A NEEDS ANALYSIS ON THE ENGLISH LANGAUGE NEEDS AMONG AGRICULTURE STUDENTS: BASIS FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

This study focused on analyzing the English language needs of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture students majoring in Horticulture and Animal Science at Kapalong College of Agriculture, Sciences, and Technology (KCAST). The primary goal was to assess their proficiency in the four macro skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing and to develop a syllabus to address identified gaps. A mixed-methods approach was used in the conduct of this study involving 100 student respondents through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with ten randomly selected participants. Results revealed that students exhibited high proficiency in listening (79%), average proficiency in speaking (67%), low proficiency in reading (49%), and very low proficiency in writing (32%). Meanwhile, qualitative data supported these findings, with students expressing challenges in vocabulary use, sentence construction, and confidence in both speaking and writing. In response to these deficiencies, an English for Agriculture syllabus is proposed that focuses on four macro-skills that will help agriculture students in enhancing their English proficiency, that is tailored to agriculture-related tasks. It is recommended that the program will be integrated into the existing curriculum alongside measures such as interactive speaking activities, the use of authentic agricultural materials, regular feedback, and digital learning tools to further enhance language skills. These interventions aim to improve communication competence among agriculture students, which is essential for both academic success and future professional engagement in the agricultural sector. Keywords: Needs Analysis, Language Proficiency, Agriculture Students, English for Agriculture, English for Specific Purposes (ESP)