Language Teaching Research · 2010 · 144 citations · 6 references
Language StudiesEnglish As A Second LanguageInstructionSecond Language EducationSecond Language LearningWorkplace LearningEnglish Language LearningLinguistic NeedsMotivation In Language LearningNeeds AssessmentSecond Language AcquisitionTask AnalysisEnglish Language LearnersInstructional Task AnalysisLearner MotivationLinguistic Needs AnalysisTask Demands AnalysisTask Effects On Learner LanguageTask-based Language AssessmentTask-based Language Learning
The study addresses the problem of TENOR, which leads to unfocused instruction, low motivation, and graduates lacking clear functional use of their learning. The study aims to triangulate multiple data sources to build consensus on graduates’ English-language tasks and to provide a heuristic framework for future task-based needs analyses. The authors triangulated employment records, interviews, and surveys spanning 25 years to build consensus on graduates’ English-language tasks. The results show that consensus on common workplace task types can be achieved and that, with adequate support, graduates can specify target tasks to guide focused, goal-oriented instruction even when TENOR is prevalent.
This study triangulates multiple data sources and methods to build a consensus on the English-language tasks faced by graduates in their lives and careers as a practical basis for L2 program development. It addresses a problem similar to what West (1994) refers to as TENOR (Teaching English for No Obvious Reason). TENOR is problematic in that it frequently results in unfocused instruction, lower than normal learner motivation, and graduates who have no clear idea of what they have learned or who do not have the ability to use it for any functional purpose. Employment records, interviews and a sequence of surveys were used to build consensus on the L2 tasks faced by graduates over the 25-year period preceding the study. Results demonstrate that it was possible to identify and build consensus on task types common across workplace domains, and that, given adequate support, graduates could specify target tasks as a basis for organizing focused, goal-oriented instruction in a context where TENOR was the norm. The study is intended to provide a heuristic framework and procedures for future task-based needs analyses.
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A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning
Paula Samper García, Peter Skehan · TESOL Quarterly · 1999 · 3.5K citations
Needs analysis in language teaching
Richard West · Language Teaching · 1994 · 511 citations
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Education, Instruction, Teaching +11
Sandra McKay, John Munby · Modern Language Journal · 1980 · 114 citations