ABSTRACT
This chapter is focused on needs analysis. First, the chapter explains the different ways to view needs and the insights that these perspectives can give an ESP instructor. Next, the chapter introduces various data collection methods that can be used as part of a large-scale, detailed needs analysis that might be conducted before starting to teach a completely new ESP course or when developing an ESP program. Then, the chapter discusses how to conduct a smaller-scale needs analysis that is carried out ‘just in time’ for the first lesson or maybe even after a course has started. Finally, the chapter looks at ways to evaluate a needs analysis, before discussing a common misunderstanding about needs analysis that is centered on the belief that needs can be identified through just a survey or interview of learners.
