AΓΓ 53

ASSIGMENT 1

TITLE

«NEEDS ANALYSIS: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE»

TSOLAKIDOU DIMITRA, 24930

Dimitra Tsolakidou, ΑΓΓ 53, 24930, Assignment 1, November 2005 0

 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ………….2

2. TEACHING CONTEXT ………………3

3. THEORY …………………..3

4. PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE ……………….4

5. RESULTS ……………….5

6. CONCLUSION ………………………………7

7. REFERENCES ……………………………...8

8. APPENDICES ……………………………...9

Dimitra Tsolakidou, ΑΓΓ 53, 24930, Assignment 1, November 2005 1

 1. Introduction

Teaching English as a foreign language is a challenging experience. Not only because

the theoretical process of teaching can be quite demanding but also because when put into
practice this theory mingles with the students’ mixed abilities, their competence in the
foreign language, their needs and desires. These can be revealed through many methods,
one of which being ‘needs analysis’.

This assignment analyses the theoretical concept of needs analysis, its actual
implementation in the classroom and the overall evaluation of its results in relation to the
aims set and the objectives accomplished.

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 2. Teaching context

Being a teacher of English in a Technical Vocational School is rather demanding.

The situation presented below involves a class of 25 students attending the first grade of
a TEE (Technical Vocational School) in Heraklion, Crete where English is taught twice a
week. The class consists of both girls and boys around the age of 16. Students are of
mixed abilities in the sense that there isn’t any separation according to level of
knowledge. On the contrary, students’ level ranges from upper intermediate to basic or
even less. In general, one could say that students’ level is average and they bear no
eagerness to learn English. That is mostly because of the technical orientation in the
school’s curriculum and so the emphasis is on technical subjects and specific sciences.
Even the English coursebook is designed by the Ministry of Educational Affairs
specifically for TEE students so as to emphasize the vocational aspect of the language.

The teacher of english in a TEE should always consider the orientation of the
educational system’s curriculum in order to direct the lesson towards the accomplishment
of specific aims and objectives. For this reason, the teacher has to approach students and
get a clear idea of what is in their minds and what their attitude towards English is. In
practice this can be realised through various techniques, one of them being ‘Needs
Analysis’, where students express theis needs and wants, their deficiencies and lacks in
relation to foreign language learning.

1. Theory

Needs analysis offers many advantages as it helps teachers get to know their
audience, identify the actual situation in the classroom, measure up students’ skills and
abilities and spot their differences. Having such data in hand the teacher can evaluate the
whole procedure of the lesson and make the necessary amendments. One could say that
needs analysis becomes a kind of negotiation between teacher and learner on the matter
of lesson methodology and can affect the entire teaching – learning process.

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 A needs analysis can refer to both objective and subjective needs of learners.
According to Brindley (1989, p. 66) these can be divided into three categories: language
proficiency needs, psychological humanistic needs and specific purposes needs. The first
and third category both deal with learners’ objective needs and are product oriented; that
is they focus solely on linguistic content. The second category has to do with the
subjective needs of learners and is considered process – oriented because it goes beyond
the definition of target language behaviour and deals with the ‘how’ of learning.

Tudor (1996, p. 73 – 77) mentions various techniques of needs analysis such as

interviews with learners, tests, observations, case studies, authentic data collections and
questionnaires, all these aiming at providing useful information about learners’ needs in
order to enchance their learning experience and achieve the best possible educational
results. Students of this specific class were presented with a questionnaire of fifteen
questions to answer in roughly twenty minutes so as to reveal their inner thoughts about
English language in general and the actual english lesson in specific.

2. Putting theory into practice

The questionnaire (see App. I) was divided into three sections with different
headings according to the topic handled in each of them. In section A students were asked
to give facts about their learning experience in relation to English. They had to answer
questions such as when they first started learning English, whether they are currently
having English lessons outside school and what is their present situation of knowledge. In
order to see their exact level of acquisition they were asked to evaluate themselves and
give marks from 1 to 10 for specific skills such as speaking, reading, writing, listening,
grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. They were also asked to state their favourite
skill of all and thus reveal their preference.

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 In the second section students had the opportunity to give their opinion on matters
relevant to the acquisition of English language and show their likes and dislikes about the
content of the lesson. For this reason they were asked about the importance of learning
english and they had to state a reason for believing so (ie. work, studies ect). They could
also express their wants in relation to classroom activities by stating whether they prefer
working individually, in pairs or in groups, whether they want homework or not and how
they like to be corrected, with or without much help from the teacher. Finally they were
asked to comment on whether they wish to change the structure of the lesson in some
way and if so give suggestions about it. This gives students the opportunity to reveal
whether they are content with how the lesson is being done and suggest new ideas of
improvement.

Moving on to the third section, students coped with one practical and one
hypothetical question. The first question dealt with the english coursebook and whether
its content is approved by the students. They had to express their thoughts by stating what
they like and dislike about the coursebook’s outlay, presentation features and content.
Then learners were given the chance to “design” the ideal coursebook by choosing the
most popular topics among ten given. In this way it becomes obvious which subjects
trigger students’ interest and which are of less importance to them. With that essential
question the questionnaire was concluded.

3. The results

The idea of a Needs Analysis through the form of a questionnaire was met with
great enthusiasm by students. They liked giving their opinion about the content of english
lessons and they felt that their contribution was valuable. Indeed it was.

The results of the questionnaire (see App. II) were more or less expected. Most
students of the class have started learning english more than four years ago in private
language schools but there are cases that only had English lessons in high school as part
of the secondary education curriculum.

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 What made an impression was the fact that ten out of twenty five students did not
continue English outside school but stopped without getting any certificate (Q. 1-2).
Maybe this is attributed to the fact that the knowledge of English language is not
considered such an important qualification in the countryside although one would expect
that in Crete, which is a touristic island, english would be valued more.

The relatively low level of knowledge in English language is also proven by the
fact that most students marked themselves around basis in relation to performance in
basic skills of English (Q. 3). The problem seems to be in the productive skills (speaking
and writing) while there is a better attitude towards reading as well as vocabulary. Since
there is no linguistic input in their everyday context it goes without saying that listening
and pronunciation are the weak points in students’ performance. Their favourite skill
tends to be reading (Q. 4) as they consider it quite easy.

When asked about the reasons of importance for learning English (Q. 5) the
majority of students voted for work, thus proving the vocational orientation of their
studies. This also became obvious by their preference in learning specific vocational
vocabulary rather than general English (Q. 6). In relation to the way of working in the
classroom (Q. 7) students were divided between pair work and group work and only two
liked working individually. Maybe this is due to the fact that they feel insecure about
their competence, they are afraid to try alone and thus welcome collaboration.

Teaching aids proved to be an essential part of the lesson according to students,

who asked for multimedia (DVD, Internet ect) as a means of help in the foreign language
learning (Q. 8). Unfortunately school provides only a tape recorder to help with listening
tasks. The vast majority of the class prefers doing all activities in the classroom during
the lesson and only a small minority asks for homework (Q. 9). This is either because of
lack of time or lack of dedication to english.

Students are against frequent revision tests because they see them as a continuous
control method with an impact on their semester grade (Q. 10). As far as correction is

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concerned (Q. 11) they tend to prefer teacher guidance – either oral or written – and they
vote against self – correction methods, which probably fill them with insecurity.

When asked whether they would like to change the way of the lesson, most
students said there shouldn’t be any change (Q. 12 -13). That can be translated into a vote
of trust towards the teacher or maybe incapability from the part of students to detect what
they would rather change. Those who favoured change asked for authentic materials,
teaching aids and more fun in the classroom!

Finally, in the last two questions (Q. 14-15) students expressed their disapproval
of the coursebook as they consider it rather difficult for their level, without many
interesting topics and without a reader-friendly layout. The only positive thing they
aknowledged is that they don’t have to pay for it. The ideal coursebook, according to
them, would have many pictures, easy tasks and topics related to teenage problems,
sports, hobbies, holidays, employment, human relations and generally a modern teaching
approach. It seems that the content of the book plays a vital role in the way students
handle the whole english lesson; it can either attract them or drive them away.

4. Conclusion

By designing such a questionnaire about english as a foreign language one can get
valuable information about the target group, the students, and their objective and
subjective needs. Their opinion counts and it is of vast importance that they get involved
in decision - making processes regarding the way the lesson is carried out. Needs
analysis provides space for learner autonomy and self – expression while simultaneously
evaluating the teaching system. It is the first step of control which gives feedback about
educational aims and whether they are achieved. If not there is always the possibility of
change for the better.
Words count: ~1650

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REFERENCES

Brindley, G. (1986). The role of needs analysis in adult ESL programme design. In R. K.
Johnson (ed) The Second Language Curriculum. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

Tudor, I. (1996). Learner-Centredness as Language Education. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

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 APPENDICES

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 Appendix I
QUESTIONNAIRE

Section A – Facts

1. When did you start learning English?

a) 1 – 2 years ago
b) 3 – 4 years ago
c) more than 4 years ago

and where? _______________________________________

2. Are you having English lessons outside school at the moment?

YES / NO

 If YES what is the level you attend? _____________________________

 If NOT did you get any certificate? ______________________________

3. Give yourself a mark from 1 - 10 for:

a) Speaking ________
b) Reading ________
c) Writing ________
d) Listening ________
e) Grammar ________
f) Vocabulary ________
g) Pronuciantion ________

4. From all the above skills which is your favourite? ______________________

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 Section B – Opinions

5. Why do you think it is important to learn English?

a) to work
b) to travel
c) to study

6. Which do you prefer learning most? Put a tick (√).

a) specific vocational vocabulary ________
b) general English ________
c) oral-communicative acts ________

7. Which way of working in the classroom do you like? Put a tick (√).
- Individually/alone ________
- Pair work ________
- Group work ________

8. Teaching aids. What do you think would help the lesson? Put a tick (√).
 cassette/listening ________
 internet/PC ________
 TV/Video/ DVD ________

9. Underline which of the two you prefer:

Having homework OR Doing all the tasks/exercises in the classroom

10. Do you like frequent revision tests? Cirle your answer.

YES / NO why? ______________________________________

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 11. Choose how you prefer to be corrected:
a) by the teacher orally
b) by the teacher in written form
c) by yourself together with the help of the teacher
d) by yourself with a little help from the teacher (self correction)

12. Underline. The way the lesson is done should:

CHANGE / NOT CHANGE

13. Write a suggestion about what you would like to change in the lesson.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Section C – Coursebook

14. What is your opinion of the English coursebook that we are doing now?
Write something that you like and something that you don’t like about it.
_____________________________________________________________________

15. The most popular topics for the ideal coursebook are (grade from 1 to 10)
 Teenage problems ___________
 Human relations ___________
 Sports/hobbies ___________
 Entertainment/holidays ___________
 Environment ___________
 Knowledge of the world ___________
 Health ___________
 Employment/ Job ___________
 Family life ___________
 Art/Culture ___________ Thank you!!

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Appendix II
RESULTS OF QUESTIONNAIRE

Answers
Questions Number of Percentage of
students students
12. When did you start learning English?
d) 1 – 2 years ago None None
e) 3 – 4 years ago 5 20%
f) more than 4 years ago 20 80%
and where? (inside or outside school) 5 inside school 20% inside school
20 outside school 80% outside school
13. Are you having English lessons outside
school at the moment? Yes 60%
Yes 15
YES / NO No 40%
No 10
 If YES what is the level you attend? Basic 8 Basic 32%
Intermediate 7 Intermediate 28%
 If NOT did you get any certificate?
No certificate 10 No certificate 40%

14. Give yourself a mark from 1 - 10 for: AVERAGE MARK COMMENTS

h) Speaking 5  problems in
i) Reading 6 productive
j) Writing 5 skills
k) Listening 4  no input in L2
l) Grammar 6 for listening
m) Vocabulary 7  quite well in
n) Pronuciantion 6 vocabulary
 not an english
accent
4. From all the above skills which is your Reading 20 Reading 80%
favourite?
Speaking 3 Speaking 12%
Listening 2 Listening 8%
Questions Number of Percentage of

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 students students
5. Why do you think it is important to
learn English?
d) to work 20 80%
e) to travel 3 12%
f) to study 2 8%
6. Which do you prefer learning most? Put
a tick (√).
d) specific vocational vocabulary 15 60%
e) general English 8 32%
f) oral-communicative acts 2 8%
7. Which way of working in the
classroom do you like? Put a tick (√).
- Individually/alone 2 8%
- Pair work 10 40%
- Group work 13 52%
8. Teaching aids. What do you think
would help the lesson? Put a tick (√).
 cassette/listening 5 20%
 internet/PC 8 32%
 TV/Video/ DVD 12 48%
9. Underline which of the two you prefer:
Having homework OR 7 28%
Doing all the tasks/exercises in the classroom 18 72%
10. Do you like frequent revision tests?
Cirle your answer. Yes 5 20%
YES / NO why? No 20 80%
11. Choose how you prefer to be corrected:
a) by the teacher orally
b) by the teacher in written form 11 44%
c) by yourself together with the help of 8 32%
the teacher
d) by yourself with a little help from the 4 16%
teacher (self correction)
2 8%
12. Underline. The way the lesson is done CHANGE 8 32%
should: CHANGE / NOT CHANGE NOT CHANGE 17 68%

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 13. Write a suggestion about what you PROPOSALS
would like to change in the lesson.  Teaching aids (video/DVD/PC)
 Emphasis on specific vocabulary
 Authentic material (newspapers,
manuals)
14. What is your opinion of the English LIKES DISLIKES
coursebook that we are doing now?  It is free  Not easy
Write something that you like and something  Specific  Not many
that you don’t like about it. reference to pictures
TEE context  Not
 Too much interesting
vocabulary topics
15. The most popular topics for the ideal AVERAGE
coursebook are (grade from 1 to 10) GRADE OF
POPULARITY
 Teenage problems 1
 Human relations 5
 Sports/hobbies 2
 Entertainment/holidays 3
 Environment 8
 Knowledge of the world 9
 Health 10
 Employment/ Job 4
 Family life 7
 Art/Culture 6

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