English for occupational purposes: the needs and expectations of the technical instructors at a Malaysian polytechnic

The paper addresses the English Language needs and expectations of technical lecturers at a Malaysian polytechnic in using English as a medium of instruction in teaching technical subjects. Five (5) higher management officers and forty (40) lecturers cum instructors from two departments were the samples to investigate their linguistic needs and wants in order to teach content subjects in English using a need analysis. Questionnaires were administered on the 40 lecturers whereas interview sessions were conducted on the 5 higher management officers to elicit information on their expectations for the lecturers in terms of using English for teaching. The findings would be able provide essential input to design and implement seemingly appropriate training programmes for the technical lecturers of the polytechnic