ENGLISH FOR FUTURE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN SAUDI ARABIA: A NEEDS ANALYSIS PROPOSAL
Literature suggests that a thorough language needs analysis is very essential for curriculum development whose goal is to help healthcare learners to be proficient and successful in English in both their academic study and professional workplace. Although English language course designers spend large amount of money in developing their curriculum, they often neglect the process of a needs analysis which is considered to be an important first step when planning any English language course. Unfortunately, English language courses taught at the Health Sciences Colleges in Saudi Arabia, too, have been developed without carrying out a needs analysis.  The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance and necessity of identifying the academic and professional English language needs of students of Health Sciences Colleges in Saudi Arabia. It also proposes a needs analysis framework for the development of ESP course at these colleges .
Students' Views of Academic Aural/Oral Skills: A Comparative Needs Analysis.
In this study, 768 ESL students at three different tertiary institutions—a community college, a teaching-oriented university, and a research-oriented university—responded to a survey (adapted from Ferris & Tagg, 1996a, 1996b) about their college instructors' requirements regarding listening and speaking skills, their own difficulties in meeting those requirements, and the relative importance of seven selected academic aural/oral skills or tasks. A subsample (n = 476) of the students' survey responses was then compared with those of 206 instructors at the same institutions to assess the degree of agreement between the two groups of informants. 
 
The findings showed statistically significant differences in the students' responses across several contextual and student demographic variables. In addition, the students' and professors' responses differed dramatically on most survey items as well as in the aural/oral skills rankings. The study therefore raises implications not only for listening and speaking instruction but also for the interpretation of needs analysis data.
Language, learning and success : studying through English
Many students pursue their higher education through the medium of a foreign language. This book examines the role of language in their academic success and raises issues of central concern in the field of English for Academic Purposes.