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In:From Task-based Needs Analysis to Task and Syllabus Design: Insights from across educational contexts
Edited by Roger Gilabert and Aleksandra Malicka
[Task-Based Language Teaching 20] 2026
► pp. 1–22

Chapter 1
Defining task-based needs analysis (TBNA) and its transfer to task and syllabus design

 | Universitat de Barcelona
 | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Many language programs worldwide have used task-based needs analysis (TBNA) as a starting point (Serafini et al., 2015). TBNA can provide accurate insights into decision-making during task and syllabus design (Gilabert & Malicka, 2021, 2022). TBNAs typically generate a compilation of authentic situations found in professional, academic, public, or societal domains (Long, 2005). How exactly this information can be systematically integrated into this decision-making process during task and syllabus design has been absent from empirical work. The chapter articulates specific ways in which TBNA can be applied to micro and macro decisions in task selection, design, sequencing, methodological implementation, and program evaluation. The second objective of the chapter is to deconstruct some of the myths surrounding TBNA.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • From needs analysis to task and syllabus design
    • Where do tasks come from? Task selection
    • In what order should tasks be presented to learners? Task sequencing
    • How can task-associated language be made salient for learners? Methodological implementation
    • Cognitive and interactive architecture of tasks: Task design
    • How should learners be assessed? Language assessment
    • How can task-based programs be evaluated?
  • Debunking myths surrounding TBNA
    • Myth 1: TBNA is unfit for general language learning contexts
    • Myth 2: TBNA cannot be conducted without domain experts, and it is not inclusive of teachers’ or learners’ perspectives
    • Myth 3: TBNA has been conceptualized from a cognitive perspective rather than a social one
    • Myth 4: TBNA is inaccessible to small institutions and individual teachers
  • Structure of the book
  • Author queries
  • References
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