Academic needs of EFL learners in the intensive English language program at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman

This study sought to investigate the academic needs of EFL learners at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. Different methods were used to elicit information about the needs, namely interviews, e-mail dialogues, and a questionnaire. The participants included college and language program faculty members as well as undergraduate students at SQU. The results were used to identify the most important factors that argued for or against the effectiveness of the intensive program in meeting the learners' needs.; The results showed that the students generally had mixed perceptions about the role of the intensive program in meeting their needs. This was partly due to the heterogeneity of the sample and partly to the sampling technique. However, the inconsistency of some of the students' responses was compensated for in the qualitative data and also in the faculty members' data. One of the important findings was that the participants realize the importance of the intensive program as a means for academic preparation. However, the data pointed out some major gaps in the current intensive program. One of the main problems was the lack of integration between language and college courses. In addition, academic skills did not seem to receive enough coverage in the language program. It was argued that these factors negatively affected learners' readiness for academic study.; A few suggestions were offered in order to help make the intensive program more effective and responsive to learners' needs. A hybrid content-based curriculum model was offered as one way to integrate language and college courses. The model emphasizes integration by designing a core language course based on the content of introductory college courses. The second major component of the model is the academic skills course. It was argued that this course would help make academic skill instruction more effective. In addition, a credit-bearing university course was proposed to be offered in the intensive program. Finally, it was proposed that more cooperation is needed between the Language Center and college teachers in order to raise awareness about learners' needs.