ESP Needs Analysis of Greater-Casablanca Engineering Students

Abstract

The current paper aims to investigate the English language needs of the Greater-Casablanca engineering students. The work represents a longitudinal study that was conducted over two academic years, from September 2019 till July 2021, in four higher specialized institutions; all are from the Greater Casablanca region, namely the Higher National School of Arts and Crafts (ENSAM), the Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP), the Higher National School of Electricity and Mechanics (ENSEM), and the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST). For this purpose, a total of 300 engineering students as well as 60 managers who are basically former students of the four abovementioned schools, 10 specific content instructors, and 10 EFL teachers. Five streams representing key Moroccan industries specifically the Mechanical, the Electrical, and the Industrial streams from ENSAM and ENSEM, the Civil engineering stream from EHTP, and the computing stream from FST, took part in the study which was designed on a qualitative and quantitative basis using a placement test, questionnaires and interviews. From each stream, sixty students, two EFL teachers, and two specific content instructors were selected. The outcome of the study will call attention to the significant role that ESP can play to boost engineering students' career. It will also define engineering students' most needed English language skills as well as portraying their learning preference s with regard to the ESP course. Finally, a number of implications and recommendations will be drawn.