Assessing English Language Learners’ Needs and Lacks

Abstract

The aim of this study is, firstly, to specify the needs and lacks of the second year International Relations and Political Science (IRPS) students studying at Başkent University, Ankara in relation to writing in English in their current academic studies and for their future professional lives. Secondly, it aims to explore the extent to which students, instructors, and employers agree on these needs and lacks. Based on the identified needs and lacks, the goals, objectives and content of a new writing course syllabus are formulated. The data were collected from the students currently enrolled in the course, their departmental and ESP instructors, and employers in the field of IRPS through questionnaires, structured interviews and analysis of the students’ written productions in different academic tasks.