An Investigation into ESP Teachers’ and Students’ Needs and Difficulties at Medea University, Algeria

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is an approach to language that aims to meet the needs and demands of learners. Therefore, needs analysis is very useful for identifying learners’ key requirements and determine the areas in which they are lacking skills. This study investigates Algerian ESP teachers’ and students’ needs and difficulties in the Sciences and Technology Departments at Yahia Fares University, Medea. It targets teachers’ perceptions about their teaching approaches, the main problems encountered in the ESP course, and the strategies implemented to help ESP students. To this end, a focus group interview was used to meet the research aims. The findings of this research revealed insightful information on teachers' and students’ needs as well as their encountered challenges, as an input to syllabus and materials planning, as well as to lesson planning and classroom instruction practice. The study demonstrated the importance of teacher training and the understanding of students’ needs in ESP syllabus at university level in Algeria