ANALYZING NEEDS AND ESTABLISHING GOALS

1. Need Analysis
Needs analysis is Procedures for collecting information about learners’ needs. Needs
analysis is directed mainly at the goals and content of a course. It examines what the learners know
already and what they need to know. The purpose of needs analysis are:
1. To make sure that the course will contain relevant and useful things to learn.
2. To help determine if an existing course adequately addresses the needs of potential students
3. To determine which students are most in need of training in particular language skills
4. To identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel is important
5. To identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they need to be able to
do
6. To collect information about a particular problem learners are experiencing

Before setting up the curricular objectives to be achieved in the EFL classroom, an analysis
of the students' needs should be undertaken to avoid a serious mismatch between the English class and
the students' expectations. Well known models have been developed in order to facilitate needs
analysis.

1.1 The Various Focuses of Needs Analysis

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) divide needs into target needs (i.e. what the learner needs to do in the
target situation) and learning needs (i.e. what the learner needs to do in order to learn). The analysis
of target needs can look at:

Three types of needs

1. Necessities :What is necessary in the learners’ use of language? For example, do the learners
have to write answers to exam questions?
2. Lacks :What do the learners lack? For example, are there aspects of writing that were not
practised in their previous learning (L1, L2)?
3. Wants :What do the learners wish to learn?
 Information about objective needs can be gathered by questionnaires, personal interviews,
data collection (for example, gathering exam papers or text books and analysing them), observation
(for example, following a learner through a typical day), informal consultation with teachers and
learners, and tests. Subjective needs are discovered through learner self-assessment using lists and
scales, and questionnaires and interviews.
1.2. Discovering Needs
Munby (1978) proposes collecting data related to:
- The participants: age, command of the language, etc.
- Purpose domain: what the FL is needed for.
- Setting, where the activity will be carried out.
- Interaction: potential participants in the interactive process.
- Instrumentality: skills needed.
- Communicative events: prediction of communicative situations.

Nunan presents a similar model to establish the student's learning preferences and needs that provides
information on (1988:50):
- Communicative situations and tasks that the students wish to learn English for.
- Learning activities preferred by students (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, textbook
tasks,..?)
- Most important skills for students (speaking, listening, writing, reading?).
- The kind of group work preferred (small groups, working in pairs, individual work, etc.?).
- Etc.
1.3. Aims and objectives for Primary Education
Once teachers have obtained information about their students possible needs they can
establish the goals to be achieved according to those needs. Following the needs analysis carried out
by the Spanish Educational Reform and the major guidelines (R.D. 1006/1991, BOE 26-6-91) we
have proposed the following goals for an elementary and intermediate level (Madrid & McLaren
1993:10), which imply:
1. Appreciating the communicative value of the foreign language and the student's own capacity to
use it, showing a positive attitude, understanding and respect towards other foreign languages
and other cultures.
2. Understanding oral texts related to familiar situations and events (e.g. the students' personal life,
classmates, habitual and daily routines, classroom and school items, etc.) and transferring that
general and specific information to other situations.
3. Relating the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of words and becoming familiar with the
phonetic features of English: sounds, rhythm, intonation patterns, etc.
4. Using the foreign language for communication with the teacher and the other students in the
classroom, following the basic rules of interpersonal communication (e.g. asking for one's turn,
letting people speak without interrupting, etc.) and respecting other student's ideas.
5. Using non-verbal communication (paralanguage): gestures, body language, movements,
drawings, etc. to facilitate oral communication.
6. Understanding and using the basic communicative functions (e.g. greetings, apologies,
requests,...) in appropriate situations.
7. Learning authentic and prefabricated/block language through rhymes, songs, jokes, riddles,
slogans and other rhythmic units.
8. Comprehensive reading of texts (adapted to the student's proficiency level) related to the
student's personal life, needs and interests: school and community life, fiction, etc.
9. Writing texts (e.g. written messages, postcards, letters, etc.) following the formal conventions of
written language (e.g. correct spelling, punctuation, word order, text structure, etc.).
10. Using the student's cognitive development, knowledge and previous experiences with the L1, to
aid in learning the foreign language and developing learning strategies which promote
independent and autonomous learning.
11. Improving the students' general and basic education by introducing cross-curricular contents and
activities through the FL syllabus.
Quetioner Sample…
English For Nursing Questioner

Name (nama) : Lestari Anggraeni

Nurse in (perawat di) : RS. Tentara Pematangsiantar

(angket ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis apa yang anda butuhkan berkaitan dengan materi bahasa inggris untuk
profesi anda sebagai perawat)

Grammar: How good does your grammar need to be? I need to know enough about English grammar
to be able to..(saya ingin mengetahui grammar untuk....)(pilih salah satu)
a) speaking english fluently(berbicara bahasa inggris dengan lancar)
b) know the structure of english(mengetahui struktur bahasa inggris)
c) write english text well( menulis text berbahasa inggris dengan benar)

Listening: Which of these activities do you need to be able to understand in English?

(aktivitas manakah yg anda butuhkan untuk dimengerti?)
(Check  only one column for each activity that you need):
(beri tanda centang  untuk aktivitas yang anda butuhkan)
Activity : Every word  Most words but not all  the general idea 
 talking with patients in english
(berbicara denga pasien menggunakan bahasa 
inggris)
 Course lectures conducted in English

(kursus yg memakai bahasa inggris)
 Telephone calls in English

Panggilan telpon dalam bahasa inggris)
Other activity (please describe below)
(aktivitas lain (jelaskan))

Vocabulary: Complete the following sentence: I need to learn enough new words to be able to …
Lengkapi kalimat berikut: saya butuh belajar kata-kata baru agar mampu....
a) increase new vocabulary (menperbanyak perbendaharaan kata)
b) speak with foreign patient (berbicara dengan pasienyang berasal dari luar negeri)
c) write report in english (menulis laporan dalam bahasa inggris)
d) translate kinds of text in reading book(menterjemahkan bermacam text dalam buku bacaan)

Reading: What do you need to read in English? (apa yang kau butuhkan untuk membaca dalam bahasa inggris)
a) vocabulary (perbendaharaan kata)
b) grammar (tata bahasa)
c) text comprehension (pemahaman text)
d) kinds of english text (jenis-jenis text bahasa inggris)

How much of what you read do you understand? Every word  Most words but not all  The
(seberapa banyak yang kau mengerti dari text yang (setiap kata) (kebanyakan tapi tidak general
kamu baca?) semua) idea
 
Writing: As a nurse What kinds of writing skill do you need to understand?
(sebagai perawat jenis kemampuan menulis apa yang anda butuhkan untuk dimengerti?)
(Check  only one column for each activity that you need):
(tandai satu untuk tiap kolom () )
1 = Need to know(ingin tau) 2 = Very useful(sangat 1 2 3
berguna) 3=not interest(tidak tertarik)
Report (laporan) 
Emails and personal letters(email dan surat pribadi) 
Lists and tables of written data(daftar dan data tertulis) 
Descriptive and story writing(deskriptif & menulis cerita) 
Other (please describe)
Lainnya(jelaskan)

Speaking: Which of these situations interest you? How useful will these situations be to you?
Situasi manakah dari berikut ini yang membuatmu tertari? Sberapa bergunakan situasi itu
Untuk anda?
(Please  check only one of the boxes next to the language topic that best describes your answer.)
(tandai shanya salah satu kotak yang mendekati topik yang benar-benar menjelaskan jawaban anda)
1 = Need to know (perlu diketahui) 2 = Very useful(sangat berguna) 3 = Interesting (menarik)
4 = Slightly interesting (sedikit tertarik) 5 = Not interested (tidak tertarik)
Language Topics: 1 2 3 4 5
Jobs and work (pekerjaan & bekerja) 
Welcoming patients (menyambut pasien) 
Health and fitness (kesehatana & kebugaran) 
Describing something (menggambarkan sesuatu) 
Talking about feellings (berbicara tentang perasaan) 
Telphone skill: make an appointment (kemampuan bertelepon: membuat janji) 
Ordering and buying food and drink(memesan & membeli makanan) 
Making plans and social arrangements (membat rencana dan susunan sosial) 
Explaining something (menjelaskan sesuatu) 
Other activity (please describe below) (aktifitas yang lain (jelaskan))

Learning Habits: There are many ways to learn a new language. Think of your own language learning. Which
activities do you find you enjoy doing the most?
(ada banyak cara untuk mempelajari bahasa baru. Fikirkan tentang mempelajari bahsa anda sendiri. Aktivitas
mana yang paling nyaman anda lakukan?)
Please  check only one of the boxes next to the language topic that best describes your answer.
(silahkan tandai hanya satu dari tiap kotak yang paling menjelaskan jawaban anada)
1 = Most enjoyable and important(paling menyenangkan & penting) 2 = Very enjoyable and important(sangat
menyenangkan dan penting) 3 = Enjoyable and important(menyenangkan dan penting)
4 = Slightly enjoyable(cukup menyenangkan) 5 = Not enjoyable or important(tidak menyenangkan)

Learning Habits: 1 2 3 4 5
Working alone (bekerja sendiri) 
Working with one other student (bekerja dengan siswa lain) 
Working in small groups (bekerja dala grup kecil) 
 Working as a class (bekerja dalam sebuah kelas) 
Completing a task through a problem-solving activity

(melengkapi tugas melalui sebuah katifitas penyelesaian masalah)
Taking decisions about personal learning activities

(Mengambil keputusan tentang aktifitas pribadi)
Prefers a teacher directed lesson with explanations

(lebih suka guru menjelaskan langsung dengan penjelasan)
Completing imaginative and creative activities – project work

(Melengkapi aktivitas tugas yang imaginatif dan kreatif)
Giving and accepting advice and decisions

?(memberikan dan menerima nasihat dan arahan)

Personal learning goals: (Tujuan belajar pribadi)

At the end of this Course what do you hope to have achieved? I hope to
pada akhir kursus ini apa yang kamu harapkan? Saya berharap......

Dapat berbicara dan Menggunakan bahasa inggris untuk profesi saya agar dapat
berkomunikasi dengan pasien dari negara asing.