LANGUAGE CIRCLE: Journal of Language and Literature, 16(2) April 2022 p-ISSN 1858-0165 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id e-ISSN 2460-853X _____________________________________________________________________ 215 Needs Analysis Research in the Arab World (2000 – 2019): Contexts and Data Collection Instruments and Sources Triangulation Abuelgasim Sabah Elsaid Mohammed, Department of English Language, College of Science & Humanities, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia ab.ibrahim@psau.edu.sa Abstract This study aimed at reporting the contexts of interest in needs analysis research (NAR) in the Arab World (2000 – 2019) and describing the adoption of triangulation in data collection instruments and data sources. A purposive sample of 48 published NAR was subjected to content analysis. Results revealed that needs analysis studies (NASs) in the Arab World (2000 – 2019) are interested in EAP context more than other contexts such as English for Medical Purposes (EMP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). In addition, most of the NASs adopted one data collection tool and consulted outsiders as sources of data. In addition, the study found that there is lack of method and/or source interaction. In general, NAR in the Arab World suffers from several shortcomings. Based on these results, the study recommended that NA researchers in the Arab World should pay more attention to other ESP contexts. In addition, they need to address issues related to triangulation to lend reliability to their data. Keywords: data collection methods, data sources, EAP, ESP, needs analysis, triangulation INTRODUCTION Needs analysis (NA) is of paramount importance to general English (GE) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP), but ESP pays more attention to NA than GE (Hutchinson & Waters 1987). According to researchers (e.g., Hutchinson and Waters 1987; Nunan 1988; Brindley 1989; Robinson 1991; Brown 1995; Seedhouse 1995; West 1997; Graves 2000; Richards 2001; Long 2005, Brown 2009; and Kumar 2020), this importance originates from the role NA plays in ESP course design. Consequently, NA is a main characteristic of ESP to the degree that it can be part of teacher’s job (Graves 2000; Belcher 2006). Ali (2011) suggests that NA is profitable in producing a concentrated ESP course. NA data can serve a variety of purposes that include assessing a course, setting objectives, planning tests, offering required data about a course to interested bodies (Richards 2001) and selecting course materials and activities (Astika 1999; Diana 2020; Basri, Ampa and Ramadayani 2020). This situation is similar in the Arab World where researchers conducted several NA studies (NASs) to investigate ESP learners’ needs. Therefore, careful design is deemed necessary for NASs to reveal the desired and accurate information, which effectively acts as the base of course design. Despite the central role that NA plays, little is known about how NA researchers conduct their research in the Arab World. This is because only few studies have been conducted to review NASs’ quality in the Arab World. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to achieve two objectives: first, to examine contexts in which NASs in the Arab World are interested, and second to explore triangulation of data collection methods and data sources in NA research in the Arab World (2000 – 2019). Accordingly, this study attempts to answer the following questions: 1. What are the contexts of interest to NASs in the Arab World (2000 – 2019)? 2. What is the status of data collection methods and sources triangulation in NASs in the Arab World (2000- 2019)? LITERATURE REVIEW