The studies in this volume explore needs analysis in the public, vocational and academic sectors, in contexts ranging from service encounters in coffee shops to foreign language needs assessment in the U.S. military. In each chapter, the authors explicitly discuss the methodology they employed, and in some cases also offer research findings on that methodology. Several studies are task-based. Contributions include work on English and other languages in both second and foreign language settings, as well as a comprehensive overview of methodological issues in needs analysis by the editor.
A rationale for needs analysis and needs analysis research, Methodological issues in learner needs analysis, Language needs analysis at societal level, Foreign language needs assessment in the US military, Sources, methods and triangulation in needs analysis: A critical perspective in a case study of Waikiki hotel maids, Foreign language needs of business firms, Evaluating the use of multilple sources and methods in needs analysis: A case study of journalists in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, A preliminary analysis of language provisions for foreign professional footballers in the Netherlands, A task-based needs analysis of a tertiary Korean as a foreign language program, Collecting target discourse: The case of the US naturalization interview, Service encounters in two coffee shops and at a coffee cart, When small talk is a big deal: scoiolinguistic challenges in the workplace
