Comparative Needs Analysis On Less Successful And Successful College English Students

The studies of needs analysis are fruitful at home and abroad. The studies in this field have been published on several aspects by some domestic researchers. They introduce the theory of needs analysis, discuss its concept and characteristics, and predict its applied prospect of English teaching in China. Some articles even induct the model of needs analysis. However, when searching those key journals in ELT in China for the related literature on the web site of CNKI Chinese Academic Journals in July 2010, the author found that most of the studies are focused on the foreign language teaching in high schools, with few on the foreign language teaching in the universities. Besides, the studies related to the English learning needs of less successful students are rarely found. Therefore, a study of the English learning needs of the less successful students and the successful students through comparative analysis will enrich the study of this field.With the tools of questionnaire and interview, the present study investigates 415 non-English major (excluding art major) undergraduate sophomores in Guangxi Normal University. The present study investigates 4 questions including:1) What are the needs of the less successful and successful College English students in English learning? 2) What are the differences between the less successful College English students and the successful College English students in the English learning needs? 3) What are the reasons for these differences? 4) What can be done to improve College English teaching? The software SPSS 13.0 is employed to calculate the quantitative data.The statistical results of the questionnaire investigation indicate that both of the less successful College English students and the successful College English students wish to improve their English to pass CET-4 and CET-6. And they are satisfied with the class hours. They do not like or dislike their English materials. They accept Communicative Language Teaching. However, the needs of the less successful College English students don't match the needs of the successful College English students in the following dimensions: 1) Concerning the students'learning objectives, successful College English students have better idea of their English learning objective.2) Concerning teaching materials, successful College English students are more flexible and adjustable to their English materials.3) Concerning teaching methodology, successful College English students are more adaptable to different teaching methods. And more successful College English students take part in out-of-class English activities.4) Concerning the students'involvement in English learning, successful College English students show interest in English learning, while less successful College English students have little. Moreover, successful College English students would like to spend more time on English learning.5) Concerning teachers'qualities, successful College English students like their teacher more than the less successful College English students; and successful College English students like their teachers for quite different reasons.The reasons for the gap between them are probably the following:the disparity between passive acceptance and initiative spirit; the different requirement towards the materials; the differences between the impacts of integrative motivation and instrumental motivation; frequency and consistency of the interaction and communication between them and their teachers.The present study provides a clear picture of the differences between the less successful College English students and the successful College English students in the English learning needs and the reasons for these differences, which offers the implications for the college English teachers as how to help the less successful College English students properly in their future teaching so as to improve their language learning.Limitations of the present study and suggestions for further study are also elaborated in this thesis.