This document summarizes a need analysis study of English reading materials for vocational high school students in Kapuas Regency, Indonesia. It begins with background on how need analysis can help clarify student needs and inform course design. A literature review discusses how need analysis is crucial for establishing ESP courses and identifies student target needs and learning needs. The study used a quantitative descriptive method with questionnaires distributed to 831 agricultural students across 10 schools. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify student English language needs to help improve teaching quality and prepare students for the workplace.

1. English Reading Materials
in Vocational High School
A Need Analysis
Written by
Syaifuddin

3. Resolution
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
 The need analysis can help them to clarify and validate the learners’ true
needs
 By understanding the results of the need analysis, they are able to
translate the learners’ needs into linguistics and pedagogical terms to
teach an effective course.
 This is due to the raise of awareness to elevate English teaching quality
in VHS in which the ultimate goal is to increase students’ academic
competence to prepare them to have strong character as professional
workers in today’s workplace.

4. Literature Review
Need analysis is the starting point, prerequisite, and cornerstone of ESP Course design (Ali &
Salih, 2013). In another attempt, Salehi, Davari, & Yunus (2015) also claimed that NA is an essential
step in establishing ESP course. It is then concluded that NA has been considered as the crucial factor
and an integral part of establishing an ESP course as it is only through the process of need analysis
researchers, course designers, and material developers are able to determine and refine the content for
an ESP course that meets the learners’ need.
According to Nunan, as quoted by Ali & Salih (2013), Need analysis is techniques and procedures
for collecting information to be used in syllabus design. In educational programs, NA focuses on the
learning needs of students, and then, once they are identified, needs are translated into learning
objectives, which in turn serve as the basis for further development of teaching materials, learning
activities, tests, program evaluation strategies, etc. (Brown, 2009).

5. Literature Review
Dudley-Evans and St. John (as cited in Rahman, 2015) provided an emphasis concerning the concept of NA by adding
three aspects of the purposes of NA; (1) to know learners as people, as language users, and as language learners, (2) to know
how language learning and skills learning can be maximized for a given learner group, and (3) to know the target situations
and learning environment so that data can appropriately be interpreted.
Richards (in Widodo, 2016) lists six main purposes of NA; (1) to find out what language skills a learner needs to
perform a particular role, such as sales managers, tour guides, or university students; (2) to help determine if an existing
course adequately addresses the needs of potential students; (3) to determine which students from a group are most in need of
training in particular language skills; (4) to identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel is important;
(5) to identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they need to be able to do; and (6) to collect information
about particular problem learners are experiencing.
To summarize, the results of NA will provide the basis for instructors or curriculum
designers to set the teaching goals or objectives, select and develop learner-centered
teaching materials and content, and, also, explore the most appropriate approaches of
teaching and learning to be employed.

6. Literature Review
Hutchinson & Waters introduced the concept of “target needs” and “learning needs”. The former refers to the learner’s
necessities, lacks, and wants for functioning effectively in the target situation; while the latter, learning needs, concern about
the learner’s motivation and attitudes, interests, personal reasons for learning, learning styles, resources, and time available

7. METHOD Descriptive Quantitative
Research Setting
10 Vocational High
Schools in Kapuas
Regency
Population
Random
sampling
Some students of
Agriculture Program from
the 10 vocational high
schools
Data Collection
Questionnaire
Instrument
Statistical Descriptive
Analysis

8. School
Agribisnis Tanaman Pangan dan
Hortikultura (ATPH)
Agribisnis Tanaman Perkebunan
(ATP)
Total
X XI XII X XI XII
SMKN 3 Kuala Kapuas 7 20 - 12 21 - 60
SMKN 4 Kuala Kapuas 50 50 60 - - - 160
SMKN 1 Kapuas Murung 44 41 38 - - - 123
SMKN 1 Mantangai 46 43 33 - - - 122
SMKN 2 Mantangai 18 21 31 19 29 29 147
SMKS Bethel Kaladan 29 34 32 - - - 95
SMKN 1 Timpah - - - 8 17 10 35
SMKN 1 Pasak Talawang 15 8 9 - - - 32
SMKN 1 Mandau Talawang - - - 11 5 3 19
SMKN 1 Bataguh 8 16 14 - - - 38
Total 217 233 217 50 72 42 831
* According to Cohen, et.al, (2007, p. 101) the larger the sample from the size of the existing population is the better, however,
there is a minimum number that must be taken by researchers, namely 30 samples. In this research. The schools which have less
than 30 students will use all students as participants.
* The questionnaire was based on the Hutchinson & Waters' (1987) model of Needs Analysis that covers the three subcategories
of target needs (i.e., necessities, lacks, and wants) and the learning needs. Furthermore, the writer made the questionnaire with
“Google Form” and then distribute them online to the students of the schools.
Source : Data Dapodik Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Tahun Ajaran 2020/2021

9. Finally, the data derived from questionnaires were analyzed by using descriptive statistical
methods including the frequencies and percentages for all items of the questionnaires. Pangestu
Subagyo in Nasution (2017) stated that what is meant by descriptive statistics is a part of
statistics regarding data collection, presentation, determination statistical values, diagramming or
a picture of something, the data is presented in a more form easy to understand or read. Then, the
findings were analyzed, interpreted, linked up with the previous studies or related theories,
showing them by using diagrams or tables and conclusions were finally drawn.
DATA ANALYSIS