Running head: NEEDS ANALYSIS LITERATURE REVIEW
Needs Analysis Literature Review Yuanyuan Sun, Sarah van Nostrand, & Courtney Van Evera Colorado State University
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NEEDS ANALYSIS LITERATURE REVIEW
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Introduction
This paper was submitted as a part of requirements for E634 English E634 English for Specific Purposes course. The literature review was written prior to a n eeds analysis that was conducted on the Natural Resources, Recreation, and Tourism 320 course (NRRT 320), within the Master of Tourism Management (MTM) Pathway program at INTO CSU (the Intensive English program at Colorado State University). This literature review focuses on researching some of the approaches to conducting needs nee ds analyses for English language learners (ELLs). This research has helped my colleagues and I choose approaches to conducting our needs analysis on the MTM pathways program effectively. Moreover, my colleagues and I developed our supplemental modules addressing the specific needs identified for English learners in the MTM pathways program based on the results of our need analysis. The supplemental materials development report can be found under un der the Instruction domain in my portfolio. This paper concludes with a brief summary of the needs analysis we conducted. Literature Review
Needs analyses are not only beneficial to creating effective ESP courses, they are a necessity, as discussed by Johns and Price-Machado (2000). Needs analyses are viewed as an integral part of the development of ESP ES P courses, as well as a valuable tool to be utilized as an ongoing process to assess student progress. Over time, needs analyses have grown in complexity. While target language use was the primary focus in earlier needs analyses, they have evolved to include other analyses such as discourse ana lysis and learner factor analysis (Basturkmen, 2010). The target situation, present situation, learner factor, and discourse factor analysis were all
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NEEDS ANALYSIS LITERATURE REVIEW
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Nation & Macalister (2010) describes needs analyses as revolving around two major components: target needs and learning needs. While target needs focus on what the student needs to be able to achieve ach ieve in the target situation, learning needs refer to what the student must do to be be able to learn. These needs can be further subdivided into needs, lacks, and wants. What does the student need to know in order to be successful in the course? What knowledge or information are students lacking when they enter the course? What do students want to get out of the course? These are all questions that should be asked to address these three components. compone nts. In order to answer these questions, various types of information must be gathered and analyzed. Conducting observations, interviews, corpus analysis, and formal and informal assessments are just a few possible ways to gather this necessary data. While the goal of a needs analysis is ultimately intended to address the needs of the target population, it is important to note that ne eds analyses are not always completely objec tive in their goals. Benesch (2001) explains that they are often used by institutions to get students to follow well-known communicative practices, which is why there has been criticism that needs analyses encourage the notion that needs analyses value language training over language education (Widdowson, 1983). Nation & Macalister (2010) also discusses the importance of evaluating whether or not a needs analysis is reliable and practical. In order for a needs analysis to be reliable, data d ata must be collected from several different sources. Moreover, methods of collecting data must be systematic. That is, for example, during one-on-one interviews with current students, analysts should use checklists and be sure to ask the same questions to every student in order to ensure
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the most important information has the time and resources required to be collected. Nation warns against falling into the trap of collecting data simply because it is convenient. Every piece of data gathered during the needs analysis process should have a clear purpose. Jasso-Aguilar’s (2005) study of Waikiki hotel maids discusses the importance of utilizing multiple sources and methods of data collection in a needs analysis, as well as employing triangulation, in order to provide a well-rounded, multi-sided assessment of student needs. Triangulation, a more current and encompassing approach to needs analysis, is a process involving systematic comparison between multiple sources that can aid in eliminating institutional or other outsider bias from the analysis (Jasso-Aguilar, 2005). Similarly, Maxwell (1996), defines triangulation as “…collecting information from a diverse range of individuals and setting by using a variety v ariety of methods” (p. 93). Triangulation was used by Jasso-Aguilar in his study of Waikiki hotel maids where he cross-analyzed data between three distinct sources: workers, guests, and administrators. In another study, Hudspath-Niemi (2008) examined the effectiveness of English as a second languag e (ESL) staff development programs in an elementary, middle, and high school located in western Pennsylvania by employing triangulation. In order for Hudspath-Niemi to enhance the reliability of her needs analysis, she used triangulation to cross-analyze her three major data collection sources, which included teacher focus groups, administrator interviews, and document analysis (Hudspath-Niemi, 2008). This approach to conducting a needs analysis is appealing, in part, because bec ause it “…allows for a broader view and multiple perspectives of the issue” (Hudspath-Niemi, 2008, p. 60). Summary
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alone and are not meant to expand upon results of previous studies. The results gathered from the needs analysis were used solely for the purpose p urpose of addressing the specific needs of future pathway students entering NRRT 320 and developing supplemental materials. My colleagues and I conducted the needs analysis during the spring semester of 2016. The types of needs examined are closely related to the goals of needs analysis. Generally speaking, target situation analysis and learner factor analysis help with indicating indispensable tasks and skills in the course for students to master for the sake of academic success. Furthermore, learner factor analysis and present situation analysis help with locating gaps students have regarding NRRT 320 in terms of language skills and content specifically. Corpus based analysis serves as a supplemental tool to stress crucial vocabulary required to be known and understood in NRRT 320. All of those stated above contribute to achieving the ultimate goal of need analysis to create supplemental materials ma terials for students in NRRT 320, which provides students with what they should already know going into the course, such as fundamental topical knowledge and vocabulary that appears most frequently in the tourism management domain. They also benefit students in self study, helping them with comprehension of course content and tasks. The quality of data can influence the result result of need analysis dramatically. dramatically. Several data collection techniques were employed by the analysts in order to gather information effectively and efficiently. The main methods used in the need analysis are listed in the Table 1 below, along with the main corresponding considerations of using the method.
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NEEDS ANALYSIS LITERATURE REVIEW Methods
Considerations
Classroom observations
Identifying the significant class contexts, required
(Language class at INTO AEP 152
ability and skills to complete most common class tasks,
and content class NRRT 320)
students’ performance and lacks from the objective perspective.
Interviews
Gaining in-depth information from the most closely
(Previous and present students in
related stakeholders specifically students and
the pathway program, content
instructors.
teachers, language teachers, administrators etc.) Analysis of classroom assessments
Identifying most challenging tasks with clear criteria;
(course syllabus, assignment
identifying the important moves for students to
guidelines and students’ submitted
complete in the assignments and tasks; judging required
and graded class works, etc.)
skills in the tasks based on the class objectives; identifying possible challenges students face in terms of language in the assignment.
Analysis of class materials
Identifying the significant vocabulary in the target
(course readings, PowerPoints etc.)
language use domain
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References
Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing (2010). Developing courses in English for specific purposes. purposes. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Benesch, S. (2001). Critical English for academic purposes: Theory, politics and practice. New practice. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Hudspath-Niemi, H. (2008). Historical (2008). Historical case analysis of ESL staff development for mainstream mainstream content area teachers in a pennsylvania p ennsylvania school district (Order No. 3315393). Available from Education Database; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: Social Sciences. (304405034). Retrieved from https://search-proquest com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/docview/304405034?accountid=10223 Jasso-Aguilar, R. (2005). Sources, methods, and triangulation in needs analysis: A critical perspective in a case study of Waikiki hotel maids. maids. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Johns, A. M., & Price-Machado, D. (2001). English for specific purposes: Tailoring courses to student needs—and to the outside world. Teaching English as a second or foreign language, language, 3, 43-54. Maxwell, J.A. (1996). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.