A Study On Needs Analysis For College English Elective Courses

Needs analysis is one of the most essential and important parts in curriculum design which can affect the whole learning process and even determine the learning results.Based on theories of previous researchers, such as Hutchison & Waters'theory in needs analysis, this study is an empirical study of needs among college students for English elective courses. Interview and questionnaire are main instruments in the study. The subjects are 210 undergraduates from Dalian Maritime University.In the present study, needs types of college English electives are explored in detail. That is target needs and learning needs. Meanwhile, take the teaching situation of Dalian Maritime University for example, the author investigates the types of college English elective courses. Interview is also carried out aiming at adding some insights into English electives.The study shows that students are more learning-oriented than target-oriented when choosing elective courses. The majority of students choose English electives take learning needs into consideration first, including personal interests, learning preferences and so on. Meanwhile, the study also displays that two types of electives are much more popular. They are language and culture electives and English of specialty.In the last section, pedagogical implications and limitations of this study are discussed. Finally, suggestions for further English elective courses are proposed.