Designing ESP Materials for Student Nurses Based on Needs Analysis: A Developmental Study

Although there is a significant need for English ESP for nurses, only a few academics are enthusiastic about exploring the development of nursing English ESP materials that are contextually suited to the practical requirements of nurses. Designing teaching material is the process of selecting, adapting, and evaluating teaching based on specific terms of reference. Need Analysis is very important before designing teaching materials for English for Specific Purpose. The study aims at exploring the learning needs of student nurses and designing ESP materials for nurses based on Need Analysis. Need Analysis in this study is categorized as Target situation Analysis, Present Situation Analysis, Deficiency Analysis, Strategy Analysis, Constraint Analysis, Pedagogic Need Analysis, and Subjective Need Analysis [1]. The study uses quantitative and qualitative methods with a developmental study design. The findings describe the real needs of students of ESP for nurses, the lecturers’ viewpoints on the practice of ESP instructions, and descriptions of ESP for nurses used in English-speaking countries. The results are very significant for designers of ESP of various fields for they reflect the real needs of nursing students. It is suggested that Nursing English textbooks should be based on the Need Analysis by ESP designers.