Listening to students' voices: A curriculum renewal project for an EFL graduate academic program

This paper presents the results of the first phase of a needs analysis aiming at re-evaluating a graduate level EFL academic curriculum. Based on a self-reporting questionnaire, the responses of a graduate student population (n = 469) were analyzed. The questionnaire addressed three issues: attitude toward English language and EFL studies, self-assessment of success in performing academic tasks in English, and ranking the importance of knowledge of English language areas. These issues were examined across the sample's background variables (gender, academic department, thesis/non-thesis track, native language) and student proficiency level. The results showed that students' attitude toward English and studying English was generally positive. Furthermore, students reported their ability in performing different tasks to be satisfactory. In addition, all students found all the areas of language knowledge to be important. Ranking of relative importance of English language areas revealed that vocabulary and oral skills were significantly more important than syntax and grammar, reading, and writing. Yet, for all issues, across background variables and level, significant differences were found. Our findings warrant a re-evaluation of the current program, but also raise questions regarding whose voices are to be considered when developing an EFL academic graduate program. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.