NEEDS ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH FOR COMPUTER

SCIENCE STUDENTS

Fera Ariana1, Dedy Agung Prabowo2

1
Bengkulu University, Bengkulu Indonesia, ariana_fera@yahoo.co.id
2
Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu, Bengkulu Indonesia, dedyagungprabowo@umb.ac.id

Abstract

Needs analysis is an important asset for teachers of English for specific purposes (ESP) to get
their requirements or needs and determine what skill they need. This is because an English for
academic program, such as English for University students must match the needs of the
students when they study at the university and when they already work after their graduation.
The objective of this study was to reveal the English skills needed by computer science
students in ESP class. This study is a qualitative study using a set of questionnaires to collect
the data. The results and discussion are discussed in the form of descriptive and interpretative
based on relevant theories. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with four faculty
members of the department and the data were analyzed qualitatively. Thus, mixed methods
were used for collection and analyses of data. The results of the analysis of questionnaire and
interviews revealed that reading skill and sub-skills such as reading texts, tables, graphics,
diagrams, pictures and so on are most dominantly needed by computer science students. It is
suggested that the findings of the study may be utilized for designing an English language
course, namely “English for Computer Science” that suits the target needs of undergraduate
students to develop their reading skills in English language for this specialized discipline at
the university

Keywords: English for Specific Purposes, needs analysis, computer science students

INTRODUCTION.

Along with the rapid development of scientific, the growth of science and technology, the increased use
of English as the international language of science, technology and business, the increased economic power, the
need for English also increases. The demand for English in accordance with their fields (English for specific
purposes) increases rapidly. Hutchinson and Alan Waters (1967) stated that ESP started because of demand for
new brave world in English Language Learning. Therefore, Courses of English for specific purposes (ESP) get
a lot of attention, especially in universities. Since the students of computer science department have to design
software installation guides, software manuals for project presentations, their learning demands of English are
different from the students of other departments.
However, in fact, teaching and learning English for specific purposes in universities especially in
computer science department of Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu are still ineffective and do not meet
the society needs. This is because usually students are only taught general English in class so students do not
have the ability to speak English according to their fields. consequently, students must be equipped with subject-
specialist knowledge as well as specific English from their chosen fields during their study at universities and
colleges for only then they will be able to become competent professionals in their work lives. we can get this
through need analysis.
Need analysis is the basis of ESP because English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum development
is guided by the need of the students. The purpose of ESP is to prepare learners to use English within academic
or professional environments, and therefore it is important for ESP course developers to be aware of the needs
of learners (Basturkmen, 2006, 2010; Brown, 1995; Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998; Hutchinson & Waters,
1987; Rahman, Ming, Aziz, & Razak, 2008). According to Basturkmen (2006, 2010), conducting a needs
analysis can help curriculum developers design effective ESP courses or programs. Many recent ESP scholars
(e.g. Arslan & Coskun, 2014; Tatzl, 2013) have supported Long’s (2005) argument that a course without needs
analysis does not have the detailed or selective goals that are necessary to provide the focus needed for
successful outcomes. He suggested that ESP courses built without the aid of a needs analysis often contain too
much or too little instruction to meet the learners’ needs.
Some studies of need analysis in the field of education have been conducted. One of the studies was
conducted by Salehi (2010). He conducted a questionnaire survey on 225 students at Sharif University of
Technology and the findings showed that students need to develop their writing and speaking skills and he
suggested that priority should be provided for the two mentioned skills in the curriculum.
Meddour (2013) in his study found that the students have positive attitudes towards learning English
language; and the students rated speaking and writing skills as productive skills that they want to develop most.
Furthermore, the students claimed that the current teaching materials do not match their needs.
From the above findings, it is clear that providing suitable material in English for computer science
students is an important part of what must be done by computer science English teachers. As Hutchinson and
Waters (1987) stated that ESP is an approach to language teaching which aims to meet the needs of particular
learners. Thus, this study is aimed to explore the English language needs of computer science students at
Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu.

METHODOLOGY
The design of this research was a descriptive quantitative research. The researcher collected the data
about students’ opinions about the needs of first semester of Information Technology students of
Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu. The sampling technique used in this research was random sampling. In
this research, the sample was the second semester of Information Technology students of Muhammadiyah
university of Bengkulu that consisted of 30 students.

The instrument of the research was questionnaires which modified from Meddour (2013). The
questionnaire was used to identify the students’ need for computer science English teaching material and used
for students and subject specialists. Questionnaire items, in terms of students’ needs in learning English material
consisted of three parts. The first part was used to collect personal information from the students regarding their
English language background and their perceptions regarding the necessity of English for their future and the
reasons why they consider it to be necessary. The second part consisted of an attitude scale format. One of the 5-
point Likert scale aimed at finding out the perceptions of the students regarding the importance of the learning
needs which consisted of 35 items related to the four skills. In the third part of the questionnaire consisted of a
scale format. One of the 5-point Likert scale aimed at finding out the perceptions of the students regarding the
importance of the target needs which consisted of 20 items related to the four skills

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Having collected the responses of the participants, a process of analyzing and interpreting the results is
to be conducted to picture out the present status of ESP teaching in Computer Science Department and the target
needs that students are aiming to meet. Here are the findings.
1. Students’ Personal Information
The age of computer science students who join English class is in the range of 18 to 20 years old. Most
of the students are males. If we analyze the question inquiring about mother tongue of the selected students, the
mother tongue of 53% students is Bengkulu language, 20% has Javanese, 17% students Bahasa Indonesia and
the rest 10% students have other language as their mother tongue. So it can be concluded that the students do
not have any English background. The result of the questionnaire showed that 20% of the students have very
high motivation and 53% students have high motivation in learning English. There are 27% students who have
low motivation in learning English. Most of the students said that English is important for their future job
(63%), 37% students said that English is important to continue their study. From the data, it can be seen that the
first semester of computer science students of Muhammadiyah university of Bengkulu have high and very high
motivation in learning English. Some of the students learn English out of class by taking English course. English
because they think that English is essential for their future job.
2. Present Situation Analysis
Students’ Strengths and Weaknesses towards English proficiency are shown in the table below:
Language area Very weak Weak Good Very good
1. Grammar 17% 66% 17% 0%
2. General 13% 54% 33% 0%
Vocabulary
3. Specific 27% 26% 17% 0%
Vocabulary
4. Pronunciation 23% 60% 17% 0%
5. Speaking 23% 60% 17% 0%
6. Listening 24% 53% 23% 0%
 7. Reading 27% 33% 40% 0%
8. Writing 27% 56% 17% 0%
Table 2. Students’ Strengths and Weaknesses towards English proficiency
The table above describes the computer science students’ ability in English. In the aspect of grammar,
pronunciation, and listening skill, the highest percentage of students is in the category of “weak”. Meanwhile, in
the aspect of reading, most students are in the category of “good”. From the table above, it can be seen also that
the most difficult skill/element of language is in grammar which is 66% and the easiest skill/element of
language is in reading which is 40%.
The result of the research in skill needed by computer science students of ESP course can be seen on
tables below:
Language area Rank
Reading 7
Specific Vocabulary 6.8
General vocabulary 6.7
Writing 6.6
Speaking 6.5
Listening 6.4
Grammar 5
Pronunciation 5
Table 2. Skill Ranking According to its Importance to Students’ Discipline
Reading, specific and general vocabulary and writing are ranked in the first place in terms of
importance in students’ discipline. Speaking and listening ranked the second and specific vocabulary in the
bottom three. Grammar and pronunciation are reported to be the least important skills in English for Computer
Science course. Vocabulary knowledge is very important for ESP students because one of the key aspects of
ESP teaching is the improvement of the students’ vocabulary in the specific area they are studying. Dudley-
Evans (1998) includes vocabulary as one of the absolute characteristics for ESP: “ESP is centered on the
language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre”
3. Target situation analysis
As mentioned previously, ESP is related in content to the learners’ field. Computer Science is a
discipline that covers a wide range of topics that vary in their importance and value from one student to another.
From the questionnaire it can be seen that there are top five needed topics to be implemented in ESP course for
computing are Internet (30 responses), website (30 responses), computer users (28 responses), operating system
(28 responses) and network (28 responses). While the bottom five topics in terms of importance are: computer
architecture (22 responses), peripherals (22 responses), application program (24 responses), graphical user
interface (25 responses) and the world wide web (25 responses). It seems that the internet related topics are the
most needed to be dealt with due to their novelty, excitement, wideness, attractiveness, and entertaining factors.
Learners must be introduced with these topics for a better understanding, vocabulary building, skills
development and knowledge formation.
Students are also asked to rate some types of each of the four skills according to their importance. The
answer describes on the table below:
a. Reading types
Reading types Not Important Very important
importan
t
Reading manuals and instructions 5 17 8
16.6% 56.6% 26.6%
Reading web pages and internet 2 21 7
materials 6.6% 70% 23.3%
Reading printed documents 5 12 13
16.6% 40% 43.3%
Others (table, graphics, diagram, 9 17 4
pictures, etc.) 30% 56.6% 13.3%
Table 3. Students’ Ranking of Reading Types
Almost all the suggested reading types are considered by the participants as either important or very
important. However, reading web page and internet is ranked the most important of all other reading types. It is
56.6% for reading manuals and instructions, 40% for reading printed documents and 56.6% students said that
reading table, graphics, diagram and pictures are important. While reading is a skill that exposes learners to
updated publications and documents, Computer Science students do not read for that purpose but focus on the
purpose of accessing how new technological equipment and gadget functions operate.

b. Speaking types

Speaking types Not Important V. important

importan
t
Speaking to the teacher 10 15 5
33.3% 50% 16.6%
Speaking to classmates 23 7 0
76.6% 23.3% 0%
Speaking to foreign visitors 19 11 0
63.3% 36.6% 0%
Phone calls and online chatting 16 14 0
23.3% 46.6% 0%
Speaking in conferences 20 10 0
66.6% 33.3% 0%
Giving presentations 9 21 0
30% 70% 0%
Others 0 0 0
0% 0% 0%
Table 4. Students’ Ranking of Speaking Types
As far as speaking skill is concerned, almost all participants view the listed skills as not important or
important. The most important skill according to them is “giving presentation” (70%). However, “speaking to
classmates” is viewed as not important skill. It makes sense because the students do not use English when they
communicate with their friends.
c. Listening types
Listening types Not Important V. important
important
Listening to lectures and lessons 12 14 4
40% 46.6% 13.3%

Listening to online presentations and 17 9 4

reports 56.6% 30% 13.3%
Listening to TV and radio shows 17 8 5
56.6% 26.6% 16.6%
Listening to movies and songs 8 14 8
26.6% 46.6% 26.6%
Others (listening to audio-video 0 2 0
tutorials 0% 2% 0%
Table 5. Students’ Ranking of Listening Type
As with reading and speaking skill, all the suggested listening types are reported to be important. Yet,
the result is that listening for entertainment (movies and songs) is claimed to be as important as listening to
lectures and presentations (online or in class) in English. Statistically, 46.6% (14 participants) declared that
“listening to movies and songs” is important and 46.6% (14 participants) said that “Listening to lectures and
lessons” is important.
d. Writing types
Writing types Not Important V. important
important
Writing articles 15 11 4
50% 36.6% 13.3%
Writing theses 15 10 5
50% 33.3% 16.6%
Writing web pages 9 16 5
30% 53.3% 16.6%
Writing blogs and wikis 10 15 5
 33.3% 50% 16.6%
Writing e-mails 9 16 5
30% 53.3% 16.6%
Writing reports 10 16 4
33.3% 53.3% 13.3%
Writing computer programs 25 5
83.3% 16.6%
Translations 23 7
76.6% 23.3%
Table 6. Students’ Ranking of Writing Types
Writing articles and Writing thesis are not important types of writing as reported by Computer
Science students because they should write them in Bahasa Indonesia. Writing computer programs and
translation are the two types of writing that are reported to be the top two most important skills (83.3%
for writing programs and 76.6% for translation).

4. Strategy Analysis
a. Students’ Needed Learning Environment
Response Traditional Web-based class Blended class
class (Combination of traditional class
and web-based class)
Participants 7 8 15
Percentage 23.3% 26.6% 50%
Table 7. Students’ Needed Learning Environment
Out of 30, 15 participants declared that they need to study in a blended class, 8 participants
(26.6%) opt for “web-based class”, and 7 participants (23.3%) believe that “traditional class” is their
required learning environment. In fact, blended class combines the advantages of the traditional
learning and the web-based instruction. Besides the one-to-one learning environment that traditional
class offers, it establishes a genuine social network, in which the teacher may interact with students and
know more about their learning styles, preferences, abilities and language level. Meanwhile, web-based
class creates a virtual setting that eliminates the boundaries of space and time and motivates students to
experience a different learning environment with its audio-visual and animated world. So, half of
participants opts for “blended class” as their needed learning medium for the purpose of making use of
both environments.

b. Students’ Needed Type of Class Work

Responses Individual work Pair work Group work Project-based work
Participants 0 3 20 7
Percentage 0% 10% 66.6% 23.3%
Table 8. Students’ Needed Type of Class Work
The 30 students who participated in the NA survey have different learning styles that affect
their grouping preferences. The result shows that 20 participants (66.6%) chose “group work”, only
participants (10%) opted for “pair work”, there are 7 participants (23.3%) need “project – based work”
but none of them (0%) who chose individual work. According to Harmer (2007: 165), “small groups of
around 5 students provoke greater involvement and participation rather than large groups”. Learning in
small groups increases the chances of speaking and issuing different opinions for subjects that are
discussing smoothly and effectively. In addition, this encourages cooperation and negotiation not only
between students themselves but also between the teacher and students. The teacher also feels
comfortable and is more motivated to manage small groups.
c. Students’ Needed Types of Test
Responses In-class test Take-home Online test All of these None of
test these
Participants 2 21 3 3 1
Percentage 6.6% 70% 10% 10% 3.3%
Table 9. Students’ Needed Types of Test
The table shows that not all participants agree on one particular type of tests. Most of them
prefer take-home tests. There are 21 participants (70%) prefer “take-home tests”, whereas 3
participants (10%) chose “online test” and another 3 participants claim that all types needed to be
integrated. There are only two participants prefer in class test and there is one participant who claims
 that he/she does not need any kinds of test. Various testing methods give students extra opportunity to
improve their skill and help them make appropriate decisions to overcome their deficiencies.

CONCLUSION
This study investigates the students’ present situation and target situation to find out the type of the
course, skills, content, class work, and tests they need. The skills that computer science students most needed is
reading, since most of the students must be able to read the computer instructions, (2) the situation where the
computer science students use English most is reading web pages and internet materials, (3) the computer
science students preferences regarding useful activities for learning English is group work, and (4) the topics the
computer science students want most to learn are internet and website. The results of the study also show that
students’ lack of motivation to learn ESP is because most of the students think that English is difficult to be
learned. There are some important aspects that has been revealed through need analysis which are very
beneficial for designing the course, such as: (1) the skills Teacher-centered approach and the use of traditional
methods led to the lack of teaching innovation and fluctuation in the teachers’ performance. Therefore,
thoughtful decisions in terms of teachers’ experience and methods of teaching in addition to the involvement of
learners in the process of course design are required.
In short, course designers or lecturers can design the ESP course, especially English for computer
science by considering that information in order to achieve the most beneficial materials to the students.
Besides, they can also create or develop material of ESP for computer science students based on the results of
this study to meet the students’ need and wants.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the first semester students of Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu who
completed the questionnaires, as well as the lecturer and faculty administration who give more information so
that this research can be done. I would also like to thank Prof. Safnil Arsyad MA., Ph.D. for his assistance.

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