The Need for Quality ESP Courses for Garden City College for Science and Technology

Abstract

This study examines and identifies the views of the undergraduate students at Garden City College for Science & Technology concerning their academic and linguistic needs, lacks, and aspirations. It also explores subject teachers' attitudes to the students' overall performance with English Language. The aim behind the Needs Analysis in this study is to collect information which when dealt with makes courses better suited to students' subjective and objective needs. Another objective is to reach a collective awareness on the part of students, subject teachers, and other stakeholders so as to set an ESP frame for all the English Language courses provided at the college. 213 undergraduate students, from five different departments, as well as 45 subject teachers (PhD, MSC, and BSC (TA)) were selected to constitute the main samples in this study. Further investigation included personal interviews with 6 still serving as department heads, in addition to 2 previous ones. A mixed methodology (Triangulation) was adopted in data collection, in addition to the personal interviews. The instruments used in this study were the questionnaires administered on both Teachers and Students, and the direct semi- structured personal interviews. The two instruments were designed in accordance with Hutchinson and Waters (1987) and Dawson .C (2009) respectively. The data obtained from the three types of instruments has been analyzed, tabulated, and finally interpreted. The study results reveal that there was a consensus among both students and teachers to adopt ESP as an effective mechanism for any English Language Program presented at GCCST .Moreover, teachers are convinced that students' ability in both English language skills and study skill is very weak .As far as the teachers at the college are concerned, the research revealed that a considerable number of them did not have any teachers training program. The research recommended that the solution for the students' lack of adaptability for the ready –made English Language courses can be achieved by establishing a well structured ESP centre to undertake the responsibility of collaboratively preparing ESP teaching materials for the college in consultation with the departments at the college.