Selection Of Needs Analysis Approaches

Selection Of Needs Analysis Approaches ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is defined as an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners reason for learning (Hutchinson and Waters, 1986). In other words, ESP courses are designed with the intention of meeting learners needs. Moreover, they also indicate that ESP is just one branch of EFL/ESL, the tree of which is nourished from communication and learning. Thus, like other forms of language teaching, ESP courses are designed in order to meet the certain purposes which learners are required to learn English for. They can be academic purposes (EAP) or work/training purposes (EOP/EVP/VESL). In another classification, the purposes of ESP courses can be for Science and Technology, Business and Economics or Social Sciences. As those above-mentioned purposes are quite various, it raises the necessity of Needs Analysis, which is considered as the irreducible minimum of an ESP approach to course design (Hutchinson and Waters , 1986, p54) or a vital step in the process of designing and carrying out any ESP courses (Songhori, 2008) or the very first step of course design process which provides validity and relevancy for all subsequent course design activities (Johns, 1991). With such increasingly importance of Needs Analysis to ESP course designers, this paper is conducted as a practice of carrying out Needs Analysis. However, due to the timing constraint as well as the requirement of the course, the paper just focuses on choosing an appropriate Needs Analysis approach to collecting the information of a specific group of learners needs. The paper also provides a detailed rationale and some samples of the means of data collection in order to support for the selection. NEEDS ANALYSIS THEORIES Since Needs Analysis is performed in order to find out not only the necessity, the lacks and the wants of learners towards the target situations (target needs) but also the learning needs or what learners need to do in order to learn, there exists different approaches to Needs Analysis, namely Target Situation Analysis, Present Situation Analysis, Pedagogic Needs Analysis. Deficiency Analysis, Strategy Analysis or Learning Needs Analysis, Means Analysis, Register Analysis, Discourse Analysis, and Genre Analysis. The term Target Situation Analysis (TSA) was first introduced as communication in the target situation in Chambers article (1980). However, in his book published in 1978, Munby already mentioned the target situation which, according to him, was closely concerned with the target needs and target level of performance and this has been followed by many researchers (Hutchinson and Waters, 1986; Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998; West, 1994) with inheritance and development. Yet, whatever similarities or differences they share, they all use TSA with the same aim of finding as thoroughly as possible the linguistic form a prospective ESP learner is likely to use in various situations in his target environment. For example, Hutchinson and Waters (1986) considered Target Needs Analysis as in essence a matter of asking questions about the target situation and the attitudes towards that situation of various participants of the learning process (p59) and most of those questions are closely related to Munbys parameters. The second type of Needs Analysis that needs mentioning is PSA or Present Situation Analysis which may be posited as a complementary to target situation analysis (Robinson, 1991). As presented from its term, PSA is used with the attempt to find out the information about learners at the beginning of the course. It may estimate the strength and weaknesses of learners in all aspects, including language, skills as well as learning experiences. It may also involve information about the teaching and learning settings or the user-institutions reference. The information for PSA can come from a well established test or from learners previous learning results. Deficiency analysis or lack analysis is claimed to form the basis of the language syllabus (Jordon, 1997) since it is supposed to provide information about both the present situation and target situation and thus, the gap between them for the course designer to consult. Strategy analysis or learning needs analysis is another important type that the course designer should take into considerations when he/she designing an ESP course. It is concerned with learners view of learning or their learning preferences. It tries to establish how they wish to learn rather than what they need to learn and consequently help course designer to find ways of motivating and enabling learners to reach the goals of the course. Means analysis is considered to provide the course designer with information about the environment in which the course will be run (Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998, p125) and consequently, the approach attempts to adapt the ESP course to the setting of the learning institution. The last type mentioned in this paper is Pedagogic Needs Analysis proposed by West (1998). It is considered to be a combination of all above-mentioned approaches with the hope to compensate all shortcomings of the above approaches through the combination. However, in some cases, it does not always work. In the history of ESP development, there may exist some other Needs Analysis approaches. However, due to the limit of this paper, only nine above approaches are selected to be briefly described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TARGET LEARNERS As aforesaid, this paper only focuses on finding a suitable Needs Analysis approach for a specific group of learners. More specifically, they are twenty 2nd-year students of Electronics and Telecommunications Department, College of Technology. They have just finished two terms of General English. According to their learning results of the first two terms, they are pre-intermediate English learners. This ESP course is their 3rd and also the last term of learning English at university and it is supposed to be a preparation for them to be ready for their future career of telecommunication engineers. The course is planned to last four months which will be divided into fifteen weeks of learning. In each week, learners are intended to attend seven 45-minute periods which will be allocated in two different mornings. The institution (i.e. College of Technology) assures to provide all needed facilities for the process of learning and teaching. For instance, essential teaching aids like tape/CD players, computers, projectors and a well-equipped library are always available for use. Teachers are also promised to have best conditions of finding appropriate materials as well as creating teaching environments to assist to process of learning and teaching. Above is all provided information about the target group of the English course for Telecommunication which is taught in the third term of the university curriculum. APPROACH SELECTION WITH A DETAILED RATIONALE In order to support the process of designing the most appropriate and effective course for the above-mentioned target group, it is necessary to give an adequate profile of the above-mentioned learners needs by means of a combination of two approaches: (1) target needs analysis and (2) learning needs analysis. The reasons for such selection are discussed as followed: Firstly, as aforesaid, an ESP course is designed to meet some certain needs of learners by bridging the gap between a current state and a desired or target one (Graves, 2000). Thus, it is necessary for the course designer to be aware of the learners states at both point of time. In other words, he/she is suggested to carry out both TSA and PSA. However, in this situation, since the target group of this ESP course is in their 3rd term at university, the course designer is quite sure about the current state of the learners as well as the current state of the institution facility. He/She knows where the learners are and what the learners lack. He/She also know what kinds of facilities are available to support the process of learning and teaching. Consequently, there is no need of carrying out a PSA for learners existing state of language/skills or the conditions of learning but there must be a necessity of TSA which is supposed to gather adequate and specific information about how the l anguage will be used, what the content areas will be, who the learners will use the language with, where and when the language will be used, etc. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1986) or about purposive domain, setting, interaction, instrumentality, dialect, communicative event, communicative key and target level (Munby, 1978). In conclusion, TSA is hoped to be a reliable indicator which can determine the destination of the course. It can also act as a compass to give the direction for the journey of teaching and learning. Nevertheless, TSA only provides the course designer with the information of the target situation. In other words, TSA can just answer the question of what to teach and how to teach. In this case, that is not enough. As this term is a part of a learning process, it is also crucial for the course designer to take into considerations the learners learning preferences. Thus, the employment of another needs analysis (i.e. learning needs analysis/LSA) is a good choice to make the process of course design perfect. Moreover, it is believed that the learning preferences and strategies for GE (general English) may be different from those for ESP. As a result, the course designer needs to know these differences in order to design an appropriate course for most of the learners. All in all, a combination of TSA and LSA is considered inevitable and is expected to offer the ESP course designer a full profile of both target situation and learning preferences for the 3rd-year students of Electronics and Telecommunications Department, College of Technology. SAMPLES OF THE MEANS FOR DATA COLLECTION As decided in the previous part, a combination of TSA and LSA is employed to give a detailed profile of target situation and learning preferences in order to support the design of the English course for Telecommunication. More specifically, both formal and informal means will be used to collect the data for the needs analysis at the beginning and during the course. At the beginning of the course, formal interviews with the managers of some telecommunication foreign companies will be carried out to identify the target situations in which learners will have to use the language. Below is some sample questions that may be included in the interview: Who will your employees speak English to? Native or non-native speakers? What is their level of main interlocutors knowledge? Expert or layman? Where will your employees have to use English? In the office, at the workshop or in the meetings? Can you mention some other situations? Firstly, an informal questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions will be delivered to learners to find out the preferences of learners learning. Below is one sample question that may be included in the questionnaire: What kinds of materials do you want to work with in the course? (Please tick on the box the materials you want to work with) Textbooks provided by teachers Authentic materials (manuals, articles about telecommunication in newspaper, magazines, etc.) provided by teachers Authentic materials (manuals, articles about telecommunication in newspaper, magazines, etc.) searched and selected by learners A mixed use of all kinds Informal interviews with ex-learners (i.e. learners who already took the English course of Telecommunication) will be also utilized to specify the information of what they think should be included in the course as well as the way they think the best way to learn the target language. Below is a potential question that may be included in the interview In your point of view, which is the most important language skill that learners of this ESP course should improve? Reading? Speaking? Writing? Or listening? Why do you think so? During the course, another informal questionnaire will be delivered to learners of the course in order to check whether the course goes right or not.

Journalism Debate Paper Topic: Face book Essay

The word â€Å"media† is often characterized as form of communication, which can be sort as television, television, radio, and newspaper. Its primary purpose is to provide essential information about the latest happening around the community, which will supplement interest of the public as a part of the society. For the longest the important role of media for the people can be cited as the protector of the over all interest of the public with its popular tagline as the watch dog of the society. (Tech Terms) For long period of existence media is a part of the society, which its importance and application had encounter evolution that enhances its power to assist people. In modern time where the ways of living is said to be changing from old to modern the use of media in the society had added its application as a socializing tool to enforce better links for the people. With modern technology allows the media to be a socializing tool for the public via internet social networking. One of the better exemplar of this internet social networking is the facebook, which is design for socialization application in the internet. Although, it can be argued whether the internet enhances or not process of strong community bond. Nevertheless, it is clear that internet makes new possible connection, which provides people a different way of to socialize and be connected by means of social networking sites. (Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication) This paper will explore the facts about the importance and role of media in the society as socializing tool, which has the profound ability to bring the people together and improve the socializing process of the people by means of internet media social networking like the facebook. Therefore, this paper will determine media as a primary source of information in the society as a major contributor to improve the socializing process of the society. Furthermore, this paper will establish social networking is unifying force in our society, brings us together through internet social networking. I Argue that media’s internet social networking is effective as a unifying force for the society in which brings together the people. With its full potential to make a link to people from different countries all over the world, media as social networking is definitely a unifying force, which has the ability to unite the society and the people globally. Also, I argue that social networking does not distract the moral value of socializing and its importance in the community. Rather social networking is tool that provides an accessible way to socialize people online, which can lead to personal socialization depends exchange of information. Media’s social networking is tool in which people can use to socialize without any discrimination on races and culture as person the person is familiar with computer operating procedure is concern social networking is accessible for everyone. I argue that social networking will be classified as a distraction to the real duties of civic life – because it has its own characteristics of society as the online community, which online base community where group of people with same goals and interests exchange information using web tools. (Web Strategist) Therefore, social networking does not distract community socializing in real life rather it broadens the process socializing to unify people together and be connected globally. In present time, countries from all around the globe are now globally connected By means of modern technology the internet, with this international relation of people is achievable by means of internet connection under the social networking or better known as the online community. Social networking or online community is a socializing tool in which the act of socializing is based online. Social networking was designed to provide the people an easy way to socialize with the use of online internet. Therefore, people from all around the world were able to get friend and meet other people from other countries in different races. The â€Å"facebook† is a perfect model of an effective social networking site. As a social networking site, face book was designed by a by two sophomore student in Harvard University namely Mark Zuckerberg and Chris Hughes in February 2004. One year after its groundwork in 2004, facebook already gather 12. million users from 2,000 colleges and universities (Ncaa. org). As a social networking site facebook is more popular among students from college and high school. At present time facebook site now have more than 70 million active users from the – Untied States, United Kingdom and from countries around the world. Facebook is now the 2nd most-trafficked social media site in the world with More than 65 billion page views per month (Facebook). The Data shows that face book is an effective social networking, which the people are using it socialize. Just like any other social networking sites, facebook offers its user to socialize globally in able to meet new people as sign of socializing. Also, the site of facebook is characterized as an online community in which its users are from all around the world. Facebook data show that 45 percent of users return to the site each day and More than 6 million active user groups on the site. Aside from socializing the applications of facebook are used by its user as a site where they can share their photo in which more than 14 million photos uploaded daily in the site. Nevertheless, the most important fact about facebook is that people spend an average of 25 minutes only on the site daily. With these facts about the user’s statistics of facebook, it is clear to say that facebook as media social networking does not take away the essence of civic socializing rather it improves and broaden the social capabilities of the community. With the fact that people uses facebook as an alternative connection to – socialize, gather and share information, it is clear that media social networking sites are made to unite the people. Furthermore, statistics shows that people spend an average of 25 minutes only on the site daily is a clear indication that social networking does not distract the real duties of civic life instead provides the people better way to socialize. In the end, it is determined that media serves as a unifying force in the community in which it brings the people together. Media as social networking tool does not distract the essence of civic socializing instead it improves the way people socialize by means of social networking sites. Facebook as a social networking is site that does not distract or take away the real duties of civic life in terms of socializing instead it enhances the process of socializing, which brings the people together. Works Cited Tech Terms (2008), Definition of Media: TechTerms. com: Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www. techterms. com/definition/media Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (2007) The Benefits of Face book â€Å"Friends:† Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites: Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://jcmc. indiana. edu/vol12/issue4/ellison. html Web Strategist (n. d) Defining the Term â€Å"Online Community†: Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www. web-strategist. com/blog/2007/12/28/defining-the-term-community/ NCAA. org (n,d), Cyber Communities: Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www. ncaa. org/sportsmanship/social_networking_ppt. pdf Facebook (2008) Press Room: Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www. facebook. com/press/info. php? statistics

Liquidity Measurement Ratios

TESTS , the basic findings to be focused are the ratio analysis to generate company's profitability, liquidity and asset management. First of all let us focus on the liquidity measurement ratios that proves company's solvency In repaying debts and other liabilities. In comparison of 2013 & 2014, the Interpretation from current ratio can be drawn as higher the current ratio higher the capability of paying obligations. Here in our study the current ratio In 2013 Is less than 1 that Indicates the company has problems of paying.Comparatively In 2014 the ratio Is greater than 1 . The indication Is quite good. The quick ratio meets company's short term liabilities. The higher the ratio, higher the company's ability for repaying short term liableness. Here for both the year 2013 the quick ratio In associate with the current ratio Is almost zero. It has negative effect on company but for 2014 the quick ratio Is better. It Indicates company Is In good liquidly position and It has 2. 5 lulls a ssets to cover its current liability. Now In the phase of profitability analysis return on asset is better in 201 3 than 2014. E higher return on asset Shows Company earning more with less investment. If we look at the return on capital employed the 2014 data shows higher value than the 2013. It signifies company is employing its capital appropriately and generating shareholders value. From the above discussion we can conclude company's position from 2013 to 2014 is better irrespective of its solvency and capital generation as well as profitability growth. For forecasting companies income statement we can use few assumptions like revenue assumption,operating expenses, cost of revenue, operating margin assumption.By following the record for the past data the future income statement can be predicted. If we discuss them one by one we can have a clear idea. For revenue if we analyses the past year records it can be noticed its fluctuation year by year. In 2012 the company having higher position in revenue than its position from 2013 & 14. By observing the operating expenses we can have the higher data in 2014 than 201 3 and in 2012 the lowest data. The operating expenses shows in which area the company can curtail its expenses before damaging the company situation.

History of American Agriculture Farm Machinery and Technology