Investigating the design of business english courses through needs analysis:the case of the department of english at INPED in Boumerdes

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MINISTÈRE DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR ET DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE

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UNIVERSITÉ MOULOUD MAMMERI DE TIZI-OUZOU FACULTÉ DES LETTRES ET DES LANGUES DÉPARTEMENT D'ANGLAIS

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Domaine: Lettres et Langues Etrangères. Filière: Langue Anglaise.

Spécialité: Langue est Communication.

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master in English

Title:

Investigating the Design of Business English Courses through Needs Analysis: The Case of the Department of English at INPED in

Boumerdes

Presented by: Supervised by

Bourai Yasmine Adem Karima

Kechir Dalila

Board of Examiners:

Chair: AOUINE Akli, MAA,UMMTO.

Supervisor: ADEM Karima, MAA, UMMTO.

Examiner: FEDOUL Malika, MAA, UMMTO.

Promotion: 2018

Laboratoire de domiciliation du Master : Etude des Langues et Cultures Etrangères.

Dedications

Every challenging work needs self efforts as well as guidance of olders specially those who are very close to our heart.

I dedicate my humble effort to my sweet and loving parents, to my two and unique brothers Kousseila and Masten and to all my aunts and

cousins.

I also dedicate this work for two generous and kindhearted persons; my lovely aunt Tassadit and her husband.

Special thanks for my binomial and soulmate Dalila for being a part of

my life.

Yasmine.

This present dissertation is dedicated to my brilliant and ever faithful parents Amar and Djouher who have raised me to be the person am

today.

To my sister and my brother for being my guardians in life. To my best binomial Yasmine for being my best friend ever And to all my friends who are always in bad and good times.

Dalila.

II

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our special thanks to our supervisor Mrs Adem Karima, for her helpful guidance and ongoing support throughout this study.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the board of examiners for sitting on our panel and taking the time to read our memoire.

Our acknowledgments go also to the ESP teachers and learners of the English department of INPED in Boumerdes as well as the head of the department, Mr Ighil, who greatly helped us in completing the questionnaires and conducting the interview.

III

Asnemmer

Tanemmirt tameqqrant i kra n win/tin i ay-d-yefkan afus n tallelt armi d
taggaran uxeddim agi-ntey
Tanemmirt tameqqrant ladya i massa ADEM Karima yef yiwellihen d yibeddi-
ines yid-ntey s teyzi n tezrawt-agi. Tanemmirt i usqamu ama?rayan ara d-yefken
tikti-nsen yef leqdic-agi-ntey.
Tanemmirt i yiselmaden n « ESP » d yinelmaden n ugezdu n teglizit n « INPED
» n Bumerdes, mebla ma nettu ayella n ugezdu Mass I?IL i ay-i?awnen a?as deg
u?emmer n yimseqsi d useddu n yidiwenniten. Tanemmirt tameqqrant i kra i ay-
yefkan afus n lem?awna deg uxeddim-agi-ntey.

IV

Abstract

This study is intended to investigate the design of ESP courses through Needs Analysis in the INPED of Boumerdes. It aims at achieving three main purposes. Its aims first at checking whether Needs Analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers. Second, it investigates the different instruments that are used in order to analyze the needs of the learner so as to design the appropriate courses. Third, it intends to know whether the learners are satisfied with the courses designed to them. To meet this end, the present work relies on Dudley-Evans' theory of Needs Analysis within course design as it shows the importance of combining Needs Analysis with course design. To gather the appropriate data, two data collection tools have been used. First, a written research questionnaire has been distributed to a sample of learners that is composed of 30 learners at the INPED of Boumerdes In addition, a semi-structured interview has been made with 3 teachers and a questionnaire has been administered to 6 of them. In order to analyze the open-ended questions of the questionnaires and the interview, Qualitative Content Analysis( QCA) has been used as a method of interpretation and description of the qualitative data. For the quantitative data, a quantitative method called «the rule of three» has been used in order to generate numerical data. The results reached in this research reveal that Needs Analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers at INPED of Boumerdes. In addition, these results show the different instruments that are used in order to identify the needs of the learners. Finally, the present study comes to the conclusion that the business English courses that are designed meet the needs of the learners. Thus the learners are satisfied with these courses designed for their specific purpose.

Key Words: ESP, Business English, Needs Analysis, course design.

V

INPED

The National Institute for Productivity and Industrial Development (INPED), has existed since 1967. It is located in Boumerdes and it offers a friendly and welcoming atmosphere where there is encouragement to study. INPED's purpose is to contribute to the social and economical development of Algeria. It provides a Master of Business and Administration (MBA), training and a variety of short and long training courses that are responsive to the requirements of management practice at all levels. INPED offers a wide range of other programs in the domain of management skills (secretarial, documentary and archive technique) and English language (general English and English for specific purposes). The main aim of these programs is to enable managers on the job to enhance their understanding of skills and competences of management in today's complex business environment.

VI

List of Abbreviations

BE: Business English

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

EBE: English for Business and Economics

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

EOP: English for Occupational Purposes

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

EST: English for Science and Technology

GE: General English

INPED: The National Institute for Productivity and Industrial Development

NA: Needs Analysis

TSA: Target Situation Analysis

VII

List of Tables :

Tables 1: Participants' Age .27

Tables 2: Learners' Attitude to English 31

Table 3: Learners' Skills Proficiency ..31

Table 4: The Language skills needed .33

Table 5: Learners' Satisfaction with Business English Syllabus .35

Table 6 : Learners' satisfaction with the Content of Business English Courses .35

Table 7: The time allocated for BE courses ....36

Table 8: Teachers' Encouragement for Authentic Material Use .36

Table 9: Learners' Acquired Abilities at the End of Studies ..39

Table 10: Teachers' Age .....39

Table 11: The Use of Authentic Materials .42

Table12: Evaluation of Learners' Achievement 43

Table 13: Teachers' self-evaluation 44

Table14: Teachers' Opinion about their Teaching Method 45

Table 15: The Implementation of NA before Course Design 46

Table 16: Learners' Level and Learning Needs 47

VIII

List of Diagrams

Diagram1: Types of ESP by David Carter 26

Diagram 2: The Importance Given toEnglish ..27

Diagram 3: Learners' Attitude towards English Language Learning at the Beginning of their

Training	28
Diagram 4: Learners' Starting Level	.28
Diagram 5: Learners' Interest towards Learning Business in English	29
Diagram 6 : Learners' Current Level in English	. 29
Diagram 7: Learners' Progress at the Institution	30

Diagram 8: The usefulness Of Business English Courses with Regard to Learners' Needs....32

Diagram 9: Learners' Satisfaction with the Business English Teaching Methods ..33

Diagram10: Learners' Attitude towards the Activities Programmed for their Training.........34

Diagram 11: The Degree of Usefulness Of the Materials Used	.34
Diagram 12: The Objective of Authentic Materials Use	.36
Diagram 13: English Level Development	.37
Diagram 14 : Areas where Learners have Developed their Level	37
Diagram 15: Learners' Suggestions about the Aspects of English to be focused on	38
Diagram 16: Teachers' Level	.40
Diagram 17: Teachers' Experience in ESP Teaching	.40
Diagram 18:The Skills that are Given more Importance	41
Diagram 19: The Teaching Materials Used	42
Diagram 20: The Role of the Teacher .	43
Diagram 21: Period of Testing	44
Diagram 22: Teachers' collaboration with other teachers	.45
Diagram 23: The Form of Business English Classes	.46
Diagram 24: The Instruments Used to Identify Learners' Needs and Wants	47

IX

Table of Content

Dedication I

Aknowledgment II

Abstract . IV

INPED V

List of Abbreviations VI

List of Tables .VII

List of Diagrams VIII

General introduction

· Statement of the problem		1	· Aims and significance of the study
.3		· Research Questions
3		· Research Hypothesis
3		· Research design and methodology
.4		· Structure of the dissertation
4		Chapter one: The Review of Literature
		Introduction
.6		Section one: English for Specific Purposes
		1.1 Definition of ESP .
..6		1.2 Types of ESP
7		1.2.1 English as a Restricted Language
7		1.2.2 English for Academic and Occupational Purposes
7

1.2.3 English with Specific Topics .8

1.3 Business English 8

1. 4 Characteristics of ESP 8

1.4.1 Authenticity 8

X

1.4.2 Purpose-related Orientation 9

1.4.3 Self Direction .9

1.5 The role of ESP Practitioners .9

1.5.1 As a Teacher . 9

1.5.2 As a Course Designer and Material Provider . 10

1.5.3 As a Collaborator ..10

1.5.4 As a Researcher 10

1.5.5 As an Evaluator 11

Section Two : Needs Analysis and Course Design

1.6 Needs analysis ..11

1.6.1 Types of Needs 12

16.1.1 Target Needs 12

1.6.1.2 Learning Needs 12

1.6.2 Instruments for Needs Analysis 13

1.6.2QuestionnaireSurveys ....13

1.6.2.2Interview 14

1.6.2.3 Observations 14

1.6.2.4 Analyzing Authentic Texts . ..14

1.6.3 Sources of Needs Analysis 15

1.7 Course Design . ..17

1.7.1 Definition of a Course ..17

1.7.2 Course design in ESP 17

1.7.3 Types of ESP Course Design 18

1.7.3.1 Language-Centered Approach 18

1.7.3.2 The Skill Centered Approach 18

XI

1.7.3.3 Learning-Centered Approach ..19

1.7.4 Principles in Course Design 19

1.7.4.1 The Content 19

1.7.4.2 The Method 20

1.7.4.3 A Massive Exposure 20

1.7.4.4 The Syllabus . 20

Section Three : Theoretical Framework 20

1.8 The Use of Needs Analysis in Course Design .21

1.9 How to Design a Course in Business English through NA ....21

Conclusion . 22

Chapter Two: Research Design and Methodology

Intoduction 23

2.1 The Research Method ..23

2.2 Participants and Sample of Investigation .24

2.3 Procedures of Data Collection . 24

2.3.1 Learners' Questionnaire 24

2.3.2 Teachers' Questionnaire ...25

2.3.3 Teachers' Interview ...25

2.4 Procedures of Data Analysis 26

2.4.1 Description of the Quantitative Method 26

2.4.2 The Qualitative Content Analysis .26

Conclusion .26
Chapter Three: Presentation of the Findings

Introduction 27

3.1 Presentation of the Results of the Learners' Questionnaire .27

3.2 Presentation of the results of the Teachers' Questionnaire .40

XII

3.3 Presentation of the Results of the Teachers' Interview 49

Conclusion 52

Chapter Four: Discussion of the Findings

Introduction 54

4.1 The ESP Situation at the INPED 54

4.2 Needs Analysis in Business English Course Design 56

4.2.1 The Integration of Needs Analysis in Business English course Design 56

4.2.2 Needs Analysis and Course Organization		58	4.3 Instruments for Needs Analysis
60		4.3.1 Learners' and their English Language Needs
60		4.3.2 The Instruments Used to Identify Learners' Needs
61		4.4 Learners' Satisfaction of Business English Courses
.63

Conclusion		64	General Conclusion
.....65		Bibliography
. 67		Appendices
77

General Introduction

1

General Introduction

· Statement of The Problem

Nowadays, the English language has become of a wider communication all over the world. It is the language of science, technology, trade and commerce, as well as the language of business. The English language is considered as an international language for almost all the fields. The demands and requirements of this language have led to the emergence of one aspect of English language learning that is called English for Specific Purposes (ESP). ESP is defined as being an approach to language teaching, in which all the decisions about the content and the method focus on the learners' goals for learning. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).

Many reasons have led to the emergence of ESP. First, After the World War Two there was an expansion of science and technology. Thus English has become the language of technology, commerce and research. This has created the need for a generation of learners who needed the language for specific purposes. Hutchinson and waters (1987)state «as English became the accepted international language of technology and commerce, it created a new generation of learners who knew specifically why they were learning a language» (P.6).Second, ESP has developed thanks to the increasing demand for the use English in different fields for different types. In fact, the demand for English was growing and new ideas have begun to emerge in the field of language teaching. Linguists have recognized that language use differs from one context to another and from one situation to another. That is to say, they have become aware that there is a difference between English for commerce and English for engineering. This helped in determining the features of specific situations and making them the basis of the learners' courses. Third, The emergence of ESP is also due to the new development in the educational psychology. Emphasis is put on the importance of the learners and their attitudes towards learning. Besides, courses are designed in relation to

2

General Introduction

learners' needs and interests .This has created a high motivation which has led to a better and faster learning.

By considering the role of learners' needs and reasons for learning and teaching a foreign language, it is suggested that any ESP course should be based on Needs Analysis (NA) which aims to gather information about what learners require the foreign language for. According to Dudley Evans and St John (1998) «Needs Analysis is described as an attempt to understand and gather as much information as possible about learners, their working environment, and expectations about the course as well as their learning preference» (P.121). Yet, NA establishes the `how' and `what' that should be taught in an ESP course. Its data and ongoing evaluation should be the basis of a course design or at least, a support to adopt the pedagogical practice towards attending learners' needs. Moreover, the analysis of the needs helps to determine what the learners have to achieve through the learning of that language. In this account, many researchers, such as Hutchinson and waters (1987) argue that identifying students' needs should be the first in designing an ESP course, because needs analysis is the most significant step in setting up an ESP program.

In Algeria, many works have been conducted in the field of ESP and Needs Analysis. Some of them have focused attention on the learners' needs as well as their perception of the English language skills such as «An Analysis of ESP Learners' Needs» by Abdelouahab Kadi from Ouargla University in 2003. Some others have put emphasize on analyzing the situation of ESP and learners' needs in other specific fields such as «Investigating language functions in English for Tourism», by Lydia Ihaddadene and Lydia Irbouh from the University of Mouloud Mammer of Tizi-Ouzou (UMMTO), in 2016. However these works lack concentration on the way courses are designed through identifying learners' needs. Consequently, the main goal of the present work is to explain how ESP courses, precisely

General Introduction

Business English (BE), courses are designed through identifying learners' needs. Thus, stress is put on Needs Analysis as the main step to design appropriate Business English courses.

· Aims and Significance of the Study

The present work examines «Needs Analysis» within Business English courses. The main purpose of the study is to investigate the design of Business English courses through Needs Analysis in the business purpose institution INPED of Boumerdes and check whether it has been taken into consideration by the course designers or not . Moreover, the research intends to discuss what instruments are used by language institutions in order to gather information from learners about their learning goals, needs and wants in order to design the appropriate courses for them and to have a better understanding of how Business English courses are designed. Likewise, this work seeks to know whether business English learners are satisfied from the courses designed to them as well as how language institutions work so as to meet learners' needs.

· Research Questions

In order to reach the research objectives above, fundamental questions are arisen and are as follows:

Q1: Has needs analysis been taken into consideration by the course designers to design Business English courses at INPED ?

Q2: what are the instruments used by the course designers at INPED in order to identify learners' needs?

3

Q3: Are the learners satisfied by the Business English courses designed to them?

4

General Introduction

· Research Hypotheses

To conduct this research, the following hypotheses are advanced as a prediction of possible results:

1 - Needs analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers in order to design business English courses at INPED.

2- Different instruments have been used by the course designers in order to identify the needs of the learners.

3- Learners meet their real needs in the courses, thus they are satisfied.

· Research Design and Methodology :

In order to conduct our research, we have opted for the mixed method research that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches as a method of investigation. Two data collection instruments have been used in order to gather the appropriate data. First, a written research questionnaire that includes both close-ended questions and open-ended questions has been distributed to a sample of learners (30 learners) at the INPED of Boumerdes in order to identify their views about the ESP courses designed to them. In addition, a semi-structured interview has been taken with 3 teachers at the same institution and a questionnaire has been distributed for 6 of them so as to collect information about the teaching process. Therefore, the tools of data collection for our study are a questionnaire and an interview, for the purpose of gathering both qualitative and quantitative data.

· Structure of the Dissertation

The present dissertation is organized following the traditional complex model format. It is composed of a General Introduction and four chapters. The Introduction presents the whole topic, its aim and significance. It also introduces four different research questions and hypotheses. The first chapter of the dissertation which is called The Review of Literature

5

General Introduction

reviews the literature on ESP, Needs Analysis, course design and introduces the theoretical framework of the study. It sheds light on some different concepts related to the topic as viewed by different scholars from different perspectives. The second chapter, Research Design and Methodology, aims to describe the procedures of data collection tools and data analysis tools. A mixed method research where we have used two questionnaires and an interview has been used in order to gather both qualitative and quantitative data .The third chapter which is The Presentation of the Findings, demonstrates the results of the investigation gathered from the data collection tools. The fourth chapter which is The Discussion of the Findings, discusses the issue and the final results of the study and interprets them. Finally, the General Conclusion summarizes the whole work and states the main points of each chapter.

Chapter One: The Review of Literature

6

The Review of Literature

Introduction

This chapter analyses the literature review concerning the different notions and concepts related to the present work. As it is already mentioned, the investigation is about Needs Analysis and course design in the field of ESP. Thus, the first section of this chapter defines and explains the meaning of ESP, the different types of ESP, its characteristics, as well as the role of ESP practitioners. The second section attempts to explain Needs Analysis and course design, as well as their role in business English settings. The third and last section is concerned with the theoretical framework of the study.

Section One: English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 1.1 Definition of ESP

There are many definitions of ESP that are proposed by many scholars. Most scholars have defined ESP in terms of what it should and what it should not be. However, the most important thing is to know what ESP really means. First, Robinson (1991) defines ESP as the teaching of English to the learners who have specific goals and purposes. According to him, these goals might be «professional», «academic», «scientific», etc. Robinson (1991) argues that ESP courses generally take place with a limited time period and are taught to adults in homogeneous classes. Second, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987) «ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners' reason for learning» (P.19). For them the approach to ESP should be based on the learners' needs in their respective specialized subjects. Hutchinson and Water's view of ESP points to the importance and roles of the learners both in the design of the course and its implementation in the teaching and learning process.

El-Minyawi (1984) points that ESP courses focuses on the need to express the facts and ideas of some special subjects after which the student should be able to read the specialized subjects confidently and speak about them fluently. This definition means that

7

The Review of Literature

ESP learners do not necessary learn English because they want to, but rather they learn it because they need it to perform job related functions in their profession and workplace .

1.2 Types of ESP

ESP is an approach of language teaching in a specific field. It is divided into different branches according to the needs of the learners that differ from one person to another. David Carter (1983) categorizes ESP into three main types:

1.2.1 English as a Restricted Language

It is to teach with a very limited vocabulary and grammar in one given field related to a specific situation. It is only related to a specific context. Thus, knowing this type of English may not help to communicate effectively outside the specific context. The language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of English as a restricted language (Carter, 1983) .

1.2.2 English for Academic and Occupational Purposes

It includes three branches.

§ English for Science and Technology (EST) .

§ English for Business and Economics (EBE) and ,

§ English for Social Studies.

Each of these subjects areas is further divided into two branches: English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for Occupational Purposes (EOP).

8

The Review of Literature

1.2.3 English with Specific Topics

It is uniquely concerned with anticipated future English need. For example, scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending conferences or working in foreign institutions (Carter,1983) .

English for Social Studies.

English as a Restricted Language.

English for Business and Economics.

English for Science and Technology.

English for Academic and Occupational Purposes.

English with Specific Topics

ESP

Diagram1: Types of ESP ( David Carter , 1983 ) .

1.3 English for Business and Economy

Business English is a part of ESP that is used by non-native speakers for the goal of communicating business with English speaking countries. According to Rita Johan (2014) «business English is the English language that is related to international trade». For her, «business English is a part of ESP and can be considered a specialism within English language learning and teaching» (P.01).

1.4 The Characteristics of an ESP Course

David Carter (1983) states that there are three features common to ESP courses:

1.4.1 Authenticity: That is to say, the teaching materials used by the teachers should Be

9

The Review of Literature

authentic because they have a positive effect on learners' motivation as they enable them to interact with the real language and content rather than the form. In fact, learners feel that they are learning the target language as it is used outside the classroom.

1.4.2 Purpose-related orientation

It refers to the stimulation of communicative tasks required by the target situation. Orientation lesson must be according to needs and wants of the learners.

1.4.3 Self-direction

It means that ESP is concerned with turning learners into users for self direction, and the teacher should encourage the learners to have a certain degree of autonomy or freedom to decide when , what and how they will study .

1.5 The role of ESP practitioners

The teacher in ESP is different from that of general English (GE) teachers. In fact, there are important practical ways in which the work of the GE teacher and the ESP teacher differ. An ESP teacher must play many roles. He may be asked to design courses, to set learning objectives, to establish learning environment in the classroom, and to evaluate learners' progress. Sierocka (2008) claims that the ESP teacher has got more roles to play besides the role of a «teacher». Dudley-Evans and ST John (1998) define five key roles for the teacher in ESP

1.5.1 As a teacher

It is true that the ESP teacher and the GE teacher share common roles, for example teaching the English Language. However, the differences lie in the objectives behind teaching In ESP a teacher does not mean only being a language provider, but also a needs analyst. (Harmer,2001). That is to say, he/she has to understand the learners' needs in order to

10

The Review of Literature

understand their knowledge of the content so as to bring the appropriate materials required by the group of learners in class (Bojovic 2006). For instance, if the teachers know that the learners needs more practice in the writing skill, they will bring materials that would help them to improve that skill.

1.5.2 As a course designer and materials provider

ESP courses aim to motivate learners to use English in an academic or a professional setting. So, both ESP courses and materials are based on analyzing the learners' needs (Basturkmen 2006). Course designers should bear in mind some basic questions before designing any course, such as, «who are the learners?» , «what do these learners need to learn English for?» And «what kind of texts do they need?» There is a controversy on whether the materials provider should adopt authentic textbooks or write his/her own (Hutchinson and Waters 1981).

1.5.3 As a collaborator

Coordinating with colleagues is considered to be an essential step in any educational task (Nunan and Lamb 1996). The ESP teachers' role is to cooperate with the subject specialist. The objective behind this cooperation is to have knowledge about the subject skills, tasks, and syllabus, and to discover how the subject integrates with the language in order to bring the suitable material and courses for the learners (Dudley-Evans and ST John 1998).

1.5.4 As a researcher

ESP practitioners have to be in touch with the research and incorporate the findings into their classes . According to Sierocka ( 2008) , ESP teachers should first identify and sort out the learner's goals of teaching and then conduct a research in order to design a course and identify the appropriate teaching materials .

11

The Review of Literature

1.5.4 As an evaluator

ESP teachers or practitioners are required to evaluate and assess students' achievement and progress. They should also assess the success or failure of the teaching methods and materials they have followed in their teaching. In language teaching, evaluation plays a role as a feedback for learners and the course achievement (Dudley-Evans and ST John 1998).

Section Two: Needs Analysis and Course Design 1.6 Needs Analysis

Needs analysis is an element of designing or reviewing a curriculum. Its purpose is to establish key learning outcomes and requirements in the design and delivery of course or learning activity. According to Richard et al (2002.353) «Needs Analysis is seen as a process of determining the needs for which a learner or group of learners requires a language and arranging the needs according to priorities». The process of NA consists of identifying the target situation and then carrying out a rigorous analysis of the linguistic features of that situation. Brown (1995) considers NA as the activities involved in gathering information that will serve as the basis for developing a curriculum which meets the learning needs of particular needs of students. This view means that NA consists of the different activities that may reveal the needs so as to design suitable curriculum for the learners.

Needs Analysis is also seen as a fundamental step in any ESP course which leads to an effective teaching and learning process. According to Dudley-Evan & St.John,(1998) « Needs Analysis is the cornerstone of ESP and leads to a much focused course» (P.122) .

12

The Review of Literature

1.6.1 Types of Needs

Needs vary depending on the process of analysis, but all take the learner as a focus of analysis. They are defined as being the requirements that the students have in order to be able to communicate effectively in the target situation. Needs are also presented as what the students need to learn and acquire the language for. Through the definitions we may distinguish between two types of needs that a course designer should take into account before and after designing any course.

1.6.1.1 Target Needs

They are generally defined as what students need to do in the target situation, for example participating in a job interview. It is what they find necessary in order to obtain their wants and cover their lacks in the target language. For this purpose, Hutchinson and Waters (1987) have shed light on three divisions and have differentiated between:

a. Necessities: They are determined by the demands of the target situation». That is, what the learners need to cooperate effectively in their occupation.

b. Wants: They are what learners expect, desire and wish in order to reach their learning goals.

c. Lacks: According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), lacks are the missing necessities that are extracted from what the learner already knows. This means lacks comprise all what learners don't know and don't have in the target situation.

1.6.1.2 Learning Needs

They are seen as what the students need to do in order to learn. Learning needs refers to the question `what knowledge or abilities will the learner requires in order to be able to perform to the required degree of competence in the target situation? (Hutchinson and

13

The Review of Literature

Waters(1987). This means that learning needs are the gap between the learner's current level of knowledge and skills, and the level of knowledge and skills required to perform a task or a set of tasks. Assessing needs is one of the fundamental concerns in learning needs. In fact, Needs Assessment can not only help understanding the learners needs but also their motivation, behaviors, what they do, how they do it, and why they do it so. In addition, Needs Assessment allows teachers to make the right choice in choosing the tool, the method, the data to use that can benefit the learners. For example: what you learn from evaluating and assessing your learners needs will inform which task to use or what you ask them about in an interview .

1.6.2 Instruments in Needs Analysis

Before doing the analysis of the needs, some information is needed. Well successful needs analysis should be done through gathering the maximum necessary data that can be helpful in order to get a number of notifications that make the understanding of the actual and future needs and concerns greatly clear.

According to Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998) the categories of the main instrumentations in gathering data for Needs Analysis are questionnaire surveys, structured interviews, observations, analysis of authentic spoken and written texts and discussions.

1.6.2.1 Questionnaire surveys

To gather information, questionnaire surveys are the most common and the most efficient method of Needs Analysis compared to the other procedures. (Browns,1992; West,1994). The questionnaire surveys are a list of research or survey questions distained and asked to the respondents, and designed to extract specific information that are going to be used in the field of research. They serve to collect the appropriate data, make them

14

The Review of Literature

comparable and amenable to analysis. The questionnaire surveys collect, analyze, and interpret the view of one person or a group of people from a target population .

1.6.2.2 Interviews

Interviews may obtain and build information that would not possibly be revealed by any other data collection method (Gall and Borg,1996). In fact, an Interview is a meeting between people where questions are asked and answered. It is a procedure for getting information from the interviewee orally and gaining different views concerning the field of research or investigation.

1.6.2.3 Observations

Observations are another instrument applied in order to conduct a Needs Analysis. It is the process of watching someone, something, or a group. According to Marshall and Rossman (1989) observation is defined as "the systematic description of events, behaviors, and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study" (79). Observations enable the researcher to describe existing situations using the five senses, providing a "written photograph" of the situation under study (Erlandson, Harris, Skipped & Allen, 1993). For example in EFL classes, observation includes watching the teacher giving a lesson to his/her class an then taking notes to respond to the research questions (teacher's method, learners' motivation, participation ...).

1.6.2.4 Analyzing Authentic Texts

According to Dudley-Evans and St-Johns (1998) «Analyzing authentic texts is a crucial stage of Needs Analysis»(136) .If the learner uses the target language primarily for reading and writing, text analysis will help in determining what the student will ultimately have to read or write. By analyzing authentic texts, it is easy to pick out and select the necessary ideas that the author has developed in his text that are useful in a research .They are also the basis

15

The Review of Literature

for classroom materials since they provide the researcher with the extra knowledge to add in his work. Analyzing authentic texts can also allow students to form their own texts and reveal other hidden needs.

1.6.3 Sources of Needs Analysis

The main sources of Needs Analysis are the learners, people working or studying in the field, ex-students, documents relevant to the field, clients, employers, colleagues, and previous ESP research in the field. Brown (1995) points out that there are four categories of people who may be involved in a needs analysis: the target group, the audience, the needs analysts, and the resource group.

The target group consists of the people about whom information will ultimately be gathered, such as the learners in a program, the teachers or administrators. The audience is all those who are eventually required to act upon the analysis. This group usually consists of teachers, teachers aides, program administrators, and any governing bodies or supervisors in the bureaucracy above the language program. The needs analysts are the persons responsible for conducting the needs analysis. In addition to conducting the needs analysis, this group is probably responsible for identifying the other three groups. Finally, the resource group which consists of those who may serve as sources of information about the target group.

1.7 Course design 1.7.1 course

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) define a course as «An integrated series of teaching-learning experiences, whose ultimate aim is to lead the learners to a particular state of knowledge»(P.65). That is to say, it is a process of planning and setting up courses for the sake of learning a language. Thus, language courses whether in ESP or GE are well established through a number of steps: the outcomes of needs analysis, determining the goals

16

The Review of Literature

and objectives, conceptualizing the content, selecting and developing materials, organizing the content of the syllabus, and evaluating (Graves, 1996, Quoted in Xenodohidis, 2002).

1.7.2 Course design in ESP

According to Hutchinson and Waters ( 1987) «a course design is the process by which the raw data about a learning need is interpreted in order to produce an integrated series of teaching/learning experiences, whose ultimate aim is to lead the learners to a particular state of knowledge»(P.65) . That is, course design helps in interpreting information about learners' needs in order to produce teaching-learning experience such as course objectives, timetabling, materials and so on, in order to help ESP learners to achieve their goals.

For Richards (2001), ESP learners' needs and expectations should be given more attention. So, course design is a negotiating process in which learners play an essential role. That is, course design is not a teacher-centered approach. Rather it is an ongoing process based on collecting the maximum information about teaching and learning experiences (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). It is a hard task for ESP developers to carry out this process because it is a learner-centered approach, and it is not always easy to identify learners' needs and expectations (Haddam 2015).

1.7.3 Types of ESP Course Design

Hutchinson and Waters have distinguished three types of ESP course design, labeling them as the language-centered course design, the skills-centered course design, and the learning-centered course design (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987)

1.7.3.1 Language-centered approach

It is concerned with identifying linguistic features of target situation in order to create syllabi and to design instructional materials . According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987)

17

The Review of Literature

«a syllabus based on language-centered approach highlights the linguistic structures of the discourse. It focuses on Technical words and scientific terminology» (P.100).

This approach looks logical. However, it has some shortcomings; it neglects many factors that come into play in the learning process. These factors include learners' interests, motivation, social background, etc. Furthermore, the approach has been criticized as being structure-centered as it gives much importance to linguistic forms rather than developing the skills that enable the learner to communicate effectively in the target situation (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987).

1.7.3.2 The skill centered course design

This approach focuses on the learner performance and language skills needed . It aims to help learners for developing skills and strategies which help them to be competent in a language. The goal of this approach is to gather all the skills that might be used in the target language. The emphasis is not on achieving a particular set of goals but on enabling the learners to achieve what they can within a given constraint. It is then a useful means for the teacher to discover potentials and abilities learners bring to the classroom, but in facts it has weaknesses as it fails to handle the learning needs (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987)

1.7.3.3 Learning- centered approach

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) offer a new approach called Learning-centered approach. Learning-centered approach considers the learners' learning needs at every step of the course. Attention must be paid to these learning needs (and not just to the language needs) at the time of the needs analysis . Hutchinson and waters (1987) argue that the course designer must be aware of the factors such as why learners want to learn, how learners learn , who they are , and other resources which are provided in a check list by their teachers. The information

18

The Review of Literature

that this Needs Analysis yields provides the necessary data to form syllabus, outlining the topic areas and the communicative tasks of the target situation.

1.7.4 Principles in Course Design

To achieve a satisfying goal, ESP course can be effectively organized by following some guidelines that the ESP course designers should take into consideration in all steps of course design. According to Lowe (2009) there are some principles that facilitate course design and direct all the participants in the teaching process to agree about the encountered issues in a particular ESP class.

1.7.4.1 The content

The content should be attractive and motivating. The information obtained from the assessment of learners' needs helps the ESP teacher to determine the content of the

Course (Basturkmen, 2010). Moreover, the content should be informative, and useful for the learners that is to say the teacher has to establish it according to learners' level (Lowe, 2009).

1.7.4.2 The method

The method should be suitable in case of a specific teaching situation, taking into account the content, and the native language of the learner. In other words, the information gained from the comparison between first language (L1) and second language (L2), and the techniques used in (L1) in learning a new subject help the teacher to choose the appropriate teaching method (Lowe, 2009).

1.7.4.3 A Massive Exposure

A good course offers the learners a massive exposure that helps learners to extract meaningful information , and gives them a chance to improve their communicative

19

The Review of Literature

competence to infer correctly meanings of unfamiliar words, and to cope with different genres/styles within their specialty (Lowe, 2009).

1.7.4.4 The syllabus

The syllabus is about the subject matter of learners' specialty, language forms, and structures as well as learning skills and outcomes. The syllabus should explain clearly the procedures, policies, requirements, and practical information.

Section 3: Theoretical Framework

Needs analysis is the most important step In ESP course design. Although this importance has been repeatedly emphasized. Little work has been done on creating the link between NA and course design. The reason for this is that the task of linking the two is more complex than it may seem . Consequently, to conduct our research we are going to take Needs Analysis within Course Design as a theory of investigation relying on Dudley-Evans and St-Johns' works and perspectives of 1989.

1.8 The Use of Needs Analysis in Course Design

Language courses for business English learners should be designed considering their needs, wants and expectations about foreign language communication in their field. Dudley Evans and St-Johns see Needs Analysis as a process of identification and defining valid curriculum and instructional and management objectives in order to facilitate learning in an atmosphere that is closely related to the real life situations of the student. NA is an important component for designing a language course. Consequently, it is essential for a teacher to have reliable information of their learner variables in order to reduce the gap among learners, teachers, and teaching materials.

Dudley-Evans and St-Johns (1989) agree on the importance of combining needs analysis with course design. For them NA is neither unique to language teaching nor within

20

The Review of Literature

language training, but it is often seen as being the cornerstone of ESP and leads to a much focused course. That is to say, Needs Analysis is a fundamental step for designing a course in ESP. For Dudley-Evans and St-Johns (1989), Needs Analysis should be the first step in curriculum design for it can provide validity and relevancy for all the follow up curriculum design. Moreover ,they claim that it is the process of establishing the «how» and «what» of a course in ESP.

1.9 How to Design a Course in Business English through NA

Needs Analysis is the key for an appropriate Business English course. However, it must be effective, helpful and practical. It can be performed through three different acts: planning, collecting data and putting information into the analysis. The ESP teachers or course designers, before conducting the needs analysis, must devise a valid plan of action. Before undertaking any serious course, he or she should answer questions regarding the type of information needed, the purpose of the information and how to attain it. After he/she answers the questions, he/she should construct research questions in relation to those questions. After crafting a fitting plan and proper questions, the teacher can then collect the data. Analysts changing the BE syllabus layout by usage of the need analysis theory should keep in mind the need to study the precise requirements of the school, society and its learners.

As cited above, implementing Needs Analysis in designing ESP courses has a great importance for both teachers and learners for a successful course. In fact, NA is a key component of ESP course design and development, its role is clearly indisputable. It is an obligatory step before and after designing an ESP course. Moreover, it is a way to collect information about a particular problem that learners face and find out language skills a learner needs in a course. Furthermore, Needs Analysis helps determining whether the ESP course meets the real needs of the learners or not.

21

The Review of Literature

Conclusion

This chapter has explored and discussed various points relating to the main concepts of our research. In its three sections, it has examined some key issues related to ESP, Needs Analysis and course design and it has tackled definitions from various viewpoints. The chapter has attempted to explain Needs Analysis and course design as well as their role in ESP settings, precisely in business English. The chapter has also introduced the theoretical framework of the study which is Dudley-Evans and St-Johns ` theory of Needs Analysis within course design.

Chapter Two: Research Design and

Methodology

22

Research Design and Methodology

Introduction

This chapter presents the research design and methods of the study. In our analysis, we have opted for the mixed method research which aims to address complex research topics and give more understanding comparing to the use of only one research method. Our study aims to investigate the design of business English courses through «needs analysis» in the business purpose institution INPED of Boumerdes and check whether needs analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers or not. The participants are a sample of teachers and learners who have given fundamental insights for our work. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in order to gather the appropriate data and proper answers to achieve the aim of the study. The former helps getting reliable numerical data and the latter provides valid opinions about the phenomenon under investigation. As data collection tools, a questionnaire has been distributed to a sample of learners at the INPED of Boumerdes. In addition, a semi-structured interview has been made with some teachers and a questionnaire has been administered to some others.

2.1 The Research Method

The mixed-methods research has been chosen in order to answer the research questions asked is the introduction and confirm or refute the formulated hypotheses. Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) define the Mixed Method as a combination or association of both qualitative and quantitative forms. It involves philosophical assumptions, the use of qualitative and quantitative approach, and the mixing of both approaches in a study. Comparing with the use of only one method (qualitative method or quantitative method), the mixed-methods research addresses more complex research topics.

23

Research Design and Methodology

2.2 Participants and Sample of the Investigation

Sampling is a technique for data collection. It has different types: `probability sample', `non-probability sample', `stratification sample', etc (Baxter et al, 2006). Our research adopts the probability sample technique which is beneficial for random selection as it creates a sample that is truly representative of the population.

The data are collected in the year of 2018 in the English department of the INPED. For this year, there are two hundred learners (trainees) in the field of Business English for «evening classes». We have dealt with thirty (30) of them to whom we have distributed the questionnaires in order to help us know their views about the Business English courses designed to them. In addition, we have worked with nine teachers (9). We have handed out to six (6) of them questionnaires and have taken interview with the three others.

2.3 Procedures of Data Collection

In order to ensure validity of the obtained data, we have selected two main research instruments. First, we have administered two questionnaires: one for the learners and another one for the teachers at the English department of the INPED at Boumerdes. In addition, we have made an interview with three ESP teachers in the same institution.

2.3.1 Learners' Questionnaire

For the sake of gathering appropriate data to this research, a questionnaire is designed in relation with the research questions as well as the literature review of the present work. A questionnaire is a research technique that contains a list of questions addressed to a large number of people in order to get the information needed. According to Dudley-Evans and St-Johns(1998) «Target Situation Analysis (TSA) generally uses questionnaire as the

24

Research Design and Methodology

instrument»(P.125). Moreover, Richard(2001) believes that the questionnaire can be used to elicit information about many kinds of issues, such as language use, attitudes and beliefs.

The questionnaire we have administered for the learners contains twenty two (22) questions including open-ended questions and close-ended questions that are divided into three sections. The first section which is the Participants Attitudes to English aims to get information about the learners and their views towards English. The second section called «Learners' Perception towards English Language Learning» aims to know learners' perception towards general English learning, as well as ESP learning. The third section which is ESP courses and learners' Needs seeks to find out whether ESP courses meet the learners' needs and wants.

2.3.2 Teachers' Questionnaire

A questionnaire has been administered to six (6) teachers for the sake of obtaining data on course design in relation to the learners' needs. The questionnaire contains nineteen (19) questions including open-ended and close-ended questions. It is divided into three sections. The first section introduces the profile of the teachers. The second section is about the way they organize courses before presenting them to the learners. The third section seeks to get information about the design of the courses in accordance to the needs of the learners.

2.3.3 Teachers' Interview

As mentioned before, the second data-gathering tool is the teachers' interview. It is a formal structured interview which is conducted with three (3) teachers in the English department of the INPED. The interviewees are all teachers of ESP .

This interview contains ten (10) specific questions that aim to clarify the purpose of the study. That is, how teachers design ESP courses, the way they find out the learners' needs and

25

Research Design and Methodology

whether the objectives are attained. It also aims to know teachers' perceptions towards the implementation of NA while teaching English in specific situations.

2.4. Procedures of Data Analysis

2.4.1 Description of the Quantitative Method

The collected data in our study are used in order to generate numerical data. The teachers' and learners' answers are transformed into percentages through using the rule of three which is applied as follows:

?? = Zx100

y

The symbol X is the calculated percentage, Z is the total number of the sample under investigation , and Y is the value of the category of similar answers.

2.4.2 The Qualitative content analysis

In order to analyze the open-ended questions of the questionnaires and the interview, Qualitative Content Analysis has been used as a method of interpretation and description of the qualitative data. This method has been defined by Heish and Shannon (2005) as «a research method for subjective interpretation of the content of the text data through systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns»(P.2)

Conclusion

This chapter has put emphasis on the research design and methods of our study. First, it has introduced the research method as well as the participants and sample of the investigation. Then, it has defined the data collection instruments and the data analysis procedures used to carry out our work.

Chapter Three: The Presentation of the

Findings

26

The Presentation of the Findings

Introduction

This chapter presents the results that are obtained from the two questionnaires that have been administered to thirty (30) learners and to six (6) teachers of the English Department at the INPED of Boumerdes. It also presents the results of the interview that has been conducted with three (3) other ESP teachers at the same place. The aim of this chapter is to determine both learners and teachers' perceptions of ESP course design and learning needs through the obtained percentages. This chapter is made up of three sections. The first section displays the results reached from the learners' questionnaire. The second one presents the results obtained from the teachers' questionnaire. The third and last section reports the results reached from the interview that has been conducted with the teachers on course design and learners' needs analysis.

3.1 Presentation of the Results of the Learners' Questionnaire

3.1.1 Results of Section One: Participants' Attitudes to the English Language

Question 1: How old are you?

	Under 25	25-30	30-40	40+	Total
Number of participants	0%	3	17	10	30
Percentage	O %	10 %	56.7 %	33.3%	100%

Table 1: Participants' Age

As shown in table 1, 56.7% of the learners which stands for 17 learners are adults that are aged between 30-40 years old. Only 33.3% which stands for 10 learners are more than 40 years old. The minority of the learners (10%) are aged between 25-30 years old .

27

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 2: Do you like the English language?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	30	0	30
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 2: Learners' Attitude to English

The statistics of table 2 clearly indicate that all the learners have a favorable attitude towards the English language.

Question 3:How English is important for you?

40%

80%

70%

60%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Less Important Important Very Important

0%

26.7%

73.3%

Diagram 2: The Importance Given to English

26.7% of the learners confirm the fact that English is important. However the vast majority of them which stands for 73.3% believe that English is of a high importance in their domain.

Question 4 : How was your attitude towards English language learning at the beginning of your training?

28

The Presentation of the Findings

100%

40%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Favorable Unfavorable

100%

0%

Diagram 3: Learners' attitude towards English Language Learning at the Beginning of their Training

From the results obtained all the learners (100%) affirm having a favorable attitude towards English language learning at the beginning of their training.

Question 5: Have you started your training with :

a. Beginner. B. Intermediate c. Advanced level.

90%
80%
		83.3%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
				16.7 %
0%
	0% a b c

Diagram4: Learners' Starting Level

As displayed in diagram 4, 83.3% of the learners have started their learning as beginners in English. Only 16.6% declare starting their learning with an intermediate level of English.

29

The Presentation of the Findings

3.1.2 Results of Section Two: Learners' Perception to Business English learning

Question6: How interested are you in learning business in the English language?

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Interested

100%

Not interested

0%

Diagram 5: Learners' interest towards Learning Business in English

As underscored in diagram 5, the learners at the institution ( INPED) are all interested in learning business in the English language.

Question 7: How would you evaluate your current level in Business English?

40

50

30

20

10

0

Low Medium Good

16.7%

33.3%

50%

Diagram 6 : Learners' Current Level in Business English

30

The Presentation of the Findings

The learners' current level in BE differentiates between good, medium, and low, i,e 50% of the learners have evaluated their level as being good. 33.3% of them have judged their level as being medium. A small number of students, which is 16.7% , evaluate themselves as having a low level of Business English.

Question 8: Evaluate your progress in Business English at this institution:

a- No Progress

b- Low Progress

c- High Progress

80%

0%

20%

a

b

c

Diagram 7: Learners' Progress at the Institution

the results above Indicate that the higher number of respondents (80%) have evaluated their progress of Business English at the INPED as being high .20% of the participants claim that their progress is low . whereas, no one has answered with no progress.

31

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 9: Would you say that your proficiency in Business English skills is:

	Weak	Average	Good
Listening	0%	63.3%	36.7%
Speaking	16.7%	66.7 %	16.7%
Reading	16.7 %	56.7 %	26.7%
Writing	13.3%	50%	36.7%

Table 3: Learners' Skills Proficiency

Throughout the results presented in table 3, we can see that the answers vary between weak, average, and good. For listening, 63.3% of the learners have said that their proficiency in this skill is average, whereas 36.7% claim that they are good. For speaking,66.7% of the learners have an average proficiency, 16.7% are weak and the same result marked as being good. For the reading skill, 26.7% have said that they are good, 56.7% are average and only 16.7% learners are weak . For writing, 50% respondents are average, 13.3% are weak and the rest of them, that is 36.7% , are good .

Question 10: Which language skills do you need in Business English? ( you can tick more than one)

	Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing
Number of Participants	20	30	16	17
Percentage	66.7 %	100 %	53.3%	56.7%

Table4: The Language Skills Needed in Business English

As it is shown in table 4, the most needed language skill is speaking since 100% of the learners have ticked on it, and then listening which have got 66.7%. 17 learners that

32

The Presentation of the Findings

corresponds to 56.7% have added writing to their needs and only 16 of them, which stands for 53.3% , have stressed on reading .

Question 11: How useful are the Business English courses with regard to your needs?

40

90

80

70

60

50

30

20

10

0

Useful Of some use Not useful

86.7%

13.3%

0%

Diagram 8: The Usefulness of Business English Courses with Regard to Learners' Needs

The majority of the learners at INPED that corresponds to 86.7% see that the courses of ESP are useful with regard to their needs , few of them, i,e 13.3%, have declared that the Business English courses are only of some use .

Question 12: Why do you consider English important in the Algerian business field?

The majority of the learners that is 90% have answered this question by making reference to English as an international language. They have argued that as English has emerged as an international language for many fields. It is important for them to learn it in order to be able to work and communicate in Business English. In addition, some of them have argued that English is very important in the Algerian business field as many companies have international relations. So, it would become easy for them to build strong relationships through a good communication in English.

33

The Presentation of the Findings

3.1.3 Results of Section Three: Learners' Satisfaction with Business English Courses

Question 13: Are you satisfied with the teaching methods used by the teachers in Business English courses ?

100

80

60

40

20

0

Yes

93.3%

No

6.7%

Diagram 9: Learners' Satisfaction with the Business English Teaching Methods

The majority of the learners at INPED (93%) argue that the teaching methods used by the teachers in the Business English courses are satisfactory. Only 6.7% claim that they are not satisfied with these methods.

Question 14: Are you satisfied with the syllabus designed for your specific purpose in Business English courses?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	28	2	30
Percentage	93.3%	6.7%	100%

Table 5: Learners' Satisfaction by the Business English Syllabus

As noticed in the table above , the vast majority of the learners i.e. 28 which stands for 93.3% are satisfied by the syllabus designed for their specific purpose , and only 2 respondents that is, 6.7%, are unsatisfied .

34

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 15: Are the Business English activities programmed in your training helpful?

100%

40%

80%

60%

20%

0%

Yes No

93.3%

6.7%

Diagram 10: Learners' Attitude towards the Activities Programmed for their Training The activities programmed in the training are viewed as helpful by 93.3% of the learners and they are seen as not being helpful by only 6.7% .

Question 16: What do you think about the materials used ?

100%

40%

80%

60%

20%

0%

Very helpful Helpful Not helpful

0%

90%

10%

Diagram 11: The Degree of Usefulness of the Materials Used

The statistics in the diagram above indicate that the highest number of learners, that is 90%, think that the materials used in their studies is at a higher degree helpful for them.

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 17: Are you really satisfied by the content of Business English courses designed by the institution?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	27	3	30
Percentage	90 %	10%	100%

Table 6: Learners' Satisfaction with the Content of Business English Courses

Table 6 denotes that 27 of the questioned learners , that is (90%), have answered that they are totally satisfied by the Business English courses designed by the institution whereas 3 of them that corresponds to 10% are not .

Question 18: Is the time allocated for the Business English courses enough to you to use the English language effectively?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	24	6	30
Percentage	80 %	20 %	100%

Table 7: The Time Allocated for BE Courses

Table 7 shows that the majority the learners (80%) agree that the time allotted to the ESP courses is enough and sufficient for them to use English effectively. (20%) have answered unfavorably and see that the time allotted is not enough.

35

Question 19 : Do your teachers encourage you to use authentic materials?

The Presentation of the Findings

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	30	0	30%
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 8: Teachers' Encouragement for Authentic Materials Use

All the questioned learner have stated that their teachers do encourage them to use authentic materials in Business English.

? If yes, what are the objectives of the use of those materials?

a. To speak English fluently.

b. To understand business English terminology.

90%

88%

86%

84%

82%

80%

78%

76%

74%

a b

90%

80%

Diagram 12: The Objective of Authentic Materials Use

The results of the diagram show that many learners see that the objective of the use of authentic materials is more to speak English fluently. In fact (90%) of the learners have ticked for the first answer . 80% have pointed out that the use of those materials helps also in understanding the business English terminology

36

Note: some have stressed on both the objectives .

37

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 20: Have you tried to develop your level in Business English outside INPED?

76.7%

23.3%

Yes No

Diagram 13: English Level Development

As highlighted in diagram 12, the majority of the learners have not tried to develop their level of English outside INPED, that is (76.7%) have answered with NO and (23.3%) have answered that they have developed their level elsewhere.

? The development of the level was it mainly in:

a- English for Business Purposes (EBP)

b- General English (GE)

16%

14%

12%

10%

4%

8%

0%

6%

2%

a b

6.7%

16.7%

Diagram 14: Areas where Learners have Developed their Level in Business English

38

The Presentation of the Findings

It is clear in the diagram 14, that learners have tried to develop their level of English outside INPED and this in the domain of general English. Therefore, 73% have answered GE and only 27% have tried to develop their level in the domain of English for Business Purposes.

Question 21 : Which aspects of the English language would you suggest to be focused on in Business courses? (you can choose more than one)

100%

40%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

93.3% 100% 96.7% 93.3% 96.7%

83.3% 76.6%

Diagram 15: Learners' Suggestions about the Aspects of English to be Focused on

Diagram 15 suggests that learners have suggested different aspects of English to be more focused on in their learning. 100% of them have agreed on the importance of learning more technical vocabulary , as well as listening comprehension and communicative skills which got 96.7% . Yet, 93.3% of the learners have agreed on giving also more focus on writing skills and specific grammar. Moreover, even general vocabulary and reading comprehension have got a high number of respondents which stands for 83.3% and 76.6% respectively.

Question 22: At the end of your studies, and in relation to your acquired knowledge in Business english, you have become able to:

a. listen to lectures presented in English

39

The Presentation of the Findings

b. speak English fluently.

c. read Business English easily.

d. write English correctly.

e. listen to conferences/talks presented by experts in English.

f. exchange views with foreign experts in formal and informal situations.

A	B	C	D	E	F
83.3%	13.3%	90%	86.7%	50%	43.3%

Table 9: Learners' Acquired Abilities at the End of Studies

Table 9 sheds light on what the learners have become able to do more easily after having crossed a long way in their studies. 90% of the learners claim having become able to read Business English easily. Yet, 86.7% have become able to write English correctly. 50% of the learners are able to listen to conferences presented in English. However, 50% cannot listen to talks presented in English.

3.2 Presentation of the Results of the Teachers' Questionnaire 3.2.1 Results of section one: Profile of the Teacher

Question 1: How old are you?

	25-29	30-39	40-49	50+		Total
Number of participants	0	4	1	1		6
Percentage	O %	66.66 %	16.66 %	16.66	%	100%

Table 10: Teachers' Age

The table above shows that the majority of the teachers are less than 40 years old, i.e 66.66% which stands for 4 teachers. Moreover, only 16,66% are between 40 and 49 years. 16.66% are more than 50 years old.

The Presentation of the Findings

Question2: Which degree do you have?

50,00%

40,00%

30,00%

20,00%

10,00%

0,00%

License

33,3%

Magister

PHD

16,7%

50%

Diagram 16: Teachers' Level

It is noticed in the diagram above that only 16, 7% of the teachers do have a magister degree. Besides, 33.3% of them have a license degree and 50% have a PHD.

Question 3: How long have you been working as an ESP teacher?

40,00%

90,00%

80,00%

70,00%

60,00%

50,00%

30,00%

20,00%

10,00%

0,00%

First year 2-5 years 5+

0,00%

16,7%

83%

Diagram 17: Teachers' Experience in ESP teaching

Diagram 17 shows that most of the teachers (83%) have got more than 5 years experience in the ESP teaching. Whereas 16.7% are ESP teachers only for 2 to 5 years.

40

Question 4: How long have you been working as an ESP teacher at this institution?

The Presentation of the Findings

66.7% of the teachers which stands for 4 teachers have got more than 5 years experience in ESP teaching at the INPED. Some of them have been working for 2 to4 years and a very few number of them are new teachers.

3.2.2 Results of section Two: Course Organization

Question 5: What are the skills that are given more importance?( you can tick more than one answer).

100%

40%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Listening Speaking Reading writing

100%

100%

83,3%%

83,3%

Listening Speaking Reading writing

Diagram 18: The Skills that are given more Importance

The statistics in diagram 16 indicate that all the teachers give importance to the listening and speaking skills. Furthermore, 83.3% believe that reading as well as writing skills should also be given a great importance.

Question 6: During your present teaching, do you use : ( You can tick more than one answer)

a. textbooks related to general English.

b. textbooks related to Business English.

41

c. materials you prepare yourself (texts, exercises, etc ).

42

The Presentation of the Findings

100,00%

80,00%

60,00%

40,00%

20,00%

0,00%

83,3%

A

100%

B

16.7%

C

%

A

B

C

Diagram 19: The Teaching Materials Used

The results in diagram 19 indicate that all the teachers rely on textbooks related to Business English in their teaching process. A huge majority of them, which corresponds to 83.3%, also use textbooks related to general English in order to support their teaching. Only 16.7% of the teachers use materials they prepare themselves.

Question 7: Do you use authentic materials while teaching?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 11: The Use of Authentic Materials

Table 12 denotes that 100% of the teachers at the INPED do use authentic materials in their teaching process.

Question 8: Do you think your role as a teacher is:

a. To identify and sort out learners' goals of learning.

b. To conduct a research in order to design a course.

c. Both.

43

The Presentation of the Findings

100%

40%

80%

60%

20%

0%

A B C

0% 0%

100%

Diagram 20: The Role of the Teacher

As presented in diagram20, 100% of the teachers affirm that their role as a teacher is both to identify and sort out learners' goals of learning, as well as to conduct research in order to design courses.

Question 9: a- Do you evaluate the learners' achievement?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 12: Evaluation of Learners' Achievement

The table above shows that 100% of the teachers do evaluate the learners' achievement

b- If yes , when?

a. At the beginning of the unit.

b. At the end of an instructional unit.

c. At the end of a semester.

d. Every day.

44

The Presentation of the Findings

16,7%

83,3%

A

B

C

D

Diagram 21: Period of Testing

As it is noticed in diagram 21, 83.3% of the teachers evaluate their learners at the end of an instructional unit, 16.7% evaluate them at the end of each semester. No one of the teachers evaluates the learners at the beginning of the unit nor every day.

Question 10: As an evaluator, do you evaluate yourself after each course?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 13: Teachers' self-evaluation

As displayed in the table above 100% of the teachers do evaluate themselves after each course. That is, all of them evaluate their teaching method after the end of a course.

Question 11: Do you collaborate With other teachers in order to create a suitable course content?

The Presentation of the Findings

16.7%

83.3%

Yes No

Diagram 22: Teachers' Collaboration with other Teachers

From the results of diagram 22, it is noticeable that 83.3% of the teachers collaborate with other colleagues so as to create a suitable course content for the learners. Nevertheless, a small minority which corresponds to 16.7% do not work in collaboration with other teachers.

Question 12: Do you think that your teaching method leads to better results ?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table14: Teachers' Opinion about their Teaching Method

The table above indicates that all the teachers are satisfied by the teaching methods they use for teaching and argue that it has led to good results.

3.2.3 Results of Section Three: Needs Analysis and Course Design

Question 13: Do Business English classes take place under the form of :

45

A- Courses

46

The Presentation of the Findings

B- Tutorials

40%

80%

60%

20%

0%

Courses Tutorials ( TD)

33%

66%

Diagram 23: The Form of BE Classes

As it appears in diagram 23, the majority of time BE classes take place under the form of tutorials. In fact, (66%) of the teachers teach BE with small groups of learners . However (33%) of them claim having teaching BE in the form of classes.

Question 14: How can you define Course Design?

Course Design has been defined by some teachers as being a means for ensuring a good course content for the learners. Some of them have said that it is a preparation of what ? when ? and how of a course. i.e It is a preparation of what is going to be thaught during each course.

Question 15: Do you analyze the needs of your learners before designing a course?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 15: The Implementation of NA before Course Design

As presented in the table above, 100% of the teachers analyze the needs of the learners before designing a course, i.e course design is done by the analysis of the learners' needs.

47

The Presentation of the Findings

Question 16: Do you take into consideration the learners' level to identify their needs?

	Yes	No	Total
Number of Participants	6	0	6
Percentage	100 %	0 %	100%

Table 16: Learners' Level and Learning Needs

For the purpose of identifying learners' needs, all the teachers do take into consideration the learners' level so as to meet their appropriate needs.

Question 17 : What are the instruments that are used in order to identify learners' needs and wants?

a. Questionnaires.

b. Interviews.

c. Placement tests.

d. Others.

100%

40%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

a b c d

33.3%

66.7%

100%

0%

Diagram 24: The Instruments Used to Identify Learners' Needs and Wants

The statistics of diagram 24 indicate that 100% of the teachers use placement tests in order to identify the needs of the learners. A great majority (66.7%) make interviews with

48

The Presentation of the Findings

their learners in order to identify their needs and wants. Yet, a minority of the teachers, that is 33.3%, rely on questionnaires in order to identify the needs of the learners.

Question 18: Step by step, how do you design the courses in relation to the needs of the learners?

All the teachers being asked have argued that designing a course always starts by identifying learners' needs, and this begins each time by making placement tests, interviews or questionnaires in order to know the learners' level in English. After this, each learner is put in a classroom or level that suit his needs and then each course is designed according the the needs of each level of learners.

3.3 Presentation of the Results of the Teachers' Interview

This section is based on the analysis of the questions asked in the interview. The questions have been asked for three (3) teachers at the INPED of Boumerdes. The interviewees are all teachers of ESP that have been in the domain for more than five years. The Content Analysis Method has been used as a method to analyze the teachers' answers so as to gather their different perceptions and views concerning course design and needs analysis in ESP settings ,precisely in Business English.

Q1: Have you had some training in ESP teaching?

Two teachers have declared that they have had some training before teaching in the field, whereas one has said that he has never had any training in ESP.

Q2: Do you think that training is important for teaching ESP?

All the interviewed teachers have affirmed that training is very important in ESP teaching as it helps them to be equipped with a variety of skills other than teaching methodology. They have added that these skills may include some basic knowledge of their

49

The Presentation of the Findings

students' subject area, course designing, materials production, organizational skills, soft skills, etc.

Q3: Do you follow any program while teaching Business English?

All the teachers have answered that they do follow an official program while teaching Business English. However, they sometimes add their own teaching aids.

Q4: How do you design this program?

The teachers have said that the program is designed through identifying learners' needs and wants. They have added that it is usually designed through having a meeting with the majority of the teachers, then analyzing the learners needs or what they call trainees' needs that are presented in a letter they receive from the company where the trainees work (e.g.Sonatrach), and then confirm those needs with the company training managers ( CTM) .

Q5: What do you do in order to design the appropriate course content?

In order to design the appropriate course content, most of the teachers select courses either from the pedagogical program or from authentic materials. These courses are chosen according to the needs of the learners in order to make them better users of English for their specific purposes.

Q6: Can you define needs analysis ?

Two teachers have defined Needs Analysis as a method to analyze the needs of the learners before the beginning of their training period in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses so as to design the appropriate courses for them. One teachers have added that Needs Analysis is an attempt to gather data about learner's needs and goals of learning ESP or Business English.

50

The Presentation of the Findings

Q7: Do you think that identifying learners' needs at the beginning of a course leads to a better teaching and learning ?

All the teachers have agreed that identifying learners needs at the beginning of any academic year leads to a better teaching and learning. In fact, they have affirmed that analyzing those needs helps in designing a course that answers the needs of the learners and that leads to remarkable success. For them, identifying learners' needs ensures the success of the ESP or Business English course and it is the key for a good teaching which ensures an effective learning process

Q8: What is the objective you want your learners to achieve at the end of the course?

The ESP teachers have not only given one objective they want their learners to achieve at the end of the course.In fact, one of them has stated the importance of the development of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) at the end of a course for a good mastery of Business English. Two others have said that the mastery of technical terminology especially related to their occupation or field and the ability to use the language successfully for job related functions are the main objectives that learners must achieve at the end of any course.

Q9: Do you think that the learners are satisfied with the courses designed to them? All the teachers argue that the Business English learners are satisfied with the courses

designed to them.

How do you know so?

One teacher has said that appreciation forms are given to the learners to complete at the end of their training so as to know if they are satisfied or not. Another one has added that he usually asks his students this question and he always gets a positive answer. The last teacher has answered that since the courses are designed on the basis of Needs Analysis, there is no doubt about their satisfaction.

51

The Presentation of the Findings

Q10: Do they become better users of Business English through the ESP courses designed to them?

All the teachers have argued that the learners have become better users of Businnes English through the designed courses. One of them has added that «if they do really want to communicate Business in English, they will be able to do so. And if they do follow the instructions and all the pieces of advice given by the institution, they will succeed».

Conclusion

This chapter presents the results of the analysis of the learners and teachers' questionnaires as well as the interview. The results reveal that teachers at the English department of INPED make a needs analysis for the learners before designing any Business English course. Thus , they are aware about their needs, wants, and purpose of learning. Moreover, the results show that different instruments have been used in order to meet the needs of the learners and design appropriate BE courses, among them placement tests, questionnaires and interviews. Consequently, most of the learners are satisfied and have had positive results at the end of their Business English training period.

Chapter Four: Discussion of the Findings

52

Discussion of the Findings

Introduction

After the analysis has been achieved on both the questionnaires and the interview, the primary objective of this chapter is to provide an objective interpretation of the findings issued from the investigation. Chapter four discusses the results of the study in relation to the research questions, as well as the literature review presented in chapter one. It comprises four major sections which aim to provide answers to the research questions and to confirm or refute the formulated hypotheses .The first section is an overview about the current ESP situation at INPED. Section two discusses the results obtained from the study about whether needs analysis has been taken into consideration to design Business English courses in INPED or not . Section three discusses the different instruments used to identify learners' needs and wants. Finally, Section four outlines the learners' satisfaction to ESP courses designed by the ESP teachers at INPED of Boumerdes.

4.1 The ESP Situation at the INPED

The two questionnaires and the interview have helped us to gather some important information about the current ESP situation at INPED. First of all, the results of the teachers' questionnaire show that the majority of the ESP teachers at this institution, that is 66.6%, are between 30 and 40 years old, 16.7% of them are between 40 and 49 years old , and 16.7% are more than 50 years old (Table10) . From the teachers' interview, we can notice that 66.7% of the teachers have affirmed having had some training in ESP teaching before beginning to teach, however all of them have claimed about the importance of training in ESP for an effective teaching and learning process. According to them training helps to be equipped with a variety of skills other than teaching methodology. Such skills may include some basic knowledge of their students' subject area, course designing, materials production, organizational skills, soft skills, etc. For Dudley-Evans (1997) ESP teacher training should

53

Discussion of the Findings

concentrate on needs analysis in the context for which the students are prepared. That is, the teachers should be trained on the way we analyze the needs of the learners and design appropriate courses that are suitable for their level as well as their goals of learning ESP. Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications (2014) recognize the importance of teacher training by stating that, «The most important factor in the quality of students' learning is the quality of teaching and school leadership. Teachers and leaders need to develop their professional thinking and practice continuously throughout their careers» (P.03). This means that it is important for the teachers to be trained for an effective learning development. In fact teachers influence the learners' abilities as well as the effectiveness of the course.

In addition to that, the study confirms that 33.3% of the teachers at INPED work with a license degree in English, 17.6% of them have got a magister degree, and 50% have got other degrees such as PHD in translation studies (Diagram 16). Moreover, the majority of them that corresponds to 83.3% have been teaching ESP for more than five years (Diagram 17). Thus, they have confirmed having the ability to teach ESP effectively by taking into account all the necessary aspects of ESP teaching and course design.

For the learners, the questionnaire that has been distributed for them shows that they are mostly adults. That is 56.7% are between thirty and forty years old, 33.3% are more than 40 years old, and only 10% are between 25 and 30 years old (Table1) . This confirms what Dudley Evans and St. John (1998) have said about ESP learners. They have stated that ESP courses are usually designed for adult learners at «tertiary level» or for work place situations. In addition to that, the questionnaire confirms that most of the learners at INPED that corresponds to 83.3% have a middle level in English and want to improve it (Diagram 4). Consequently, ESP learners are familiar with the English language however they have some weaknesses that they want to address. This goes in tune with what Sifakis (2003) has said about learners in ESP. For him, «ESP learners are adults who have a strong educational

54

Discussion of the Findings

background but have weaknesses in English. Thus, they are highly motivated because their needs are catered to» (P.6). This means that learners in ESP have already an educational background that they want to improve. In fact, they are learning the language in order to communicate professional information and to perform some particular, job-related functions.

The statistics have shown that 100% of the ESP learners do like the English language and have a favorable attitude towards English language learning from the beginning of their training (Table 2). In fact, they are very interested in learning business in English as 73.3% find it very important for their domain or future career (Diagram 5), consequently, they are motivated to learn business English.

4.2 Needs Analysis in Business English Course Design

4.2.1The Integration of Needs Analysis in Business English Course Design

First of all, the findings of the work show that Needs Analysis has been taken into consideration by the INPED teachers before designing any Business English course. As presented in the teachers' questionnaire and the interview, 100% of the teachers have affirmed the importance of using Needs Analysis before designing courses for the learners. That is, the courses are designed by taking into account the learners' needs and wants so as to create appropriate language skills, functions and forms as required in the leaner's needs profile. This confirms the first hypothesis which states that Needs Analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers at INPED of Boumerdes. McDonough (1984) states that the language needs of the learners should be the bases for course development. He says, "Information on his or her language needs will help in drawing up a profile to establish coherent objectives, and take subsequent decisions on course content" (P.29). That is to say, learning needs are the key for developing appropriate ESP courses. Berwick (1989) adds that needs assessment is important for decision planners to design the courses. This confirms that

55

Discussion of the Findings

assessing the needs of the learners helps the teachers to take decisions about what should and what should not be taught in the ESP course, and this also influences the development of the course as it make it more easy and more effective.

The learners' questionnaire confirms again that the Business English learners at INPED do learn what they really need to in order to achieve their learning goals and objectives. Therefore, their needs are met so as to create suitable course content for them. For Hutchinson and waters (1987) «ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners' reason for learning» (P.19). This definition explains that the learning goals and objectives are very important to know in order to create good and suitable program that suits the learning needs and wants, that is to say, business English learners' needs and expectations should be given a great attention. Thus, course design is a negotiating process in which learners play an essential role. That is, teachers cannot teach whatever they want because the learners do have needs and goals they want to achieve at the end of their training period.

The teachers' interview shows that the majority of the INPED teachers think that identifying learners' needs at the beginning of their training leads to better results. For them, needs analysis is the key for a good teaching which ensures an effective learning process. This goes in tune with what Sieroka (2008) have said about ESP teachers. For him, ESP teachers should first identify and sort out the learners' goals of teaching and then conduct a research in order to design a course and identify the appropriate teaching materials. That is, ESP teachers are supposed to analyze the needs of the learners before making any decision about the content of the course and the teaching materials to be used. In other words, as the teacher is a course designer and a material provider, he must design courses depending on the learners' needs and reasons of learning. He should also bear in mind some basic questions before designing any course, such as, who are the learners? What do these learners need to learn English for? And what kind of teaching materials do they need? These questions need to be

56

Discussion of the Findings

solved through making a Needs Analysis on the learners by using different materials and instruments because in ESP course, it is needs analysis that determines which language skills are useful for the learners to be able to accomplish certain professional tasks (e.g. for a tourist guide, courses should be focused on the speaking skills and for a pilot courses should be focused on listening as well as speaking). Thus, ESP or Business English courses are centered on the context.

4.2.2 Needs Analysis and Course Organization

After the teacher designs the appropriate course content through Needs Analysis, he should then organize the course in a way that is appropriate for an affective learning process. Teachers, after recognizing the most important areas where the learners have problems and difficulties, are able to identify learners' needs and wants in an effective manner. As it is shown in the teacher's questionnaire, 100% of the teachers claim that the learners need more practice in listening and speaking skills as these two have a great importance for their future career.Thas is to say, these learners need to improve more listening and speaking skills as it is required by their domain. 83.3% of them have argued that reading and writing skills should also be given more importance (Diagram 18). Therefore, the teachers organize courses for practicing more listening and speaking skills and sometimes reading and writing. For this purpose, different teaching materials are used in order to satisfy the learners' needs.

On the one hand, the questionnaire indicates that 100% of the teachers rely on textbooks related to Business English in their teaching process as the majority of the learners need to learn Business vocabulary or terminology (Diagram19). All the teachers claim that the English instruction should focus on English needed rather than on general English. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) think that "In terms of language content, there is little reason why a Biology text should be more useful to a biologist than a Physics text» (P.165). This means that, in terms of the course content, learners in ESP should find what is relevant to

57

Discussion of the Findings

their field. I.e, teaching materials, program and syllabus should be in relation to the learners' context and domain. On the other hand, a huge majority of the teachers which corresponds to 83.3% also use textbooks related to general English in order to support their teaching because it is not possible to learn Business English without taking into account some aspects of general English as it is the basis for learning the language. Moreover, many teachers also use authentic materials rather than texts designed pedagogically (Table11), because authentic materials are considered as an aid for supporting teaching and learning. This is also mentioned by Guariento and Morley (2001) who believe that using authentic materials relates to the onset of communicative movements in which there is an attempt to simulate real world in the classroom. That is, authentic materials are helpful for the learners as they make them interact with the real language and content rather than the form. In addition, these materials help the learners to feel that they are learning the language as it is used in real life situations and this makes them understand and be motivated to learn and get useful and meaningful language. Many language teachers believe that authenticity has proved its beneficial role in language teaching and there is no argument regarding this. (Shrum and Glisan, 2000; Richards,2001; Kilickaya,2004 ).

Within course organization, the questionnaire indicates that the majority of the teachers which corresponds to 83.3% collaborate with other colleagues in order to help each other and create a suitable course content for the learners' needs. Only 16.7% do not collaborate (Diagram 22). As it has been mentioned by Dudley-Evans and St-John (1998) The ESP teachers' should cooperate with other teachers that are specialists in the domain in order to gain knowledge about the teaching skills, tasks, and syllabus so as to bring the suitable material and courses for the learners. This means that teachers' cooperation helps in developing the teaching and learning process as it brings new ideas and methods on the teaching skills, materials, program and syllabus to be used.

58

Discussion of the Findings

As a result, ESP teachers at the INPED of Boumerdes are conscious about the importance of learning needs in the creation of suitable teaching materials and course organization. This makes them be motivated to search for all the possible methods to be used so as to meet the learners' needs in an effective manner and organize courses that suit these needs.

4.3 Instruments for Needs Analysis

4. 3.1 Learners and their English Language Needs

In terms of the English language needs and wants, the learners' questionnaire shows that 73.3% of the learners find English very important in their business domain (Diagram 2). As a result, Business English learners at INPED want more training to develop their language performance. Some of them, that is 83.3% of the learners, have started their learning as beginners in English , and Only 16.6% have declared starting their learning with an intermediate level (Diagram 4). Thus, in terms of needs of the skills, the learners have different learning goals and objectives. INPED learners have argued that they need more training in the English language for their specific purposes. In fact 100% of them claim the need of practicing more the speaking skill as it is very important for their domain and 66.7% have declared having the need to assimilate more listening as it is also essential. Besides, More than 50% of the learners feel the necessity to acquire reading and writing skills (Table 4). These results show that learners have concentrated much more efforts on speaking and listening rather than reading and writing. One can justify this difference by the fact that there has been much demand on these two skills in their field. The results which are shown on the learners' questionnaire and which represents the findings of the current study, have confirmed the significant role of English in the Business area as demonstrated by previous researchers such as Chen in 2006 and Ekici in 2003.

59

Discussion of the Findings

Regarding the INPED learners' English language lacks, the findings on Table 3 reveal that they are unable to effectively practice the four skills needed in order to master Business English well. They have rated themselves in listening, speaking, reading as well as writing. In fact 63.3 % of the learners reveal that their level in listening is just average, and 36.3% of them have evaluated themselves as being good. For the speaking skill, 16.7% of the learners have revealed their weakness, 66.7% are almost average, and only 16.7% are good. On the other hand, 16.7% of the learners have confirmed that their level in reading is weak and 56.7% have said it has been average. Only 26.7% have evaluated themselves as being good. Finally, 13.3% of the ESP learners consider their level in writing weak and 50% of them consider it average. Only 36.7 are good (Table 3). In view of that and relying on Chambers' work (1980), Robinson (1989) writes «An important consideration is the degree of proficiency expected in the target situation» (P.402). That is to say, taking into consideration the learners' weaknesses, needs and goals of learning ensures the degree of proficiency needed. In other words, considering the learning needs helps in achieving the learning goals and objectives.

4.3.2 The Instruments Used to Identify Learning Needs

In order to identify the needs of the learners, many instruments have been used by the ESP teachers. The findings of the teachers' questionnaire and the interview indicate that 100% of the teachers use placement tests in order to identify the needs of the learners. These tests are usually given to learners entering an educational institution to determine specific knowledge or proficiency in various subjects for the purpose of assignment to appropriate courses or classes. A great majority of the teachers, which corresponds to 66.7% make interviews with their learners in order to sort out their needs and wants through asking them different questions about for example the language skill they want to improve, as well as finding out their strengths and weaknesses so as to place them in the right level and

60

Discussion of the Findings

design the appropriate courses for them (Diagram 24). Kval (2009) argues that qualitative data are `most often' collected by researchers through interviews and questionnaires. However, interviews ,compared to questionnaire, are more powerful in eliciting narrative data that allows researchers to investigate people's views in greater depth.

As it is shown in the results of the teachers, a minority that corresponds to 33.3% rely on questionnaires in order to identify the needs of the learners (Diagram 24). The questionnaires are distributed to the learners at the beginning of their training and are asked to answer some important questions about their needs, wants, strengths, weaknesses...etc. These questionnaires cover also language skills area, out of class language experience, aspects of the language program and opinions about their language teachers. In this view, Schutz and Derwing (1981) use questionnaires to find out students' characteristics, previous English language learning experience, motivations, attitudes and relevance of the program to future job. According to the University of Surry (n.d.) questionnaires help in collecting a large amounts of information from a large number of people in a short period of time, and then the questions can be analyzed more 'scientifically' and objectively than other forms of research.

100% of the teachers being asked argued that designing a course always starts by identifying learners' needs, and this begins each time by making placement tests, interviews or questionnaires in order to know the learners' level in English. After this, each learner is put in a classroom that suits his needs and each course is designed according to these needs for each level of learning. This result confirms the hypothesis which states that different instruments such as placement tests, interviews and questionnaires are used by the ESP teachers as instruments in order to identify learners' needs and wants. Howell's (1995) study on students' needs and expectations of Chinese language learning also reveals some interesting results. His study uses questionnaire and interview techniques to find out what the students need during the program, what aspects of the program that need improvements and

61

Discussion of the Findings

views on how well the program prepares the students to enter business or employment in general. He assumes that «learners' views can provide valuable information for reviewing of developing effective strategies for learning and teaching ..." (P.22).

4.4 Learners' satisfaction of Business English Courses

According to Nunan (1989) «The attitudes and expectations of the learners and the specifications of the official curriculum will determine and transcribe the effectiveness of a language program» (P.176). In view of that, the learners' questionnaire indicates that 90% of the learners are satisfied by the Business English course designed by the ESP teachers at INPED (Table 6). Moreover, 93.3% of them have argued that the teaching methods addressed by ESP teachers as well as the syllabus designed for their specific purpose are satisfactory (Diagram 9 and table 5). The results have also shown that most of the participants that correspond to 86.7% have argued that the ESP courses are useful with regard to their English language needs (Diagram8), and this confirms that the learners' at INPED of Boumerdes meet their needs.

In addition to that, the learners' questionnaire shows that the progress of 80% of the learners at INPED is high and only 20% have witnessed a low progress. Yet, the statistics have shown the progress of the learners in Business English and this thanks to the activities and the teaching materials used by the ESP teachers. The questionnaire reveals that most of the participants (93.3%) have confirmed that the activities programmed for their training are helpful in their learning (Diagram 10), and 90% of them have added that the teaching materials being used are also helpful (Diagram11) . Moreover, 100% of the learners have argued that their teachers encourage them to use authentic materials in the classroom (table 8), and this in order to speak English fluently and to understand business English language (Diagram 12). In fact, authentic materials offer the students a valuable source of language

62

Discussion of the Findings

input since they could be exposed to more than just the language presented by the teacher and the textbook (Gebhard, 2006). Moreover these materials motivate learners and give them a sense of pleasure while learning. Consequently, as the learners are satisfied, most of them that corresponds to 76.7%, have not tried to develop their level of Business English outside INPED (Diagram 13). Consequently, these results confirm the third and last hypothesis which states that «learners meet their needs, thus they are satisfied».

Conclusion

This chapter has discussed the results of the investigation that have answered the three research questions of the study being asked in the introduction. The results have come to the conclusion that the hypotheses suggested are all confirmed. Indeed, Needs analysis has been taken into consideration by the ESP teachers at INPED, and different instruments such as placement tests, questionnaires as well as interviews have been used as instruments in order to identify learners `needs and wants. In addition to that, the results of the work have confirmed the reality about learners' perception toward Business English learning at the INPED. That is, the majority of the learners have been satisfied by the courses designed to them. Finally, Our results have casted a new light on the true existence of Needs Analysis on learners in Business English classes, precisely in the English department of INPED at Boumerdes.

General Conclusion

63

General Conclusion

The present work had investigated the issue of the design of ESP courses through Needs Analysis in the Algerian institution INPED at Boumerdes. The main objective of the study is to check whether needs analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers in order to design Business English courses or not . Moreover, the research has intended to find out the different instruments that have been used in order to gather information from learners about their needs and learning goals so as to design suitable courses for them. Likewise, this work seeks to know learners' perception towards business English courses and if they are satisfied or not.

In the present work, the mixed method approach, that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches, has been used as a method of investigation in order to answer the research questions of the work and gather the appropriate data. A questionnaire that includes both closed-ended questions and open-ended questions has been distributed to thirty Business English learners, that have been selected randomly, at the English department of INPED in order to identify their views about courses designed for their specific purpose. In addition, a second questionnaire has been administered to six teacher, plus a semi-structured interview for three others in the same place, so as to collect information about the teaching and learning process in relation with Business English course design and needs analysis. For the qualitative data of the questionnaires and the interview, Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) has been used since it interprets and describes the open-ended questions. Whereas the quantitative data of the two questionnaires have been calculated and analyzed through the rule of three. The results offer a perspective from which we answer our research problem.

Thanks to the data analysis tool, the empirical findings have been synthesized and thus provide answers to the research questions that have been advanced in the study. The final results of our investigation have provided positive answers of the three research questions. First, our research leads to the conclusion that the first hypothesis which states that Needs

64

General Conclusion

Analysis has been taken into consideration by the course designers is confirmed. That is to say the designers of courses analyze the needs of the learners and put them into practice and this is according to the answer of the teachers in question fourteen (14) where we have asked them whether they analyze the needs of the learners before designing a course, as a result 100% have said that they do. Moreover, the answer of question four(4) in the interview how «is the program designed ?» confirms that the course designers take NA into account by answering that they meet in order to study the learners needs then they design the syllabus in relation to those needs. Second, we have concluded that the instruments used to identify the learners needs are mainly questionnaires, interviews, and placement tests , and this is the answer of the teachers to question seventeen (17) in the teachers' questionnaire . Consequently, the second hypothesis is confirmed. Finally, the last hypothesis which states that the learners are satisfied by the Business English courses designed to them is confirmed. That is to say ,their objective concerning the English they need in their occupation is attained, and this is clear in question (13.14.15) where we have asked questions concerning whether the learners are satisfied with the method, syllabus and the activities presented to them. They have answered favorably.

In order for Business English courses to be well designed, it is more advisable to consider Needs Analysis as an indispensable aspect of BE syllabus design in order to link the present learners' specific needs with their needs in their prospective employment. Needs-analysis involves not only the learners but also all parties in the educational system and relevant user institutions that ultimately employ learners.

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? https://fr.slideshare.net/suyarifaarumi1/english-for-business-from-2-nd-group-umt

Appendices

72

Appendix A:

Learners' questionnaire

Dear Participants,

This questionnaire is an essential part of our master dissertation entitled: «Investigating the Design of Business English Courses through Needs Analysis» .

The objective of this questionnaire is to gather information about the current situation of ESP course design, precisely in Business English. course design at the INPED .

All information that will be collected in this study will be treated confidentially .You are guaranteed that you will not be identified in any report of the results of this study.

Please use a cross (X) to indicate your chosen answers, and use your own statements where it is necessary.

Thank you for your cooperation

Section one: Participants attitudes to English

1- How old are you?

Under 25 25-30 30-40 Under 40

2- Do you like English?

Yes No

3- How important is English for you? Less important

Important

Very important

4- 73

How was your attitude towards English language learning at the beginning of your training?

Favorable Unfavorable

5- Have you started your training with : Beginner

Intermediate Advanced

Section Two: learners' Perception towards Business English learning

6- How interested are you in learning business English ?

Not interested Interested

7- How can you evaluate your current level in English?

Very low Low Medium Good Very good

8- how can you evaluate your progress in Business English at this institution:

No progress Low progress High progress

9- Would you say that your proficiency in English language learning is

Weak Average Good Very good

Listening Speaking Reading Writing

10-

74

Which language skill do you need the most?

Listening Speaking Reading Writing

11- How are the Business English courses with regard to your English language needs?

Useful Of some use Not useful

12- Why do you consider English important in the Algerian business field?

Section Three: Learners' Satisfaction to Business English Courses

13- Are you satisfied by the teaching method used by the teachers in Business English courses?

Yes No

14- Are you satisfied by the syllabus designed for your specific purpose in Business English courses?

Yes No

15- Are the Activities programmed helpful?

Yes No

16- What do you think about the materials used?

Very helpful Helpful

Not helpful

17- Are you satisfied with the Content of Business English courses designed by the institution?

Yes No

18- 75

Is the time allocated for the Business English courses enough to you to use the English language effectively?

Yes No

19- Do your teachers encourage you to use authentic materials in ESP?

Yes No

If yes, what are the objectives of the use of those materials? To speak English fluently.

To understand business English terminology.

20- Have you tried to develop your level of Business English outside INPED?

Yes No

? If yes , it is mainly in :

English for Business Purposes (EOP)

General English (GE)

21- Which aspects of English language would you suggest to be focused on in ESP courses?

(you can choose more than one )

Specific grammar.

Technical vocabulary.

General vocabulary.

Reading comprehension.

Listening comprehension.

Writing skills.

Communicative skills.

Others (please specify)

76

22- At the end of your studies, and in relation with your acquired knowledge of ESP, you have became able to:

a. listen to lectures presented in English.

Yes No

b. speak English fluently.

Yes No

c. read Business English easily.

Yes No

d. Write English correctly.

Yes No

e. listen to conferences/talks presented by experts in English.

Yes No

f. exchange views with foreign experts in formal and informal situations.

Yes No

Thank you for your cooperation.

77

Appendix B :

Teachers' Questionnaire

Dear Participants,

This questionnaire is an essential part of a master dissertation entitled: «Investigating the Design of Business English Courses through Needs Analysis» .

The objective of this questionnaire is to gather information about the current situation of

Scti oe: Pfil o t Techer

Business English course design at the INPED .

1-All How informationold are thatyou? will be collected in this study will be treated confidentially .You are guaranteed that neither you, nor this institution will be identified in any report of the results of

2529 3039 4049 50+

this study. Your responses will be kept and used only for academic purposes.

Which degree do you have?

Please use a cross (×) to indicate your chosen answers, and use your own statements

where it is necessary.

Thank you for your cooperation

3- How long have you been working as an ESP teacher ?

This is my first year 2-5 years 5+ years

4- How long have you been working as an ESP teacher at this institution?

Section Two : Course Organization

5- What are the skills that are given more importance in Business English?

Listening Speaking Reading Writing

78

6- During your present teaching experience, do you use:

a. textbooks related to general English?

b. textbooks related to Business English?

d. materials you prepare yourself (texts, exercises, etc.)?

7- Do you use authentic materials while teaching?

Yes No

8- Do you think your role as a teacher is:

To identify and sort out learners' goals of learning.

To conduct a research in order to design a course.

Both.

9 - Do you evaluate the learners' achievement and progress ?

Yes No

? If yes , when ?

A- At the beginning of the unit. C- At the end of an instructional unit.

B- At the end of a semester. D- Every day

10- As an evaluator, do you evaluate yourself after each course?

Yes No

11- Do you collaborate with other teachers in order to create a suitable course content?

Yes No

12- Do you think that the teaching method you follow leads to better results ?

79

Yes No

Section Three: Needs Analysis and Course Design

13- Do Business English classes take place under the form of :

Courses Tutorials (TD)

14- How can you define Course Design?

15- Do you analyze the needs of your learners before designing a course?

Yes No

16- Do you take into consideration the learners' level to identify their needs?

Yes No

17- What are the instruments you use in order to identify learners' needs and wants?

Questionnaires

Interviews

Placement tests

Others ( Please mention them )

18- What are the different steps you follow in order to design the courses?

Thank you.

80

Appendix C:

Teachers' Interview

This interview is conducted with three ESP teachers of the English department at INPED. It aims to gather data about «The Design of Business English Courses through Needs

Analysis».

Questionions :

Q1. Have you had some training in ESP ?

Q2. Do you think that training is important in ESP ?

Q3. Do you follow an official program while teaching Business English?

Q4. How do you design this program?

Q5. What do you do in order to design the appropriate course content?

Q6.Do you think that identifying the students' needs at the beginning of any academic year leads to a better teaching and learning?

Q7. What is the objective you want our learners to achieve at the end of the course ?

Q8. Do you think that the learners are satisfied with the course designed to them ? - How do you know ?

Q9.Do they become better users of Business English through the ESP courses designed to them?