who are involved in developing end-of-school assessments
•
staff of tertiary institutions, who are interested in knowing what the expected level will be of students
exiting the schools and what problems they face
In the case of a needs analysis conducted by a private institute of language needs of trainee accountants
in international accounting firms, the target users might be
:
•
trainers responsible for designing training programs and materials
•
a funding body, such as the local professional society for accountants who are interested in seeing a
concrete product as an outcome of their funding
•
employers who are interested in improving the job performance of new staff

 With small-scale needs analysis such as that carried out by a single teacher on his or her class, the
audience might consist of the teacher, other teachers, and the program coordinator. In cases of large-
scale needs analysis, there will be multiple audiences for the results of a needs analysis. Determining
the likely audiences is an important first step in planning a needs analysis in order to ensure that the
information they need is obtained and that the needs analysis will have the impact it is designed to
have. Stufflebeam et al. (1985, 25) comment: “It is important to remember that not all key audiences
are likely to be identified at the start of a study. Also, it is entirely possible that the relative importance
of various audiences will change during the study.”
 Needs analysis can thus have a political dimension. It can be used to support a particular agenda, for
example, by giving priority to one group to the exclusion of others within a population or in order to
justify a decision that has already been made on economic or other grounds. For example, an employer
might want to use information from a needs analysis to justify replacing certain staff rather than
investing in providing for retraining. In any situation where needs analysis is being undertaken, there
are thus different stakeholders, that is, those who have a particular interest or involvement in the issues
or programs that are being examined, and it is important to try to get a sense of what their different
agendas are.
 Connelly and Clandinin (1988, 124) define a stakeholder as “a person or group of persons with a right
to comment on, and have input into, the curriculum process offered 56 Chapter 3 Page 56 in schools.”
Different stakeholders will want different things from the curriculum.

 Connelly and Clandinin (1988, 131–132) suggest that when a group of persons are working on a
curriculum committee or trying to solve a curriculum problem they should think of the planning
process as a curriculum stakeholder situation and ask the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of the curriculum situation?
2. If there is a group, what is the makeup of the group?
3. Who set up the project?
4. How were the group’s membership and purpose established?
From the answers to these questions, further questions follow:
1. How accountable am I to this stakeholder?
2. How much will this stakeholder be affected by my decision?
3. How much risk is there in ignoring this stakeholder?
4. How much right has this stakeholder to direct my action?
The target population
The target population in a needs analysis refers to the people about whom information
will be collected. Typically, in language programs these will be language learners or
potential language learners, but others are also often involved depending on whether
they can provide information useful in meeting the purposes of the needs analysis.

For example, in conducting a needs analysis to determine the focus of an English program in public
secondary schools in an EFL context, the target population might include:
• policy makers • ministry of education officials • teachers • students • academics • employers •
vocational training specialists • parents • influential individuals and pressure groups • academic specialists
• community agencies
Within each target group, subcategories of respondents might be needed to provide different perspectives
on needs. For example, in conducting a needs analysis of students studying foreign languages at
a New Zealand university (Richards and Gravatt 1998), the following categories of
students were included to help determine students’ motivations for selecting a language
course, dropping a language course, or choosing not to take a language course:
• 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
 In determining the target population, an important issue is that of sampling. In some
cases, the population is small enough for every learner to be included in the sample. In
other cases, this approach is not feasible and so decisions must be made about the
size of the sample to be included in a needs analysis.

 Sampling involves asking a portion of the potential population instead of the total population and seeks
to create a sample that is representative of the total population. Elley (1984) points out that a number of
factors influence the approach to sampling, such as the homogeneity of the population in terms of the
kinds of skills, attitudes, knowledge or other factors. Where the target population is large, specialized
advice is often needed to determine what approach to sampling best suits the purpose of the study and
the sources of information available.
Administering the needs analysis
Planning a needs analysis involves deciding who will administer the needs analysis and collect and analyze
the results. Needs analyses vary in their scope and demands, from a survey of a whole school population in
a country to a study of a group of thirty learners in a single institution. Sometimes a team of personnel is
assembled specifically for the purpose of doing the analysis; at other times two or three interested teachers
may be the only ones involved. For example, in a needs analysis of the language needs of nonEnglish-
background students studying at a New Zealand university (see Appendix 3), the following were involved:
• the research team made up of two academics and a research assistant
• colleagues in different departments who discussed the project and reviewed sample questionnaires
• students who piloted the questionnaire
• academic staff of the university who administered some of the questionnaires
• secretarial support involved in preparing questionnaires and tabulating data
In some language programs, informal needs analysis is part of a teacher’s ongoing responsibilities. Shaw
and Dowsett (1986) describe this approach in the Australian Adult Migrant Education Program:

 Informal needs assessment deals with the informal negotiations that take place between class
teachers and students in the form of chats with either individual students, groups of students, or
the whole class in order to select a focus for the class and create group cohesion by establishing a
coincidence of learning needs. . . . Informal needs assessment is normally the main task of the
classroom teacher during week one of the course. . . . [It] is a necessary component of information
retrieval on students’ learning needs and should be recorded. It can subsequently be used as an
input for aims and objectives setting and for devising course outlines. (Shaw and Dowsett 1986,
47–49)
Procedures for conducting needs analysis
A variety of procedures can be used in conducting needs analysis and the kind of information obtained is
often dependent on the type of procedure selected. Since any one source of information is likely to be
incomplete or partial, a triangular approach (i.e., collecting information from two or more sources) is
advisable. information could be obtained from the following sources:
• samples of student writing
• test data on student performance
• reports by teachers on typical problems students face
• opinions of experts
• information from students via interviews and questionnaires
• analysis of textbooks teaching academic writing
• survey or related literature
• examples of writing programs from other institutions
• examples of writing assignments given to first-year university students

Procedures for collecting information during a needs analysis can be selected from among the
following:
Questionnaires
Questionnaires are one of the most common instruments used. They are relatively easy to prepare,
they can be used with large numbers of subjects, and they obtain information that is relatively easy
to tabulate and analyze. They can also be used to elicit information about many different kinds of
issues, such as language use, communication difficulties, preferred learning styles, preferred
classroom activities, and attitudes and beliefs. Questionnaires are either based on a set of structured
items (in which the respondent chooses from a limited number of responses) or unstructured (in
which open-ended questions are given that the respondent can answer as he or she chooses).
Structured items are much easier to analyze and are hence normally preferred. A disadvantage of
questionnaires, however, is that the information obtained may be fairly superficial or imprecise and
will often need follow-up to gain a fuller understanding of what respondents intend. It should also
be recognized that there are many badly designed questionnaires in educational research, and it is
advisable to become familiar with the principles of good questionnaire design to ensure that the
information obtained is reliable. Piloting of questionnaires is essential to identify ambiguities and
other problems before the questionnaire is administered.
Self-ratings
These consist of scales that students or others use to rate their knowledge or abilities. (Self-ratings
might also be included as part of a questionnaire.) For example, a student might rate how well he or
she can handle a job interview in English. The disadvantage of such an instrument is that it
provides only impressionistic information and information that is not very precise.

Interviews
Interviews allow for a more in-depth exploration of issues than is possible with a questionnaire, though
they take longer to administer and are only feasible for smaller groups. An interview may often be
useful at the preliminary stage of designing a questionnaire, since it will help the designer get a sense
of what topics and issues can be focused on in the questionnaire. A structured interview in which a set
series of questions is used allows more consistency across responses to be obtained. Interviews can be
conducted face-to-face or over the telephone.
Meetings
A meeting allows a large amount of information to be collected in a fairly short time. For example, a
meeting of teachers on the topic "students' problems with listening comprehension" might generate a
wide range of ideas. However, information obtained in this way may be impressionistic and subjective
and reflect the ideas of more outspoken members of a group.
Observation
Observations of learners' behavior in a target situation is another way of assessing their needs. For
example, observing clerks performing their jobs in a bank will enable the observer to arrive at certain
conclusions about their language needs. However, people often do not perform well when they are
being observed, so this has to be taken into account. In addition, observation is a specialized skill.
Knowing how to observe, what to look for, and how to make use of the information obtained generally
requires specialized training.

Collecting learner language samples
Collecting data on how well learners perform on different language tasks (e.g., business letters, interviews,
telephone calls) and documenting the typical problems they have is a useful and direct source of information
about learners' language needs. Language samples may be collected through the following means:
• written or oral tasks: Examples of students written or oral work are collected.
• Simulations or role plays: Students are given simulations to carry out and their performance is observed
or recorded.
• Achievement tests: Students are tested for their abilities in different do- mains of language use.
• Performance tests: Students are tested on job-related or task-related behaviors, such as "how well a job
interview can be carried out in English.
Task analysis
This refers to analysis of the kinds of tasks the learners will have to carry out in English in a future
occupational or educational setting and assessment of the linguistic characteristics and demands of the tasks.
For example, a hotel employee might have to perform the following tasks in English:
• greet hotel guests
• inquire about their accommodation needs
• inform them of accommodation available at the hotel
• help them make a suitable choice of accommodation
• handle check-in procedures
Berwick (1989, 57) observes: "The emphasis of target situation analysis is on the nature and effect of target
language communications in particular situations (in offices, on assembly lines, in meeting rooms, in content-
area classrooms, for example). Expert analysis of communication establishes standards against which current
performance can be gauged." Once target tasks have been identified, their linguistic characteristics are
determined as a basis for designing a language course or training materials.

Case studies
With a case study, a single student or a selected group of students is followed through a relevant work or
educational experience in order to determine the characteristics of that situation. For example, a newly
arrived immigrant might be studied for three months, during which time the student keeps a log of his or
her daily language experiences in English, the situations in which the language is used, and the problems
he or she encounters. Although it is generally not possible to generalize from a case study, it provides a
very rich source of information that may complement information obtained from other sources.
Analysis of available information
In any situation where a needs analysis is needed, a large amount of relevant information is generally
available in various sources. These include:
• Books
• journal articles
• reports and surveys
• records and files
An analysis of available information is normally the first step in a needs analysis because there are very
few problems in language teaching that have not been written about or analyzed somewhere.
Designing the needs analysis
Designing a needs analysis involves choosing from among the various op- tions discussed above and
selecting those that are likely to give a comprehensive view of learners' needs and that represent the
interests of the different stakeholders involved. Decisions have to be made on the practical procedures
involved in collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reporting the information collected.

It is important to make sure that the needs analysis does not produce an information overload.
There needs to be a clear reason for collecting different kinds of information so as to ensure that
only information that will actually be used is collected. In investigating the language needs of
non-English-background students at a New Zealand university (Gravatt, Richards, and Lewis
1997), the following procedures were used:
1. literature survey
2. analysis of a wide range of survey questionnaires
3. contact with others who had conducted similar surveys
4. interviews with teachers to determine goals
5. identification of participating departments
6. presentation of project proposal to participating departments and identification of liaison
person in each department
7. development of a pilot student and staff questionnaire
8. review of the questionnaires by colleagues
9. piloting of the questionnaires10. selection of staff and student subjects
10. selection of staff and student subjects
11. developing a schedule for collecting data
12. administration of questionnaires
13. follow-up interviews with selected participants
14. tabulation of responses
15. analysis of responses
16. writing up of report and

In smaller-scale needs analysis such as that of a teacher or group of teachers
assessing the needs of new groups of students in a language program, needs
analysis procedures may consist of:
• initial questionnaire
• follow-up individual and group interviews
• meetings with students
• meetings with other teachers
• ongoing classroom
• Observation
• tests

Making use of the information obtained
The results of a needs analysis will generally consist of information taken from several
different sources and summarized in the form of ranked lists of different kinds. For
example, it might result in lists of the following kind:
• situations in which English is frequently used
• situations in which difficulties are encountered
• comments most often made by people on learners’ performance
• frequencies with which different transactions are carried out
• perceived difficulties with different aspects of language use
• preferences for different kinds of activities in teaching
• frequencies of errors made in different types of situations or activities
• common communication problems in different situations
• suggestions and opinions about different aspects of learners’ problems
• frequencies of linguistic items or units in different texts or situations
One of the findings of a needs analysis of problems of ESL students attending university
lectures was a list of the frequency with which students experienced difficulties with
speaking and listening skills (Gravett et al. 1997, 36). The most common difficulties
reported were (by rank):
1. large-group discussions
2. class discussions
3. interactions with native speakers
4. out-of-class projects
5. small-group work

However, such a listing provides little useful information about the precise type of problems the learners
experience in relation to each event. Even if more detailed information had been provided, the results
would still be impressionistic. Johns and Johns (1977) provide such a list based on a needs analysis of
problems students have with discussions. The most frequent difficulties were:
1. comprehension of spoken English (‘they speak too fast’; ‘they mumble’;
‘vocabulary is idiomatic’)
2. the pressing need to formulate a contribution quickly (‘I can’t think what
to say’)
3. shyness about the value of a contribution (‘I might say something
wrong’)
4. inability to formulate an idea in English (‘I don’t know how to say it in
English’)
5. awareness that a given function may be realized in different ways (‘I
don’t know the best way to say it’)
6. frustration about being unable to enter the discussion (‘some students
speak too much’) (Johns and Johns 1977)
Yet even with this more detailed breakdown no direct application to program design is
possible. In order to develop aims and objectives that addressed each problem, more
analysis and research would be needed to further understand what is implied by
“comprehension of spoken English” and before the information obtained could be used in
course planning.

The point here is that there is no direct application of the information obtained from needs analysis.
Although the information gathered is useful, it still has to be subjected to a great deal of interpretation
before it can be usefully applied in program planning.
In the course of carrying out a needs analysis, a large number of potential needs may be identified.
However, these needs will have to be prioritized because not all of them may be practical to address in
a language program, or perhaps the time frame available in the program is suitable for addressing only a
portion of them. And the mere fact that needs have been identified does not automatically imply that
changes will have to be made in the curriculum. First, the existing curriculum (when there is one) has to
be examined to see to what extent the needs that have been identified are being met. Decisions will
therefore have to be made concerning which of the needs are critical, which are important, and which
are merely desirable. In addition, some needs will be immediate and others longer-term. For some,
solutions will be feasible; for others, they may be impractical.
It is also important to remember that because needs are not objective facts but subjective interpretations
of information from a large variety of sources, a great deal of consultation is needed with the various
stakeholders to ensure that the conclusions drawn from a needs analysis are appropriate and relevant. It
often happens that some of the information may be contradictory, Stufflebeam et al. (1985, 111) remind
us:
The process of analysis [of the results of a needs analysis] involves efforts that
are thoughtful, investigatory, systematic, and carefully recorded so that they can
be replicated and reviewed. The primary goal of analysis is to bring meaning to
the obtained information and to do so in the context of some philosophy, relevant
perspectives, and value positions that may be in conflict.

A number of different points of view emerged as to what should be changed:
1• learners’ view: more support for learning needed and reduction of the amount of materials they had
to study
2• academics’view: better preparation for tertiary studies needed in terms of reading and writing skills
3• employers’view: better preparation for employment required in terms of basic communication skills
4• teachers’view: better grasp of grammar needed by learners
Brindley (1989) discusses differences between learners’ and teachers’ views of needs and suggests the
need for a negotiation process in order to satisfy and clarify each other’s assumptions. The same is true
of other stakeholders in the curriculum.
Where there are several different audiences for the needs analysis (e.g., teachers, administrators, a
funding body), the information obtained will have to be analyzed – and analyzed in a form that suits
each group’s interests.
Needs analysis thus produces information that can be used in different ways.
For example:
• It may provide the basis for the evaluation of an existing program or a component of a program.
• It may provide the basis for planning goals and objectives for a future program.
• It may assist with developing tests and other assessment procedures.
• It can help with the selection of appropriate teaching methods in a program.
• It may provide the basis for developing a syllabus and teaching materials for a course.
• It may provide information that can be used as part of a course or program report to an external body
or organization.

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