A Student’s Needs Analysis: Investigating the ESP Program of Biomedical Engineering Students in the Iranian Setting

Esfandiari, Shahram; Sarkhoshi, Parastou; Bohlooli Niri, Mohammad Rahim; Ahmadi, Fariba

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2025.537954.1123

A Student’s Needs Analysis: Investigating the ESP Program of Biomedical Engineering Students in the Iranian Setting

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shahram Esfandiari ¹

Parastou Sarkhoshi ²

Mohammad Rahim Bohlooli Niri ³

Fariba Ahmadi ⁴

¹ Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, P. O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of English Language Teaching, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran.

³ Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889 Tehran, Iran.

⁴ Department of English Language Teaching, Ministry of Education, Ardabil, Iran.

10.22034/ijpie.2025.537954.1123

Abstract

One of the main challenges facing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in the Iranian context, especially in engineering fields, is their apparent inability to meet students’ goals and expectations. This study aimed to examine the current ESP curriculum for biomedical engineering students in Iran by conducting a needs analysis based on students’ perspectives. To do this, a quantitative, descriptive, and ex post facto research design was used. The sample included 100 biomedical engineering students from Tabriz, Zanjan, Ardabil, and Urmia Universities who had completed their ESP courses and were selected through random sampling. These students completed a researcher-developed and validated needs analysis questionnaire, written in Persian, designed to gather data about their language learning needs. Results showed that the participants viewed their general English language requirements positively as addressed by the current curriculum. However, their perception of the program’s effectiveness in meeting their specialized English needs was only moderate, indicating a gap in addressing ESP-specific content. The students expressed a need for more exposure to specialized tasks, including translating technical biomedical engineering documents, understanding scholarly journal articles, and working with advanced textbooks. Overall, the participants’ feedback suggests that the current ESP curriculum only partially meets their actual learning needs. Therefore, it is recommended that the curriculum be revised to include new courses and innovative teaching methods aimed at raising learners’ proficiency to the desired level. The insights from this study provide valuable guidance for EFL curriculum designers and textbook developers striving to improve English education in biomedical engineering universities.

Keywords

Biomedical engineering students

ESP Program

Iranian context

Needs analysis

Subjects

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