ESP Teachers’ Pedagogical Agenda vs. University Students’ Educational Ambitions: A Needs Analysis Project

The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers and students’ attitude toward learning needs and teaching activities. Mismatch between teachers and students’ expectations from ESP courses can result in undesired outcomes. In this study, the attitudes of 6 teachers and 60 students of Software Engineering toward ESP learning needs were surveyed by a questionnaire. The relationship between the ideas of these two groups was investigated through t-test analysis. The results show that ESP teachers and students think more alike about textbooks, and the incorporation of information processed through discourse and genre analysis, while recognizable differences can be observed in their view toward teaching activities, the place of language skills and components, and critical thinking. It is discussed that pedagogical mechanisms for applying the relevant principles of ‘rights analysis’ and ‘strategic planning’ in English classrooms need to be devised and appropriately applied in ESP programs.