Abstract

Needs analysis is a system for gathering and analyzing information about a person’s needs. In the case of education, needs analysis forms the basis for developing a curriculum that meets the learning needs of a particular group of students. The purpose of this study is to determine the Turkish language needs of students enrolled in the Turkish Studies Department of Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. In particular, this study addresses the analysis of learners’ perceptions of needs, wants, and lacks and the role that needs analysis plays in learning Turkish as a foreign language. Data are collected from students currently enrolled in Turkish courses at Jagiellonian University in 2011-2012 academic year by using questionnaires. In analyzing the data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 11.5) was used. Initially, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques including frequencies and percentages. In addition, standard deviations were also calculated to identify the extent of agreement in the participants’ responses to the questions. As a result of the study, most of the students indicated that they want to learn Turkish in order to get familiar with Turkish culture. All of the respondents’ perceptions on the importance of language skills are consistent. Although all of the skills are important in developing Turkish, the students revealed that, speaking is the most important skill. In order to meet the students’ expectations and needs with the current courses, the course syllabi and curriculum need to be redesigned according to the Common European Framework (CEF) in order to fulfill their needs and expectations.

Key words: Needs analysis, curriculum development, Turkish language teaching.