چکیده:
Notwithstanding the obligation of courses such as English for Academic
Purposes (EAP) in the Iranian university curriculum, exploring the language
academic needs and abilities of students of social and natural sciences has
been untouched. Focused on the students’ perspectives, this study aims to
identify the present and target situation academic language needs of Iranian
undergraduate students of social vs. natural sciences in a comparative
manner. A total of 260 undergraduate students studying natural sciences
(n=117) and social sciences (n=143) at Sharif University of Technology and
Shahid Beheshti University participated in this study by responding to a
validated questionnaire on language needs self-assessment. Regarding the
present language abilities, the natural sciences students considered
themselves as much more competent in the English language compared to
the social sciences students. However, the target language needs of both
groups were roughly similar. Besides, both groups believed that the EAP
courses should be oriented more towards English for Specific Purposes
(ESP). Finally, while the majority of the natural sciences students asserted
that the number of credits offered for the EAP courses was not enough, the
comments made by the social sciences students were contrary. The paper
concludes with a suggestion to revise the present program in order to boost
the effectiveness of the EAP course and a discussion of implications for
instructors and material designers.