Relationship between Perceived Needs and Actual Use of English By Graduates of Qatar University in the Workplace
This paper summarizes a survey of the perceived needs and actual uses of English in workplace by graduates of Qatar University. It was carried out by the Documentation and Humanities Research Centre at Qatar University in 2004. A questionnaire was designed to elicit such information. It comprises three parts: 1) demographic information, 2) perceived needs of English in the workplace, 3) the actual use of the different English language skills in the workplace. The sample consists of 644 employees who finished their education at Qatar Universit. In this paper the emphasis is on the interaction between perceived needs and actual use of English by the graduates. The results showed that English is used extensively in civil surface in all its skills. It is also evident that these skills correlate with each other. In addition, English is used at a high frequency. Implications for future research and Pedagogical Implications are also addressed.
Needs analysis and the design of courses in English for academic purposes : a study of the use of English language at the University of Qatar
This thesis is concerned with the teaching of English at the University of Qatar. It describes the context in which the language is used and the problems faced by all those involved, both students and teachers, and proposes, by empirical research, some solutions to these problems based on English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Chapter I outlines the main aims of the study, defines its scope and limitations, and explains why it is significant. Chapter II provides a context for analysis of English at the University by exploring the educational background of secondary school students vis-a-vis the learning of English. It also assesses the current situation of English teaching at the University and provides a historical and evaluative view of the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), which is responsible for the instruction of English as a learning medium. Chapter III deals with the needs analysis approach to English language teaching in the context of ESP. The nature and historical development of ESP are explored and the different approaches and methods of teaching ESP are identified. Chapter IV is devoted to the needs analysis research study carried out at the University of Qatar. A full description is given of the aims, population and sample of the study, and the design and contents of the questionnaires are presented. Chapter V analyses the results of the needs analysis study and discusses in detail the various language skills covered by the questionnaire. Chapter VI is a summary of the main findings from the previous chapters. The most significant finding after a close examination of the data is that most of the informants are dissatisfied in some respects with the English language syllabus at the University. The study recommends that future syllabuses be constructed on the basis of a needs-analysis survey, and that the chosen courses be ESP-oriented.
Avocado Flowering 1
The avocado (Persea americana Mill.) has increased in importance over the years in many countries around the world. The United States, Mexico and Brazil lead in world commercial production, while Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Cyprus, Canary Islands, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Greece, and the Caribbean area are actively increasing commercial production (B.O. Bergh, personal communication; Gustafson 1976). The history of the avocado has been detailed by Gustafson (1973, 1975,1976) and others (Bergh 1975b, Knight 1980; Popenoe 1924; Ruehle 1958; Schroeder 1958; Williams 1976). Several reviews have been published on various aspects of the avocado, including its botany (Knight 1980; Purseglove 1968; Williams 1976), breeding (Bergh 1975b), horticulture (Hodgson 1930b; Ruehle 1958; Ryerson et al. 1924), cultivars (Campbell and Malo 1976), and pollination (Gustafson and Bergh 1966). A recent collection of papers discussing the horticultural aspects of avocado production is found in Sauls et al. (1976).