1st Edition

Introducing Needs Analysis and English for Specific Purposes

By James Dean Brown Copyright 2016
    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    Introducing Needs Analysis and English for Specific Purposes is a clear and accessible guide to the theoretical background and practical tools needed for this early stage of curriculum development in ESP. Beginning with definitions of needs analysis and ESP, this book takes a jargon-free approach which leads the reader step-by-step through the process of performing a needs analysis in ESP, including:

    • how to focus a needs analysis according to the course and student level;
    • the selection and sequencing of a wide variety of data collection procedures;
    • analysis and interpretation of needs analysis data in order to write reports and determine Student Learning Outcomes;
    • personal reflection exercises and examples of real-world applications of needs analysis in ESP.

    Introducing Needs Analysis and English for Specific Purposes is essential reading for pre-service and in-service teachers, and students studying English for Specific Purposes, Applied Linguistics, TESOL and Education.

    Section One - Getting ready to do an ESP Needs Analysis
    1. Defining needs analysis in English for specific purposes (ESP)
    2. Focusing the ESP needs analysis
    3. Selecting and sequencing ESP needs analysis data collection procedures

    Section Two – Doing the ESP Needs Analysis
    4. Collecting ESP needs analysis data
    5. Analyzing and Interpreting ESP needs analysis data

    Section Three - Using the Needs Analysis results
    6. Using the NA results in the rest of the ESP curriculum
    7. Reporting on the ESP needs analysis project

    Biography

    James Dean Brown is Professor in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He has spoken and taught courses in places ranging from Brazil to Yugoslavia, and has published numerous articles and books on language testing, curriculum design, program evaluation, and research methods.

    "In clear, accessible prose, J.D. Brown has provided a much-needed book on how to conduct a learner needs analysis for ESP. It is full of useful examples and practical tips, and will be valuable for teachers and curriculum developers in other languages, as well. Highly recommended."
    Mike Long, University of Maryland, USA

    "...a much-needed, solid introduction to needs analysis in ESP....J. D. Brown’s book should be required reading for all language teachers interested in or tasked with curriculum development."

    Dan Douglas, Iowa State University, USA

    "...this book provides an earnest and worthwhile contribution to its professional development value in the teaching of ESP."

    Walaipun Puengpipattrakul, Chulalongkorn University Language Institute, Thailand

    "The book is jargon-free and accessible to teachers and course designers alike. It is interspersed with examples from the author's own experiences from China, the Middle East and Hawai'i which makes it a refreshingly practical and readable guide for first-time and experiences designers of NAs."

    Roy Wilson, Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK

    "James Dean Brown’s valuable book is a useful, up-to-date reference which has effectively embedded both theory and practice in the context of NA… ESP pre-service and in-service teachers, ESP curriculum developers, and any language researcher working on NA will find in this volume the guiding light they need for conducting their needs analyses effectively and professionally."

    Neslihan Önder-Özdemir, ESP Today