English Needs Analysis for Economics Students: An Exploratory Research

Abstract

Learning specific English relevant to the work field has currently been necessary for students studying in a specific subject field. Designing an English course for EFL students learning in a specific subject field requires a needs analysis. This research aims to investigate target needs of EFL students learning in economics field in order to be able to communicate both personally or professionally. The purpose of this research is also for developing an English syllabus for economics students based on the needs analysis. Through exploratory research design, this research involved 67 students from Economy Major in the third semester. The data about students’ target needs of English were collected through questionnaires adapted from Dudley-Evans & St. John (1998), Hutchinson & Waters (1987), and Nation & Macalister (2010). Based on the needs analysis, the results revealed that the English teaching should integrate four English skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) to accomodate the students’ needs.

Addressing English language needs of Economic Development students in Indonesian context

“…Thus, students expected to have more lessons on writing and speaking, particularly in writing a report and having a formal conversation. The results from Saefullah and Nugraha (2020) were in line with the previous research carried out by Saientisna (2019) in terms of students' lack of speaking skills. The researcher reported that students encountered difficulties in speaking and listening to materials in English.…”

“…Thirty-one respondents (77.5%) stated that materials related to English instructions in the economy is an aspect that should be embedded in English courses. Ekayati et al (2020) and Saefullah and Nugraha (2020) addressed in their studies that understanding instruction or commands in economics became the most dominant want of students. Secondly, as university students, the learners will join a lot of international conferences or webinars whom the speakers use English.…”

“…Additionally, Saefullah and Nugraha (2020) conducted exploratory research on 67 second-year economics students in the EFL context. They reported the quality of teaching situations in which four basic English skills, speaking, reading, listening, and writing, should be integrated into English language teaching.…”

“…Under the previous studies, most researchers (Čapková & Kroupová, 2017;Kurniawan & Retnawati, 2019;Saefullah & Nugraha, 2020) agreed that communication skills in target situations have become the prior concern to be developed in English for economic purposes. Consequently, developing materials that can fulfill learners" needs also becomes the fundamental aspect.…”

Exploring Needs in English Learning Materials for Visual Communication Design Students and Graduates: A Mixed-Methods Approach

“…The perspectives of graduates and students in visual communication design must be more in sync to fully understand the needs of English language learners (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). According to Saefullah & Nugraha (2020), the needs analysis results showed that English instruction should integrate four English abilities (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) to meet the students' demands. The author has investigated and identified the learners' information on English proficiency to identify their current English language skills and their strengths and weaknesses.…”