Needs Analysis

The systematic process of gathering and interpreting information about learners to inform course design decisions. Foundational to ESP, TBLT, and any learner-centred curriculum.

Key Frameworks

• Hutchinson & Waters (1987) — distinguished target needs (what the learner needs to do in the target situation) from learning needs (what the learner needs to do to learn).
• Munby (1978) — Communicative Needs Processor: systematic profiling of target situation requirements. Criticised for ignoring learning needs and being too rigid.
• Dudley-Evans & St John (1998) — expanded NA to include Present Situation Analysis (current proficiency), Target Situation Analysis (end goals), and Learning Situation Analysis (learning preferences).
• Long (2005) — task-based NA using target discourse samples and domain experts rather than linguists' intuitions.

Data Collection Tools

• Questionnaires and surveys
• Structured interviews (learners, sponsors, domain experts)
• Classroom observation
• Placement / diagnostic tests
• Analysis of target texts and tasks

Practical Implications

• NA is iterative, not one-off — revisit throughout the course
• Triangulate sources: what learners say they need vs what analysis shows they need
• Results feed directly into syllabus selection and Learning Outcomes writing
• In TBLT, NA identifies real-world target tasks that become the unit of syllabus organisation