ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an up-to-date overview of current thinking in needs analysis in relation to course design and guidance on how to conduct an appropriate needs analysis. It addresses how to identify needs, whose needs should be considered and which methods can be used to collect needs data. The chapter traces the development of a course based on needs analysis. It covers the emergence of needs analysis in English for specific purposes (ESP), which focused on purely linguistic needs and viewed ESP as essentially neutral, which considers a range of learner needs and a critical perspective. The chapter discusses the sources from which needs information can be obtained, presents a range of methods for collecting needs-analysis data and suggests that triangulation is an essential aspect of analysis of needs.
