Towards a defensible tertiary-level EAP curriculum: a needs analysis study


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Ergünay O., Uysal D.

Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.424-439, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Dergi Adı: Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.424-439
  • Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This paper reports on the process and findings of curriculum development towards a defensible EAP curriculum in the Department of Foreign Languages at Eskisehir Osmangazi University. In addition, it illustrates the evaluation of newly introduced innovations by the students. The study was designed as a curriculun development project which was based on Brown’s needs analysis (NA) framework. The NA studies were conducted in 2016-2017 academic year with the students and the teaching staff employed in the department. Focus group technique was used to take the opinions of the teaching staff about the components of the curriculum, and the opinions of the students were taken through workshops. In 2016-2017 academic year, repeat students’ opinions about the innovated curriculum were taken through an open-ended questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using thematic content analysis technique. The emerging themes in the NA study are (a) need for clarification of the program objectives, (b) need for revision of teaching materials, (c) need for improvement in teaching and learning practices, and (d) need for improvement in assessment practices. The emerging themes in the evaluation of the NA study based on the openended questionnaire are ‘materials’, ‘assessment procedures’, and ‘overall structure of the EAP curriculum’.