What term describes ways of finding out what students need or want to study on a language course?

• A. Needs Analysis
• B. Observation task
• C. PPP
• D. Lexical set

Answer: (A)

Finding out what students need or want to study in a language course is done through needs analysis. This approach gathers information about learners’ goals, the contexts in which they’ll use the language, and the specific linguistic tasks they must perform. By using tools like questionnaires, interviews, and group discussions, a teacher can identify target needs (the real-life language functions learners want to be able to perform), learning needs (how they learn best and any gaps in their current knowledge), and constraints of the learning situation. The insights from a needs analysis then guide the syllabus, materials, and assessments to ensure the course matches students’ objectives and practical use. Other ideas reflect different concepts: an observation task focuses on watching how learners perform tasks, PPP is a lesson structure (presentation, practice, production), and a lexical set is simply a group of vocabulary around a topic, not a method for uncovering learner needs.