ABSTRACT

Conventional needs analyses (NAs), undertaken as a core foundation of and the essential beginning point for task-based language teaching (TBLT) for learners who speak English as an additional language (EAL), tend to focus on the linguistic features of English, such as grammatical features, discourse structures, and vocabulary relevant to the particular domains of use. However, the instrumentation of such approaches seldom considers the perspectives of employers or co-workers; nor can it illuminate cultural issues that can debilitate EAL speakers, particularly those who come from non-Western cultures. Consequently, the type of syllabus developed on the basis of traditional NAs rarely provides language learners seeking to enter the workplace with sufficient knowledge of and experience with the oral language and associated nonverbal communication that enables them to engage confidently in everyday workplace situations. Further, these traditional NAs rarely address the less visible cultural issues that underpin particular communication practices of the EAL speakers that are often misinterpreted by employers and co-workers from the dominant culture.