ENGLISH FOR CHEMISTRY SUBJECT MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT BASED ON THE NEEDS ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

Abstract

A person must not only be proficient in their major field of study but also in the English language, which serves as the primary international language of communication in both oral and written form, due to the growing demand for international communication and the level of competition in the global job market. Therefore, it is essential that English language instruction in higher education be able to deliver comprehensive and professional English that is not only relevant to their field of study but also meets the demands and needs of the target learning and work field. It is sad that the English learning process, particularly English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs at the university level, does not fulfill the fundamental competence and learning outcomes as mandated and expected. Lack of lesson planning, unfulfilled requirements and expectations of teachers and students, as well as irrelevant material to the topic of the study, are among the influencing variables that have been identified to contribute to the effectiveness of the anticipated teaching and learning in ESP classes. Given this information, it is crucial to undertake a study that places a greater emphasis on determining the needs of the learners (needs analysis). This is especially helpful for facilitating the learners' anticipation of taking English classes that are pertinent to their subject of study. This study was undertaken at Pattimura University's Chemistry Education Program in order to achieve this goal. Since 2017, the ESP subject has been included in the curriculum under the topic of English for Chemistry. Thirty-three students were involved as the participants in the survey by answering 20 items provided in the questionnaire. The result shows that the majority of the students (39.4%) admitted that they would be interested in learning English if the materials are relevant to the Chemistry study, but still has the linguistics elements in English. This finding was also supported by 69.7% of the respondents who said that they would be motivated in learning if the teacher uses contextual English materials in Chemistry that are possible to be implemented in their daily life. Additionally, students also gave several suggestions for the improvement of English Learning in terms of the focus of English skill, the approach and activities in learning. These findings are principally constructive as the input to design and/or develop the English material (Material Development) that will be used to teach English for Chemistry subject in Chemistry Education study program