Turizm ve otel işletmeciliği programı öğrencilerinin İngilizce dil ihtiyaçlarının belirlenmesi: Bir karma yöntem çalışması

Tourism is a growing sector with significant income to the Turkish economy. There is a continuous need for well-educated personnel, and it is an indisputable fact that a good command of English is an indispensable requisite for tourism. To implement successful English language teaching vocationally, identifying the needs is the cornerstone of this education. Hence, this study aims to determine the English language needs and problems of the Dokuz Eylül University Tourism and Hotel Management Program students. A mixed-methods study with a questionnaire and interviews are applied to obtain an in-depth analysis. According to the data obtained, the importance of ESP for vocational English language learning is highlighted. Quantitative findings revealed that students put equal emphasis on four language skills, but qualitative findings acknowledged that the need for oral communication skills, vocabulary, and grammar has precedence amongst all. Besides, insufficient vocabulary and grammar knowledge, heterogeneity in English language proficiency of students in the same class are stated as the problems in this study. While the students are satisfied with listening and translation, and speaking techniques given in the first grade, grammar and writing techniques are stated as the least satisfactory components. Implications are discussed for teaching English for specific purposes effectively. Keywords: English for specific purposes, needs analysis, mixed methods study, tourism english.