Needs Analysis and the Course Design of Business English Specialty in Higher Vocational Colleges

黃依

【Abstract】： Based on the discussion of the definition and development of needs analysis， this paper mainly discusses the application of learner analysis in course design and explores the implementation of needs analysis for the designation of an effective course in business English specialty of vocational colleges.

【Keywords】： business English specialty； course design； higher vocational colleges

The syllabus for English Majors in Higher Education （2000） suggests that English Majors should cultivate interdisciplinary talents in the 21st Century. In order to making international trade course integrate with English organically and make business English specialty in higher vocational education get its own characteristics， it is essential to use the research results of needs analysis to guide course design.

1. Needs analysis

Needs is viewed as the content of market environment that foreign language users consider necessary or desirable. Needs analysis is based on the investigation of information， which is used to understand the needs of foreign language. Needs refers to the learners' language use which is objective.

Needs analysis is to understand the language learning of language learners. It is a process of arranging learning needs according to order of priority. it is particularly important to design business English courses according to needs analysis.

2. Learners' Needs Analysis and Course Design

2.1 Learners' Needs

Elaine Tarone and George Yule proposed two hierarchies to explore learners' needs： global needs analysis and grammatical-rhetorical needs analysis. Global needs analysis refers to objective needs of learners who use language and complete related tasks. Masuhara divides learners' needs into three categories： individual needs， learning needs and future employment needs.

2.2 Course Design

Course design is a process which enables learners to master expertise ultimately. It requires collecting and analyzing demand data and building teaching which has shared goals. The talent cultivation target should set down according to social demand and learners' need. The final purpose of learners is to satisfy requirements for work in society. The ultimate aim of education institutions is to provide suitable talents for employers. Therefore， the first part which should be analyzed is employers' requirements and expectations for graduates who major in business English major of higher vocational colleges.

To sum up， needs analysis is starting from needs. Collecting relevant information is the next step. The purpose is measuring learners' distance between realistic level and desired level.

3. Needs Analysis for the Designation of Effective Course

Cultivating learners' English application capacity is a essential problem which need to be solved in the course design of business English specialty in higher vocational colleges. Business English is an important category of English for Special Purposes.

3.1 Needs Analysis of Employer's Target Scenario

Business English specialty in higher vocational colleges charged with the heavy responsibility of cultivating talents with strong business ability. In order to meet the demand of the international society， training objective of business English specialty in higher vocational colleges should not remain in the original standard. English translation， English teaching， the import and export business， hotel reception， tourism services and other aspects are all factors which influence foundation of training objective. For more consultation， soliciting students' workplace where graduate may work in， such as translation agencies and foreign enterprises.

3.2 Optimization of Course System

Designation of course system of business English specialty in higher vocational colleges should orient from employment. Its core is cultivating learners' professional capacity. It is essential to integrate foundation of language and professional skills with professional quality. It requires learners to attain one kind of capacity certificate of English language. Integrating English language course aims at enabling students to grasp comprehensive capacity of using language which is suitable for English working environment. The capacity of listening， speaking， reading， writing and translation is needed. At the same time， adding appropriate business English training in course design. It is also the difficult point for higher vocational students.

Optimizing and integrating related courses aims at enhancing business English learners' working ability. It makes them adapt to working environment. The main courses are related to moral cultivation， legal， computer， intercultural communication English-Speaking countries， comprehensive training of English professional business and interpersonal capacity. These courses can provide comprehensive quality foundation for students' employment.

In conclusion， the key of needs analysis is to find out distance between learners' available knowledge of language and skills and using English in business activities in the future. Needs analysis is beginning of course design. The ultimate goal is forming decisions， improving teaching， rather than using a way of subjective evaluation to improve teaching.

Bibliography

[1] Richards et al. Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics [M]. Longman， 1985.

[2] Cohen L， Manion L， Morrison K. Research Methods in Education [M]. London： Routledge， 2000.

[3] West R. Needs Analysis-State of the Art [A]. In Scott， W.and Muhlhaus， S. Language for Specific Purposes [C]. CILT， 1992.

[4] Elaine T， George Y. Focus on Language Learner [M]. Oxford：Oxford University Press， 1988.