Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Language and languages Thailand'

This current research study is an outcome of the global expansion of English into the business world, the vigorous growth of the research in the area of English language acquisition as a second language and a global language, as well as of the researcher's passionate ESP teaching experience to university engineering students, and her pro-active engagement with Thai automotive engineers in the multi-national companies. Through investigating the English language learning and working experience of Thai automotive engineers, pictures about their needs on English language communication in the workplace are sketched; through looking into the perspectives of the university teachers and the international engineering professionals, the factors impacting on the needs of those automotive engineers in English language communication have been demonstrated. As a product of this research study, an ESP working syllabus has been designed to showcase the major findings of this stu dy, and to inform the current and future practices in English language learning and teaching for global engineers from the angles of program design. In light of the principles in second language learning and teaching, and of the theoretical framework in Global English, this research study has been designed with a multi-faceted research strategy, which interweaves qualitative and quantitative research paradigms, and consists of questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and case studies. The data obtained through this research strategy are analyzed through SPSS statistics, content analysis and triangulation. The research participants were recruited from two settings: automotive engineering workplace and technological educational institutions in Thailand. They include: 1) automotive engineers from an automotive-parts manufacturer, 2) foreign engineering professionals who co-work with the engineers from that manufacturing company, and 3) ESP teachers from the two selected technology universities of Thailand. The results from this study indicate that proficiency in English communication has not only become a global passport for Thai automotive engineers, but also for the engineering organisations. It works as a source of power for both employees and employers, if they own it, in entering global automotive business to effectively function and compete, but as a challenge for those who do not possess this asset. It is believed that enhancing their English language proficiency for engineers is a key toward their generic skills building. On the basis of the findings of this study, a 90-hour sample ESP syllabus spread out over a course of three months is developed. It employs an integrated model of syllabus design, having incorporated and balanced learner-centred approach, communicative approach and task-based approach. It combines classroom-based training sessions, self-directed learning and advisory sessions to introduce and strengthen the knowledge and skills and to mentor the engineers grow through the self-directed English learning process. Thus, the objectives of this sample ESP syllabus are to foster Thai engineers as not only proficient English communicators, but also as autonomous English learners. Through this learning process, they could get themselves better prepared for the challenges posed by this ever-changing world, while sowing seeds for nurturing future global leaders in the engineering profession.

This study explored motivation of Thai students who simultaneously studied English and additional L3s (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) in language specialist majors and in English-medium business majors in a Thai university, using Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 motivational self system and Ushioda’s (2009) person-in-context relational system. Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and International Posture (IP) are also investigated in order to find the dynamic interplay between these closely linked variables. The study consists of three parts: 1) a quantitative cross-sectional study with students from year 1to year 4 (N = 356), 2) retrospective interview of 14 students who were studying different languages, and 3) longitudinal case studies of five students over three years. It sheds light on the topic of motivations of multiple language learners across languages and in different learning environments. The findings show that while the increasing importance of English threatened learners’ motivation to study other foreign languages as found in previous research (e.g., Dörnyei et al., 2002, 2006; Henry 2010, 2012), the predominance of English also encourages students to study other languages. International posture was found to link to motivation to learn foreign languages other than English, while FLA does not correlate to IP at all. For both language specialist and English-medium business students, their motivation was mainly generated by immediate need and future use of that particular language.

Unlike most Asian nations to which Shakespeare was imported with the colonizers during the mid-1800s to impose Western literary culture on the colonized, in the case of Thailand, it is the other way round. Thailand (or Siam as it was called then) managed to escape colonization by Western powers, but during this politically unstable period, Siam felt the urgent need to westernize the country. A period of intensive westernization thus began. Shakespeare arrived as one of several significant elements of the nation’s self-westernization in literary education. In 1916, the name of Shakespeare became widely known in Siam as one of his plays, The Merchant of Venice, was translated by King Vajiravudh (1881-1925), who is highly regarded as a prolific dramatist and all-around man of letters in the country. The King himself initiated Western literary translation by translating three plays by Shakespeare, namely The Merchant of Venice (1916), As You Like It (1921), and Romeo and Juliet (1922), and also by adapting Shakespeare’s Othello (1925) into a Siamese conventional dance drama playtext. Although there were some other attempts before and after the King to translate Shakespeare, none of them has been successful in leaving a memorable impact in Thai literary circles as much as the King’s version. Translating and staging Shakespeare’s works in Thailand became rare, practised only within a small circle of literary scholars. During the first few decades of the twentieth century, there have been a handful of attempts to translate and stage Shakespearean plays by commercial Thai theatre practitioners. To stage Shakespeare’s plays in Thailand especially in a contemporary context, most production teams have encountered a similar difficulty, that of bridging the gap to bring Shakespeare to Thai popular audiences who embrace different backgrounds in dramatic practice and aesthetics. The main purposes of this study are, therefore, to examine how Shakespeare has been translated, staged, and received by Thai readers and audiences from the late nineteenth century when Shakespeare was introduced in Siam until today, and to locate his influences and impact on Thai literary and theatrical culture. This study is designed to shed light on the history of Thai translations of Shakespeare and also to provide an analysis of the translation strategies adopted by early Thai translators to domesticate Shakespeare into the Thai context. So the thesis examines the process of text appropriation and domestication adopted by Thai translators and theatre practitioners to make Shakespeare accessible to Thai readers and popular audiences. The use of Shakespeare’s plots and allusions to Shakespeare’s plays in contemporary Thai television soap operas is also another main focus of the study. This study also suggests that the domestication process applied to Shakespeare both in translation and in staging is influenced by the changes in the social, political and aesthetic contexts of each different period; furthermore, the process of domestication obviously becomes less problematic the further the country moves towards westernization.

This project focuses on the importance of reading fluency, emphasizing its role in the construction of meaning and aiding in the overall comprehension process. Its components: accuracy, automaticity, and prosody are examined in relation to various activities that enhance each component. A sample curriculum is discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1994.
Title from title page screen, viewed April 17, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Clayton Thomas (chair), Kenneth Strand, Bruce Hawkins, Rodney Riegle. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-121) and abstract. Also available in print.

This research was conducted in the English Department of a provincial Thai university. It seeks to address the tension between the priority accorded to English by the Thai government and the relatively low levels of English of most Thai people. The study investigates the potential of the Internet to support students’ English language development, in particular the capacity of the Internet to support students’ English reading development. The research was located in Central Thailand at Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University (NPRU), my own work place. Here I investigated students’ Internet practices and the potential offered by one English language program that incorporated use of the Internet. My focus on this one program enabled me to address questions about my own teaching practices, and about the implications of incorporating the Internet for program design and teaching. The research itself was conducted in two stages. Stage One was an ethnographic investigation of students’ current Internet practices, both in and out of University. Outcomes from Stage One then informed the development of an English language program that incorporated extensive use of the Internet. This program was implemented and evaluated in Stage Two of the research. Outcomes from Stage One of the research revealed that the University students had low overall levels of Internet use, low levels of computer and Internet skills, but generally high levels of interest and enthusiasm, and a belief that the Internet could play a positive role in supporting English language learning. Outcomes from Stage Two confirmed that the Internet was potentially a powerful resource for teaching English. However, they also showed that if the Internet was incorporated fully into a program, rather than simply tacked onto a traditional program, then a major rethinking of program design and pedagogical practices was necessary. The implications of such changes in program design and teaching are addressed in the thesis.

This study identified the types of sexist language that appear in ESL textbooks by Thai authors. The study analyzed the ESL textbooks by Thai authors sold at the Chulalongkorn University bookstore during spring 2007. It was a qualitative case analysis of fifteen ESL textbooks covering the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of ESL instruction. The study used feminist criticism to discover what gender roles are sanctioned as appropriate in ESL textbooks by Thai authors and if the language used supports or challenges patriarchy. The results of this study show that sexist language is present in the textbooks and that the textbooks contain content that promotes sexist assumptions concerning gender roles. As a whole, the language and examples used in ESL textbooks by Thai authors support patriarchy.

This is a qualitative study focusing on support of English as an Additional Language provided to students in an international school in Bangkok. The study aims to answer the following questions through literature and responses from interviewees: To what extent does EAL benefit second language learners’ development of language acquisition? and How is the EAL learners’ language proficiency monitored? The study was conducted at the international school The Early Learning Centre in Bangkok, including interviews with five EAL students with Swedish as their L1, and one EAL teacher, and questionnaires sent to three parents. The theoretical starting point describes the aspects that are of concern in this study: language acquisition, second language acquisition, English as an additional language in general and at The Early Learning Centre, and English as an additional language continuum. The data indicates that EAL programs that deliver both mainstream and withdrawal support is the accurate way to connect it to the curriculum. The results showed that EAL support provides students with sufficient help in acquiring academic and social language skills. ELC uses withdrawal support to improve language skills in smaller groups where the focus lies in learning language and transfer knowledge between L1 and L2. The study also indicates that to monitor language proficiency, assessments are important to monitor skills and development.

The present investigation is descriptive-interpretative in nature. It has been designed a) to describe types of language learning strategies which Thai engineering students reported employing; b) to investigate patterns of variations in frequency of students' reported strategy use with reference to type of institution, gender, `perceived' class size, location of institution, and language proficiency levels; and c) to examine the relationships between frequency of students' reported strategy use and the five independent variables. Two main strategy categories, i. e. classroom-related, and classroom-independent, have been examined. The data for the investigation were collected in two phases with different instruments. Semi-structured interviews, and a strategy questionnaire were used as the main methods for the first and second phases of data collection respectively. The thesis comprises eight chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to the thesis. It provides both a background and a context to the present investigation. Chapter two presents the review of related literature and materials on language learning strategies in order to locate the present investigation in the context of previous research and authors' opinions. Chapter three reviews research methodology in language learning strategies, and the conceptual framework for the present investigation. Chapter four presents how the strategy inventory for the present investigation has been generated as the results of student interviews, and the construction of the strategy questionnaire. Chapter five presents the processes of the construction and validation of the proficiency test which was used to determine students' language proficiency levels. Chapter six examines frequency of strategy use reported by 570 Thai engineering students, ranging from overall strategy use to use of strategies at the individual level. Statistical methods such as mean of frequency, standard deviation, and percentage are used to help interpret the data. Chapter seven examines the relationships between frequency of students' reported use of strategies and the five variables. In doing so, an analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square tests, and a factor analysis are used as the main statistical methods. Chapter eight summarises the findings of the investigation and discusses the results of the research findings. In addition, the Chapter discusses limitations of the present investigation and proposals for future research. as well as the implications for the teaching and learning of English for engineering students in Thailand. The findings of the research show that Thai engineering students, on the whole, reported medium frequency of strategy use. They reported higher frequency of use of classroom-relateds trategies than classroom-independenst trategies. The results of the data analysis also demonstrate that frequency of students' overall reported use of strategies varied significantly in terms of `type of institution', and `language proficiency levels'. Regarding `gender', `perceived' class size, and `location of institution', these three variables were not found to have much relationship to students' choices of strategy use. The results of the investigation also suggest that language proficiency may be related to students' employment of out-of-class strategies, especially those involving utilising media, as well as computer programmes in English as a source of the target language input.

A new system-wide educational change has been introduced in Thailand that requires English as a foreign language (EFL) to be taught from primary to university level. This study investigates a genre-based method of teaching English to grade 7 secondary students in Thailand. The study was conducted in three phases. In phase 1, Rasch measures of reading comprehension (based on three kinds of genre texts) and of attitudes and behaviour towards genre-based learning of English were created for use in phase 2. An interval scale of 36 items (18 real and 18 ideal perspectives) was created from an original attitude and behaviour questionnaire of 96 items administered to a sample of 300 grade 7 students. With the some sample, an interval scale of reading comprehension for 18 items was created from an original sample of 60 items. In phase 2 of the study, a controlled experiment in teaching reading involving 90 students from three secondary schools in Ratchburi Thailand was implemented. The students from each school were assigned randomly to an experimental group (45) and a control group (45). The experimental group was taught by using genre-based rhetorical structures (narrative, journalistic, expository) while the control group was taught by a traditional teaching method. A great deal of care was taken to treat the experimental group and the control group the same in every respect except for the teaching method. During phase 3 a discussion group comprising the three heads of English departments and the three trainee teachers in the schools evaluated the results through focused discussions. Results indicated that the experimental group improved in English reading comprehension, and in attitudes and behaviour, significantly more than the control group. The discussion group recommended implementation of a genre-based teaching and learning programme for EFL in teacher training, based on the results. The findings have implications for the training of English teachers, administrators, and teacher educators in Thailand, and for future research in the measurement of educational variables.

Similar to other countries in the South-east Asian region, Thailand has transformed its education policy so that it may be able to better face the challenges of the globalised world. In order to do this, constructs such as student-centred learning and critical thinking, as well as the teaching of English in a more communicative manner, have been promoted. There has been little critical or grounded research carried out on the current English policy in Thailand, which emerged from the National Education Act of 1999 and the subsequent Basic Education Core Curricula of 2001 and 2008, therefore, in order to better understand how this policy works, this study explores how a group of Thai-English language teachers conceptualise the English language policy in Thailand by investigating their practices and beliefs (dispositions). In order to do this, and drawing on a social constructionist perspective from Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this thesis adopts a qualitative methodology that incorporates exploratory and ethnographic elements. Employing a combination of data collection methods that include classroom observations, retrospective accounts and semi-structured interviews, the findings demonstrate that a gap exists between the goals of the policy and what actually occurs in the classroom. Thus, there were few examples of either the communicative approach or student-centred learning being employed, with teachers instead tending to transmit knowledge to their students in a teacher-centred manner. Reasons for this may be due to the influence that the national examinations has on teachers’ work, the suitability and / or relevance of imported teaching and learning approaches on local contexts, as well as the need for better implementation of change. Teachers would indeed benefit from more professional development concerning the policy, but this thesis also argues that the policy itself needs to be critically examined. This would then allow Thailand, as well as other countries in the region, to better inform and improve their current education policies.

The status of English language has increased over the years as a tool for international communication. The Thai government emphasises that English language education has now become part of the full driving force for national development. This research implies that in order to cultivate Thai learners of English to meet social demands, sound theoretical and coherent philosophical bases of curriculum are essential in the curriculum planning process. This research analyses the new official English language curriculum for the Thai school system: "English language learning strands and standards under Basic Education curriculum 2001" (English language standards-based curriculum, ESB Curriculum), which in 2001 was promulgated as the new official English language curriculum. This research reveals both the coherence and incoherence of the theoretical and philosophical bases of the Thai ESB curriculum, identifies strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and makes recommendations for curriculum revision and curriculum development that could result in positive and effective changes in English language teaching and learning in Thailand. This thesis rests on the premise that principles underlying decisions made in curriculum planning will have a major impact on the effectiveness of the curriculum. It follows that difficulties with foreign language education nowadays are a consequence of the incoherence of philosophical, theoretical, and social bases of curriculum design. This research analyses the English language curriculum by asking questions about who was involved in the curriculum planning process and what were the decisionmaking mechanism and processes involved in its planning. The research is different from other research in curriculum studies in Thailand that aim only at curriculum implementation and evaluation. Three sources of data have contributed to the analysis of the curriculum: curriculum-related documents, interviews with the curriculum committees, and interviews and questionnaires with school teachers. The analysis has shown that (1) the curriculum was developed with input from numerous experts and various groups of stakeholders which affected the underlying principles, philosophical and theoretical bases of education and English language teaching and learning; (2) the theoretical and philosophical bases of the curriculum were found to be incoherent among curriculum elements; (3) the curriculum has problems at the level of meaning and this has led to the difficulty of conveying the philosophy of Thai education to the school level. The study has found that the incoherence of the theoretical underpinnings of the curriculum elements leads to misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misuse of the curriculum. The implication for future research is to stress a critical literacy approach to English language education and curriculum development. In this way, English language is seen as a language for empowerment, knowledge enhancement, social development and development of learners as a part of Globalisation and Information Age in the 2 lst Century as also stated in the Thai National Education Act 1999.

As academic and professional knowledge is available around the world through publications in English, the ability to read in English is now widely seen as an essential basic skill for university graduates in countries, like Thailand, where English is a foreign language. However, students often fail to reach a level of reading ability that allows them to read these publications with confidence. It is important that instruction in Reading skills should be improved. It has been claimed that instruction in the use of reading strategies is helpful in improving the reading skills of EFL learners. Research has suggested that explicit instruction can be particularly valuable. This thesis investigates the reading strategies used by Thai university students and investigates whether a short course based on explicit reading strategy instruction can be effective in encouraging the use of strategies and improving reading skills for Thai university students. Based on a literature review on Reading strategy instruction, a framework was developed and applied in the adaptation of a set of materials for use in providing English major Thai university students with explicit instruction in the use of reading strategies. The following research questions were investigated: What are the reading strategies that Thai undergraduate English major students employ in the EFL reading process? Does reading strategy instruction affect students’ use of reading strategies in English? How much improvement do the students show on measures of reading performance after receiving a programme of reading strategy instruction? In a quasi-experimental research design, one class of fifteen students, the Experimental group, was given a twelve-week course in Reading that included explicit instruction in reading strategies while a second group of thirteen students (matched for background characteristics), the Control group, was given a parallel course that did not include explicit strategy instruction. Both quantitative and qualitative comparisons were made. Students were given reading tests and responded to questionnaires about their use of strategies at the beginning and end of their courses. They were also interviewed and performed think-aloud verbal protocols in which they reported in their use of reading strategies as they carried out reading tasks. Participants in the Experimental group reported using a wider range of strategies than those in the Control group following instruction and generally made greater improvements in their reading test scores. The findings support the value of explicit instruction in reading strategies for Thai university students. However, concerns remain about Thai students reliance on translation and slow, careful reading even following instruction in more strategic approaches.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001.
Title from title page screen, viewed April 18, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Michael A. Lorber (chair), Patricia H. Klass, Margaret T. Kang, Debbie Mounts. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117) and abstract. Also available in print.

This ethnographic study investigates identity and participation in a workplace English language training classroom in Thailand. As a practitioner’s enquiry, the research methods of participation observation, interviews and questionnaires were employed in exploring a 40-hour training classroom which acts as a workplace community of practice for both the teacher and the student participants. Through the lens of communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991), the research shows the significance, despite common assumptions of shared interests and choice to participate in communities of practice, of gatekeeping and legitimacy defined by the Human Resources department. As a formal corporate training classroom with an outside language instructor, there is evidence of multiple identities and forms of participation. The identities of expert newcomers, semi-expert newcomers as well as non-expert old-timers pose questions about forms of participation, especially legitimate peripheral participation and full participation, in the communities of practice model. Reversal of identities in the classroom between teacher and students emphasise pedagogical roles in the community. Identities are negotiated and constructed amongst the interrelationships of legitimacy, power relations, and social structures of the community of practice. Within the different layers of social practice (classroom, organisation and Thai cultural and social norms), legitimation conflicts arise. English language proficiency, and skills and knowledge regarding the organisation and engineering, coupled with the role of ‘seniority’ in peer relationships expressed in the pseudo-sibling relationship in Thai culture, are common causes of tension. Individual participants must exercise their agency to negotiate their identities and power among these conflicts and tensions. Using both verbal and non-verbal language, language-related identities contribute to identity negotiation and construction. ‘Joker’ and ‘silent member’ identities suggest the use of humour and silence as a discursive practice. Code-switching from English to Thai enables language to be used as a shared repertoire in the community. Specific use of pronouns in Thai represents the identities of classroom participants. The research shows that language use and culture should be central to the analysis of identity and participation in communities of practice. The thesis concludes by discussing implications for researchers on communities of practice, and practitioners in English language corporate training and English for Specific Purposes.

Due to its position as the main source of national income, the tourism and hospitality service industry in Thailand is now highlighted as an area to watch in terms of its value for continued national economic growth. Chiang Rai Rajabhat University (CRU) a university in the tourist area in the North of Thailand, plays a key role in hospitality service education and has a significant influence in the sector because it produces graduates for service in the workforce of this industry. Given the industry's competitive climate, decisions to increase the number of workers, or practitioners, need to take into account the quality of the workers. In this time of globalization, when English is used widely, particularly in the intercultural context ofhospitality service businesses, the quality of English must be seriously considered. Business English (BE) graduates, as prospective employees, need to be highly competent in English language skills. This demand for effective English users in hospitality service workplaces means that there is a need to give serious consideration to the ability of Thai graduates to become competent users of English in real workplaces, and to develop an understanding of how they may achieve the high level of competence required of them. This study investigates the English language skills Thai students used in intercultural communication in hospitality service workplaces. The aim was to determine what essential language skills were used, to explore how these skills were implemented while giving services to international tourists, and to use the results to reflect on English for Hospitality Services (EHS) study in order to provide some recommendations for teaching and learning in those courses. The project was designed as an ethnographic case study. Multiple research tools were used, but particularly participatory observations of student workplace interactions, and semi-structured interviews that included interviews with workplace staff, such as managers, heads of departments, business owners and on-site supervisors. There were additional sources of information used, including students' diaries and other documents relevant to internship. The data collected were then examined using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The participants were 15 volunteers and were fourth-year students in the Business English (BE) program at CRU. The case study involved an examination of data collected from ten workplaces in four hospitality service areas. The observation transcriptions were quantitatively scrutinized for the most essential functional language units used in the hospitality services. The significant findings indicate that the functional language of requests and responding to requests was the most frequently used unit in this hospitality services area. This result confirms previous studies that have found that the functional language of requests, including responding to requests, is the most essential functional pattern in hospitality services. Thanking, offering help/services, and refusing are counted as the second, third and fourth essential units used. However, apologizing and responding to complaints, which are generally considered important in the service area, were very much less frequently used in this study. There was no evidence that significant breakdown or major problems in communication occurred during hospitality service procedures examined; however, the findings suggest that the language proficiency of Thai students was very low in terms of language accuracy. From the results of the study, it is recommended that those responsible for EHS teaching and learning give serious consideration to increasing the level ofcommunicative competence of Thai BE students in terms of English language skills, and to improving the cultural awareness of graduates who expect to be involved in intercultural communication in the hospitality services industry.

Interactionist theories of second language acquisition (SLA) claim that both comprehensible input and modified interaction in the target language are necessary for language learning. In the foreign language context, little opportunity exists for such input simply through exposure to the target language outside the classroom. Therefore, the quantity as well as quality of input within classrooms is especially important. However in spite of this fact many non-native teachers of second language, including English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, tend to avoid using the target language in their classrooms. This has serious pedagogic implications. Thai teachers are typical of many EFL teachers in that they appear to avoid using English in the classroom. While suggestions have been made as to why this might be the case, to date there has been no direct research to examine this issue. This study aims to investigate some of the factors that may prevent Thai teachers from using English in their classroom. In the first stage of the study, data were collected from primary and secondary Thai teachers of English in both private and public schools. The teachers were interviewed using focus group discussions which were audio-recorded. Key issues emerging from this data were used to develop a questionnaire for the second stage of the study. A representative sample of teachers was then selected from a range of schools and surveyed using this instrument. Finally, in the third stage, the results of the questionnaire were presented to the original focus groups to validate the responses and to explore possible reasons for the outcomes. The analysis of focus group interviews was based on the interview transcripts. For the questionnaire results, the data from questionnaires were analysed using Multivariate analysis (MANOV A). Findings of the primary and secondary teachers were compared, as were the private and public school teachers. In addition, post-hoc Scheffe tests (p = .05) on the univariate F-ratios were performed to determine if there were significant differences between the groups. Findings from the focus group interviews showed that the most significant influences on Thai teachers' use of English in their classes included the low proficiency level of teachers and students, teachers' language anxiety and students' objectives for studying English. The results from the questionnaires were slightly different from the focus group interviews. They indicated that exams, the curriculum focus on grammar, the low proficiency of both teachers and students, and pre-service teacher training were the major reasons for "target language avoidance". There were significant differences between the private and public school teachers. There were also significant differences in the responses of primary and secondary teachers. All teachers suggested a variety of ways they could be encouraged to use more English. Finally, this study offers suggestions for further research concerning teachers' beliefs regarding classroom language use.

This thesis investigates the digital English literacy practices of Thai student-teachers in order to examine the pedagogical potential of these digitally mediated practices as they cycle through a network of linked social spaces inside and outside of the classroom. Thailand has been facing issues with English language education similar to those in other ASEAN member states. English language proficiency in Thailand is low and ineffective educational reform and traditional approaches to teaching have prevented the development of English language education and teacher education. However, Thailand’s high number of mobile internet subscriptions and high social media penetration suggests that there is great potential to explore learners’ out-of-class digital English literacy practices and the way they may contribute to our understanding of how digital media might be more effectively used in informal language learning contexts. The thesis takes a Mediated Discourse Analysis approach to studying student-teachers’ digitally mediated English literacy practices. A Nexus Analysis was carried out at a provincial teacher training academy in the center of Thailand in order to explore how student-teachers’ digitally-mediated social and literacy practices cycle through and co-exist with other practices in a network of social spaces. These practices and discourses were then traced to see how discourse and action at the microinterpersonal level are linked to wider socio-political and cultural relationships between various interest groups in English language education in Thai society. This thesis shows that the out-of-class digital English literacy practices of Thai student-teachers create affordances for their in-class learning practices as well as a way to mediate their anticipatory discourses regarding their future professional practices as English teachers. However, the pedagogical potential of these digital literacy practices are not effectively utilized due to the static nature of the Thai educational system, the strict social hierarchies it entails, and, the ambivalence between the ways digitally mediated English literacy practices are embedded in student-teachers’ individual historical bodies and the current dominant Discourses on English language education and the use of digital technology as a means to enhance language learning and literacy development in Thailand. Despite the limited utilization of this pedagogical potential, these findings do provide a better understanding of how digital English literacy practices, which are not directly observable, co-exist alongside other literacy and professional practices in a complex network of social spaces. These insights can help learners, teachers, and, administrators in the field of English language teacher education in Thailand and beyond develop the current learning and teaching practices and their application in future professional practices.

English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education. English has been taught as a foreign language for over a century, and plays an important role at all levels of the Thai education system. At higher education levels, English skills are essential components of every pre-service teacher's professional education. In order to maximise opportunities for future teachers to develop their English skills, the teaching and learning of these skills has blended with the utilisation of ICT in many developed and developing countries. The research and the experiences of practitioners suggest that this new educational environment can benefit learning outcomes. This portfolio aimed to support the uptake and improvement of ICT and English in Thailand by exploring English as Foreign Language educational strategies for the Rajabhat Universities in particular and other universities' EFL strategies for pre-service teachers' professional education. This portfolio investigated the role of EFL courses and developed a computer-supported EFL course as a new learning model for EFL curricula and practice. The context is the development of pre-service teachers' professional knowledge and skills in English in Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. To do this, the portfolio firstly examined the existing literature on the history and nature of Thai education, along with the nature and implementation of ICT. The historical and current context of EFL education and training for EFL pre-service teachers in ICT use are examined. A small-scale investigation explored the extent to which the computer-supported EFL training course supports English proficiency. This investigation aimed to identify potential impact on EFL learning of teaching strategies, students' language learning strategies, and attitudes towards learning through computers. Results from the multi-method approach showed that the computer-support EFL training course enhances English learning prepositions. If students with little or no prior experience in multimedia software are able to demonstrate significant improvement in language skills, then it could be expected that such an approach might be viewed as a viable alternative pedagogical approach. The workplace experiences and the engagement of students in such environment and the perspectives of EFL teachers and administrators all support the proposition that interactive multimedia activities which integrate language skills and multi-tasking result in increased motivation to learn and improve learning. This outcome highlights the possible contribution of ICT use in EFL classroom teaching and learning. Teaching and learning strategies and processes coupled with the findings from this portfolio will provide guidance for staff to integrate the ICT in EFL teaching and learning situations, but also to voice and serve the teachers and students' needs in the future development of ICT use in EFL education.

This research investigated the use of language in the texts of the promotional brochures created for the tourist industry. The selected printed materials for the study were used in advertising the five countries most severely affected by the Asian Tsunami in 2004 (Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives). The focus of the analysis was on the two sets of brochures of the five selected countries published by the UK’s leading travel agencies – Thomas Cook, Thomson and Kuoni before and after the disaster. The contrastive discourse analysis was applied in order to investigate the similarities and differences of linguistic features within the texts both between the two sets for each country as well as between the five selected countries. The overall results of the text analysis from the five selected countries have shown significant changes in language use. The investigation revealed that in the post-disaster set of brochures the number of destinations was broadened and their descriptions were made more vivid. The post-disaster texts represented more efforts in developing a wider range of tourism attractions and activities in order to expand the markets and increase the number as well as type of potential future tourists. The information derived from the questionnaire has revealed the potential tourists’ sensitivity to language used in promotional brochures. The results demonstrated that most respondents were aware of the change of language used before and after the Tsunami. The findings validated the hypothesis that the role of language within tourism advertising is as significant as the role of images. This has a major impact on individuals’ choosing their next holiday destination since many potential tourists still base their holiday decision-making on holiday brochures. The research has found that the role of language plays a significant role in tourism advertising representations and also has a major part as one of the marketing tools in tourism promotional strategy.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 122 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-97).

Tourism plays a. major role in the economy of Thailand and the service sector has been oriented to the provision of services for international tourists, many of whom are native or non-native speakers of English. The Royal Thai Police have a Tourist Police Division (TPD) whose officers assist tourists in various ways, and English is a dominant means of communication in this role. However, the English language competency of the officers is often insufficient for their task. Enhancing effective communication between Tourist Police (TP) officers and foreign tourists is, therefore, an important goal of the TPD. It has endeavoured to do this by implementing e-learning English courses for its personnel. This portfolio aims to examine these courses and the needs of the Tourist Police. Recommendations and suggestions are made about how an English training course should be designed to meet the TP's needs for professional development. The problems of English communication faced by the TP officers with foreign tourists are examined, including the e-learning English course used. Documentary inquiry and small scale investigations were conducted to accomplish this. The TP officers' English competency was examined to elicit their responses to English communication, whilst the perceptions of foreign tourists were also explored to obtain their views towards the officers' competency in English. The current e-learning English course the TP officers undergo as part of their professional development was examined in terms of pedagogy, interface design and course content. The findings revealed that the TP officers found speaking and listening skills to be the most problematic aspect of communicating with foreigners in English. The foreign tourists perceived the TP officers used English comprehensibly, even though some barriers in communication were found in terms of pronunciation, grammatical misuse, and inadequate vocabulary. The issues identified from the e-learning analysis include technology literacy and access limitations, the quality of the e-learning course, the pedagogy and learning style used, and some affective factors. Guidelines and recommendations were developed to guide future research and development as well as TP administrators and the course providers so that they might be better guided in the successful development of future English language e-learning courseware.

This study explores opinions of university Thai EFL students, who have been subject to a conventional teaching approach for years, on adding communicative tasks in grammarbased classes drawing from relevant literature and previous studies. The results of the study suggest that Thai students want to have communicative tasks in grammar learning, but only with formal instruction prior to the tasks. The study also shows how communicative tasks may be integrated into conventional language pedagogy from Thai students in the study's perspectives and relevant literature. As expected, the results indicated that Thai students were reluctant to complete tasks in English because of shyness, particularly when conversing with peers, a lack of competence in language skills, and fear over losing face. The interviews conducted with students revealed instructional techniques that they themselves believed would be beneficial in encouraging greater participation in tasks without inhibitions. Finally, the study concludes that Thai EFL students are ready to be trained in communicative tasks and that instruction in Thai EFL classes should shift from substantially form-based to more communication-based instruction.

The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of childbirth pain communicative behaviors among laboring Thai women, determine mode of pain communication, and determine relationships among behaviors and parturients, age, parity, education, and occupation. This study employed an exploratory description design. Direct structural observation was used to collect data. The study was conducted at a general hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, with 32 subjects participating. The "Observation Checklist of Laboring Women's Behavior" was used to record the subjects' behaviors. Descriptive statistics, the t test, and Pearson product moment correlation were used to analyze data. Data analysis indicated that the subjects of this study communicated pain via nonverbal channels and in a quiet manner. The range of nonverbal behaviors ranked from the greatest to the least frequent occurrences and included tactual, facial, lips, body movements, eyes, and respiratory behaviors. The range of verbal reports ranked from the greatest to the lowest frequencies and included reports of sensation, self evaluation of tolerance of pain, asking for information, requesting help and comfort, and asking for permission. Reports of pain were the most predominant of all the verbal reports. There were no statistically significant differences between behaviors and age, parity, education, and occupation. Pain behaviors were more prevalent among primiparae. Subjects who were younger or had fewer years of education ask for more information relating to the childbirth process compared with their counterparts. The younger subjects tended to communicate their pain via verbal mode; the older subjects tended to communicate their pain through nonverbal channels. Information derived from this study contributed to clinical practice, research, and theoretical knowledge of nursing. The information will help nurses understand about pain communication among the Thai women. Findings also will serve as empirical data for future investigations and can be used as a basis for childbirth pain assessment. The findings of this study are not generalizable because subjects were not randomly selected and the sample size was small. Recommendations for future study include the use of larger sample sizes, refinement of the checklist, and the use of multiple methods to collect the data.

English Ianguage has been taught as a foreign language in Thailand for more than a century and now occupies an important place at all levels of the Thai education system. This study investigates the influence that the Thai language has on intermediate level undergraduate sludents while they are engaged in individual unaided reading of a variety of English texts and determines what aspects of reading texts caused problems. It aims to compare how often and for what purposes students resort to Thai with texts about culturally familiar texts and culturally unfamiliar texts, as well with different genres and question types. The subjects are 20 second year teacher trainee students majoring in English al Udon Thani Rajabhat University. Student responses to the texts, retrospective interviews, and a questionnaire were used as quantitative and qualitative dota. For qantitative data, the SPSS program was used to analyse the frequency of using the first language, the relationship between scores, texts and question types, as well as that between strategies, scores, question types und problems. The use of content analysis witn qualitalive data from responses to tasks and the interviews produced the means whereby student strategies and problems could be categorised and findings in the qualitative data extended.

This longitudinal qualitative study concerns the investigation of the impact of a professional development (PD) programme conducted at an English department in Thailand. The PD programme was carried out as a series of nine in-service workshops with five non-native English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in the English Department. The workshops aimed to provide these teachers with theoretical and practical understanding of performance-based language assessment with a focus on the rating process. In the investigation of the impact of the PD on these teachers, individual and focus group interviews were used as the research methods. From the analysis of the data, guided by Grounded Theory, the findings show that the PD programme had a positive impact on the teachers who participated in the workshops. These teachers have become aware of their rating styles, established their own consistent rating styles, become confident when rating students’ performances, become critical to the assessment practices, realised roles of teachers in assessment, and recognised possibilities of changes in assessment. In other words, they have become more self-consistent when rating their students’ performances and they have become more critical to the assessment being used in the department. The insights gained from this research pose the implications for professional development, indigenous rating criteria and collaborative action research.

This study seeks to investigate the problems of English language education in Thailand by exploring Thai EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions at the upper secondary level. Nowadays, English language education is increasingly important in Thailand in a number of domains including professional advancement, expansion of the tourist industry, and high social status. Moreover, English is expected to be an official language among ASEAN countries. Therefore, the Thai government is trying to improve English language proficiency among Thai people. However, the problem is that, on national and international English language examinations, Thai learners have very low scores despite studying English for twelve years in primary and secondary schools. Through the literature review, the importance of exploring teachers and students’ perceptions was identified as crucial to an investigation of this phenomenon, together with an attempt to identify problems of English language education at various educational levels both in the global and Thai contexts. Most previous research utilised a top-down approach to explore context-specific problems and policymakers normally design top-down educational policies; however, the current research has expressly applied a bottom-up approach to investigate the problems of English language education at the upper secondary level in Thailand. This research took a case study approach, comprising in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. Sixteen Thai EFL teachers had in-depth interviews whereas focus group interviews were used with 10 groups of Thai EFL students. Furthermore, to broaden the data and to gain a more detailed perspective of the issues emerging from the first interview round, second interviews were also conducted with each of the 16 teachers and with 10 individual students, each of whom was randomly selected from each focus group. The data in this study were analysed using thematic analysis. Briefly, the findings suggested that the key problematic issues having influence on many other problems were mostly related to low teacher salaries, the ineffective nature of education curriculum and policy, and the prevalence of the English language examination. However, there were also some mismatches between teachers and students’ perceptions toward the problems of English language education in that teachers primarily focused on macro and micro problems whereas micro problems were mainly mentioned by students. Interestingly, apart from the expected problems which were similar to those from literature review, some problems were reported as emergent problems, which are unique in the Thai context.

The purpose of this research project was to examine theories of learning, theories of teaching, and theories of listening comprehension with a view to developing and testing a computer-enhanced listening comprehension system for English as a Foreign Language within the Thai university system. In addition to carrying out an in-depth literature review, factors contributing to difficulties in the listening process were also carefully examined in order to build a sound foundation for dealing with listening comprehension. A brief history and analysis of Computer Assisted Language Learning were presented together with a review of some computer programs with the aim of determining their characteristics. An Individualized CELL Listening Comprehension Program was then developed on the basis of four theoretical frameworks: the Constructivist approach, the need to use authentic spoken passages, reduction of cognitive load and response to learner differences. The system was then used by twenty students of Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand for a period of fifteen weeks. Students were volunteers from different proficiency levels. SUT midterm and final examinations were employed, in part, to observe the effect of the program on proficiency levels. The SUT examinations, which were usually in a multiple-choice format, tested students on minor details through short, simple conversations. These tests might not fit entirely within best practice for listening but they seem to be a common way of measuring listening development in several educational contexts. Pretests and posttests examining global ideas and specific details in written and multiple-choice formats were then developed so as to provide a more accurate gauge of improvement in listening skills. Log files were kept in order to scrutinize in detail students� interactions with the system. Questionnaire and interview techniques were applied to seek out students� attitudes towards the program. The results revealed that the participants performed better than their peers in the same proficiency levels in SUT midterm and final examinations although the difference was not at a statistically significant level. However, posttest scores were better than those of pretest at a statistically significant level in most aspects except in case of the global ideas. The log files revealed that all students tended to focus on the word level by attempting to understand and decode every word in the transcriptions. This fixation is likely to explain the low global ideas scores. Analysis was complicated by the fact that some students were not able to use the program frequently enough, usually because of unexpectedly heavy schedules. However, the data extracted through questionnaires and interviews showed that most students demonstrated a positive attitude towards the various features of the program and felt that use of the program had improved their listening skills. In addition to findings relating to the development of listening comprehension, the study revealed that the majority of students felt that they did not think listening comprehension and, more generally the study of English, was sufficiently important to spend time on. This interesting but shocking discovery needs to be attended to immediately as it may have a strong effect on how Thai students prioritize their learning of English, and how this may impact on the levels of proficiency which they might subsequently attain.

There has been a transformation in family structure in Thailand due to the changes in economic and social structures over time. Though not recorded in census data the rise in single-parent families can be expected due to a rise in divorce rates, that have been recorded, over the past decades. However, the literature on single-parent families is limited and little is known about the experiences of single-mothers and children of singlemother families in Thailand. This study examines the factors that have major impacts on the well-being of children of single-parent families in Bangkok, Thailand. A qualitative methodology was employed to study the lived experiences from the point of views of 20 divorced single-mothers and 20 adult children from a different sample of divorced single-mother families in Bangkok, Thailand. Altogether 40 semistructured interviews were conducted in Bangkok, Thailand during June and July of 2010. Three theoretical frameworks, including family and household decision making theories, the life-course perspective, and the family composition perspective were applicable in this study to provide an understanding of how economic and social structures play an important role in the dissolution of marriages and how family composition plays an important role in the well-being of children. The findings of this study shed light on the lived experiences of participants and revealed the important factors that influence the well-being of children of single-mother families. The major factors include financial resources, parenting styles and discipline, and social supports. In addition, this study has implications for developing programs to assist and facilitate the well-being of single-parent families, strengthening the relationship within extended families, and eradicating the negative assumptions that are often associated with single-parent families.

This protocol-based case study research explored the general composing and thinking processes of five Thai EFL high school subjects who, while verbalizing their thoughts, composed in the first language (L1), Thai, and in the second language (L2), English. The composing sessions were audiotaped and videotaped; these tapes were then transcribed, translated, and coded for analysis, along with notes, drafts, and the written compositions.The L1/L2 protocol data yielded a number of interesting findings. Most subjects had a purpose in mind while composing their texts, but had little concern for the audience. Individually, each subject displayed a unitary composing style across languages, tending to compose in the Li and the L2 similarly, with minor variations. This suggests that composing knowledge and skills of the L1 were probably transferred to the composing in the L2.As a group, the subjects wrote the Li compositions in a similar manner, manifesting mental planning and reliance on internal resources, as they alternated among writing, repeating, and rehearsing. The L2 compositions gradually emerged with frequent repetitions and brief pauses, and the L2 composing processes seem to be constrained by the subjects' imperfect mastery of the L2.In addition, when they stumbled on L2 lexis, grammar, and mechanics, the subjects mainly employed the L1. Use of the L1 seemed to facilitate the subjects’ writing in the L2 a great deal. In both the L1 and the L2 compositions, the subjects tended to comment and repeat portions of texts in words, rehearse in phrases, and engage in other composing activities at the sentence level. The translated segments which occurred in the English protocols were at the phrase level.A tentative composing process model of these Thai EFL subjects is proposed; implications for EFL composition instruction and suggestions for further research are also provided.
Department of English

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of normal instruction supplemented by the computer-assisted instruction English program Grammar Game on achievement and attitude scores of vocational-technical students in Thailand. The experimental design was a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA design. One hundred seventy-eight students at the Lanna Polytechnical College in Thailand were randomly selected from the population of 10 classrooms. Four classes were intact groups, with two classes randomly assigned to the experimental groups which received Lecture/CAI and the other two as control groups which received Lecture. The 89 students in each group were divided into high- and low- ability, based on their previous English scores. Subjects received treatment for nine weeks. Pre-test and post-test instruments on achievement and attitude were administered to both groups. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS), and the General Linear Model (GLM) package computer program yielded the MANOVA results. Based on data analysis, the findings were as follows: (1) There was a significant difference between the students in a Lecture/CAI English program and the students in a Lecture English program when they were compared simultaneously on the achievement and attitude scores, F(l, 176) = 18.97, p < .05. (2) There was no significant interaction between the types of teaching methods and levels of ability when achievement was used as the dependent variable, F(l, 174) = .48, p > .05. (3) There was no significant interaction between the types of teaching methods and levels of ability when attitude was used as the dependent variable, F(l, 174) = .06, p > .05. The conclusion was that normal instruction supplemented by CAI improved achievement and attitude scores. On the other hand, the effect of two types of methods on achievement remained the same for high- and low-ability students and so did the effect of two types of methods on attitude. Future research should examine different CAI software packages, CAI within a full year, the effects of ability on achievement and attitude, background knowledge, more levels of independent variables, characteristics of an effective CAI program, and a case study with larger population in Thailand.

The purpose of this project was to develop computer-assisted instruction (CAI) software on the world wide web (WWW). This project was an interactive English learning environment for Thai adult students at the Warin Chumrab District Non-Formal Education Center, Thailand. This project software followed the recommendation of a recent study by the center of education technology (CET) indicating that the favorite types of CAI among Thai adult students were tutorial and drill and practice. In this project students chose to learn from two types of lessons, either a tutorial or a drill and practice. The lessons were made interesting by the use of music, animation, and Java applets. Internet tools, such as discussion boards, email, and related educational hyperlinks were easily accessible from within this project. The review group consisted of 20 Thai adult students. The review group responded to a web survey after they had used this project software. The surveyed students stated that the drill and practice exercises, the tutorial and the internet tools enhanced their learning of English.

A system-wide educational change has been implemented in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Thailand. One major aspect of the change was the requirement for all students from grade I onwards to study English as a second language (ESL). The change requires new methods of teaching and learning, such as cooperative learning, to be introduced in Thai ESL classrooms. This study aims to determine if cooperative learning improves English reading comprehension, and attitude and behaviour to learning ESL, compared to a Thai communicative methodology. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 involved creating a linear scale of English reading comprehension and, separately, a joint scale of attitude and behaviour. Phase 2 involved an experiment group taught by cooperative learning and a control group taught by a Thai communicative group method. Phase 3 involved the trainee teachers keeping journal records of their attitude and behaviour towards cooperative learning. Reading comprehension was measured in three aspects: understanding the main facts, sequencing the order of ideas, and understanding the meaning from pictures. Data from 300 Prathom (grade) 6 students were analysed with a Rasch computer program to create a linear scale with 28 items from an initial group of 60 items. The data were shown to be valid and reliable, and to support the model behind the reading comprehension questions. Attitude and behaviour towards the ESL classroom were measured on the same scale from two aspects: teaching and learning activities, and classroom interaction tasks. Data from 300 Prathom 6 students were analysed with a Rasch computer program to create a linear scale with 24 items from an initial group of 60 items. The data were shown to be valid and reliable, and to support the model behind the attitude and behaviour questionnaire. In phase 2 of the study, the experiment involved 96 students from three primary schools in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The students from each school were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught by using cooperati.ve• learning and the control group was taught by the Thai communicative method. Great care was taken to ensure that students were treated the same in all respects, except the method of learning, in both the experimental and control groups. Pretest and posttest measures were administered and significant differences tested using ANOV A (SPSS). The four main findings from the experiment (phase 2) were that: 1. Students improved their English reading comprehension under both the cooperative learning and Thai communicative group methods of teaching; 2. Students improved their English reading comprehension under the cooperative learning method significantly more than under the Thai communicative group method; 3. Students improved their attitude and behaviour towards learning English as a second language under both the cooperative learning and Thai communicative group methods of teaching; and 4. Students improved their attitude and behaviour towards learning English as a second language significantly more under the cooperative learning method than under the Thai communicative group method of teaching. In phase 3, the trainee teachers recommended implementation in teacher training of the results of this study in teaching cooperative learning methods in Thailand. The findings have implications for English teachers, administrators, teacher educators and for future research in Thailand.

The purpose of this study is to establish a theory-based process for the improvement of the English oral competency of Thai tourism industry students and determine how far practical needs superseded theoretical demands. It was done firstly, by examining an, blending genre and ESP theories in order to establish a genre-based ESP oral English teaching method, and secondly, identifying the specific features of the most common genres in the target language used by Thai tourist guides by means of genre analysis. Thirdly, the perceptions of the personnel managers of tour agencies and tourists towards the oral competency of Thai tour guides were explored before reaching the final stnge of developing and teaching the course for teaching English for tour guides in Rajabhat Universities.

xvi, 225 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
This study investigated the effectiveness of function-based academic and behavior intervention on behavior and reading improvement for five English language learners who exhibited escape-maintained problem behaviors and academic reading difficulties. The study sought to document the effect of a function-based approach on students with highly diverse cultural backgrounds in an international school in Thailand. The intervention emphasized (a) the functional behavior assessment (FBA) strategies to identify the function of the target behavior, (b) evidence-based effective reading instructional approaches, and (c) responsiveness to cultural perspectives of teachers and students. A combined single-subject research methodology documented a functional relationship between implementation of the function-based intervention and decreased problem behaviors. The findings revealed the potential to increase academic engagement and reading performance for the students by following a behavior support plan based on effective reading instruction and tasks modified to accommodate students' academic needs. The study emphasized cultural responsiveness of the intervention plan and implementation. Despite several limitations, this experimental research incorporated culture into behavior and academic support as well as into the research designs. In future application, cultural responsiveness among professionals will be a key element to ensure that future intervention support will meaningfully change the lives of students and will be sustained over time.
Adviser: Robert Homer

Since the Thailand economic crisis in 1997 there has been a sense of urgency expressed in many areas of the society that businesses must modernize their practices and focus more on international trade and communication. Two important components of the changes required are better use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and better use of the English language for business communication. In the education arena this has translated into the need to provide graduates with better skills in the use of English and computers. These two skill areas come together naturally in the study of Business English. In Thailand Rajabhat Institutes have a major responsibility for the training of business professionals and for the improvement of local communities. Therefore research is required to determine how best Thai Rajabhat may improve the provision of Business English to better service the needs of employing organizations and the local community. This study set out to conduct research to address this area of concern.

This research examines the efficacy, if any, of the Music and Visual Arts (MVA) program in improving the English vocabulary development of first grade Thai students. The researcher developed the Vocabulary Recognition Assessment (VRA) as a measure of English vocabulary development. It employs the accuracy and rapidity method of word recognition as a measurement of English language development in Thai children. Forty first grade Thai students in a Bangkok elementary school participated in the study. Participants were divided equally between an experimental group and a control group. During a nine-week period, students in the experimental group were instructed with the MVA strategy, while students in the control group were taught with the Visual Arts (VA) strategy. Paired sample t-test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA were used to analyze data from the VRA, to compare the pre-test and the post-test in terms of accuracy scores and rapidity scores of the control group and the experimental group. Data revealed that students instructed with the MVA strategy improved their English vocabulary development in terms of accuracy of word recognition significantly more than students taught English using the VA strategy. No significant difference was found between the MVA strategy and the VA strategy in terms of rapidity of word recognition. The MVA strategy could be a useful strategy for Thai early childhood teachers to use in helping Thai children learn English vocabulary.

The need to understand which factors most strongly affect performance in first-year mathematics programs at Khon Kaen University (KKU), in North Eastern Thailand, provided the main focus of the study which is described. First-year mathematics students in the 1990-1991 academic year, from four KKU faculty groups (Medicine and Nursing, Agriculture, Science and Education, and Engineering) were involved in this study. Research literatures addressing variables which were likely to influence performance in early tertiary mathematical study, and variables associated with difficulties in learning mathematics at the transition from upper secondary school to tertiary studies, were reviewed. The first major aim of the study was to identify the variables which were good predictors of first-year mathematics performance at KKU. Results from stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that the following predictor variables were statistically significant and entered the regression equations for most Faculty groups: School Mathematics Achievement, Self-Esteem, Study Habits in Mathematics, and Faculty of Study. Other predictor variables that sometimes entered regression equations (depending on the Faculty group) were Socio-Economic-Status, Mathematics Language Competence, Mathematics Confidence, Attitude Towards Mathematics, and Gender. Depending on Faculty group, the statistically significant variables accounted for between 11% and 74% of scores on fist-year KKU mathematics examinations. The predictor variables contributed much more to the variance of scores on first-semester mathematics examinations than to the variance of scores on second-semester mathematics examinations. It was also found that scores on the Direct Entry Examination Mathematics test (administered by KKU) and the School Mathematics Achievement test (developed and administered by the author) had stronger correlations with first-year KKU mathematics performance than did scores on the National Entry Examination Mathematics tests (administered by the Thai Ministry of University Affairs). Scores on the three pre-university mathematics achievement test instruments were better predictors of first-semester mathematics performance than of second-semester mathematics performance. It was found that the mean Mathematics Confidence of male students was statistically significantly higher than that of female students, but there were no statistically significant gender differences in Mathematics Misplaced Confidence. Only about 30% of the main sample ( 30% of the male and 30% of the female sample groups) had appropriate confidence in mathematics, that is, they thought their answers were correct when they were, in fact, correct, and they thought they were wrong when they were, in fact, incorrect. So far as Faculty performance differences were concerned, Engineering students had the highest Mathematics Confidence scores, followed by the Medicine and Nursing group of students and the Science and Education group students. Agriculture students had the lowest mean Mathematics Confidence score. No statistically significant differences occurred in Mathematics Misplaced Confidence between different Faculty groups. The second main aim of the study was to investigate why many first-year students experienced difficulties in coping with their mathematics units. A small group of senior secondary mathematics teachers, university mathematics lecturers, and first-year mathematics students were interviewed during the first semester of the 1990-1991 academic year. Interviews were conducted by the author according to a questionnaire format, and were aimed at identifying factors causing difficulty in the transition from senior secondary to university mathematical study. The analysis of the quantitative data together with the interview data indicated that the major sources of difficulty were associated with: (a) students' mathematical abilities; (b) curriculum content; (c) course organisation; (d) students' study habits; (e) instructional styles; and (f) assessment procedures. The results of the investigation are discussed in the light of the relevant literature and related research. The study concludes with recommendations which are addressed to mathematics teachers and education administrators in senior secondary schools in Thailand, to the Thai Ministry of Education, and to the KKU Department of Mathematics.