English language needs in the banking sector in Bangladesh: a needs analysis

Abstract

Needs analysis is a first important point in implementing an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course or program to identify the learners' key requirements or needs and identify the areas where learners lack skills. The aim of this study is to examine the needs analysis of the bank employees before designing an ESP course or program. A sequential mixed-methods approach was used to conduct this study. Both questionnaires and interviews were conducted to collect data. Data is collected through interviews, which provide a deeper insight into the participants. This study was conducted in three private banks of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The data was collected from a total of 52 employees of the selected bank. The result of this study shows that bank employees face many difficulties such as appropriate use a lexical resources, analytical, coherent, and cohesive writing, Foreign communication, listening problem in following presentation and conferences when using English in their daily work in the bank. The results of this study also showed that every banker needs to learn English for a specific purpose in order to perform well in their respective jobs in the bank. Finally, the results of this study encourage further research and opportunities to design an ESP curriculum.