541 / 2020-03-19 11:32:54

Understanding Needs of Compound Language Major Students: A Dilemma of Language and Professional Development

2018 National Standards,Compound language majors,Needs Analysis

《国标》与英语类专业教学改革 > 《国标》与英语类专业教学改革

After The National Standards for Undergraduate Education Quality in Higher Education Institutes was issued in 2018, Universities have been exploring ways to reform and cultivate foreign language major students. One of the promising attempts was to establish compound majors for undergraduate students, such as business English and legal English. Studies have been conducted demonstrating the necessity of setting compound majors and curriculum design. Few, however, investigated students’ needs from a microscopic level. Based on Hutchinson & Waters’ model of Needs Analysis, this paper examines necessities, lacks and wants of compound major undergraduates in two different universities in Beijing. 170 students participated in a survey study and 6 volunteered for follow-up interviews. Data was collected from questionnaire, interviews and reflection journal and was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. With respect to quantitative analysis, factor analysis identified two main factors relating to students’ needs: level of current language proficiency and future professional development. Qualitative analysis unveiled an interesting contrast between two types of students. Participants in the foreign-language university demanded intensive language training while undergraduates in the law university craved for more practice related to their future career. In general, students were facing a dilemma of balancing language skills and disciplinary content knowledge. Pedagogical implications concerning how to break the disciplinary boundary and forge cohesive links between language and disciplinary content are given at the end of paper.