Abstract:

Nationwide, Chinese graduate students with diverse majors are required to study English to support their education and job prospects. However, to date little research has investigated the needs of these learners. This paper reports a needs analysis survey conducted with 271 non-English major graduate students with 263 valid questionnaires returned, aimed to inform the design of an effective English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Investigating these graduate students’ needs, difficulties, and English language study habits, 50 questions, mostly utilizing a 5-point Likert scale, comprised four dimensions: individual competence, learner motivation, learning process needs and learning environment needs. Results of this descriptive analysis revealed that most participants’ motivation for learning is primarily instructional. Most participants were dissatisfied with their general English competency and Listening and Speaking were reported to be their weakest language skills. They reported concern for their academic writing skills as well their academic listening and speaking abilities. In their demands for language courses, participants welcome both general English and EAP courses, whereas most prefer more interactive arrangements such as pair or group discussions, seminars and projects, in place of only teacher-centered lectures. Participants also expressed their desire for more authentic communication and learning materials. Recommendations are made for the design and delivery of an effective English-language course for general academic purposes, including suggestions for student-oriented, task or project based, interactive learning activities.

Keywords: English for Academic Purposes (EAP); needs analysis; quantitative survey; questionnaire; course design; graduate students

摘要：

我国硕士和博士研究生由于学业或未来职业需求学习英语,但是学界对这一群体的英语学习需求所进行的研究尚不多见。本研究对271名来自全国高校的非英语专业研究生进行学术英语学习需求调查,旨在为设计有效的通用学术英语课程提供参考。调查问卷包含50个问题,问题设计主要使用李克特五级量表陈述评价问题形式,涵盖学习者个体能力差距、学习者个体愿望、学习环境需求和学习过程需求四个维度,调查这一特定学生群体的英语学习需要、困难和学习习惯。此项描述性分析研究的结果显示,调查样本对象的学习动机主要是工具性的。大部分调查样本对象对自己的英语能力感到不满意,认为自己的英语听说能力最弱,同时也认为学术写作、学术听力和学术口语能力不足。研究结果显示,调查样本对象对一般用途英语和通用学术英语课程都表现出较高的欢迎度,且大部分人希望参加以学生为中心的、任务型的和互动性较强的英语学习活动,例如小组讨论、学习研讨会、学习项目等。基于调查结果,笔者提出了通用学术英语课程内容设计和教学实践的一些建议。

关键词: 学术英语, 需求分析, 定量研究, 问卷调查, 课程设计, 研究生