2.2.5 English for Academic Purposes EAP
EAP involves teaching students to use language appropriately for a study. Swales 1990 acknowledges that EAP is aimed at achieving a certain level of
proficiency in academic reading and writing and therefore concentrated especially on graduate theses and dissertation writing. Swales also says that
EAP can be used as a „conspicuous learning tool‟ in both reading and writing. It is an educational approach and set of beliefs that is often contrasted with
general English courses: the starting point of EAP is the learner and their situation rather than the language; secondly, many EAP courses focus more on
reading and writing, whereas many general English language courses concentrate on speaking and listening; EAP courses tend to teach formal,
academic genres rather than the conversational and social genres taught in general English courses. EST which is a branch of EAP covers that area of
writt en English that extends from the „peer‟ writing of scientists and
technically oriented professionals to the writing aimed at skilled technician Trimble, 1985.
According to Gillet and Wray 2006, EAP is a practical branch of ELT in which the role of the EAP lecturer is to find out what they have to do in their
academic courses, and help them to do this well in the time available. Needs analysis is the starting point of EAP course design and teaching. On the basis
of this, the EAP lecturer or course designer can specify course objectives, which lead to an assessment of the resources available and use of the
appropriate syllabus and methodology. Implementation of the syllabus then leads to an evaluation of the course in terms of its effectiveness. It is evident
that EAP as a branch of ESP makes use of needs analysis that is geared towards establishing learners‟ needs in the learning of the course or what is
popularly known as learning needs by Hutchinson and Waters 1987. This study also falls partly under EAP since the learning needs of the students were
established.
Hutchinson and Waters 1987 argue that there is not a clear-cut distinction between EAP and EOP. People can work and study simultaneously since it is
likely that in many cases the language learnt for immediate use in a study environment will be used later when the student takes up, or returns to, a job.
This to some extent explains Carver 1983‟s reason for categorising both EAP and EOP under ESP. It appears that Carver is implying that the end purpose of
both EAP and EOP are one in the same: employment. Both EAP and EOP are built around the principle of identifying the needs of a learner and then seeking
to develop a course that incorporates both the purpose and the functions for
which a language may be required. 2.3 Needs Analysis
According to West 1994, needs analysis was generally very informal until 1970s and little research was done as language teachers based their teaching on
some kind of intuitive or informal analysis of students‟ needs. He was the first to introduce needs analysis in his work. After that, many scholars came
forward and realised the importance of needs analysis.
Richards, Platt J. and Platt H. 1992, pp. 242-243 stated that needs analysis is the process of determining the needs for which a learner or group of learners
requires a language and arranging the needs according to priorities. On the other hand, Nunan 1988 p.13 focused more on the information gathering
process; he states that “techniques or procedures for collecting information to be used in syllabus design are referred to as needs analysis.” It is worth
mentioning at this stage that the terms „needs analysis‟ and „needs assessment‟ are used interchangeably, nonetheless, „needs analysis‟ is the term we will use
throughout this study and this is due to the fact that it is the most commonly used term by a number of scholars.
Ritcheritch and Chancerell 1987 argue that the aim of needs analysis is not only to identify elements which will lend themselves to training but to establish
relative importance, to find out what is indispensable, necessary or merely desirable.
West 1994 stated that needs analysis is essentially a pragmatic activity focused on specific situations, although grounded on general theories, such as
the nature of language and curriculum.
According to Hutchinson and Waters 1987, needs analysis started mainly in the field of ESP and they say that as far as needs analysis is concerned, there
should not be any differences between ESP and general English. Similarly, Richards 1990 as cited in West, 1994 p.13 believes that most of the literature
in needs analysis originally came from the realm of TESP Teaching English for Specific Purposes but needs analysis procedures have come to be seen as
fundamental to the planning of general language courses.
Iwai et al 1999 state that the term needs analysis generally refers to the activities that are involved in collecting information that will serve as the basis
for developing a curriculum that will meet the needs of a particular group of students.
All these definitions according to the researcher are all learner oriented, in that, the ultimate goal of carrying out a needs analysis is to design a course that will
make the learner have an edge in the prospective work domain
2.3.1 Philosophies of Needs Analysis
Kategori