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"Analysis of needs" first appearance
The term, “analysis of needs” first appeared in the 1920’s in the West Benga, India. Michael West introduced the concept of “needs” to cover what learners were required to do in the foreign language. -
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The rising of ESP as a discipline.
Changes in the world’s markets resulted in the rising of ESP as a discipline. Therefore, the term "needs analysis" ceased to exist. -
Grammatical features
Barber focused on counting grammatical features across genres (textbooks and journal articles) in order to determine some general sentence - level characteristics of EST. -
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Discourse analysis
By the end of the 60’s, discourse analysis gained relevance. -
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Focus on students' skills
In this decade, emphasis on student’s necessary skills resulted in the development of needs analyses. -
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The consolidation of the ESP
The 70's and the 80’s saw the consolidation of the ESP movement since several research was done on the field. -
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Controversy in ESP
There was controversy in ESP since the analysis of ESP resulted in two main views: “the wide-angle approach,” which aimed at teaching the English language through topics beyond students’ specialist areas, and the “narrow approach,” which claimed that the focus of the language studies should be on the students’ specific area of development. -
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Monoskill emphasis debate
Some research studies proved that monoskill emphasis was useful, specially regarding reading, but the ESP community considered that such concentration on one skill is limiting. -
Grammatical features across genres approach overriden
1972: Since this approach (grammatical features across genres) had descriptive validity but little explanatory force, it was soon overridden because there were influential EST researchers such as John Lackstrom, Larry Selinker, and Louis P. Trimble, who dominated the field. -
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English for Academic Purposes as the focus
Even though discourse analysis of ESP was primarily concerned with language, it gave no attention to the development of study skills. That is why English for Academic Purposes became the focus. -
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The learners’ purpose for learning
Skill based courses intended to address the learners’ specific foreign language needs. In order to do so, needs analyses had to be carried out. The learners’ purpose for learning the target language became important and so did the needs analyses. -
Munby’s “Communicative Syllabus Design
The model provides the participants’ needs, which are analyzed in terms of the “Purposive Domain”, “Setting”, “Interaction”, “Instrumentality” (medium, mode, and channel), “Dialect”, “Target Level”, “Communicative Event”(activities and subject matters), and “Communicative Key” (the manner in which communicative needs to be carried out). -
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The learner-centered approach
The learner-centered approach grew stronger and materials development productions tried to respond to this new trend. -
Genre analysis and rhetorical
The “genre analysis” and “rhetorical moves” concepts were introduced in ESP
A study carried out by Tarone and other authors not only maintained the rhetorical-grammar relationship but also introduced the concept of using the area specialist as a content-expert consultant. Since then, subject-specialist informants were more commonly involved in ESP research. -
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The English for Specific Purposes Journal influence
Special issues of the journal were focused on teacher training
(e.g., Jack Ewer); Vocational ESP (e.g., Ann Crandall); on interlanguage (e.g., Larry Selinker), and on training of international teaching assistants (e.g., Richard Young). -
McDonough’s model
It suggests that students must be at the centre of system; the needs are changing and developing; learners, teaching institutions and the sponsoring bodies' perspectives should be analysed. the degree of details may vary with the requirements of different situations. -
ESP long-held ideas questioned
Hutchinson and Waters questioned many ESP long-held ideas, believing that ESP students should be encouraged to develop the underlying competence in order to become independent learners. They outlined the concept of learner-centered approach, which focuses on the learning process, emphasizes the exploitation of the learner’s already possessed skills, and learning styles. -
The ESP concept polished
Hutchinson and Waters polished the concept of ESP and established the importance of teaching students the skills and language that they need to achieve their desired language performance. -
Hutchinson & Waters' model
It is based on necessities, lacks, and wants. -
English for Science and Technology
Swales began in Episodes in ESP. The central focus of ESP research was English for science and technology (EST) in academic contexts. -
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Research and the expansion on ESP topics
There is a rapid increase in research and the expansion on major ESP topics. There is a growing acceptance of ESP as an academic discipline. -
Dudley-Evans & St. John's model
It focuses on learners’ professional and personal information, learners’ language information about the target situations, learners’ lacks, learners’ needs from course, language learning needs, communication information in the target situation, and environmental information.