The purpose of this study is to examine the present situation of English education in nursing education in Japan, and to consider the role of English education in the curriculum. In order to make an effective nursing curriculum, general education, including language learning, shoud not be ignored, and what should be taught must be considered carefully. In this paper, the survey shows the difference in the importance placed on language education between the students and the teachers in our nursing department. The desires of the students who just entered our junior college and those of the teachers in the nursing department were compared. Asa result, we found that the teachers think that students should study English only for general refinement or as a part of their professional education. On the contrary, the students want to improve their communication abilities. We concluded that the students' consciousness is mainly on the spoken language, and the teachers' consciousness is mainly on the written language. As a conclusion, it is recommended that ESP (English for Specific Purposes), which the students are not interested in now, must be included in English education in the nursing curriculum. The needs of the students and those of others are not the same, but both needs should be taken into consideration in designing the course and in designing the content of language education.国立情報学研究所で電子
