English Language Needs of Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School Students

Abstract

Studies on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) have demonstrated that learners have different needs towards learning a language in terms of their professional fields. Needs analysis is a necessary procedure in order to fulfil these needs. The studies of needs analysis and ESP have been usually conducted to determine the language needs of university students. However, little attention has been given to the language needs of high school students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the English language needs of Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students. Thus, 5 English teachers and 189 students were considered as data sources. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for triangulation. First, students completed the questionnaires to state their language needs. Since the data was not normally distributed, nonparametric tests were employed. Then, 5 teachers and 30 students were interviewed. Content analysis applied to qualitative data. The results showed that students need to learn English especially for speaking to the authorities in foreign companies. Also, there were significant differences both gender and the departments of the students in terms of language needs. They claimed that in all four skills, writing was the least necessary and speaking was the most necessary for their future workplace. Finally, they stated that they need a vocational English course to improve their vocational English knowledge. This study could be a step in the direction of Vocational High School students becoming qualified workers in their future career.

Keywords

• Language needs,needs analysis,English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

References

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