A Study Of Colloge English Teaching Based On Needs Analysis

Needs analysis is regarded as sets of tools, techniques and procedures fordetermining the language content and learning process for specified groups of learners.Needs analysis of college English teaching is the foundation of course design, thebasis of class-room teaching organization, and the criterion of teaching methodadoption and assessment of teaching. It also provides theoretical foundation foradministrators to collect information about learners'needs and society's needs tomake proper and practical policy to direct the future teaching. Because of the variedrequirements from the society, students have kept on asking for more changes incollege English teaching. With a view to finding out whether current college Englishteaching has kept up with the new development of the society and met studentslearning needs and the needs of society for qualified personnel in the new era, theauthor has conducted a study of college English teaching based on needs analysis bymeans of quantitative analysis.For the purpose of indentifying the discrepancies between college Englishteaching and students'learning needs, and between college English teaching andsocial needs, two surveys have been conducted through questionnaires which aredesigned by the author on the principles of John Munby's Model for Needs Analysisand Hutchinson & Waters'Model for Needs Analysis. After the data analysis and abrief review of current college English teaching, discrepancies have been foundexisting between college English teaching and students'learning needs; and betweencollege English teaching and social needs. 57.6% of the students think college Englishteaching fails to meet their learning needs; 92% of the students think current collegeEnglish teaching needs reform. From the social needs analysis, it is found that Englishis an important component of people's work for 81.8% of the personnel need to useEnglish in their work, and there are urgent needs for listening and speaking abilitiesand growing needs for communicative competence and ESP (English for SpecificPurpose). Based on the result of the research and needs analysis, some suggestions havebeen proposed from the perspectives of teaching materials, teaching model, teachingmethod, course arrangement and teachers'role, hoping they will provide someinsights for the teaching reform.