Are first-year students linguistically ready for further studies: a needs analysis of english for academic purposes students at King Saud University
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Date
2025
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Publisher
Universty of the Western Cape
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the English for academic purposes (EAP) needs of the Common First Year (CFY), particularly first-year Engineering students at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Additionally, the study intended to examine whether intermediate or B-level students studying the Q: Skills for Success coursebook were linguistically or academically ready to continue their studies successfully at the university's Engineering College. The objectives of the study were to (i) assess the present EAP needs of prospective Engineering students in the CFY; (ii) analyse the target EAP needs of students and the demands of the field of study they have entered, i.e. the Engineering College of KSU; and (iii) evaluate the current EAP programme delivered by the English Language Skills Department (ELSD) at the CFY. The main research question was: Did the EAP programme for the CFY level students at KSU adequately prepare them for further studies in the field of Engineering – if not, why not? Three sub-questions guided the research. These were: (i) What were the key features of the academic needs of Engineering students at the CFY? (ii) What were the main traits of the target academic needs of second-year students at the College of Engineering (COE)? (iii) What should the EAP programme at the CFY ideally resemble and constitute to maximise its impact? The study’s theoretical framework was based on needs analysis. It used two of the four prominent needs analysis approaches: present situation needs analysis (PSA) and target situation needs analysis (TSA) (Basturkmen, 2010). The qualitative study employed a phenomenological research design, enabling the researcher to explore and identify problems, barriers, and potential solutions for improvement (Jeremic, 2019).
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Keywords
Academic Skills, English Language Skills Department, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, College of Engineering