Learners’ Writing Needs in the Professional World and the Writing Curriculum: An Evaluative Study

Abstract

This study investigates how far the EFL major writing curriculum is designed to suit professional writing needs. The instruments are two questionnaires administered to EFL learners (72) and industry-based employers (21). Data analysis and results showed that the EFL major curriculum is not suited to the needs of the industry, so ended up investing in re-training and re-educating the EFL majors. The learners, however, are ignorant of the fact that the writing curriculum does not prepare them for professional writing needs. At the same time, they do have certain expectations from the writing course. The study also found that the industries that have expanding employment opportunities for EFL majors are tourism, hospitality, diplomatic missions, and call centers. Therefore, aligning the writing curriculum with their needs makes sense. The study recommends the necessity to evaluate the writing curriculum at Saudi Universities to cope with the needs of stakeholders.