A Needs Based Approach to Teaching and Learning of
English for Engineering Purposes

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the English language needs of learners of engineering colleges of Orissa.The main purpose was to examine the current English syllabus of different engineering colleges of Orissa and to study how effectively they have been implemented at the
classroom level. It also attempted to find out how language skills along with life-skills can be learnt effectively by engineering students for proper utilization by them in real life situations.The study attempted to answer the following questions:
First, is there a gap existing between the present English language syllabi in engineering colleges and students’ academic and professional needs?
Second, is there a need to modify and revise the present English language course so that it meets the engineering students’ needs to apply it in real-life situations?
The study involved 770 students and 63 teachers of 20 engineering colleges located in different regions of the state. The tools used for data collection comprised of questionnaire survey among students and teachers. After validating the validity and reliability of the research instruments, the questionnaire survey was conducted among students of 2nd, 4th and 6th semester Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) students and the teachers’ survey was conducted at a workshop conducted by the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), the only technological university in the state which has around 100 engineering and management colleges affiliated to it. The survey was
also conducted among students of other government run autonomous colleges and also at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and an institute of national importance. The survey was conducted during the academic year 2008-2009.