VIEWS ON STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEEDS: MATCHES AND MISMATCHES

Nicoleta-Mariana IFTIMIE Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iași, România

Abstract

The development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at university level means, among other things, a central role of the student in the learning process, made visible through active participation, interaction and cooperation via pair- and group-work. In order for all these things to happen, the teacher needs to use appropriate methodology, as well as to select, adapt or devise relevant, realistic, and interesting materials based on the students’ short- and long-term needs. This paper focuses on the students’ English language needs, as perceived by the students themselves, by foreign language teachers and by specialized teachers. The method used consists in questionnaires devised and administered by the author. The responses given are presented in tabulated form and are further on discussed, analyzed and compared. The comparison reveals similarities and differences as far as the perceptions of the different groups investigated are concerned. Keywords: English for Specific Purposes, needs analysis, long-term needs, short-term needs, questionnaire, respondents, students, teachers.