Abstract
Needs assessment plays a strategic role in curriculum design because it serves as the basis for identifying gaps between actual and desired conditions and determining the direction of curriculum development. However, the practice of needs assessment still faces methodological challenges, such as equating needs with preferences, the dominance of a single instrument, limited stakeholder involvement, lack of attention to context, potential bias, and weak validation and prioritization of needs. This study aims to examine the nature and urgency of needs assessment, analyze its approach and methodology, evaluate implementation challenges, and formulate a methodological reconstruction to support appropriate curriculum design. The study employed a qualitative approach with library research. Data were obtained through the search and selection of relevant scientific literature, then analyzed through identification, categorization, comparison, synthesis, and critical analysis. The study's results indicate that needs assessment needs to be implemented in a multidimensional, participatory, contextual, and triangulation-based manner. Quantitative and qualitative approaches need to be used in a complementary manner, accompanied by prioritization of needs and translation of analysis results into objectives, content, learning experiences, learning strategies, and curriculum evaluation. A futuristic orientation is also needed to ensure the curriculum is responsive to change. Thus, needs assessment must be positioned as an ongoing process to produce a curriculum that is relevant, contextual, implementable, and adaptive.
