ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND
LETERATURE
(GRADUATE PROGRAMME)

An assessment of English language needs of journalism and communication

students: Addis Ababa University, faculty of journalism and communication
in focus

Alemayehu Zewdie

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa

University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of
Masters in TEFL

June, 2008
An assessment of English language needs of journalism and communication
students: Addis Ababa University, faculty of journalism and communication in
focus

By
Alemayehu Zewdie

A Thesis Printed by the Department of Foreign Language and

Literature.
(Graduate Programme)

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of

Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Approved by:
_______________________ ____________________
Advisor Signature

_______________________ ____________________
Examiner Signature

_______________________ ____________________
Examiner Signature

Acknowledgment
My special thanks to my advisor Dr. Alemu Hailu. Without his tremendous
effort this thesis would have not come to completion. I really appreciate his
line-by-line correction, kindness, helpfulness and patience to go through all my
work, and make every kind of constructive comments.

I would like to express my gratitude to those concerned authorities who were

working in Walta Information Center, Ethiopian Television and Radio,
Ethiopian News Agency, and Sheger FM 201.1 for giving all relevant
information.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to my wife, Tsigereda Wolde who has been beside
me all the time and shared the stress. She assisted me a lot starting from the
time I began my study. I am also deeply indebted to my friends, Berhan
Demeke, Tesfaye Sileshi, Denekew Abera who help me financially, materially
and morally. My special thanks go to my father, Zewdie Shibeshi, and my
friend, Amare Wolde for their valuable encouragement.

I would like to thank my brother Astaws Nigussie for his support and
cooperation to use his computer and Mulualem Workneh who, typed and
printed the materials.

I am no less grateful to all my friends and those who encouraged me during my

study.

Table of Content

Contents Page
Acknowledgments...........................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENT.....................................................................ii
LIST OF FIGURE............................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVAATION..............................................................iv
ABSTRACT.......................................................................................v

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION....................................................1

1.1. Background...............................................................................1
1.2. Statement of the Problem...........................................................2
1.3. Objectives of the Study...............................................................3
1.3.1. Main Objective...................................................................3
1.3.2. Specific objective................................................................3
1.4. Significance of the Study............................................................3
1.5. Scope of the Study.....................................................................4
1.6. Limitation of the Study...............................................................4

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE...................5

2.1. Definition of ESP.......................................................................5
2.2. Origin of ESP............................................................................6
2.2.1. The Demands of the Brave New world.................................7
2.2.2. A Revolution in Linguistics..................................................8
2.2.3. Focus on the Learner..........................................................9
2.3. Development of ESP...................................................................9
2.3.1. Register Analysis.................................................................10
2.3.2. Rhetorical/Discourse Analysis............................................11
2.3.3. Target situation...................................................................11
2.3.4. Skills and strategies............................................................12
2.3.5. Genre Analysis....................................................................13
2.3.6. Present Situation Analysis..................................................14
2.3.7. A Learner-centered Approach..............................................14
2.4. Classification of ESP.................................................................14
2.4.1. English for Academic purposes (EAP)..................................15
2.4.2. English for Occupational purposes (EOP)............................16
2.5. ESP and General English.......................................................17
2.6. Needs and Needs analysis.......................................................19
2.6.1. Needs...................................................................................19
2.6.1.1. Dichotomies of Needs....................................................21
2.6.1.1.1. Objective Needs......................................................21
2.6.1.1.2. Subjective Needs ...................................................22
2.6.1.1.3. Target Needs..........................................................22
2.6.2. Needs Analysis ....................................................................24
2.6.2.1. The Importance of needs analysis.................................26
2.6.3. English language for journalism and communication (EJC). 27
2.7. Models of the Needs Analysis................................................28
2.7.1. Rchterich’s Model.................................................................28
 2.7.2. Van Ek’s Models...................................................................28
2.7.3. Richterich and Chancerel’s model........................................29
2.7.4. Munby’s Model.....................................................................29
2.8. Approaches to syllabus Design..............................................30

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES............32

3.1. Sampling...............................................................................32
3.1.1. Students...........................................................................32
3.1.2. Graduates of the Faculty...................................................32
3.1.3. Employers.........................................................................32
3.2. Instruments..........................................................................33
3.2.1. Questionnaires..................................................................33
3.2.1.1. Students Questionnaire..............................................33
3.2.1.1. Employers Questionnaire............................................33
3.2.2. Interviews.........................................................................33
3.3. Data Analysis ..........................................................................33

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND PROCEDURES......34

4.1. Data from the Questionnaire..................................................34
4.1.1. Students background information.....................................34
4.1.2. Purpose of taking English courses.....................................34
4.1.3. The Students and the Graduates ability in the four
Languages skills..............................................................35
4.1.3.1. Listing........................................................................36
4.1.3.2. Speaking....................................................................37
4.1.3.3. Reading......................................................................38
4.1.3.4. Writing.......................................................................38
4.1.4. Problems in sub-skills.......................................................38
4.1.4.1. Understanding lectures...............................................39
4.1.4.2. Taking lecture Notes...................................................39
4.1.4.3. Asking and Answering questions.................................39
4.1.4.4. Participation in class discussions................................39
4.1.4.5. Extracting appropriate information from
materials read.............................................................40
4.1.4.6. Making Notes from books...........................................40
4.1.4.7. Summarizing reading materials .................................40
4.1.4.8. Understanding recorded materials.............................41
4.1.4.9. Writing organized paragraphs and essays..................41
4.1.4.10. Writing Radio/TV production or features.................41
4.1.5. English language needs...................................................42
4.1.6. English language skills and areas of knowledge................43
4.1.6.1. Listening activities.....................................................44
4.1.6.1.1. Listening to take Lectures...................................44
4.1.6.1.2. Listening to Instructors’ Questions.....................45
4.1.6.1.3. Listening to Instructions.....................................45
 4.1.6.1.4. Listening to Recorded Materials..........................45
4.1.6.1.5. Listening to Class Discussion .............................45
4.1.6.2. Speaking Activities.....................................................46
4.1.6.2.1. Asking and Answering Questions in Classroom...46
4.1.6.2.2. Giving Oral reports..............................................46
4.1.6.2.3. Conducting Radio/TV production in Laboratory..46
4.1.6.2.4. Conducting an Interview ....................................47
4.1.6.2.5. Participating in Pair/Group Discussion...............47
4.1.6.3. Reading Activities.......................................................47
4.1.6.3.1. Reading Lecture Notes.........................................47
4.1.6.3.2. Reading to Extract Information Needed...............47
4.1.6.3.3. Reading Textbooks or Reference Books...............48
4.1.6.3.4. Reading Reports/Journals..................................48
4.1.6.3.5. Reading News in Laboratory................................48
4.1.6.4. Writing Activities........................................................48
4.1.6.4.1. Editing Written Materials....................................48
4.1.6.4.2. Writing Notes from Lecture.................................49
4.1.6.4.3. Writing Effective Editorials .................................49
4.1.6.4.4. Writing Radio/TV Production or Features...........49
4.1.6.4.5. Translating from English Language to another
Language...........................................................49
4.1.6.4.6. Summarizing/Paraphrasing Factual Information 50
4.1.6.4.7. Preparing Community News/Newspaper.............50
4.1.7. The Study of English Language Courses that Helped the
Students........................................................................50
4.1.8. Areas English Language Courses Give Emphasis............53
4.1.9. Portions or Contents that should be Excluded................55
4.1.10. English Language Skills and Areas of Knowledge
Employe Need from Journalists....................................56
4.1.10.1. Listening...................................................................57
4.1.10.2. Speaking...................................................................57
4.1.10.3. Writing......................................................................58
4.1.10.4. Reading.....................................................................58
4.1.11. Areas English Language Courses Should Give
Emphasis in Training Journalists .................................58
4.1.12. Data from the Students’ Interview...................................59
4.1.13. Data from the Graduates’ Interview.................................61

CAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...............63

5.1. Conclusion..............................................................................63
5.2. Recommendations...................................................................64
Reference.........................................................................................66
APPENDEX I ...................................................................................71
APPENDEX II .................................................................................75
APPENDEX III .................................................................................78
APPENDEX IV .................................................................................79

List of table
 Page
Table 1. The students English score in EGSCE and their
department in the faculty.........................................…………..35
Table 2. The purposes of taking English courses...............................36
Table 3. The language proficiency of the students and employees…...37
Table 4. Students’ problem in micro-skills……………………………….. 39
Table 5. Language skills that students and employers………………....43
Table 6. English language skills and areas of knowledge……………...45
Table 7. English courses that helped the students ………………………52
Table8. Reasons for the response.........................................................52
Table 9. Areas English language courses give emphasis………………..53
Table 10. Portions or contents that should be excluded from
the English courses..................................................................56
Table 11. English language skills and areas of knowledge
employers needed ................................................................57
Table 12. Areas English courses should give emphasis………………… 60
 List of figures

Page
Figure 1 Simplified tree of ELT…………………………………………………..15.
Figure 2 ESP family tree……………………………………………………………17
Figure 3 Necessities, Lacks and Wants…………………………………………23

List of Abbreviations

EAP English for Academic Purpose

EBE English for Business and Economics
EGAP English for General Academic Purpose
GPE General Purpose English
EOP English for Occupational Purpose
ESAP English for Specific Academic Purpose
ESP English for Specific Purpose
ESS English for Social Science
EST English for Science and Technology
LST Learning Situation Analysis
PST Learning Situation Analysis
PST present Situation Analysis
TSA Target Situation Analysis
L1 First Language

Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the English language needs of Journalism
and Communication students at Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Journalism
and Communication. To achieve this, questionnaires were designed and
distributed to the eighty two students and four employers. Interviews were also
conducted with ten students and five graduates. Data gathered through these
instruments were compared and contrasted.

The findings of this study indicate that Journalism and Communication

students need English language skills that enable them to listen to English and
take lectures, conduct interviews, Radio/TV production in labs and edit written
materials. They also need English language skills that help them to write
effective editorials, Radio/TV production or features, translate from English
language to Amharic (or L1) language, summarize/paraphrase factual
information and prepare community newspaper. Of English language skills,
speaking and writing are the most frequently needed skills.

Results of the study also show that Print Media Department students need
writing skills more, and Broadcast Department students need speaking skills
more.

This study further reveals that asking and answering questions in English,
extracting appropriate information from the material they read, writing organized
paragraphs and essays, and writing radio/TV production or features are serious
problems that the students face during their stay in the Faculty.

Based on the findings of the study, it has been recommended that concerned
personalities need to revise the English language courses that Journalism and
Communication students need both for their academic as well as professional
careers.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

Richterich and Chanceril (1978) as cited in Richards (2001) state that needs
analysis is an on going process at different times throughout the instruction.
This helps to determine what learners want and need to learn. Besides, in
order to determine learners’ needs, learners themselves, teachers, and
employers or stakeholders could all be involved. When learners know that
educators understand and want to address their needs and interests, they will
be motivated to continue in a program and to learn. As a result, curriculum
contents, materials, and teaching approaches match learners’ perceived and
actual needs.

Brindley (1984) states specially “By the 1980s, in many parts of the world a
“needs-based philosophy” emerged in language teaching, particularly in
relation to ESP and vocationally oriented program design.”
Therefore, needs analysis is conducted for several purposes or importance.
Some of these are tried to be mentioned in the above. The others are, according
to Widdowson (1983) and Richards (2001) needs analysis is used to find out
what language skills a learner needs to perform a particular role, to determine
their communicative abilities, and what English language skills are necessary
to enable students to use the language, etc. Then, one can be able to design an
ESP (English for specific purpose). According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987:
54), “If we had to state in practical terms the irreducible minimum of an ESP
approach to course design, it would be needs analysis.”

1.2. Statement of the Problem

Several studies have been made to assess English language needs of students
in different professions at different secondary and tertiary levels. For instance,
Morris (1992) analyzed the communicative needs of freshman students at
Addis Ababa University. Abey (1990) also tried to investigate the
communicative needs of the high school students. Abraham (1993), on the
other hand, attempted to develop criteria in writing materials for English
language courses for Debrezet Air force Base. HileMariam (1993) analyzed the
learners need in order to develop curses which meet the demands of Yared
Musical School. HileMicheal (1993) conducted a needs analysis on English
syllabus in Ethiopian University context. Solomon (2001) also assessed the
English course for Addis Ababa commercial college learners. Ephrem (2004)
analyzed the needs of governmental nursing schools, at Minelik II and Assela
Nursing schools. Molla (2005) strived the language needs of law students at
Mekelle University. Haile (2006) attempted to analyze the needs of agricultural
technical vocational education and training students of Alage Agricultural
TVET College. Berhan (2007) tried to assess the language needs of natural
science students at Kotebe College of teacher education. Mohammed (2007) on
his part, attempted to discover the language needs of cadets at Ethiopian Police
University College.

Despite the fact that all the above researchers analyzed the English language
needs of the students in various colleges and university, none of them made a
study on English language needs of Journalism and communication trainees
and the language courses offered to them.

1.3. Objectives of the Study

1.3.1. Main Objective
The main objective of this study is to assess the English language needs of the
students at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication for their academic
and professional success.

1.3.2. Specific Objective

 Assess the English language needs of the learners, and identify the main
language skills and activities relating to the learners academic and
career life.
  Prioritize English language skills relevant to journalism and
communication
 Identify the difficulties of the students that challenge them while taking
the courses.

1.4. Significance of the study

The findings of this study is hopped to provide input for syllabus designers and
course material developer at Faculty to design a suitable English language
syllabus and course material for Faculty of Journalism and Communication. It
will also help English language instructors to perceive their students’ language
needs in teaching, and it will pave a way for further study on the issue.

1.4. Scope of the Study

Journalism and communication is given in governmental colleges as well as in
private college. Besides Addis Ababa University, for instance, Mekele University
and Bahr Dar University opened this department. From the private colleges, it
has been given in Unity University College.

This Faculty of Journalism and Communication is selected because of the

following reasons.
 It is the first school from our country.
 It has 11 years experience in training Journalists.

1.5 Limitation of the Study

Although Journalism and Communication is found in different Universities and
Colleges, this study restrains to Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Journalism
and Communication due to time constraints.

In addition, the study could not participate more employees who where
graduated from faculty of journalism and communication. The reason was
most of journalists who are working in different Media and organizations are
graduates of foreign languages and literature. Due to this the subject would be
limited in number.

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1. Definition of ESP
Several Writers define the term of ESP in different ways. For instance, Munby
(1978:2) defines:
 ESP is a course where the syllabus and materials are
determined in all essentially by the prior analysis of the
communicative needs of the learner, rather by non learner-
centered criteria such as the teacher’s or institution’s
predetermined preference.

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) define ESP as an approach to a language

learning that focuses on learners needs. According to them, ESP answers a
question, “Why do the learners need to learn a foreign language?” Other
questions can be derived form this question. Some of the questions are related
to the learners themselves, and others to the nature of the language and to the
given context.

Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998: 4-5) define ESP based on two distinctive
characteristics. These are:
1. Absolute characteristics which state that an:
■ ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner,
■ ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the
disciplines it serves.
2. Variable characteristics which state that an:
a. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines,
b. ESP may use, in specific teaching situation, a different
methodology from that of general English;
c. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary
level institution or in a professional work situation, but it could
also be used for learners at secondary school level;
d. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.
Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language
system, but it can be used with beginners.
According to Robinson (1991), ESP is developed after needs analysis is carried
out in order to identify what the students need to do through the medium of
English. She states that, goal directed learners learn English language not to
keep or satisfy their interests, but also for academic purpose or for
occupational purpose.

Generally, these definitions posit that ESP is designed in order to keep the
needs of adult language learners through needs analysis for different
professionals.

2.2. Origin of ESP

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), technology and commerce was
expanded in alarming rate in the world at the end of the Second World War in
1945. This expansion had tried to unify the world. For successful unification
people needed an international language. Their demand fell to the English
language.

In the 1960s, ESP practitioners believed that their main job was to teach the
technical vocabulary of a given field or profession. For example, if you were
teaching nursing students, your task would be to teach medical vocabulary of
nursing. You followed a general English syllabus that was “flavored” with
medical and nursing vocabulary. Later, teachers of ESP began to recognize the
importance of sub technical vocabulary; that is, the words and phrases that
surround the technical words (Kennedy and Balitho, 1984). At the same time,
the movement in TESOL (Teaching English for Speakers of Others Language)
towards learner-centered teaching was reflected in ESP focusing on learner
needs and needs analysis as the underpinning of course design. Later,
discourse and genre analysis and linguistic corpora began to inform the field
(Widdowson, 1981; Trimble 1985; Swales 1990).

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987:9), ESP has undergone through a

series of changes since the time it started to be delivered formally in a more
scientific and meaningful way. They further classify reasons that gave birth to
ESP in three distinct categories; the Demands of the Brave New World, A
Revolution in Linguistics, and Focus on the Learners. Each of these is
presented below.

2.2.1. The Demands of the Brave New World

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), there are two notable periods in
the history of an ESP. First, the end of the Second World War brought with it
an “… age of enormous and unprecedented expansion in scientific, technical
and economic activity on an international scale for various reasons; most
notably the economic power of the United States in the post-war world, the role
(of international language) fell to English.” (1987:6). Second, the Oil Crises of
the early 1970s resulted in Western money and knowledge following into the
oil-rich countries. These two periods marked the need of an interesting
language which paved ways for English.

As a result, the people showed elevated interest to learn English for several
reasons; such as learning English for the purpose of facilitating business
transactions and technology exchanges. The general effect of all these
developments exerted pressure on the language teaching profession to deliver
the required goods. Thus, English became subject to the wishes, needs and
demands of people rather than language teachers. Till this time, having
knowledge of English was considered as sign of literacy for it didn’t have an
explicit purpose (Op cit).

According to these scholars, this movement paved a way of English language to

seize the position of being an international language of commerce and
technology which brought about a new language learning generations who are
well aware of the specific reasons for learning a language. These scholars write:
As English became the accepted international language of
technology and commerce, it created a new generation who knew
specifically why they were learning a language business men
and women who wanted to sell their products, machines who
had to read instruction manuals, doctors who needed to keep up
with development in their field and a whole range of students
 whose Course of study included textbooks and journals only
available in English and, most importantly, they knew why they
needed it (1987:6).

Another event which totally facilitated this episode of ESP’s emergence was the
oil-crises that took place during the early years of 1970’s. As a result, much
amount of money and skilled men power were sent to oil producing countries.
Due to this, English language became a huge business industry across the
world, because people wanted to learn courses that were having clearly defined
goals and effective with coast as well (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).

2.2.2. A Revolution in Linguistics

The second key reason cited as having a tremendous impact on the emergence
of ESP was a revolution in linguistics. Whereas, traditional linguistics were
describing discrete rules of the usage of English language-grammar explicitly.
However, beginning from the 1960s, new ideas propagated in the filed of
language study and intensified the growing demand of English courses for
specific needs (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). This notion influenced scholars
to emphasis on ways of exploiting actual use of language than describing its
usage or form (as Widdowson (1978) is cited in Hutchinson and Waters (1987)).
The paradigm shift from structural (form-focused) approach to communicative
approach of language teaching resulted in the coming of the need of English for
particular group of learners. This was realized through analysis of specific
language that satisfies the learner’s area of work or study. Hence in the late
1960s and the early 1970s, there were many attempts made to describe
English for Science and Technology (EST) Hutchinson and waters, 1987).

2.2.3. Focus on the Learner

As Rodgers (1969) cited in Hutchinson and Waters (1978), the rise of ESP was
marked with the newly noticed developments in Educational psychology, which
pays considerable attention to learners and of their attitudes to learning.
According to these scholars, learners were seen to employ different learning
strategies, use different skills, enter with different learning schemata, and be
motivated by different needs and interests. As a result, focus on the learners’
needs became equally paramount as the methods employed to disseminate
linguistic knowledge.

Therefore, these would be the cause for the emergence of ESP. Thus designing
specific courses to better meet these individual needs was a natural extension
of this thinking. For instance, texts about Biology would be designed for
Biology students. To this day, the catchword in ESL/EFL circles is learner-
centered.

2.3. Development of ESP

Beginning from 1960, the teaching and learning of English as a foreign/
second language expanded in specific direction compared to the traditional
general English courses. Specific English courses for specific situations,
occupations and professions started to develop. One of the important reasons
for this was that developing countries began to demand specific English
courses in order to improve their benefits from science, technology and other
modern disciplines (Richards and Rodgers, 1986; Hutchinson and Waters,
1987).

According to Yalden (1987), for instance, ESP started to develop due to the
development of sociolinguistic theory and practice which in turn enabled
teachers to be more specific about the relationship between linguistic form and
communicative function. The concept of communicative competence,
communicative language teaching, notional functional approach, discourse
analysis and others have all been associated with the development of ESP
(Robinson 1980).

Basically from its start, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987) suggest,
ESP has passed through various stages of development. Namely, register
analysis, rhetorical/discourse analysis, target situation analysis, analysis of
study skills and strategies, genre analysis, present situation analysis.

2.3.1. Register Analysis

Robinson (1980) states to register analysis as spoken interaction that is made
up of units of meaning that have a certain hierarchy. She also defined register
analysis as a group of words spoken or written that had to be analyzed in
terms of cohesion. Richards (2001:30) defines “Register Analysis studies the
language of such fields as journalism, medicine, or law for distinctive patterns
of occurrence of vocabulary, verb forms, noun phrases, and tense usage.”

This is the first stage of development in ESP that took place in the 1960s and
1970s. Its purpose was to identify the grammar and vocabulary of registers of
scientific and technical English to develop syllabuses in which these items are
prioritized (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987; Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998).

Widowson (1983) advocates a shift from a quantitative approach (the analysis

of register and lexis to a more qualitative approach the development of learners’
communicative competence as they perform language in role plays). He argues
that such a qualitative approach needs to be perfected and advocated an
emphasis on discourse analysis and what has been called the communicative
approach to the teaching of languages.

2.3.2. Rhetorical /Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis was introduced in the 1970s to identify the linguistic
structure of longer samples of speech or texts. Therefore, this stage of ESP is
characterized by a switch from register analysis and grammatical and lexical
level of the sentence to the study of discourse or rhetoric analysis. This
analysis emphasizes on sentence grammar whereas rhetoric/discourse
analysis focuses on above the sentence level. It focuses on how sentences are
organized to form discourse (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). Jordan (1997)
exemplifies conversations, paragraphs, complete texts as the parts of rhetoric
or discourse analysis.

According to Robinson (1980) discourse first refers to primarily spoken

interaction which is analyzed in terms of units of meaning, organized
employing some or the entire terms act, move, exchange, transaction and
others. Discourse may also refer to a stretch of language, either spoken or
written that has to be analyzed in terms of cohesion. Widdowson (1983),
suggests that group of words should be called text and not discourse because
text would allow for visualization of devices that signal structuring above the
sentence level.

2.3.3. Target Situation

According to Robinson (1991), target situation is one in which learners will use
the specific language they are acquiring and the process of identifying a target
situation followed by a thorough analysis of its linguistic features. She writes
“A needs analysis which focuses on students’ need at the end of language
course can be called a target situation analysis (TSA)” (P.8). In this stage, ESP
switched to a more communicative approach to the teaching of foreign
languages. Thus ESP shifted its attention to identify the target situation and
the linguistic features (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).

For the purpose of analyzing target situation needs Munby (1978) develops
what is referred to as the communicative needs processor (CNP) which could
produce only linguistic items relevant to a target situation. He systematized a
framework for TSA type of needs analysis. His needs analysis model comprises
a set of parameter within which information on students’ target situation can
be determined.
Munby analyzes learners in terms of communication goals, the setting in
which specific language would be sued to communicate important information,
means of oral and written communication, language skills possessed by
learners, function, and structures. TSA may relate to two different stages in the
students lives. These are, first, in English medium school and on jobs when
they finish their studies (Robinson, 1991).

2.3.4. Skills and Strategies

As it has been discussed in the first two stages of development of ESP all the
analysis was on the surface forms of the language (at sentence level and
beyond a sentence level). Hutchinson and Waters (1987) extend on saying that
the target situation analysis approach did not really change this, because in its
analysis of learners needs it still looks mainly at the surface linguistic features
of the target situation. They also state in skill-centered approach, all languages
use common reasoning and interpreting process, which regardless of the
surface forms enable to extract meaning of words from context in which it is
presented, using visual layout to determine the type of text.

They are strong reasons for integrating the language teaching skills in ESP.
Teaching these skills in isolation does not favor the learners. In order to reach
one skill, it should be integrated at least with one more of the other skills. For
instance, writing can be integrated with reading and listening. These skills are
learnt more effectively when they are integrated in this manner (Dudley-Evans
and St. John, 1998).

All the four skills are though that should be practiced in ESP in an integrated
way so that the production would be facilitated and emphasized on the
communicative properties of language in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening.

2.3.5. Genre Analysis

Genre has been interpreted in various ways. According to Robinson (1991:25),
for some writers “genre seems to be the same as “text type”, as with rhetorical
approach, a gene analysis approach looks at the operation of language within a
complete text, seeing the text as a system of features and choices.” Swales
(1981) as cited in Robinson (1991:25) says “genre is a more or less
standardized communicative event with a goal or set of goals mutually
understood by the participants in that event and occurring within a functional
rather than a personal or social setting.”

Genre analysis basically aims to identify the distinction between text and text
types. It plays a great role within ESP. It, moreover, explains the importance of
content in relation to institutional and social aspects (Dudley Evans, 1994).
According to Dudley Evans and St. Johns (1998), Swales (1981 and 1990) is a
pioneer in order to begin genre analysis in ESP on the introduction of an
academic article. Swales (1990) as cited in (Robinson (1991), genre focused
both on text type (spoken and written) and the role of text in the community to
imply the study of institutional culture.

2.3.6. Present Situation Analysis

The goal of present situation analysis is to find out what the students need at
the beginning of the language course, and identify their weaknesses and
strengths. Learners’ needs can be discovered from three sources of
information. These are, the students themselves, the language teaching
establishment, and the user institution (Robinson, 1991).

Tudor (1996:67) as cited in (Haile, 2006) says that PSA is a logical counterpoint
to target situation analysis that involves the analysis of learners’ current
abilities with respect to their needs or the language. It is also very helpful in
order to gather information about the student’s current needs why they want
to learn the language.

2.3.7. A Learner-centered Approach

A learner-centered approach in language instruction is founded on the concept
that the learner is central in the learning process. Learners learn primarily
because of what they bring to their classroom from experience in terms of their
perceived needs, motivations, past experiences, background knowledge,
interests, and creative skills (Anthony, 1997). Nunan (1988) suggests that
learner–centered approaches offer additional benefits for the classroom teacher
including constant needs analysis, reduced prep time through the use of
student–generated materials, peer-teaching and correcting, increased group
solidarity, a decentralized teacher role, and increased maturity and
responsibility among students.

2.4. Classification of ESP

ESP has been classified into two broad categories. These are English for
Academic purposes (EAP) and English Occupational purposes (EOP).
These two categories have their own sub-divisions. However, Robinson (1991)
classifies ESP into three major types. These are EAP (English for Academic
purpose), EPP (English for Professional Purpose) and EVP (English for
Vocational Purpose). Hutchinson and Waters (1987), also identify three major
divisions. These are, EST (English for Science and Technology), EBE (English
for Business and Economics, and ESS (English for Social Science). These can
be categorized into EAP and EOP as follows.
Fig.1. Simplified tree of ELT (Li, 2001)

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) argue that there is no a clear-cut distinction

between EAP and EOP. They state “… People can work and study
simultaneously; it is also likely that in many cases the language learnt for
immediate use in a study environment will be used later when the student
takes up, or returns to, a job” (1987:16). Li (2001) suggests that the division of
ESP is far from being exhausted and motions ESP courses. She added that a
diversity of curricula and settings is what helps to make ESP course virtually
adaptive according to the contexts and needs of the learners.

2.4.1. English for Academic purposes (EAP)

Thus EAP refers to English language needs of students to a different academic
environment. The students need the English language for reading academic
texts and to use other skills of the language. For instance, EAP is instructed for
listening and note-taking, academic writing, reference skill, seminars and
discussion (Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998).

Munby exemplifies why EAP/ESP is given for two different types of department
students in two different countries as follows. A Turkish Student in the
preparatory department of the Middle East technical university who is studying
English before going on to studying engineering in English is an example of
pre-study discipline based ESP. A Mexican student in the faculty of veterinary
science at the National University of Mexico, who is studying English in order
to read books and articles on his subject that are written in English is an
example of in study discipline based ESP (Lomperis, 1998). According to
Dudley- Evans and St. John (19980, what make EAP and EOP is the five
macro-skills. These are, reading, listening, listening and speaking, speaking,
and writing. However, they have some deviation in micro-skills.

2.4.2. English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)

EOP (English for occupational purposes) refers to English language for
professional purposes which include administration, medicine, law,
engineering, economics, business, etc (Robinson, 1991; Jordan, 1997, Dudley-
Evans and St. John, 1998). According to Robinson (1991), EOP refers to the
needs of English in pre-experience simultaneous/in-service or post-experience
situations; she also presents a diagram of these classifications of ESP as
follows:

Pre- experience
EOP Simultaneous/In-service
Post experience
ESP Pre-study
For study in Specific Discipline In-study
Post-study
EEP/EAP
Independent
As a school subject
Integrated
Fig.2. ESP family tree (Robinson, 19991:3)
Pre-experience learners are those who need to learn the language.
Simultaneous/in-service EOP learners are who learn English language in
association with the job that they are going to encounter or engage, Post-
experience learners have job experience and they need to use English to
express their knowledge (Haile, 2006). Kennedy and Bolitho state
EOP is taught in a situation in which learners need to use
English as part of their work or profession. Instances of EOP
students would be doctors in causality or technicians servicing
equipment. They need English, in the first case, to talk and
respond to patients and other staff, and in the second, to read
technical manuals. There will be differences in such courses
depending on whether the learners are learning English before,
during or after the time they are being trained in their job or
profession (1984:4).

2.5. ESP and General English

ESP and English for general purposes (EGP) have differences even though they
are commonly based themselves on sound principles of learning. Munby
(1978:3) states that irrespective of the considerable activity that ESP performs,
it is poorly disguised in general English courses. The general English course is
believed to be based on communicative needs, there by yielding in appropriate
syllabus specification. Unlike EGP, ESP emerged to settle this problem for it
primarily underlines on the learners and ends with the ultimate goal-
communicative competence (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984 Widdowson, 1983).
General English differs from ESP in that the former deals with typical English
that is taught at secondary schools for the purpose of enabling learners to
understand the lessons, or instructions derived in the case when English is
used as a medium of instruction (Kennedy and Bolitho, 1984).

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) say that the primary objective of ESP in
teaching in English is to pay attention to what people learn rather than how
they learn. From this expression one may infer that ESP is basically concerned
with learning centered approach that relies on specific language needs of
learners. Johnson (2001:227) states “One of the attractive features of ESP is
that it is relatively easy to identify learner language needs.” Robinson (1991)
also claims that ESP students should not be beginners though it can be offered
for them too. This is to say that it is common practice that ESP learners are
mostly those who completed GE at least for some years.

However, there is no clear cut where GE courses stop and ESP courses start.
In ESP learner’s needs are often described in terms of performance, that is, in
terms of what the learner will be able to do with the language at the end of a
course of study. Whereas in general English course the goal is usually on
overall mastery of the language that can be tested on a global language test,
the goal of an ESP course is to prepare the learners to carry out a specific task
or set of tasks.

2.6. Needs and Needs Analysis

According to Nunan (1988), during the 1970s needs analysis procedures made
their appearance in language planning and became widespread in language
teaching. The definition of needs and needs analysis have broadened with the
experience and research. Robinson (1991:7) states “The needs that are
established for a particular group of students will be an outcome of a needs
analysis project and will be influenced by the ideological preconceptions of the
analysis.”

2.6.1 Needs
We can only start teaching an ESP student when we know that his/her needs
for the language. This is true for all students of course, even if the only thing
we find out is that they have no specific needs. The other thing we need to
know before starting is what the students want. However, these two things are
often very different from each other.

Rene Richterich defines language needs as “the requirements which arise from
the use of a language in the multitude of situations which may arise in the
social lives of individuals and groups” (1972:32).
Needs can be defined in terms of ownership (whose needs are they?), kinds
(what kinds of needs are identified, and sources (What are the sources for the
needs?). These are listed and identified in the following table (Tomilson,
1998:240-241).

Ownership Kind Source

Age: sex:
Personal needs Cultural background:
interests:
Educational background
Learning styles;
Previous language learning experiences;
LEARNERS’ NEEDS Learning needs Gap between the target level and the present
level in terms of knowledge (e.g. target language
and its culture);
Gap between the target level and the present
level of proficiency in various competence areas
(e.g. skills, strategies);
Learning goals and expectations for a course
Future professional Requirements for the future undertakings in
needs terms of:
Knowledge of language
Knowledge of language use
1.2. competence
Age; sex:
TEACHERS’ NEEDS Personal needs Cultural background:
interests:
Educational background
Teachers’ language proficiency
Professional needs Preferred teaching styles:
Teacher training experience
Teaching experience
ADMINISTRATIONS’ Institutional needs Sociopolitical needs:
NEEDS Market forces:
Educational policy.
Constraints (e.g. time, budget, resources)

When the language teachers are asked what their needs about a course book,
their response are influenced by:
1. teachers’ perception of administrative needs:
E.g. the school is under-resourced and a very strict syllabus is set
which the teachers are expected to obey.
2. measured learners’ needs:
 E.g. the teacher has administered a diagnostic test at the
beginning of the course and is a ware of the learners’
communicative needs.
3. Teachers’ perception of learners’ needs:
E.g. the teacher believes that Japanese students are quiet and shy
and thus require special training in speaking.
4. Teachers’ wants:
E.g. Even though ELT experts recommend a learner-centered
approach these days and the other colleagues of the language
centre follow the trend, the teacher prefers and also secretly
believes in the value of a teacher-centered approach for certain
learners (Tomlinson: 241-242).

2.6.1.1. Dichotomies of Needs

Needs could also be seen as lacks, the gap between students’ present level of
proficiency of the language and the proficiency that they are required to (want
to) achieve (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). This calls our attention to the
possibility of some discrepancy between learners’ view on one side, and that of
the teachers’ or authorities on the other regarding the goals or contents of a
language course.

There is a deal of disagreement in ELT over the meaning of ‘needs’ and what
‘needs analysis’ should entail. Johnson (1989) says that the disagreement is
emerged because of the two orientation of needs analysis. These are product-
oriented or objective needs and process-oriented or subjective needs.

2.6.1.1.1. Objective Needs

Objective needs relate to the nature of language communications in the target
situation, i.e. in the content areas. This is necessary as learners cannot learn
the entire English language and choices have to be made so that their language
learning experience is relevant to their purposes (Nunan, 1988; Brindley,
1989). These writers call this objective needs or product-oriented or goal
oriented.
Objective needs aimed at collecting factual information for the purpose of
setting broad goals related to language context (Johnson, 1989). Information
about these types of needs is usually gathered by analyzing the target-
situation. These needs are derivable from different kinds of factual information
about learners, their use of language in real life communication situations as
well as their current language proficiency and difficulties (Johnson, 1989;
Robinson, 1991).

According to Brindley (1984), initial works on ESP focus on collecting objective

needs of learners by analyzing a kind of language function and use needed in a
particular work or learning situation.

2.6.1.1.2. Subjective Needs

Subjective needs refer to the factors relating to the language learners as
learners, i.e. to the learning process through which the objective needs are to
be achieved. Robinson (1991) also defines subjective needs as the cognitive and
affective needs of the learners in the learning situation. Johnson (1989) also
states that needs analysis tries to identify and take into account a multiplicity
of affective and cognitive variables which affect learning. These are learners’
attitudes, motivation, awareness, personality, wants, expectations and learning
styles (Brindley, 1989:63).

Subjective needs also refer the needs of learners as an individual in the

learning situation. It aimed at gathering information about learners which can
be used to guide the learning process once it is under way (Johnson 1989).
Brindley (1984) suggests that subjective needs were thought to be
unpredictable and indefinable in the earlier works of ESP. Thus language
teachers take affective and cognitive variables into account to decide on both
content and methodology. Therefore, learners may be well motivated in the
subjective needs than objective needs (target situation) because it is not
reliable indicator of needs in ESP. Learners are motivated if their subjective
needs are kept.

2.6.1.1.3. Target Needs

Target needs are divided into three terms. These are necessities, lacks and
wants. (Hutchinson and Waters (1987:56) states these terms as follows:
A. Necessities – is a type of need that the learner has to know to function
effectively in the target situation (Ibid). They, moreover, exemplify that a
businessman or woman needs to read a business letter to communicate
with the others and to get information from a catalogues. “The learner
may need to know the linguistic features-discoursal, functional,
structural, and lexical- which are commonly used in the situation
identified.” (P.56)
B. Lacks- Refers that in which part of necessities the learner lacks
(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). First, it should be known what the
learner already knows. After this it will be easy to know the learner
lacks. “The target proficiency in other words, needs to be matched
against the existing proficiency of the learners.” (P.56)
C. Wants – According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), learners may have
the awareness of ‘necessities’ of the target situation and also they know
what their lacks are. The interest of these learners and the interest of
course designers, sponsors, and teachers are conflicted.
Necessities, lacks and wants in Mead’s analysis are represented in the
following figure (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:58).
Objective (i.e. as perceived by Subjective (i.e. as
course designers) perceived by learners)
Necessities The English needed for success in To reluctantly cope with a
Agricultural or veterinary studies ‘second-best’ situation
Lacks (Presumably) areas of English Means of doing Medical
needed for Agricultural or studies
veterinary studies
Wants To succeed in Agricultural or To undertake Medical studies
Veterinary studies
Fig 3. Necessities, lacks and wants

“… There is no necessary relationship between necessities as perceived by

sponsor or ESP teacher and what the learners want or feel they need because
different learners have different needs” (Opcit). For example, a German
engineer needs to read texts in English and also needs to take to colleagues at
annual conference because the company he works for is a multi-national
company- (Opcit). The other one is a Chinese graduate in chemistry who needs
to study in the United States. She needs to be able to interact with the society.
Fluency is her great need and she wants to improve her knowledge of English
grammar because in order to be accepted she has to pass the exam. If the
students do not get what they want or what they need, they will not be
motivated to learn the course. For instance, the agriculture students who are
not interested to join this department are not motivated by their subject-
specific texts, because they do not want to learn agricultural texts (Opcit).

On the other hand, learning needs show the route of needs how we are going to
get from our starting point (lacks) to the destination (necessities) although
there is some dispute. That is, the destination either it should be necessities or
wants. It is also a cover term for all the factors connected to the process of
learning like attitude, motivation, personality, learning style and strategies,
social background, etc (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).

2.7.2. Needs Analysis

Tarone and Yule (1989:31) define the phrase ‘needs analysis’ as “the collection
and evaluation of information to answer the question-what aspects of the
language does some particular group of learners need to know?” This can be
carried out at the beginning, during or after a language programme. In 1960s
and 1970s there was considerable understanding in approaches to course
design from the traditional way of focusing on what are linguistic elements
which the learner needs to master to what the needs to do with the target
language (Richards and Rodgers, 2001; Nunan, 1988).

For a question “how do you plan foreign-language teaching?” when Johnson

(2001:204) answers the question, he writes “To arrive at specific answer to the
sort of questions raised, we need to find a way of analyzing learners’ needs. It
is the process of needs analysis that will tell us just how much, and for what
purposes, our learners will need which foreign languages. That is why Dudley
Evans and St. John (1998) say needs analysis as the corner stone of ESP.

According to Johnson (2001), there are steps that provide a way of selecting the
most relevant content for the language syllabus. He exemplifies how to develop
a syllabus for a group of secretaries learning English and presents mini-needs
analysis for these learners (2001:226).

In order to develop curriculum, first, the learner’s needs should be analyzed for
sound educational program. Then varieties of procedures are used to gather
information about learners’ needs. Needs analysis is the necessary phase in
planning educational program. This information could be obtained from test
data on student’s performance, reports by teachers on typical problems
students face, information from students via interviews and questionnaires,
analysis of textbooks etc. (Richard, 2001).

According to Richard, a needs analysis may be conducted from a Varity of

different users. When it is conducted to help revise the secondary school
English curriculum, the end users include:
● Curriculum officers in the ministry of education, who may wish to use the
information to evaluate the adequacy of existing syllabus, curriculum and
materials.
● Teachers who will teach from the new curriculum.
● Teachers, who will be taught from the new curriculum.
● Writers, who are preparing new text books, etc (2001: 56)
According to McDonough and Shaw (1993:260), “Needs analysis refers to a
family of procedures for gathering information about learners and about
communication tasks for use in syllabus design.” In order to learn English
language, they suggest that learners should ask a question themselves like
why do they need or want to learn English. Accordingly, they also point out to
the learners to analyze their needs as follows.
a. Decide on your main purpose for learning English. E.g. for
work.
b. Make a list of the specific situation where you need to use
English. E.g. speaking on the telephone, answering
enquires, giving information, writing business letters.
c. Decide which skill you need for each situation extending
vocabulary, dealing with grammar, listening, speaking,
reading or writing.

You should then have a better idea about which skill you need to work on and
be able to establish your priorities. Learner should prioritize their needs.

Needs are the requirement learners have for their academic studies or for jobs
for which they are being trained, and the learning requirements for attaining
those academic or professional goals. Assessing these needs is called needs
analysis (Tarone and Yule, 1989).

2.7.2.1. The Importance of needs Analysis

According Tarone and Yule (1989), needs analysis have dual importance. First,
learners can learn better if syllabus contents and methodology are geared to
their needs and interests. Second, some sort of content specification should be
made. Otherwise, this is impossible to teach or learn all of a language. These
two points are important for the selection of materials in designing courses as
a result of needs analysis.

Richards and Rodgers (1986) also states that needs analysis is required for
curriculum development. They suggests, in addition, it is concerned with
identifying general and specific language needs that can be utilized in
developing goals, objectives and content in language programme.

Moreover, (Abiy, 1990 and Haile Michael, 1993) write needs analysis may be
important in order to set up goals, determine the general direction of courses,
and specify syllabus contents, language skills and language forms. Besides,
(Berhan, 2007) states it can be used for language instruction or programs
assessment in general and for syllabus assessment in particular.

Needs analysis is used to investigate learner’s present proficiency level and

their requirements in the target language. It also can be important to plan
foreign language teaching and to keep the students needs.

2.7.3. English language for Journalism and communication (EJC)

English language for J.C is designed for several purposes to help journalism
students. Among these purposes, English language curriculum is designed to
teach the learners how to gather, write, edit, and publish and broadcast news
for print and electronic media. Moreover, it helps to study the art of journalism
(Khoey, 2001).

This sort of curriculum allows students to explore the process involved in

gathering and writing news, preparing an editorial, writing features and
reports, stories, using effective photos, and contrasting newspapers with
magazines journalism. It also allows them to apply their understandings of
print journalism to one of electronic media-television, radio, or the internet.
Students have an opportunity to explore the differences in writing for electronic
media and writing for print media as well as exploring the conventions of the
electronic media (Opcit).

English language for journalism and communication is designed to help

students to have better understanding on mass communication. Students
explore the emerging communication technologies on the individual and
society. Students have an opportunity to read, view, write, and discuss
critically as they examine the media that influence their live.

The aim of English language for Journalism and communication is to develop

the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need to understand the media
and respond as informed and active citizens (Opcit).

2.8. Models of the Needs Analysis

Different models were presented by different proponents in different time.
These models work in the area of needs and needs analysis. According to
Widdowson (1983), their concept emerged in the early 1920s. This concept
gathered with the interest of the Council of Europe in 1971. Thus different
experts presented the models accordingly.

2.8.1. Richterich’s Model

Richterich (1973) model suggested that language needs are the requirements
which arise from the use of a language in multitude of situations and
operations which may arise in the social lives of individual and groups. The
analysis of ‘language situation’ and ‘language operations’ was thought to
enable one to define both target and learning needs of adult language learners
in Europe.

2.8.2. Van Ek’s Model

Van Ek (1975/76) model confirmed that in threshold level specific
communication needs of learners could be assessed and defined in ways useful
for syllabus design. Estimates were made to prepare the learner for the foreign
language contacts the learner would be most likely to engage in. Those
estimates were based on:
i. a general characterization of the type of language contacts which, as a
member of a certain target group, the learner would engage in;
 ii. the language activities the learner would engage in;
iii. the settings in which the learner would use the foreign language;
iv. the social and psychological roles the learner would play;
v. the topics the learner would deal with; and
vi. what the learner would be expected to do with regard to each topic.

2.8.3. Richterich and Chancerel’s Model

Richterich and Chancerel’s (1977/80) is a model which followed Van Ek’s
model. It provides different tools for the analysis of needs and it had interesting
points about needs analysis.

This model gives more emphasis to the learners or makes them the central
position of the system. The learner himself, the teaching establishment, and
the user institution are very important sources of information about the
learner.

2.8.4. Munby’s Model

Munby (1978) model came up with processing profiles of communication needs
which was made up of nine areas, namely (i) personal (ii) purpose (iii) setting
(iv) interaction variables (v) medium, mode and channel (vi) dialects (vii) target
level (viii) anticipated communicative events, and (ix) communicative key
(Anthony, 1997).

According to Nunan (1988), needs analysis did not find its remarkable
influence and positioning language for specific purpose (LSP) until Munby’s
approach to needs analysis came into being. Munby’s work “communicative
syllabus design” (1978), then, became a target for criticisms by academics and
linguists.

Munby’s model consists of two stages: Communicative Needs Processor

(CNP) and the interpretation of the profile of needs derived from the CNP in
terms of micro-skills and micro-functions. The CNP operates by looking at its
‘inputs’ -the foreign language participant – and information concerning the
participant’s identity and language.

2.9. Approaches to Syllabus Design

The term Syllabus, syllabus design and curriculum have given rise to
confusion in terms of their definitions and use. According to Stern (1983), the
field of curriculum studies as part of the discipline of educational studies. In
the broadest sense, it refers to the study of goals, content, implementation and
evaluation of an educational system. In its restricted sense, curriculum refers
to a course of study or the content of a particular course or programme. It is in
this narrower sense of curriculum that the term “syllabus” is employed.

In traditional sense syllabus refers in course more closely associated with the
product-centered rather than process-centered (Richards and Rodgers, 2001).
It refers the organization of the principles of the language for what is to be
taught and learned (McDonough and Shaw, 2003, Cunnings worth, 1984).

Munby (1978) states communicative syllabus design provides a model for

specifying the syllabus content relevant to the needs of different types or
groups of foreign-language learner. A complete syllabus specification will
include all five aspects: structure, function, situation, topic, skills. The
difference between syllabuses will lie in priority given to each of these aspects.
Eclecticism is common features of the majority of course book under the
communicative banner currently on offer (White, 1988;92).
Different sorts of English language of syllabus are designed for different grad
labels. These syllabus can be designed can be designed either for academic
purposes or for occupational purposes. If once the syllabus is designed, it
should be evaluated on bases of the consideration of what the students need to
learn. In ESP programs, communicative or functionally oriented courses may
be sequenced according to the learners’ communicative needs (Richards and
Rodgers, 2001; Cunnings worth, 1984).

Tomlinson (1998) as cited McGrath (2002: 216) states:

One of the things we know about language acquisition is that
most learners only learn what they need or want to learn.
Providing opportunities to learn the language needed to
participate in an interesting activity is much more likely to be
profitable than teaching something because it is the next
teaching point in the syllabus.

Language syllabus designers use different types of need analysis. The first of
these is learner analysis which identifies for what purpose the learner learning
the language. The second task is task analysis which is employed to specify
and categorize the language skills required to carry out real-world
communicative tasks and this follows the types of needs analysis.

Adaptations and changes might need to be done depending on the type of

curriculum to be developed. For an ESP curriculum, for example, not only
general English language needs should be looked in to, but also specific
English that is needed by the learners to proficiently function in specific
language situations.

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1. Sampling
3.1.1. Students
Data sources of this study were eighty-two third year Journalism students.
Third year students were selected for the study because of the fact that they
had three years of experience in the faculty and took all the English language
courses given at the Faculty. Therefore, it was believed that these students had
better awareness about the language needs of Journalism students’ compared
to first and second year students.

3.1.2 Graduates of the Faculty

Five graduates of the Faculty were also sources of data for the study. These
graduates were working in Walta Information Center, Ethiopian Television and
Radio, Ethiopian News Agency, and Sheger FM 102.1.

3.1.3. Employers
Four organizations that usually employ graduates of the Faculty were also
involved in this study. These were Walta Information Center, Ethiopian
Television and Radio, Ethiopian News Agency, and Sheger FM 102.1. These
organizations were selected because it was hoped that they would give
information regarding the English language needs of their employees.

3.2. Instruments
3.2.1 Questionnaire
Questionnaires were used for gathering reliable information from the students,
and employers. Both students’ and employers’ questionnaire were adapted
from the questionnaire employed by Munby (1978), Haile Kassahun Richard
(2001) and (2006), Berhan Demeke (2007).

3.2.1.1 Students’ Questionnaire

Students’ questionnaire consisted of eleven items. The questionnaires were
made up of different close ended items (multiple choice questions, rating) and
open ended questions. Students were given chances to include whatever they
think was needed in the study. This questionnaire was aimed at eliciting
information on students’ background information, difficult language areas, and
the language needs of their academic and professional success.

3.2.1.2. Employers’ Questionnaire

Employers’ questionnaire consists of five items. This questionnaire was
designed on the basis of students’ questionnaires. It was made up of different
close ended items and open ended questions. They were given chances to
include whatever they think related to English language courses.

3.2.2. Interviews
Structured interviews were conducted with ten Journalism and
Communication students and five graduates who were working in different
organizations. Students were selected randomly from those who filled in the
questionnaire. The purpose of the interview was to validate the data gathered
through the questionnaire and explore further students’ English language
difficulties and needs. Thus, the content of the interview was similar to that of
the content of questionnaires.

3.3. Data Analysis

Data gathered via questionnaire and interviews are analyzed both
quantitatively and qualitatively. Responses by students and employers to
questions were quantitatively expressed in frequency and percentages. Then
based on percentage, discussion was made. Where as, responses by students
and employed graduates to interviews were organized and explained
qualitatively (in words).
 CAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Data from the Students
4.1.1. Background
Item 1 asked the students to report their English language grade that they
scored in EGSCE. It was aimed to see their English language background.
Table 1. The students English score in EGSCE and their department in the
faculty.
Department
Score Print Media Broadcast
Male Female Male Female Total
% F % F % F % F % F %
50-60 17 20.7 5 6.1 23 28 1 1.2 46 56.1
61-70 10 12.2 2 2.4 13 15.9 1 1.2 26 30.5
71-80 4 3.7 1 1.2 2 2.4 - - 6 7.3
81-90 2 2.4 - - 2 2.4 - - 4 4.9
91-100 - - - - - - - - - -

Table 1 above shows that majority of the students in both departments had
scores between 50-60%. 30.5% of both departments had scores between 61-
70%. Only 4.9% from both departments reported that their scores in English in
EGSCE were between 81-90%. From this, it is possible to conclude that
students who join the Faculty of Journalism and Communication have no good
English language background.

4.1.2. Purpose of Taking English Courses

An attempt has been made to find out reasons (if any) for their taking the
English courses at the Faculty. Table 2 below reports their responses.

Table 2. Purposes of taking English courses

 Purposes of the Courses F %
a Because they are compulsory 9 11
b Because they help me for the success of my study ( for 28 34.1
academic purpose)
c Because they are useful for occupational purpose 5 6.1
d Because they are useful for both academic purpose 26 31.7
and occupational purpose
e Because they are compulsory and they help me for 6 7.3
academic purpose
f Because they are compulsory, useful for academic 8 9.8
purpose and occupational purpose

As indicated in the above table, 34.1% of the students said that they took
English courses because of the fact that the causes helped on their academic
studies in the faculty. Almost equal number of students (31.7%) said that they
took English courses because they would help them in future occupation and
for their academic studies. This indicates that majority of the students know
that English courses they took are useful both for their academic and
professional careers. Eleven percent of the students said that they took the
courses because they were compulsory. Again 9.8% of the students said that
they took the courses because they were compulsory, for academic purpose
and for the purpose of future occupation. 7.3% of them said that they took the
course because they were compulsory and they help them for their academic
purpose in the faculty. The rest 6.1% said that they took the courses for the
purpose of future occupation.

4.1.3. Students and Graduates Ability in the four

Languages skills
Item 3 of the students’ questionnaire and Item 1 of the employers’
questionnaire were designed to gather data on the learners and graduates
English language proficiency regarding, listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills.
Table 3. English language proficiency of the students and Graduates as
perceived by they themselves and employers.

Skill Very Good Average Weak Very

good weak

a Listening F % F % F % F % F %
Comprehension S 15 18.3 45 84.9 19 23.1 3 3. - -
7
E 3 - 1 - - - - - - -
b Speaking S 4 4.9 24 29.3 47 57.3 7 8. - -
5
E - - - - 4 - - - - -
c Writing S 28 - 40 48.8 14 17.1 - - - -
E - - 4 - - - - - - -
d Reading S 10 12.2 37 45.1 30 36.6 5 6.
1
E 3 - 1 - - - - - - -

* Percentage is not calculated for the employers because their number is

only four.

4.1.3.1. Listening
The data in the above table show that, 84.9% and 18.3% of the students said
that their English ability was ‘good’ and ‘very good’ respectively. Similarly,
three of the employers reported that graduates have no problem in listening
English. This suggests that both the students and graduates of the Faculty
have no problem in Listening to English. Data from the interview with the
students and three employers also supported data obtained from the
questionnaire.

4.1.3.2. Speaking
Table 3 shows that only 4.9% and 29.3% of the students claimed that they
were ‘very good’ and ‘good’ at speaking in English. More than half of them
(57.3%) reported that they were ‘average’ in using English in speaking. All of
the employers also reported that graduates of the Faculty were ‘average’ in
using English in speaking. Employers also confirmed the same during the
interviews.

However, data gathered from the students’ questionnaire and interview are not
in harmony. During the interview, most of the students’ claimed that they were
‘good’ at speaking in English. Similarly, all of the employers reported that
speaking ability of the graduates of the Faculty is ‘average’.

Observation confirms that not all the sample students were willing to conduct
interviews in English, which might suggest that they were not ‘good’ in
speaking as they claimed during the interviews.

4.1.3.3. Reading
A great number of the students claimed that their reading ability was ‘good’. As
it is reported by (45.1%) and (12.2%) said that their reading ability was ‘good’
and ‘very good’ respectively. 36.6% of the students said that they were ‘average’
in their reading skill. Small percentage of the students (6%) claimed that they
were ‘very good’.

Information from the interviews indicates that, to some extent, the students
had a little problem in reading ability. However, the employers’ responses were
quite different from the data that were gathered from the students’
questionnaire. Three of the employers said that their employees were ‘very
good’ at reading. The rest, one of them said that their employees were ‘good’ at
reading.

4.1.3.4. Writing
Regarding the writing skill, more than one fourth of the students claimed that
their ability was ‘good’ and ‘very good’. As seen in the table, 48.8% of the
students said that they were ‘good’ and 22% of them were ‘very good’ at writing.
The rest of the students, 29.3%, said that their writing ability was average.
Data from the interview indicate that most of the students need writing skill
because they were not confident on their writing ability. However, all employers
stated that all the journalists were ‘good’ at writing skill.

According to the above discussion, we can say that students’ ability in

listening, writing and reading in English is ‘good’. Their speaking ability,
however, is ‘average’. Therefore, the students have some difficulties in speaking
and writing skills.

4.1.4. Problems in sub skills

Item 4 of the students’ questionnaire was designed to gather data on the
students’ problems in using different sub-skills.

Table 4. Students’ problem in micro-skills

A Serious A Minor Not a

Problems Problem Problem Problem
a Understanding lectures F % F % F %
12 14.6 42 51.2 28 34.1
b Taking lecture notes 15 18.5 48 58.5 18 22
c Asking and answering question in 25 30.5 46 56.1 11 13.4
classroom
d Participating in class discussions 20 24.4 40 48.8 22 26.8
e Extracting appropriate information 25 30.5 36 43.9 21 25.6
from materials I read
f Making notes from books 16 19.5 31 37.8 35 42.7
g Summarizing something I read 14 17.1 46 56.1 22 26.8
h Understanding recorded materials and 23 28 42 51.2 17 20.7
taking memo
i Writing organized paragraph and essay 46 56.1 27 32.9 4 4.9
j Writing Radio/TV. production or 47 57.3 19 23.2 15 18.3
features

4.1.4.1. Understanding Lectures

Table 4 shows that only 14.6% of the students said that they had ‘a serious
problem in understanding lectures. Majority of them, 51.2%, reported that they
had ‘a minor problem’. Furthermore, for 34.1% understanding lectures were
not ‘a problem at all’.

4.1.4.2. Taking Lecture Notes

As the table depicts, 18.5% of the students had ‘a minor problem’ in taking
lecture notes in English language. For 58% of the students taking lecture notes
was ‘a minor problem’. For the rest, 22% of the students it was not ‘a problem’.

4.1.4.3. Asking and Answering Questions

With regard to asking and answering questions in the classroom the majority
of the students had a minor problem. For instance, 56.1% of them have ‘a
minor problem’ in asking and answering questions in the classroom. 30.5% of
the respondents said that they had ‘a serious problem’ in asking and
answering questions in the classroom. However, for 13.4% asking and
answering questions was not ‘a problem at all’. Data from the interviews show
that most of the students had a problem in asking and answering questions in
English.

4.1.4.4. Participation in Class Discussions

As depicted in the table, nearly half of the students said that they had a minor
problem in participating in class discussion. For instance, 48.8% of the
students said that they had a minor problem to participate in class discussion
in English. Less than one third of the students, 24.4%, claimed that they had
‘a serious problem’ in participating in class discussion. However, 26.8% said
that they had no any problem in participating in class discussions in English.

Data from the interviews indicate that some of the students had ‘a serious
problem’ to participate in class discussion because of their lack of adequate
vocabulary and appropriate use of grammar problem.

4.1.4.5. Extracting Appropriate Information from

 Materials Read
With regard to extracting appropriate information from materials they read,
43.9% of the students reported that they had a minor problem. Similarly,
30.5% of the students claimed that they had ‘a minor problem’ in extracting
appropriate information from materials they read. For significant number of
students, 25.6%, it was not ‘a problem at all’. The information obtained from
the interviews show that they had no as such a serious problem to extract
appropriate information from materials they read.

4.1.4.6. Making Notes from Books

The majority of the students (42.7%) reported that they had no problem to
make notes from books or reference materials. Likewise, 37.8% of the students
said that they had a minor problem in making notes from books. Only 19.5%
claimed that they had a serious problem to make notes from books/reference.

4.1.4.7. Summarizing Reading Materials

As the table depicts, more than half of the students (56.1%) had a minor
problem to summarize main points what they read. Similarly, 17.1% of the
students said that they had ‘a serious problem’ to summarize something they
read. However, for 26.8% of the students summarizing main points from
reading materials was not ‘a problem at all’. Information from the interviews
indicate that they had no problem in summarizing points during they read.

4.1.4.8. Understanding Recorded Materials

As shown in the table above, more than half of the students, 51.2% said that
they had ‘a minor problem’ and 28% of the students said that they had ‘a
serious problem’ in understanding recorded materials. Furthermore, for 20.7%
understanding recorded materials was not ‘a problem’. Data from the
interviews show that a few number of students had a problem in
understanding recorded materials.

4.1.4.9. Writing Organized Paragraphs and Essays

With regard to writing organized paragraphs and essays, more than half of the
students (56.1%) have a serious problem. Similarly, 32.9% of the students said
that they had a minor problem. Only 4.9% of the students reported that they
had no problem in writing organized paragraph and essay.

Data from the students’ interviews, however, indicate that most of the students
have a serious problem in writing well organized paragraphs and essays in
English.

4.1.4.10. Writing Radio/TV Production or Features

As indicated in the table, 57.3% of them said that they had a serious problem
in wring Radio/TV production or features. Similarly, 23.2% of the students
claimed that they had ‘a minor problem’ in writing Radio/TV production or
features. For the rest, 18.3%, it was not ‘a serious problem’.

Information from the interviews shows that most of the students have a serious
problem in writing Radio/TV production or features. Accordingly, students
underlined during the interviews that the English courses did not incorporate
writing radio/TV production or features. Specially, Print Media students made
complain to this problem because they needed to have the skill for their future
careers.

From the above discussion, it is possible to infer that in most micro-skills, the
students had a minor problem. The students had a problem in some areas
which are related to writing skill. The interviewed students claimed that they
had ‘a serious problem’ in writing skill although they need to be a good writer.
They also mentioned that during the interview they had a serious problem in
descriptive and creative writing.
4.1.5. English Language Needs
Item 5-10 in the students’ questionnaire and item 3 and 4 in the employers’
questionnaire were designed to gather data about the language needs of the
students. In these items the students and the employers were questioned to
report the relative importance of the four skills, vocabulary, grammar and the
language activities needed for the learners’ academic and professional careers.

Table 5. English language skills that students and employers need most

Rank
Skills and The nd
2 3rd
4th 5th The
Area of Most Needed Needed Needed Needed Least
Knowledge Needed Needed
F % F % F % F % F % F %
a S 17 20.7 18 22 26 31.7 10 12.2 5 6.1 5 6.1
Listening E - - - - - - 2 - 1 - 1 -
b S 24 29.3 21 25.6 10 12.2 16 19.5 5 6.1 6 7.3
E - - - - 3 - - - 1 - - -
Speaking
c S 13 15.9 11 13.4 12 14.6 27 32.9 7 8.5 8 9.8
Reading
E 1 - 2 - - - - - - - - -

d S 22 26.8 23 28 14 17.1 14 17.1 8 9.8 2 2.4

Writing
E 3 - 1 - - - - - - - - -
e S 4 4.9 1 1.2 14 17.1 10 12.2 25 30. 32 39
Vocabulary 5
E - - 1 - 1 - - - - - 2 -
f S 2 2.4 8 9.8 6 7.3 5 6.1 30 36. 29 53.
Grammar 6 4
E - - - - - - 2 - 2 - - -

As the table depicts, 29.3% and 26.8% reported that speaking and writing were
the most frequently needed skills for their academic studies as well as for their
future occupation respectively. 20.7% and 15.9% of the students claimed that
listening and reading skills were the third and the fourth most frequently
needed skills respectively. The rest of the students, 4.9% and 2.4%, needed
vocabulary and grammar most frequently.
 The data from the interviews of the students also supported that almost all
Print Media students who were interviewed needed writing skill most
frequently. On the other hand, Broadcast department students who were
interviewed said that speaking was the most needed skill for their future
occupation next to the other skills. Most of the students from both
departments who were interviewed said that they needed to have knowledge of
grammar and adequate vocabulary.

As the table shows, the majority of the employers, three of them reported that
writing was the most frequently needed skill in their organizations. Reading
was the second most frequently needed skill as reported by one of the
employers. Speaking was the third frequently needed skill for three of the
employers.

From the above discussion we can conclude that the students of the two
department students, Print Media and Broadcast (Radio and Television), have
different needs although they were in the same faculty. Their needs, however,
were partially consistent with the employers.

4.1.6. English language Skills and Areas of Knowledge

Item 6 of the students’ questionnaire was designed to gather data which skills
and areas of sub-skills the students needed to develop. In this item the
students were questioned to report which language skills and sub-skills they
needed to develop to use the language effectively.

Table 6. English language skills and areas of knowledge that

students needed to develop

Most Sometimes Rarely

Activities Skills Frequently Needed Needed
Needed Skill Skill Skill
F % F % F %
Listening to take lecture notes 57 69.5 13 15.9 12 14.6
Listening to instructors’ questions 48 58.5 19 23.2 15 18.3
Listening to instructions 47 57.3 22 26.8 13 15.9
Listening Listening to recorded materials in 37 45.1 31 37.8 14 17.1
Activities Radio/TV lab
Listening to class discussion 42 51.2 30 36.6 10 12.2
Asking and answering questions 39 47.6 33 40.2 10 12.2
in classroom
Giving oral reports 40 48.8 34 41.4 8 9.8
Speaking Conducting Radio/TV production 45 54.9 27 32.9 10 12.2
Activities in labs.
Conducting an interview 54 65.9 22 26.8 6 7.3
Participating in pair /group 36 43.9 37 45.1 9 11
discussion
Reading lecture notes 38 46.3 33 40.2 11 13.4
Reading to extract information 41 50 32 39 9 11
needed.
Reading Reading textbooks or reference 35 42.7 35 42.7 12 14.6
Activities books
Reading reports/journals 37 45.1 35 42.7 10 12.2
Reading news in lab. 38 46.3 29 35.4 15 18.3
Editing written materials 42 51.2 29 35.4 11 13.4
Writing notes from lecture 44 53.7 26 31.7 12 14.6
Writing effective editorials 43 52.4 27 32.9 12 14.6
Writing Radio/TV production or 47 57.3 24 29.3 11 13.4
Writing features
Activities Translating from language to 45 54.9 29 35.4 8 9.8
language.
Summarizing/paraphrasing 44 53.7 30 36.6 8 9.8
factual information
Preparing community 47 57.3 29 35.4 6 7.3
news/newspaper

4.1.6.1. Listening Activities

4.1.6.1.1. Listening to Take Lectures
As table 6 presents, listening is one of the most frequently needed skills by the
students. 69.5% of the students said that they needed to develope listening to
take lecture notes most frequently to develop it. Almost equal number of
students, 15.9% and 14.6%, claimed that they sometimes and rarely needed
listening to take lecture notes respectively.

4.1.6.1.2. Listening to Instructors’ Questions

Table 6 above depicts that the majority of the students (58.5%) reported that
they needed to improve listening to instructors’ questions most frequently.
More than quarter of the students, 23.2%, said that they sometimes needed to
develop the skill of listening to instructors’ questions. The rest, 18.3% of the
students said that this skill was rarely needed.

4.1.6.1.3. Listening to Instructions

With regard to the frequency of listening to instruction, the majority of the
students, 57.3%, reported that they needed it to develop most frequently. A bit
more than one fourth of the students, 26.8%, claimed that they sometimes
needed listening to instructions. The rest 15.9% of the students said that this
skill was rarely needed.

4.1.6.1.4. Listening to Recorded Materials

As the table shows, listening to recorded materials was the most frequently
needed skill by the majority of the students. For instance, 45.1% of the
students reported that they mostly needed to develop listening to recorded
materials. 37.8% of the students said that they sometimes needed to improve
this skill. Whereas, the rest of the students, 17.1%, said that they needed it
rarely.

4.1.6.1.5. Listening to Class Discussion

As the above table shows, the frequency to listening to class discussion, more
than half of the students, 51.2%, reported that this was the most needed skill
to develop it. Significant number of students, (36.6%), claimed that they
sometimes needed to develop listening to class discussion. The rest, 12.2%,
said that this skill was needed rarely.

The results of the above discussion under the listening skill are not confirmed
by the students’ interview. None of the students stated that these sub skills
were the most frequently needed.

4.1.6.2. Speaking Activities

4.1.6.2.1. Asking and Answering Questions in Classroom
As table 6 above depicts, the majority of the students, 47.6%, reported that
asking and answering questions in classroom was the most frequently needed
skill. Significant number of the students, 40.2, said that they sometimes
needed this skill. The rest, 12.2, claimed that asking and answering questions
in classroom was rarely needed. As it is analyzed in 4.1.4.3., this activity was a
serious problem for 30.5% of the students.

4.1.6.2.2. Giving Oral Reports

Regarding giving oral reports, 48.8% of the students reported that they needed
to develop it most frequently for their academic and future professional
careers. Significant number of students, 41.4%, said that it was sometimes
needed to make an oral report. Whereas, the rest, insignificant number of the
students, 9.8%, said that they needed this skill rarely.

4.1.6.2.3. Conducting Radio/TV Production in Laboratory

Table 6 shows that conducting radio/TV production in laboratory was the
second most frequently needed skill among the others speaking activities. More
than half of the students, 54.9%, claimed that they needed it most frequently.
32.5% of the students said that they sometimes needed to develop conducting
radio/TV production in lab. The rest, 17.3%, said that they needed it rarely.

4.1.6.2.4. Conducting an Interview

As the above table reveals, conducting an interview was needed by more than
three fourth of the students. It was the first most frequently needed skill by
65.9% of the students from others speaking activities. 26.8% of the students
said that they sometimes needed conducting an interview. Insignificant
number of students, 7.3%, reported that they rarely needed to develop this
skill.

4.1.6.2.5. Participating in Pair/Group Discussion

As we can see it from the above table, pair/group discussion was the most
frequently needed speaking activity by 43.9% of the students. A great number
of students, 45.1%, said that participating in pair/group discussion was
sometimes needed. The rest, 11% of the students reported that they needed
this speaking activity rarely.

Data gathered from the students’ interviews stated that they most frequently
needed to develop their speaking skills through group discussion. As it was
analyzed under 4.1.4.4, for significant number of students this speaking
activity was a minor problem.

4.1.6.3. Reading Activities

4.1.6.3.1. Reading Lecture Notes
With regard to reading lecture notes, 46.3% of the students said that they most
frequently needed to develop it for their academic studies. 40.2% of the
students reported that they sometimes needed this reading activity. The rest,
13.4% of the students claimed that reading lecture notes was needed rarely.

4.1.6.3.2. Reading to Extract Information Needed

As the table above shows, half of the students, 50%, claimed that they needed
to develop reading to extract information needed most frequently. This reading
activity was the first most frequently needed reading activity. In their response,
39% of the students said that they sometimes needed it. The rest, 11% of the
students reported that reading to extract information was needed rarely. As
this activity analyzed under 4.1.4.5, it was the second problem to the students.

4.1.6.3.3. Reading Textbooks or Reference Books

From the table we can see that reading textbooks or reference books was the
least frequently needed among the other reading activities. Equal percent of
students, 35% said that they most frequently and sometimes needed this
reading skill. The rest, 14.6% of the students reported that they rarely needed
to develop reading textbooks or reference books.

4.1.6.3.4. Reading Reports/Journals

As the above table reveals, reading reports/journals was needed most
frequently by 45.1% of the students. 42.7% of the students said that they
sometimes needed reading reports/journals. The rest, 12.2% of the students
reported that it was needed rarely.

4.1.6.3.5. Reading News in Laboratory

With regard to reading news in laboratory, 46.3% of the students claimed that
they needed reading news in lab most frequently. 35.4% of the students said
that they sometimes needed this reading activity. The rest, 18.3% of the
students reported that reading news in lab was needed to develop the skill
rarely.

4.1.6.4. Writing Activities

4.1.6.4.1. Editing Written Materials
As we can see it from the table, more than half of the students (51.2%) said
that they needed to develop editing written materials for their professional
careers most frequently. Significant number of the students, 35.4%, reported
that they sometimes needed this writing activity. The rest, 13.4%, claimed that
they needed editing written materials rarely.

4.1.6.4.2. Writing Notes from Lecture

The table depicts, a great number of students reported that they most
frequently needed writing notes from lecture. For instance, 53% of the students
said that they needed this activity to study other courses as well as they
needed it for their professional career most frequently. 31.7% of the students
claimed that it was sometimes needed. The rest, 14.6% said that it was needed
rarely.
 4.1.6.4.3. Writing Effective Editorials
As we can see from the table, writing effective editorials was also the most
needed writing activity. More than half of the students, 52.4%, reported that
they needed to develop it most frequently. 32.9% of the students said that
writing effective editorials was sometimes needed. The rest, 14.6% of the
students claimed that it was needed rarely.

4.1.6.4.4. Writing Radio/TV Production or Features

With regard to writing Radio/TV production or writing features was the first
most frequently needed writing skill by the majority of students. For instance,
57.3% of the students reported that it was needed most frequently. The rest,
13.4%, said that they needed this writing activity rarely.

4.1.6.4.5. Translating from English Language to another

Language (L1)
As the above table indicates, translating from language to language was the
second most frequently needed activity. More than half of the students, 54.9%
claimed that as a journalist translating from English language to another was
the most frequently needed writing skill. 35.4% of the students reported that
they sometimes needed translating from English language to another language.
The rest, a few number of students, 9.8%, said that it was needed rarely.

4.1.6.4.6. Summarizing/Paraphrasing Factual Information

As we can see from the table, summarizing/paraphrasing factual information
was needed most frequently by 53.7% of the students. 36.6% of the students
claimed that they sometimes needed. The rest, 9.8% of the students said that
summarizing/paraphrasing factual information was needed rarely.

4.1.6.4.7. Preparing Community News/Newspaper

Majority of the students, 57.3%, reported that they needed to develop
preparing community news/newspaper most frequently. They understood that
it would help them for their professional career. 35.4% of the students said
that they sometimes needed to improve it. Only 7.3% of the students claimed
that it was needed rarely.

From the above discussion, the majority of the students needed to develop
better their writing skill most frequently than the other skills. Under these
writing skills, equal number of student, 57.3% most frequently needed to
develop writing radio/TV production or feature and preparing community
news/newspaper although they are not incorporated in the content of English
language courses. Similarly, listening to take lecture notes and conducting an
interview were the other needed sub-skills to develop by three fourth of the
students most frequently.

4.1.7. The Study of English Language at the Faculty

Table 7. Studying English language courses that helped the students in
their studies

Do you think that the English courses that Yes No

you took have helped you in your studies F % F %
71 86.6 11 13.4

As the table depicts, 86.6% of the students said that the English language
courses they took helped in their studies at the faculty. The rest of the
students, 13.4%, reported that the courses didn’t help them to study their
major courses.

As most of the students’ indicated their responses in the interview, the courses
didn’t help them, for example, to conduct interview, to write features, for
creative writing, to write articles, to make conversation etc.

Table8. Reasons for the response of ‘No’ in table 7

 Reasons F
It doesn’t have any relation with our major 6
subject area courses
The method of teaching was poor and it 2
was not given appropriately
It was not given according to our interests 3
It doesn’t have a journalism style guide

As we can see the table, seven of the students from those eleven who said ‘No’
reasoned that the English courses that they took didn’t have any relation with
their major subject area courses. Two of them said that the teaching method of
some language instructors did not help them that much to use the language.
Three of the students who said ‘No’ reasoned that the courses were not given
according to their needs and they didn’t have a journalism style guide.

The information obtained from the interview does not have harmony with the
responses to students’ questionnaire. The response to the interview showed
that the language courses that they took helped the majority of the students
partially. As they stated in the interview, specially, the two courses,
Intermediate English and Sophomer English helped them in writing
paragraphs and essays. However, these courses did not have any relationship
with journalism.

The information obtained from graduates shared the students’ comment. As

most of the graduates said, the English courses that they took did not help
them that much for their occupation. Their reason was that the courses they
took were not journalistic. Thus the courses did not help them to conduct
interview, to write articles, to write news, as well as for creative writing and
descriptive writing.

4.1.8. Areas English Language Courses give emphasis

Table 9. Areas English language courses give emphasis and

the students’ reasons
 Skills and Areas F % Reasons
of Knowledge
a Conversation 57 69.5 - to be interactive in the classroom
b Group discussion 64 78 - to be a fluent speaker
c Conducting 51 62.2 - to gather information through
interview interview
- to communicate more with
foreigners
d Writing features 26 75.6 - to answer essay type questions
and articles - to write well organized news
e Writing Reports 26 31.7 - to write well organized articles
f Writing headline 5 6.1 - to prepare simulated TV or radio
g Writing paragraph 60 73.2 broadcast
and essay
h Listening 24 29.3 - to listen and understand
foreigners
i Reading 19 23.2 - to gather information from printed
materials
- to gather information from
internet
j Grammar 40 48.8 - to be accurate in writing features
and
articles
- to be accurate speaker during
interview
- to edit written materials
k Vocabulary 17 20.7 - to use the language effectively
- to be rich in media words
l Translating from 10 12.2 - to write news and articles from
language to English to Ethiopian languages
language
m Editing written 9 11 - to edit written news and articles
materials - to know editing techniques
n Pronunciation 7 8.5 - it is relevant and important for
successful
communication
o Punctuation 7 8.5 - to write good features and articles
that
would be printed in newspapers

As the table above indicates the majority of the students needed English
language courses to develop their speaking and writing skills. For instance,
more than three fourth of the students, 78% and 75% said that they needed
the courses to give emphasis to group discussion, and writing features and
articles respectively. 37.2% and 69.5% of the students reported that writing
paragraphs and essays and conversation were the second most needed sub-
skills that English language courses should give emphasis respectively. These
students gave their own reasons why they needed these skills and areas of
knowledge accordingly.

The students, who needed the language courses to give emphasis to

conversation, group discussion and conducting interview thought that the
skills would help them to be interactive in the classroom. The activities also
would help them to be fluent speaker, to obtain information through interview
and to communicate more with foreigners.

The data obtained from the interviews of the students and the employed
graduates indicated the same skills were needed to be emphasized in the
course and their reasons were the same with the students who were
questioned.

In addition, the students needed the language courses to give emphasis to

writing features and articles, writing reports, writing headline and writing
paragraphs and essays. Their reasons were these skills would help them to
answer essay type questions, to write well organized news, to write well
organized articles, to prepare simulated television or radio broadcast.

The information obtained from the students’ and graduates’ interviews

corresponds to the above discussion and they needed the courses to
incorporate grammar. The graduates added some more skills in line to the
above points; these are, descriptive writing and creative writing.

Significant number of students, 48.8% and 29.3% reported that they needed
the language courses to give emphasis to grammar and listening respectively.
They reasoned out that grammar would help them to be accurate in writing
features, to be accurate while interviewing others and to edit written materials.
Whereas those who needed listening thought that this skill would help them to
listen and understand foreigners.

Reading and vocabulary were the other skill and areas of knowledge which are
mentioned that needed emphasis in the English courses. 23.2% and 20.7% of
the students believed that reading skill and vocabulary would help them to
gather information from printed and prominent materials, and to use the
language effectively and to be rich in media words respectively.

As it can be seen in the above table, insignificant number of students gave

different reasons why they needed translation from language to language,
editing written materials, pronunciation punctuation, and spelling. They
needed all these skills and area of knowledge for their professional careers.

4.1.9. Portions or Contents that should be excluded

Table 10. Portions or contents that should be excluded from the
English courses
Portions of Courses that Should be Reasons
Excluded
F % It doesn’t have that much
College English 45 54.9 relevant content which is
related to journalism.
Nothing should be excluded 37 45.1 All areas of courses are
from the courses important although some of
the contents don’t have any
relation with journalism.

None of the students indicated that there is a portion or content to be excluded

from the English language courses. However, as the table depicts more than
half of the students, 54.9%, reported that they needed college English to be
excluded from the other language courses. Their reason for this is that the
courses do not have any relevance contents to journalism.

Moreover, the students and employed graduates in their interviews indicated

that it is important to exclude College English from the list of English courses
offord to Journalism students. They claim that it is important for Journalism
and Communication students to take a course related to Journalism rather
than College English.

45.1% of the students said that there were no any areas or contents should be
excluded from the English language courses. They thought that all portions of
English courses were significant although some of the contents didn’t have any
relation with journalism.

4.1.10. English Language Skills and Areas of Knowledge

Employers need from Journalists

Item 3 of the employers’ questionnaire was designed to gather data about

which skills and areas of knowledge they need from journalists to carry out
their duties effectively. The employers who were questioned were from Walta
Information Center, Ethiopian Television and Radio, Ethiopian News Agency
and Sheger FM 102.1.
Table 11. English language skills and areas of knowledge employers
needed

Most Sometimes Rarely

Skills and areas frequently needed needed
Skills of knowledge needed skill skill skill
F F F
Listening to 2 1 1
recorded materials
Listening Understanding 3 - 1
recorded materials
and taking memo
Giving oral reports 1 - 3

Speaking Conducting an 3 1 -
interview
Making - 3 1
discussions
Writing effective 1 2 1
editorials
Translating from 2 1 1
English language
to language
another
Writing Summarizing 3 - 1
/paraphrasing
factual information
Summarizing 2 1 1
something they
read
Writing organized 2 2 -
paragraph and
essay
Writing Radio/TV 2 - 2
production or
features
Reading to extract 3 1 -
information needed
Reading 3 1 -
Reading reports/journal
Reading news 3 - 1
 Editing Written 3 1 -
materials
Extracting 3 1 -
appropriate
information from
materials they
needed

4.1.10.1. Listening
As the above table shows, with regard to listening skill two of the employers
indicated that journalists are needed to listen to recorded materials. The rest,
two of them said that journalists are needed to listen to recorded materials.
Again, with regard to understanding recorded materials, three of these
employers showed that journalists are needed to have this skill. One of the
employers reported that understanding recorded materials was needed rarely.

4.1.10.2. Speaking
Regarding speaking skill, three of the employers reported that they most
frequently needed a skill of conducting interview from journalists. One of the
employers claimed that Journalists are needed to give oral reports. Again three
of these employers indicated that Journalists are sometimes needed to make
discussion in English. The rest, one of the employers reported that this activity
was rarely needed from Journalists.

4.1.10.3. Writing
As the above table depicts regarding writing skill, the majority of the employers
said that journalists need to have the skill of summarizing/paraphrasing
factual information most frequently to carry out their duties effectively.
Similarly, one of employers indicated that Journalists are sometimes needed to
translate from English language to another language (L1) and summarize
something they read. Again two of these employers reported that Journalists
are expected to translate from English language to another language (L1),
summarize something they read, write organized paragraphs and essays, write
radio/TV production or features most frequently.

4.1.10.4. Reading
With regard to reading, majority of the employers demand reading as a major
skill. For instance, three of them indicated that Journalists are most frequently
needed to read and extract information and reading reports/journals, reading
news, editing written materials. The rest, one of the employers reported that
these two sub skills were sometimes needed from journalists.

4.1.11. Areas English Language Courses Should Give

Emphasis in Training Journalists
Item 4 of the employers’ questionnaires is designed to gather information about
which areas or skills English language courses should give due emphasis in
training journalists.

Table 12. Aareas English courses should give due emphasis in

training journalists

Skills and Areas of Knowledge F

Story writing 3
Information gathering 3
Reading skills 3
Writing articles 4
 Organizing articles 2
Conducting interview with their principles 3
Translation from language to language 2
Pronunciation 1

The employers suggested that some skills and areas of knowledge that English
courses should give emphasis. For instance, all of them proposed that writing
articles should be given emphasis. In addition, three of the employers
commented that English courses should give emphasis to story writing,
information gathering, reading skills, and conducting interview with their
principles. Again half of them stated that organizing news and translating from
English language to another language (L1) should be given emphasis in English
courses. One of the employers said that English courses should give emphasis
to pronunciation in line with other skills and areas of knowledge.

As it was tried to discuss earlier, most of the skills and areas of knowledge
were needed to be emphasized in English courses. Graduates were also
proposed that emphasis should be given to descriptive writing, creative writing
and grammar.

4.1.12. Data from the Students’ Interview

In order to analyze the students’ language needs, interviews were conducted to
ten sample students. They were asked about their language proficiency
regarding to the skills and areas of knowledge. Various responses were given to
those questions. However, most of the students reported that as they are ‘good’
at speaking skill some of them are ‘good’ at writing skill.

As table 6 shows, a great number of students said that they needed speaking
skill most frequently. This implies that, there is mismatch between the
response of the questionnaires and the interviews. This finding confirms the
validity of the interviews. That is, their speaking proficiency had been observed
during the interview. The speaking proficiency of most interviewees was weak.
It has been observed during the interview that most of them were not
comfortable to respond in English.

The second question is focused on which skill/skills were more difficult while
the students were taking English courses and which skills they thought that
they needed most during their stay at the faculty. Most of the students replied
that grammar was their basic difficulty and they needed to improve it although
they learnt when they were in high school. They also said that writing and
speaking skills were their areas of difficulty while they were taking the courses.
Therefore, they needed them most during their stay at the faculty.

The third question asked the students that how English language courses that
they took have helped them in their studies. When the students answered this
question, some of them suggested that the English courses didn’t help them as
they expected. However, Print Media students stated that the courses helped
them to write effective paragraphs and essays and to take notes from lecture.

The fourth question was focused on to identify which areas of English courses
emphasis should be given. As the students mentioned above in the second
question, they explained that it would be better if the courses gave due
emphasis on grammar, writing and speaking skills. Two of the interviewees
mentioned listening skill and vocabulary were the areas that would be
incorporated in the courses. As it can be seen in table 9, the majority of the
students commented English courses should give due emphasis to group
discussion, writing features and articles, writing paragraphs and essays and
conversation. Print Media department students needed the courses to give due
emphasis to writing skill more; whereas, Broadcast department students
needed speaking skill more.

The fifth question asks that which areas of English courses they thought that it
should be excluded from the English courses. Most of them responded College
English to be excluded from English courses. The rest of them reported that all
the courses were important. Therefore, they said that nothing would be
excluded.

4.1.13. Data from the Employed graduates’ Interview

Five sample graduates have been taken from different organizations for the
interview. They are asked about the English language courses they took in the
Faculty of Journalism and Communication; to what extent the courses are
helping them in their occupation, what the courses lack, what areas of
knowledge or activity should be added, and which skills of the language should
be emphasized.

Three of the sample employees said that English language courses didn’t help
them as a journalist because the courses do not have any relation with the
journalism profession. In addition, they suggested that what they are working
currently asks them to put into practice the knowledge that they didn’t get
from the language courses. Therefore, most of the graduates are obliged to join
the Amharic desk. The other two sample graduates mentioned that the
language courses they took at the faculty are helping them partially. They said
that to some extent, those courses are helping them to write news and articles.
These subject graduates reported that English language courses lacked several
activities which could help them in their professional careers. For instance,
the courses require to include report writing, news writing, article writing,
descriptive writing, and creative writing. Moreover, they said that if those
courses incorporated techniques of conducting interview, conversation,
journalistic activities, they would be applicable courses. Therefore, when those
courses are given to Journalism and Communication students, they should
add the above basic skills and some other related activities.

These sample employed graduates proposed that English language courses

which are given at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication should give
more emphasis to those skills and areas of knowledge which are mentioned
above. Specially, if the courses give due emphasis to descriptive writing,
creative writing, speaking skill and grammar, they will be convenient for the
career of the journalists.

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMONDATIONS

5.1. Conclusion

The success of language teaching depends on various factors. Some of these

are related to the teacher, teaching materials and availability of resources, the
students, the society and other factors inside and outside the classroom
/school. In addition, the language needs of the students also have an impact.
Thus this study collected data and analyzed the English language needs of
Journalism and Communication students.
The data were collected by using two different instruments to achieve the goal
of the study. These instruments were questionnaire and interview. An effort
has been made to find out the language needs of journalism and
communication students of Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Journalism and
Communication.

As the finding reveals, most of the students are weak in speaking skill, writing
organized paragraph and essay, writing radio/TV production or features as well
as in grammar. In general, the students are found to be weak in both
productive skills- speaking and writing skills, but they are better in receptive
skills- reading and listening skills.

The finding of the research indicates that speaking and writing skills are the
most needed skills for academic purpose as well as professional careers.
However, these two skills are needed in different degree in different
departments. Print Media department students most frequently needed to have
writing skill. For instance, writing effective editorial, editing written materials,
writing features, creative writing, translating from English language to another
language (L1), summarizing/paraphrasing factual information, and preparing
community newspaper are vital skills to these students. These sub-skills are
secondary to Broadcast department students although they are important
skills to them.

On the other hand, giving oral reports, conducting radio/TV production,

conducting interview are the most frequently needed by Broadcast department
students. These skills are secondary to Print Media department students.
However, the students of the two departments have common needs. For
instance, listening to take lectures notes, listening to instruction, asking and
answering questions, reading to extract information, group discussion, and
vocabulary are common sub-skills and areas of knowledge which are needed in
both departments.
In addition, the finding of this study exhibits that the English language courses
do not give due emphasis to some of the vital skills and areas of knowledge
needed by students of Journalism and Communication. For example, the
important aspects apparently missing from the courses are techniques of
conducting interview, descriptive writing, creative writing, story writing, and
writing features which are primary skills for journalism and communication
students.

5.2. Recommendations
On the basis of the study, the writer of this thesis would like to give the
following recommendations:
1. The English language courses which are currently taught at the Faculty
of Journalism and Communication lack some skills and areas of
language knowledge need by students of the Faculty. They do not suit
the students’ needs. Therefore, they should be revised, and suitable
courses should be designed.
2. Since Print Media and Broadcast (Radio and Television) department
students have some different needs, English language courses should be
designed to center the needs of the two department students.
3. English language courses should have journalistic activities, and it
should be “English for journalism”.
4. English language instructors should give due emphasis to the skills
which are significant for the profession of journalism.
5. Language instructors should work in collaborates with other subject
instructors to gather information about the English language which
gears with the subject courses and what sort of language activities the
subject courses demand.
6. The English language instructors should take into account the English
language needs of the students to make the students proficient in their
language skills.
 7. Students should be given much time to train on journalistic activities
like, creative writing, feature writing, conducting interview. This plays a
crucial role to make the students effective on their academic and
occupational activities.

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 Appendix I

Addis Ababa University

School of Graduate studies
Institute of language studies

Dear students:

This questionnaire is designed for a study purpose on the language needs of

Journalism and Communication students. Therefore, you are kindly asked to
give responses. It is not a test and you are not evaluated based on your
responses.

Thank you.

1. please give appropriate information about yourself regarding the

following:
a. Sex
b. Age
c. English grade scored in EGSCE
d. Department
2. For what purposes do you think that you take English courses? You can
choose two or more options.
a. Because they are compulsory courses to take them.
b. Because the courses help me for the success of my study in the
faculty.
c. Because the courses are useful for occupational purpose.
d. If any, please specify.___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. How do you rate your English language proficiency regarding the
following skills? Please tick (√) as appropriate to you.
Skill Very Good Average Weak Very weak
good
Listening Comprehension
Speaking
Writing
Reading

4. What problems do you face in using English in your study at the

faculty? Please tick (√) as appropriate to you.
Very Great Great Some Little No
Problems Difficulty Difficulty Difficulty Difficulty Difficulty
 Understanding
lectures
Taking lecture notes
Asking and answering
question in classroom
Participating in class
discussions
Extracting appropriate
information from
materials I read
Making notes from
books
Summarizing
something I read
Understanding
recorded materials
Writing organized
paragraph and essay
Writing Radio/TV.
production or features
If any others, please
specify and tick.

5 Which of the following language skills do you think that you need most during your stays at the
faculty? Rank them using a 6 scale (1-6).
Skills and area of
knowledge Rank
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar
6. Which of the following English language skills and areas of knowledge you need
to develop through English courses that you take at the faculty? Please tick (√) as
appropriate to you.
Most More less Least Not
Skills needed needed needed needed needed
skill skill skill skill skill
Listening to lectures
Listening to instructors’
questions
Listening to instructions
Listening to recorded
materials in Radio/TV
lab
Listening to class
discussion
Asking and answering
questions in classroom
Giving oral reports
Conducting Radio/TV
production in labs.
Conducting an interview
Participating in pair
/group discussion
Reading lecture notes
Reading to extract
information needed.
Reading textbooks or
reference books
Reading
reports/journals
Reading news in lab.
Editing written
materials
Writing notes from
lecture notes in
classroom
Writing effective
editorials
Writing Radio/TV
production or features
Translating from
language to language.
Summarizing/paraphra
sing factual information
Prepare community
 news/newspaper
If any others, please
specify and tick

7. Do you think that the English courses that you took have helped you in
your studies? Please circle one.
A. Yes B. No
8. If you say ‘No’, please write your reasons in the space provided below.
A
B
C
9. Please list areas that you think English courses should give emphases
A
B
C
D.
10. Please indicate portions or contents that should be excluded (if any) from
the English courses that you took.
A
B
C
11. Please add any other comments regarding the English courses

__________________________________________

Appendix II

Addis Ababa University

School of Graduate studies
Institute of language studies

Dear Sir/Madam:
This questionnaire is designed for a study purpose on the language needs of
Journalism and Communication students. Therefore, you are kindly asked to
give responses.

Thank you.

5. How do you rate your English language proficiency of Journalists

working under you the regarding the following skills? Please tick (√) as appropriate
to you.
Skill Very Good Average Weak Very weak
good
Listening Comprehension
Speaking
Writing
Reading

2. Which of the following language skills do you think that Journalists

needed most perform their duties? Rank them using a 6 scale (1-6).
Skills and area of
knowledge Rank
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar
3. Which of the following English language skills and areas of knowledge
you needed for journalists to carry out their duties effectively? Please
tick (√) as appropriate to you.
A Serious A minor Really a
Problems Problem Problem Problem
a Listening to recorded materials in
Radio/TV
b Giving oral reports
c Conducting an interview
d Reading to extract information
needed.
e Reading reports/journals
 f Reading news
g Editing written materials
h Writing effective editorials
i Translating from language to
language
j Summarizing/paraphrasing factual
information
k Making discussions

l Extracting appropriate information

from materials they read

m Summarizing something they read

n Understanding recorded materials

and taking memo

o Writing organized paragraph and

essay

p Writing Radio/TV Production or

features

q If any others, please specify and tick

4. Please list portions or contents that you think English courses should give
emphasis to in training journalists
A
B.
C.
D

5. If you have any other comments regarding the English courses given in
training journalists, please write it here
 ________________________

Appendix III

Addis Ababa University

School of Graduate studies
Institute of language studies

Interview to students
1. How is your English language proficiency regarding to the skills and
areas of knowledge?
- Listening - Writing
- Speaking - Vocabulary
- Reading - Grammar
2. Which skills were more difficult while you were taking the courses, and
which skills and areas of knowledge do you think that you need most
during your stay at the faculty?
3. How English language courses that you took have helped in your studies?
4. Which areas of English courses do you think that emphasis should be
given?
5. Which areas of English language courses do you think that it should be
excluded from the English courses that you took?

Appendix IV

Addis Ababa University

School of Graduate studies
Institute of language studies

Interview to journalists
1. To what extent English language courses that you took in the Faculty of
Journalism and Communication are helping you on your occupation?
2. What do you think that the English language courses you took at the
Faculty of Journalism and Communicational?
3. What areas of knowledge or activities those English language courses
should be added?
4. Which skills of English language should be emphasized regarding to your
profession?