Needs Analysis Of EAP For Non-English Major Postgraduates

As one of the common compulsory courses,postgraduate English plays a crucial role in postgraduate education.Along with the development of globalization and internalization of higher education,the application of English in academic fields is increasing.In this context,most of the main writings,research results,and influential journals of various countries are published in English,so the research on English for Academic Purposes(EAP)is indispensable.Different from college English courses,postgraduate English has further requirements in terms of course design,course objectives,and teaching objects.According to the survey,postgraduate students have distinctive degrees of needs for EAP.To foster the development of EAP education for postgraduate students,this thesis analyzes non-English major postgraduates’ needs for EAP courses,hoping to provide advice for its improvement based on sufficient data analysis.This research conducts a survey among 504 non-English major postgraduates in Guangxi University by quantitative and qualitative methods.Data collected from the questionnaire is analyzed by SPSS 22.0 statistical analysis software.To obtain more comprehensive survey results,10non-English major postgraduate students were invited to take part in the semi-structured interview.Based on Hutchinson & Waters’ needs analysis theory(1987),this study aims to analyze non-English major postgraduates’ needs for EAP courses and answer the following three research questions:(1)Is it necessary to have EAP courses in postgraduates study?(2)What are non-English major postgraduates’ needs for EAP courses?(3)What are the differences existing between Postgraduates of Liberal Arts(PLA)and Postgraduates of Science and Engineering Disciplines(PSED)concerning their needs?Through the analysis and discussion of the results,conclusions can be drawn: Firstly,89.5% of the non-English major postgraduates think it is necessary to have EAP courses in their study.Secondly,non-English major postgraduates have strong needs for EAP courses in the aspects of target needs and learning needs.For target needs,95% of the postgraduates have a high demand for writing ability with the mean value of 3.91.For learning needs,the mean value of reading professional academic papers arrives up to4.07.Thirdly,there are significant differences in non-English major postgraduates’ needs due to different major types.In terms of postgraduates’ target needs,significant differences manifest in their writing(p=0.000)and listening(p=0.039),P<0.05.As for learning needs,the differences are mainly reflected in class size,course schedule,and learning motivation.Based on the above research results,relevant implications for EAP courses are proposed:(1)non-English major postgraduates’ needs should be taken seriously and positioned precisely.(2)Students should be provided with satisfying EAP courses based on target needs and learning needs.(3)After fulfilling the basic demands of students,it is also important to offer students diversified and individualized EAP courses considering the different needs between PLA and PSED.