1. IntroductionNeeds Analysis (NA), also called Needs Assessment, is a tool for collecting data on multiple student needs for an educational program. It is fundamentally an information gathering process, fundamental to English Language Teaching (ELT) programs and criterion for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (Dudely Evans: 1998, Hutchinson & Waters: 1987). NA is done primarily from the students' perspective; however, the perceptions of other stakeholders are also taken into account. Warrington (2005) highlights that NA, in ELT contexts, can investigate “what types of English, native language and literacy skills the student already believes he or she possesses; the literacy contexts in which the student lives and works; what the student wants and needs to know to function in those contexts; and what the student expects to gain from the educational program. Furthermore, it “focuses and builds on student achievement and abilities rather than deficits, allowing students to articulate and demonstrate what they already know and can do” (Auerbach & Holt, 1994). Needs analysis is, therefore, a process of defining the what and how of a course (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998). Hutchinson and Waters (1987) identify needs as wants, wants, and desires. Needs refer to the knowledge students need to operate effectively in the target situation. Deficiencies are gaps between students' current proficiency and target proficiency. Wants are about what students feel they need. Thus, an ESP course designer must be attentive to these issues when selecting materials and methodology (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987). Needs Analysis: Models and Application Developments in Communication...... middle of paper...... PressRichards, J.C. (1990). The matrix of language teaching. Cambridge:Cambridge UniversityPressRichterich, R. & Chancerel, J.L. (1980), Identifying the needs of adults learning a foreign language. New York: Council of EuropeTudor, I. (1996). Learner-centredness as language education.Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity PressWest, R. (1997). Needs analysis: a state of the art. In: Howard, R. & Brown, G. Teacher training for LSP. Colchester, Multilingual Matters.Warrington, M., Younger, M., & Bearne, E. (2006). Improving children's performance in primary schools: towards a holistic approach. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press. Widdowson. HG (1981), English for Specific Purposes: Criteria for Course Design. In L. Selinker et al. (ed.), English for Academic and Technical Purposes: Studies in Honor of Louid Trimble, pp. I -II. London: Newbury House