Needs Analysis of English for Occupational Purposes Course for Preschool Major Students in a Chinese College

Abstract

As universities place a greater emphasis on English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) to improve worldwide relevance and prepare students for specific professional positions, it is critical that these courses suit students' current occupational demands. For preschool education majors, this entails gaining English abilities that are directly applicable to early childhood education settings. However, contemporary English training frequently lacks a vocational focus and rarely incorporates local cultural components, limiting its effectiveness in providing students with necessary communicative skills. This study conducts a needs analysis to better understand learners' views on the importance of incorporating local culture into the EOP classroom and the relationship between HPBL enriched with local culture and their use in the EOP classroom to develop communicative competence. A quantitative method was used, with data collected using McKillip's Discrepancy Model and a survey questionnaire distributed to 112 second-year students. The finding indicates that the EOP classroom's integration of local culture reflects a dedication to culturally enriching teaching environments. The existing EOP curriculum fails to incorporate local culture inside Hybrid Project-Based Learning (HPBL), underscoring the need for a more cohesive approach to cultural integration in language education. By fulfilling these needs, the curriculum can more effectively equip preschool education students for practical communication challenges in their professional environments.