Needs Analysis in Language Course Planning: A Student Guide
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29 cards
Question: What is the overall goal of language course planning for learners?
Answer: To prepare learners to use English beyond the classroom.
Question: For most learners, is language learning typically an end in itself or a means to an end?
Answer: It is a means to an end, not a goal in itself.
Question: List typical purposes learners might need English for.
Answer: Social survival, work, travel, education.
Question: What is an essential stage of curriculum development for language courses?
Answer: Collecting information about the activities learners will use English for and the purposes they need English.
Question: What does needs analysis identify?
Answer: The activities learners need to do, the linguistic features required, and the demands related to learners’ use of language.
Question: When did needs analysis enter language teaching and through which movement?
Answer: In the 1960s through the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) movement.
Question: How did needs-based philosophy develop by the 1980s?
Answer: It emerged in ESP and vocational language programs and as part of learner centeredness and autonomy.
Question: How is needs analysis positioned within backward design?
Answer: It is the core element and the first step in the backward design sequence.
Question: What is the sequence of backward design in language course planning?
Answer: Needs analysis → goals → syllabus → instruction → assessment.
Question: What is the difference between small-scale and large-scale needs analysis?
Answer: Small-scale: a teacher investigates their own class. Large-scale: an institution designs courses for groups.