Needs Analysis in English for Specific Purposes (ESP): A Case Study of Human Resources Management (HRM) Undergraduates

Abstract

Needs analysis plays a prominent role in designing curriculum, syllabus, and teaching and learning materials. The aim of this research was to define the English language needs of Business Management undergraduates (n = 124) who are specializing in Human Resources Management (HRM). The data for this survey were collected utilizing a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data gathered from the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS whereas the qualitative data from the interviews were analyzed thematically. Results indicated that all the participants have understood the need of English in their academic and professional lives. Speaking was identified as the most important, yet the most challenging skill by most of the participants. Moreover, results showed that most of them possess adequate English knowledge. Though they identified the importance of English, 33.1% of the participants indicated that they can spend less than two hours per day to learn English. 56.5% of the participants were interested in learning advanced business English. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that analyzing learners’ needs specially before designing ESP curriculum is very essential. The data obtained from this research are of relevance to researchers, instructors, and course designers to conduct future studies.