Identifying the undergraduates' needs and problems of EAP skills at the faculty of education of Tripoli university

217 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli Identifying the undergraduates' needs and problems of EAP skills at the faculty of education of Tripoli university. Najat Ali Ghazalla University of Tripoli, Faculty of Education, English Department N. A. Ghazalla, e-mail: [email protected] Article history Received: Month March, 2025 Accepted: Month May, 2025 :صخلملا ةساردلا صخلم ( ةيميداكلأا ضارغلأل ةيزيلجنلإا ةغللا تاراهم ىوتحمل نييعماجلا بلاطلا كاردإ ةيفيك نم ققحتلا ىلإ ةساردلا هذه فدهتEAP ) .يساردلا مهصصختب اً طبترم كلذ ناك اذإ امو ةغللا تاراهم تلاكشمو تاجايتحا ىلع فرعتلا ىلإ ةساردلا هذه تفدهةيميداكا ضارغلأ ةيزيلجنلاا ةيعماجلا ةلحرملا بلاط ىدل ةيزيلجنلإا ةغللا جمانرب يف ريخلأا يساردلا لصفلا بلاط مه ةساردلا يف نوكراشملا .سلبارط ةعماج ةيبرتلا ةيلك يفيميداكلأا يف مدقملا عمجل ةيسيئر تاودأك ةلباقملاو نايبتسلاا مادختسا تانايبلا عمج لمشو .ةيبرتلا ةيلك .تانايبلا نأ ةساردلاب صاخلا نايبتسلاا جئاتن تفشك يف ةيجاتنلإا مهتاراهم يف ةريبك لكاشم مهيدل نأب اورعش بلاطلاEAP .ٍ لاع ىوتسم ىلع مهفينصت متو ،صاخ لكشب ثدحتلاو ةباتكلا ، أ جئاتنلا تراشأ مهتاراهم نيسحت ىلإ ةجاحب بلاطلا نأ ىلإ ا ً ضي ةيميداكلاا يف ةعبرلأا ةيزيلجنلإا ةغللا تاراهم يفEAP ٍ واستم لكشب ضعب نيسحت ىلإ ةجاح كانه نأ اورعشو ةنيعم ةراهم لك يف ةريبك تلاكشم اوهجاو دق بلاطلا نأ ىلإ ا ً ضيأ ةلباقملا جئاتن تراشأ .اًبيرقت ةغللا تاراهمةيميداكلاا جمانربلا يسردم ةساردلا هذه جئاتن دعاست نأ لمأن .يميداكلأا تارود ريوطتب ةدشب نيمتهملا جهانملا يممصمو ةيميداكا ضارغلأ ةيزيلجنلاا ةغللا ةغل ةرود ميمصت لبق ىلولأا ةوطخلا وه تاجايتحلاا ليلحت نلأ ةيميداكا ضارغلأ ةيزيلجنلاا Key words: Needs Analysis, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for General Purposes (EGP), English for Specific Purposes(ESP). Identifying the undergraduates' needs and problems of EAP skills at the faculty of education of Tripoli university Abstract: This study aimed to examine how undergraduate students perceived the content of English for academic purposes (EAP) skills and whether it was related to their major of study. The purpose of the study was to identify the needs and problems of EAP skills among undergraduate students at the faculty of education of Tripoli university. The participants of the study were the final semester students majoring in the English language program offered at the faculty of education. The data collection involved the use of questionnaire and interview as the main instruments. The questionnaire findings of the study revealed that students felt that they had major problems with their EAP productive skills, writing and speaking respectively and were ranked at a high level. The findings also indicated that students needed to improve their EAP skills in the four EAP English skills almost equally. The interview results also indicated that the students had experienced major problems in each particular skill and they felt that certain EAP skills were needed to be improved. The findings of this study will hopefully help EAP instructors and materials designers who are deeply concerned about developing EAP courses because needs analysis is the initial step before designing an EAP language course. Key words: Needs Analysis, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for General Purposes (EGP), English for Specific Purposes (ESP). 218 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 1. Introduction English as a lingua franca has a major role in facilitating English learning both as a Second Language (ESL) and as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings across the world. Generally, English language courses at the university level are often offered for two purposes, namely, English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) language courses depends on the purpose of the language course. The ultimate goal of EGP language courses is to develop learners’ general language competence in the production and reception of English language with everyday life situations. On the other hand, ESP language course, is an approach to language teaching where all decisions regarding the course content and method are based on the student’s reason for learning” (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). Furthermore, ESP language courses are normally designed to serve one purpose, which is to fulfill the English learners’ specific learning goals. However, at the higher university level, ESP language courses such as, English for business communication, or English for academic presentation skills often attempt to equip students with a specific genre to succeed in a specific academic discipline or a particular vocational & technical context. Therefore, despite the fact that both EGP and ESP language courses are designed to meet students’ language learning needs at a higher level of education or training, ESP language courses have often been criticized for not achieving their objectives because some ESP students still feel dissatisfied with their abilities and are unhappy with some aspects of that course (Littlewood & Liu, 1996; Yang, 2006). Moreover, students at the university level who study the required English courses for academic purposes (EAP), which the most well-known branch of ESP courses, still experience linguistic difficulties due to the inappropriateness 219 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli and irrelevance of English-medium content courses. (Evans and Green (2007). As a consequence Long (2005) suggested that there is an urgent need for language courses of all types to be appropriate and relevant to the specific course takers to serve their purposes. Therefore, this is not only pertaining to EAP or EAP courses to be relevant and contentgoal-oriented, they are especially important for EGP courses as without needs analysis, EGP language courses can often be either too detailed or too little than what learners need to learn. (ibid). Thus, in higher education, English for specific purposes (ESP) such as English for aviation or English for agriculture, (EAP) English for academic purposes have often been the focal point since EAP can apply to all professional fields. In the Libyan higher education context, EAP courses are normally offered to undergraduates, such as those majoring in English, to help the students integrate their English educational skills effectively. Although the EAP skills are offered to university students who have already studied English for over 10 years, their English proficiency still seems low as EFL learners still experience difficulties with most EAP language skills Based on the insightful findings from previous studies on learners’ needs and difficulties in language learning, the present study is an effort to identify the problems and needs EFL students have at the university EAP English courses through investigating the EFL students' perceptions. However, the study expands the scope of analysis to examine only the EFL undergraduate students’ language needs in ESP/EAP courses without investigating their language needs in EGP for the purpose of the study. 220 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 1.2 Statements of the Problem The faculty of education of Tripoli university offers its undergraduate EFL students an English language program at the English department. To graduate, learners have to pass all course requirements in the curriculum, which are comprised of required courses, elective courses, a small-scale project or an independent study, and a graduate examination. EAP knowledge is mostly offered in the required courses with the aim of helping students to apply all fundamental English skills effectively and allow them to practice all academic English skills. Although the faculty of education tries hard to develop their EAP courses and programs to meet the students' needs, most EFL students who are required to take EAP courses do not feel that these courses meet their needs. As a result, this research study aims to identify the problems and needs of the EFL students regarding all four EAP language skills. Therefore, this analysis is guided by the following research questions: 1.3 Research Questions 1. What academic English skills are viewed as problems by EFL students? 2. What academic English skills do EFL students need to improve? 2.LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 English for Academic Purposes (EAP) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has witnessed a vast growth as a specific discipline in the curriculum of English language teaching. As stated by Thompson & Diani (2015), there has been an increasing demand in the literature of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), especially at the tertiary higher level. Thus, universities offer students the opportunities to study EAP for listening, reading, and writing or communicating with their disciplinary literature, which is published in English (Elsaid Mohammed & Nur, 2018; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). English for specific purposes (ESP) is the teaching and learning of English where the goal of the learner is to use English in a particular discipline or area as stated by Paltridge and Starfield (2013). 221 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli The term of English for academic purposes (EAP), which one branch of English for specific purposes (ESP), refers to language research and instruction which focuses on specific needs and practices of particular groups of learners in specific academic contexts as defined by Hyland and Hap-Lyons (2002). The area of EAP knowledge involves reading academic textbooks, writing a composition, giving academic presentations, writing research papers, essays and research articles, etc. (Charles, 2013). The main difference between general English (GE) and academic English (AE) lies in the purposes. In other words, GE does not have specific aims for language learning while AE are for specific domains (Jordan. 1997; Islam, 2011). 2.2 Needs Assessment Needs assessment is the process of investigating learners' needs that can be used in learning and teaching to develop classroom practices and curricula (Weddel, 1997). Needs analysis, according to Brown (1995), is the systematic collection of information and analysis of all subjective and objective information to determine and design curriculum for particular purposes that meet the language learning needs of students within the context of particular domain or discipline to influence the learning and teaching situations. NA involves different approaches and methods, such as needs analysis, performance analysis, and task analysis (Christensen, 2016) . Needs assessment is the process of selecting needs and identifying problems. It is the process of investigating curriculum planning, diagnosing learners' problems, assessing students' learning, demonstrating accountability, improving practice and safety, or offering individual feedback and educational intervention” (Grant, 2002). Needs analysis according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987) are classified as ‘lacks’, ‘wants’ and ‘necessities’, which are used for assessing learners’ needs in learning. The term ‘necessities’ refers to the requirements of the target situation. The term ‘wants’ refers to what the learners want to know based on their interest, and the term ‘lacks’ refers to “the problems or difficulties experienced by students”. This model suggested by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) can be used to investigate academic English skills for the English language learners in the EFL setting. 222 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli Academic English Skills Over the past few years, education research has given much attention to the importance of EAP to enable EFL students to study content knowledge, gain specific skills, and be aware of certain literacies necessary to succeed in their academic study and professional life. Academic English (AE) as defined by Cummins (2011) is the kind of English that is needed for reading, writing, speaking and listening in the academic content areas. The mastery of these skills is the key for success for learners to be able to makes use of opportunities in academic setting. These academic skills go beyond the literacy of technological uses and they focus on the learners' proficiency in critical thinking, problem-solving and communication in order to students succeed in their academic life. Menggo et al. (2019). Therefore, teaching materials should be designed to meet the learners' needs of these skills. However, research on learners' language needs has also indicated that the EAP skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are the key skills needed in EAP curriculum (e.g., (Basturkmen, 2010; Chatsungnoen, 2015; Shing & Sim, 2011; Thompson & Diani, 2015). The literature on EAP skills is abundant. Academic writing is the most important skill in the teaching and learning of EAP skills despite the fact that it is the most challenging skill compared to other EAP skills. As most researchers and language instructors argue that in order to write a paragraph or an essay, language instructors should teach not only the mechanics of writing, but they have to teach grammar and vocabulary, too. As stated by Solikhah (2015), academic students experience difficulty in creativity writing due to their low level in vocabulary and grammar. As a matter of fact, academic writing is the most important skill for university students in higher education to achieve success in various purposes. For students to reflect their competence in that language, they are required to produce essays, written examinations in order to demonstrate their mastery of the course content. Therefore, one could argue that to assess learners' academic writing language instructors should pay attention to the content and style of the writing, the text structure, argument construction, grammar, and punctuation. However, language has been defined as a medium of communication. The teaching of speaking has received significant attention in the context of English as a foreign or second language. The teaching of academic speaking has been the most important skill to 223 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli be learnt since many academic students want to be able to communicate effectively. As Eiadeh et al. (2016) pointed out that more emphasis should be given to develop students' academic speaking in order to communicate in English. The speaking skill has been found particularly problematic because it does not only require enough practice opportunities to speak in the language (Sun et al,. 2017; Hakim & Rima, 2022) which a formal classroom cannot provide (Sun et al,. 2017; Levak & Son, 2017), but it should also be integrated to contain its four sub-skills, which are fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. More importantly, the development of speaking materials should consider the learners' academic needs and therefore should be based on needs analysis. Because of the role of needs analysis to help language instructors and material developers to make the right decisions for the speaking material development. Designing Academic speaking materials should consider students' target and learning needs of speaking skills such as, grammar, pronunciation, discourse and fluency (Menggo & Suastra, 2019). Moreover, selecting the appropriate speaking materials will help learners to become more fluent and accurate when expressing their views. Despite the major role that needs analysis plays in identifying the learners' academic English speaking skills to succeed in their academic study or job career, the concept has not been fully investigated in the Libyan higher education context Moreover, academic reading has also been regarded as the most important skill for academic students to understand the knowledge of their own discipline area (Wahyono & Puspitasari, 2016). It is important since it helps them access information as references to comprehend their relevant area of study. Therefore, needs analysis should consider the learners' needs towards their requirements of the reading context before start teaching them how to read (Kose et al., 2019). As long as academic listening is concerned, it is considered important since it is an integral part of the communication process. Listening can positively affect the development of other skills; speaking, reading, and writing skills in learning a language. Listening in EAP has its own characteristic needs in English and demands the utilization of identical subskills in line with the purpose for listening context (Goh, 2013). Further to that, designing EAP listening materials entails specific listening skills appropriate and relevant to the needs of learners' academic study (ibid). Academic Listening can be defined as an active process which requires a wide range of sub skills such as distinguishing between sounds, 224 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli understanding vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpreting intonation, and decoding information to be interpreted in context later (Astorga, 2011). Therefore, the EAP instruction at the tertiary level should focus mostly on academic language, which students need to use to for their specific domain. Thus, students enroll in English for Academic Purposes at the faculty of education require EAP language skills to understand academic content and engage in classroom activities and assignments; it is also important for the teachers to employ specific and technical terminologies that will empower students to master EAP skills for their academic studies and professional life. 2.3 Previous Studies Literature on EAP has shown that much research has been conducted to investigate the EAP problems and needs of university students. For instance, a survey study by Evans and Green (2007) in Hong Kong higher education was conducted to investigate the language problems encountered by Cantonese-speaking students with reference to the four EAP academic English skills – writing, reading, speaking and listening skills. The results of their study revealed that difficult and subject specific vocabulary was the major problem as well as some complex grammatical structures. As for the academic writing skill, vocabulary and grammar aspects were found more difficult than the content or structure of academic written texts. Regarding academic reading, comprehending difficult words and technical vocabulary posed a major problem for learners in academic reading and listening. In terms of speaking, grammatical accuracy was found as the most challenging skill for learners. Another study by Berman and Cheng (2010) carried out needs analysis to examine students’ perceptions towards the EAP use. The findings indicated that students who are native speakers of English experienced some difficulties in the four English skills almost equally and listening skill was found to be the easiest. The findings of their study also found that students who are non-native speakers of English found the four language skills slightly more challenging than students who are native speakers of English. Both kinds of students agreed that academic writing skill was the most difficult compared to other academic language skills. 225 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli In the same vein, Noori (2020) conducted a study to analyze the academic writing problems among 121 undergraduate English majors at Kabul University, experiencing difficulties in writing. The findings revealed that students encountered major problems in academic writing with reference to vocabulary and grammar, structure, style and organization, and content genres, conclusions, sources when writing academically. A similar study by Liu, Chang, Yang and Sun (2011) to investigate the needs of college students in English courses for general and specific/academic purposes showed that the most important skill was speaking and writing equally followed by reading and listening, respectively. The results also found that students needed speaking skill as the most important one, followed by other skills of listening, writing and reading. Another longitudinal study by Evans and Morrison (2011) to investigate the problems of students in higher education in Hong Kong revealed that first year university students experienced four major problems related to comprehending technical vocabulary, understanding lectures, using an appropriate style and meeting their discipline requirements. Another study by Terraschke and Wahid ( 2011) to assess the effect of EAP on the academic experiences with international postgraduate students. The results revealed that the international students encountered major difficulties in the four academic language skills listening, speaking, reading, writing skills. As for academic listening, the students had real problems in understanding the instructors’ accents and their speed of speech. Regarding academic speaking skill, students did not feel comfortable speaking in classes and they could not ask questions as they needed confidence in order to communicate. With reference to academic reading, students reported that they experienced difficulties in reading various reading texts and technical vocabulary and unfamiliar terms. The study concluded that academic writing was found as the most difficult skill for them to learn. A more recent study by Gaffas (2019) to examine the undergraduate students’ perceptions towards the impact of the general and specific courses they take in English on their academic language proficiency and usage. Surveys, interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data on students’ perceptions about what problems they faced considering academic 232 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 4how to read quickly to get overall meaning 2.97 1.12 2 Medium 10 3.40 0 1.39 3 Medium 4 5how to read carefully to understand a text 3.03 1.19 7 Medium 9 3.15 0 1.35 2 Medium 6 6how to identify supporting ideas & examples 3.63 1.21 7 High 3 3.50 0 1.20 4 High 2 7how to understand the organization of a text 3.45 1.35 0 Medium 4 3.15 0 1.31 4 Medium 6 8how to read quickly to find information 3.37 1.21 7 Medium 7 2.95 0 1.24 4 Medium 10 9how to interpret graphs, diagrams, tables 4.03 .915 High 1 3.80 0 1.16 6 High 1 10how to read articles in journals & newspaper articles 3.76 1.10 1 High 2 3.45 0 1.42 1 Medium 3 Total 3.43 1.22 6 Medium - 3.26 5 1.30 8 Medium - 2 Academic reading Skills The findings on the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic reading skills were rated by the five-point Likert scale and were analyzed by means and standard deviation (SD) , ranks and levels of effect were obtained to determine the perceptions of the respondents according to each item on the questionnaire. It is, therefore, important to clarify that only the highest average means and standard deviations representing students' responses would be considered to represent the levels of agreement about the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic reading skills. 233 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli Problems of Academic Reading Skills Table 2 shows the problems of undergraduates students towards academic English reading skills. It is clear from (table 2) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 2.871, SD = 1.362) which was ranked at the neutral level of agreement regarding the problems of their academic English reading skills falling within the medium level of effect ; however, they agreed that "how to interpret graphs, diagrams, tables." (M = 3.350, SD = 1.276), followed by "how to read articles in journals & newspaper articles " (M = 3.150, SD = . 1.424) and "how to identify supporting ideas & examples " (M = 3.055, SD = 1.431) were highly problematic. Needs of Academic Reading Skills Table 2 shows the needs of undergraduates students to improve academic English reading skills. It is clear from (table 2) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 3.265, SD = 1.308) which was ranked at the neutral level of agreement regarding their needs to improve academic English reading skills . The findings revealed that the participants needed to improve their academic English reading at a medium level. The findings showed that ‘how to interpret graphs, diagrams, tables was rated the highest (M = 3.800, SD = 1.166), followed by "how to identify supporting ideas & examples". (M = 3.500, SD = 1.204) and "how to read articles in journals & newspaper articles" (M = 3.450, SD = 1.421). however, the lowest score of academic reading skills was "how to read quickly to find information" (M = 2.950, SD = 1.244). Academic speaking skills Level of agreement Problems Needs Mean S. D level S. D Mean S. D level S. D 1how to speak with clear pronunciation 2.86 1.17 8 Medium 9 3.500 1.323 High 7 234 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 2how to speak with accurate grammar 3.50 0.97 4 High 7 3.300 1.345 Medium 8 3how to communicate ideas fluently & confidently 3.66 0.74 5 High 5 3.545 1.465 High 6 4how to participate actively in discussions 3.66 0.98 2 High 6 3.200 1.364 Medium 9 5how to ask and answer questions 2.80 1.10 7 Medium 10 3.000 1.304 Medium 10 6how to present oral reports & give oral instructions 3.98 0.65 4 High 3 3.600 1.319 High 3 7how to make presentations 4.10 0.93 1 High 1 3.700 1.269 High 1 8how to use visual aids 3.08 1.27 5 Medium 8 3.565 1.284 High 4 9how to give short speech 3.98 0.65 4 High 4 3.650 1.276 High 2 10how to describe situations & abstract concepts orally. 4.04 0.78 1 High 2 3.550 1.465 High 5 Total 3.56 0.86 7 High 3.461 1.341 Medium 235 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 3.Academic Speaking Skills The findings on the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic speaking skills were rated by the five-point Likert scale and were analyzed by means and standard deviation (SD) , ranks and levels of effect were obtained to determine the perceptions of the respondents according to each item on the questionnaire. It is, therefore, important to clarify that only the highest average means and standard deviations representing students' responses would be considered to represent the levels of agreement about the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic speaking skills. Problems of Academic Speaking Skills Table 3 shows the problems of undergraduates students towards academic English reading skills. It is clear from (table 3) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 3.56, SD = 0.867) which was ranked at the high level of agreement regarding the problems of their academic English speaking skills; however, they agreed that "how to make presentations." (M = 4.10, SD = 0.931), followed by "how to describe situations & abstract concepts orally. " (M = 4.04, SD = . 0.781) and "how to present oral reports & give oral instructions " (M = 3.98, SD = 0.654) were rated as high problems at a high level. Needs of Academic Speaking Skills Table 3 shows the needs of undergraduates students to improve academic English speaking skills. It is clear from (table 3) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 3.461, SD = 1.341) which was ranked at the neutral level of agreement regarding their needs to improve academic English speaking skills. The findings revealed that the participants needed to improve their academic English speaking at a medium level. The findings showed that “how to make presentations" was rated the highest (M = 3.700, SD = 1.269), followed by "how to give short speech". (M = 3.650, SD = 1.276) and “how to present oral reports & give oral instructions "(M = 3.600, SD = 1.319). However, the lowest score of academic speaking skill was "how to ask and answer questions" (M = 3.000, SD = 1.304). 236 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli Academic listening skills Level of agreement Problems Needs Mean S. D Level Rank Mean S. D Level Rank 1-how to listen and understand key vocabulary 2.84 1.09 3 Medium 1 0 3.150 1.42 4 Medium 7 2how to listen and recognize supporting ideas & examples 3.42 . 967 Medium 5 3.200 1.40 0 Medium 6 3how to listen and follow a discussion and understand key points 3.24 .796 Medium 6 3.000 1.44 9 Medium 8 4how to listen and understand the main ideas of lectures 3.24 1.11 6 Medium 7 3.000 1.44 9 Medium 9 5how to listen and understand the organization of lectures 3.17 1.34 2 Medium 8 3.350 1.42 4 Medium 5 6how to listen and identify different views & ideas 3.62 .953 high 1 3.600 1.28 1 High 2 7-how to listen to lectures for general understanding to obtain gist. 3.03 .986 Medium 9 3.000 1.44 9 Medium 1 0 237 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 8how to listen for specific points to remember to obtain specific information. 3.42 . 841 Medium 4 3.400 1.39 3 Medium 4 9how to listen and take brief, clear notes 3.54 1.07 0 high 3 3.400 1.28 1 Medium 3 10how to listen and understand discussions, seminars & presentations . 3.55 .921 high 2 3.650 1.31 4 High 1 Total 3.31 1.01 Medium - 3.275 1.38 6 Medium - 4.Academic Listening Skills The findings on the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic listening skills were rated by the five-point Likert scale and were analyzed by means and standard deviation (SD), ranks and levels of effect were obtained to determine the perceptions of the respondents according to each item on the questionnaire. It is, therefore, important to clarify that only the highest average means and standard deviations representing students' responses would be considered to represent the levels of agreement about the problems and needs of undergraduate students in academic listening skills. Problems of Academic Listening Skills Table 4 shows the problems of undergraduates students towards academic English listening skills. It is clear from (table 4) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 3.31, SD = 1.01) which was ranked at the neutral level of agreement regarding the problems of their academic English listening skills; however, they agreed that "‘ how to listen and identify different views & ideas. " (M = 3.62 , SD = .953), followed by "how to listen and understand discussions, seminars & presentations ." (M = 3.55 , SD = .921), 238 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli and "how to listen and take brief, clear notes " (M = 3.54 , SD = 1.070 ) were rated as problems at a high level. Needs of Academic Listening Skills Table 4 shows the needs of undergraduates students to improve academic English speaking skills. It is clear from (table 4) that the overall mean of the responses was (M = 3.275, SD = 1.386) which was ranked at the neutral level of agreement regarding their needs to improve academic English listening skills. The findings revealed that the participants needed to improve their academic English listening at a medium level. The findings showed that “how to listen and understand discussions, seminars & presentations" was rated the highest (M = 3.650, SD = 1.314), followed by ‘-"how to listen and identify different views & ideas." (M = 3.600, SD = 1.281) and “how to listen and take brief, clear notes "(M = 3.400, SD = 1.281). However, the lowest scores of academic listening skill were items (3, 4 & 7) in the questionnaire with (M = 3.000, SD = 1.449). Interviews Individual interviews were conducted with five students at the end of the course which were essential to obtain more insights about their perceptions towards the EAP English skills. The participants were selected voluntarily for the interviews and the interviews sessions were conducted in an informal atmosphere. As it is important to describe the purpose of the study for the interviews as suggested by (Alsaawi, 2014), participants were given some information before conducting the interview. At the end of the sessions, the interviews were recorded and transcribed. Below is the information obtained on each participant who was interviewed about the problems and needs of the EAP English Skills. Q1: What academic English skill is the most problematic and why? Q2: What academic English skill do you need to improve the most and why? -Participant 1: I find writing skill as the most problematic skill because of the difficulty with the formality style and its academic vocabulary. 239 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli I think need to improve writing skills because I want to write it with the correct grammar. -Participant 2: My biggest problem is with the writing skill. I find it difficult to organize the ideas in logical ways. I need to improve my writing skill by exposing to more academic writing samples. -Participant 3: I have a difficulty with reading because I find it hard to understand academic articles and papers due to the specialist vocabulary. I need more strategies on how to skim and scan. Also, I can’t understand main idea of a text. I would like to improve my listening skill because I cannot understand people when they speak fast and with the different accent. -Participant 4: I think speaking skill is the most difficult for me due to the lack of practice to speak. I can't speak English fluently and confidently. Speaking is the skill that i need to improve most to because it is a medium of communication. -Participant 5: I find speaking and writing the most difficult and problematic skills. Because I do not have a wide range of vocabulary and a good command of grammar. I need to improve my speaking and writing skills. I need to give presentations in English, also I want to write like formal emails and letters. 5. Discussion This section presents the interpretation of the findings of the study. The first research question dealt with the problems of EAP English skills as perceived by the participants and reflected in the findings of the study was: 1. What academic English skills are viewed as problems by EFL students? This research question aimed to identify the problems of academic English skills that B.A undergraduate students feel they have experienced. The participants felt that some of the EAP skills were highly problematic for them. However, by looking deeper at of the 240 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli findings on academic writing skills, there were some other EAP skills that were perceived as lacks such as "How to write coherent paragraphs", "How to do paraphrasing & proofreading" and "How to express ideas clearly& logically", which were rated as the most problematic areas at a high level. One participant stated in regard to academic writing skills that “My biggest problem is with the writing skill. I find it difficult to organize the ideas in logical ways". Moreover, vocabulary and formality in academic writing were perceived as problems from the interviews. As one participant stated that "I find writing skill as the most problematic skill because of the difficulty with the formality style and its academic vocabulary". he also adds. "I think need to improve writing skills because I want to write it with the correct grammar." In addition, grammar was perceived as a problem, they felt that they were not able to perform their academic writing effectively due to a lack of grammar and vocabulary. As one participants said "I find speaking and writing the most difficult and problematic skills". "Because I do not have a wide range of vocabulary and a good command of grammar.". As for the problems of the EAP speaking skills, there were other major problems that were perceived as lacks by students, such as, "how to give short speech", "how to communicate ideas fluently & confidently", "how to participate actively in discussions" and "how to speak with accurate grammar". Based on the interview finding, one participant said: "I think speaking skill is the most difficult for me due to the lack of practice to speak". "I can't speak English fluently and confidently". "Speaking is the skill that i need to improve most to because it is a medium of communication." On the whole, it can be concluded that most problems of the EAP English skills as perceived by students were found in their productive skills, writing and speaking respectively, which were found at a high level of agreement compared to other academic EAP problems found in their receptive skills, listening and reading skills, which were found at a medium level of agreement. Therefore, the findings of this study are similar to the findings of Liu, Chang, Yang and Sun (2011) and are also similar to Terraschke and Wahid ( 2011). 241 ددعلا21 دلجملا ،1 وينوي (2025 ) لجمـــــيلك ةـــــيبرتلا ةـــــلبارط ةــــــس Journal of the Faculty of Education Tripoli 2. What academic English skills do EFL students need to improve? The purpose of this research question was to identify the academic English skills that B.A undergraduate students needed to improve. The findings indicated that B.A undergraduate students needed to improve their academic EAP English skills. Academic English writing and speaking were most stressed in the interviews; as one participant said that: "I need to improve my speaking and writing skills. I need to give presentations in English, also I want to write like formal emails and letters." As long as writing and speaking are concerned, the results from the interview also indicated that students needed to improve their productive skills. As one students said "I need to improve my speaking and writing skills". "I need to give presentations in English, also I want to write like formal emails and letters.". Another participant said "I need to improve my writing skill by exposing to more academic writing samples". One more participant said: "I think need to improve writing skills because I want to write it with the correct grammar". This finding is similar to the study of Berman and Cheng in 2010, which revealed that writing skill was the most needed skill to improve. 6. Conclusion The purpose of this research was to investigate the main challenges in EAP skills faced by students majoring in English at the faculty of education of Tripoli University. More specifically, the present study aimed to examine how undergraduate students perceived the content of English for academic purposes (EAP) skills and whether it was related to their major of study. The main goal of the study was to identify the needs and problems of EAP skills based on the students' perceptions. The participants of the study were the 20 students majoring in the English language program offered at the faculty of education. The data collection involved the use of questionnaire and interview as the main data collection instruments. The questionnaire findings of the study revealed that students felt that they had major problems with EAP skills in their productive skills, writing and speaking respectively and were at a high level. The findings also indicated that students needed to improve their EAP skills in the four EAP English skills almost equally. The interview results also indicated that students had experienced major problems in each particular skill and they felt that certain EAP skills were needed to be improved. The findings of this study will