Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemFocus on form in a Thai university English course( 2006)This thesis reports on an investigation about the application of new pedagogy to the teaching of English grammar to the first year English major students in a Rajabhat University in Bangkok, Thailand. This study sought to explore the effectiveness of an indirect explicit instruction approach on improving students' motivation and attitudes towards learning English grammar. This study was conducted in a normal grammar classroom of thirty three students for sixteen two-hour weekly sessions. Kemmis and McTaggart's (1988) action research cycle method was adopted, involving two cycles of teaching-learning activity. Each cycle was regulated into steps of developing a unit of work, implementing an instruction for six weekly two-hour sessions, observing and reflecting. The data obtained consisted of teacher/researcher's journal, students diaries and interviews and students' self-assessment questionnaires. The teacher's journal provided information about how students were responsive to the new teaching approach whereas students reflected on their new learning experiences in their diaries. Moreover, self-assessment questionnaires using a 5-point Likert scale were employed to obtain a clearer picture on students' attitudes, activities provided and their perceived improvement in learning English grammar. The results of this study reveal that indirect explicit grammar instruction had a great impact on students' motivation and attitudes. Effective learning atmosphere and cooperative learning led to significant changes of students' learning behaviours. Students showed their eagerness to participate in the learning process. They became more self-confident and expressed their willingness to take risks in learning in the language classroom. It could be argued that students' attitudes had improved and they, therefore, were motivated to learn English grammar. However, the students' grammatical knowledge had not significantly developed since the study was undertaken over a short period of time. The study proposes some factors that the teachers should carefully take into consideration in adapting indirect explicit approach to their teaching. Of greater significance were contributions made by the study regarding the advantages of developing own instructional materials that respond to the learners' needs over commercial materials and the value of employing action research to investigate problems arising from teaching practice. Finally, it is suggested that a longitudinal study is worth trying in order to establish the applicability of the indirect explicit approach in teaching English grammar in EFL contexts.
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ItemImplementation of recommended language teaching methods in Rajabhat primary schools : Thai teachers' perceptions of the new basic curriculum( 2008)This study is concerned with primary education reform at schools attached to Rajabhat Universities. A set of twelve language teaching approaches (methods) is suggested in the Thai Teacher Handbook for Foreign Language Teachers, as part of the reform in language teaching and learning at primary level. The approaches aim to develop the ability of language use for communication. Rajabhat schools are in the ideal position for the change implementation, due to schools' location on university campuses and administrative structures under the universities. The aim of the study was to probe the teachers' understanding and practice of the new approaches. Two research questions guided the study: 1 To what degree the teachers comprehend the suggested language teaching methods? 2 What are the teachers' perceptions of how they implement the suggested language teaching methods in classrooms? A mixed research method was employed to answer these questions. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The two data sets are brought together by comparing and contrasting the findings, providing triangulation to enrich result interpretation. Data analysis reveals that the teachers have incorporated the suggested language teaching approaches and methods into classroom activities. They are willing to learn how the suggested approaches could be transformed into activities. However, activities students engaged in appeared to emphasize coverage of linguistic elements of target language and analysis of grammatical relationships of the elements. The emphasis on linguistics, rather than development of the ability to relate language form for functional use, derives from unclear understanding of the proposed approaches. Study findings provide evidence that knowledge and skill development for the usage of the methodological concepts of the suggested approaches could lead to the sustained change in language teaching and learning.
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ItemThe impact of content-based instruction on the teaching of English to first-year students of a provincial secondary school in Thailand( 2008)English as an international language has been recognized as important to Thailand's economic development. Because of the persistent problems in English education in Thai school, particularly students' inadequate use of English to communicate orally and the need for a capacity to use English professionally and for higher education, significant reform of the learning/teaching process in schools is needed. Because of the gap between the theoretical teaching pedagogy and its applicability in real school contexts, many Thai teachers of English find it hard to adopt the CLT approach promoted. by the Ministry of Education. In addition, as the register of English taught in school is typically an everyday one, college students find it hard to de�l with their specialized academic English. It seems necessary that academic English be promoted at lower educational levels. Content-based instruction (CBI) is proposed as a form of teaching English communicatively and an opportunity for young Thai students to access to academic English. A science-based CBI course implemented for a group of highly motivated M l students at a provincial secondary school in Thailand enabled. the action researcher team to gain an understanding of CBI and its applicability in the research context. The course syllabus emphasized the use of the students' background knowledge in both science and English, and the science content helped the students to interact meaningfully. Consequently, the students' academic English oral skills improved as the analysis of the data gained from the research participants' reflections and the classroom discourse revealed, and as measured by the attitudinal questionnaire and the interview test. It is recommended that an action research process be initiated to help Thai teachers overcome the challenges of implementing a science-based CBI course, and that a science-based CBI course be distinctively recognized and promoted by the Ministry of Education as a means to advance learning/teaching English communicatively and therefore to boost its education reform policy.
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ItemThe effectiveness of Web-based language learning: a case study of web-based instruction for a foundation English course at one Rajabhat Institute in Thailand( 2005)This study investigates the impact of one instance of Web-based instruction on students' reading skills and their motivation for self-regulated learning. Due to the problem of mass teaching in the Foundation English subject, one Rajabhat Institute in Thailand was selected as the context of the study. Four Web-based lessons for this subject were developed based on a theory of L2 reading and Web-based instruction. Ten students were purposefully selected based on the information provided on a background questionnaire. Their learning behaviours while participating in the Web-based lessons were video recorded. Stimulated-recall interviews were employed in order to ask students to clarify their salient behaviours. A second questionnaire was used after students had finished studying in order to obtain information about their perceptions of the Web-based lessons. Grabe's (1991) notion of five component skills and knowledge areas in reading was used to analyse students' reading processes. The major findings of this study are that students' linguistic competence and background knowledge appear to play a significant role in L2 reading comprehension. However, in the context of Web-based reading, students' attention to studying within the learning supporting aspects of instructional design also has an impact on their understanding. In the observed process of self-study with Web-based instruction, students used metacognitive knowledge to monitor their comprehension and non-comprehension. This included awareness of using strategies to make sense of what they learned and deal with any problems of comprehension failure. These findings provide evidence that instructional design is the most important aspect in developing Web-based instruction. This study shows that a well-organised design with the features that support students' understanding and content that is relevant to their particular fields enhances both comprehension and motivation to learn. For students with a teacher-directed background, providing a similar kind of instructional support increases their confidence to be self-regulated learners. The significance of these findings in relation to the solution of the problem of mass teaching at the Rajabhat Institute in this study, is that Web-based instruction should be integrated with videoconference teaching. This integration not only facilitates students' understanding of the lesson content but also familiarises them with the on-line learning environment. Preparing students to be e-learners is one of the promising ways to promote lifelong learning, the main aim of educational reform in Thailand.
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ItemMeeting the needs of engineering students in an ESP EFL Thai university context( 2008)This study takes into account dissatisfaction with the English ability of Thai engineering students. Based on theoretical and practical perspectives, outcomes of ESP instruction could be improved if the students' communication needs and learning needs were seriously responded to, and needs analysis extended to curriculum development. Consideration led to three research questions: what are the students' communication needs and learning needs, as perceived by key stakeholders; how can the identified needs be built into a new curriculum; and how successfully were the needs incorporated, after the curriculum was implemented? The investigation was based on a course run for civil engineering students, giving importance to perspectives of all involved: employers, civil engineers, civil engineering lecturers, ex- and current civil engineering students, and ESP teachers. The stakeholders participated in different data collection procedures: individual interviews, class observations, collection of students' work samples, focus groups interviews, and evaluation of instructional materials. Five communicative events were recommended and incorporated into a new curriculum, considering related communication needs and learning needs: talking about everyday tasks and duties, reading textbooks, using technical terms in professional Thai conversations, reading manuals, and writing periodic/progress reports. The curriculum design was underpinned by the view that ‘curriculum’ was a process, which was shaped by its context and consisted of an interrelated set of other processes. The evaluation was carried out in two action research cycles while the course was underway. It was found that incorporating the needs was successful when the communication needs were also learning needs. The findings suggest that meeting learner needs may not always be successful initially, because many variables are sensitive and changeable, but problems can be overcome with flexibility and responsiveness. A significant contribution of this study can be as an example of how change for improvement can be made in an existing system in a way that does not arouse antagonism.