ABSTRACT
This chapter presents and compares the findings of two surveys carried out in 1987 and 1988 aiming to identify the needs of 'general' learners of foreign languages. The first was a study of two classes of English pupils learning French. The other was a survey of Greek learners of English. Some of the differences emerging from this study of Greek and English learners could be ascribed to the social framework in which they live. All different types of learner awareness in which our target groups differ from each other derive from the learners' position in different environments, each with its own characteristics. The chapter focuses on those findings pertinent to the learners' awareness, defined as their ability to specify their needs, lacks, learning difficulties and difficulties in using the language, factors affecting their learning, and their recommendations concerning potential improvements to the classroom situation.
