Enhancing Thai elementary students’ English and maintaining Thainess using localized materials: Two putative confronting forces

In Thailand, concerns over the imperative need to improve its citizens’ English proficiency and the unsatisfactory English learning outcomes have long been present. In addition, ongoing globalization has raised another concern that Thainess is being eroded due to external influences. This study attempted to compromise these two seemingly conflicting forces by enhancing Thai students’ global English and maintaining local Thainess associated with three regions of Thailand. First, a set of instructional innovations for elementary English education was constructed in each region. These were based on prominent characteristics of local Thainess elicited through a questionnaire completed by local community members and subsequently implemented in Grade 4 classes at three schools in each region of Thailand for ten weeks. Next, two separate sets of pretests-posttests corresponding to each instructional set were constructed and administered to assess their local Thainess and English knowledge. Finally, to ensure that the knowledge gained from the instruction was put into practical use, a tour guide simulation task was conducted by the students. The analysis of the test scores demonstrates that localized lessons were beneficial, enhancing their local Thainess knowledge and associated English vocabulary. The accomplishment of the task thus represented their knowledge of local Thainess and English, contributing to a sense of pride in their nation and a sense of achievement in their English proficiency and instruction

Using the flipped model to foster Thai learners’ second language collocation knowledge

In recent years, interest in flipped classrooms has gained popularity among numerous ELT scholars. This research, therefore, explored the effect of flipping a classroom on Thai learners’ English collocation knowledge, and compared this instructional design with traditional instruction. The study also examined the students’ attitudes towards the flipped model. The experimental research design comprised an experimental and a control group. The experimental group (N = 35) was exposed to the flipped instruction, in which learning contents were provided outside of class time through electronic means and class time was used for activities. In the control group, the students (N = 35) were taught by the traditional method, where lectures were mainly delivered during class and supplementary exercises were given outside of class time. Two types of collocations: lexical and grammatical were studied. Receptive and productive tests were developed to measure the impact of the two instructional methods on the students’ collocation competence. A questionnaire and an oral interview were also distributed to determine the experimental students’ perceptions towards the flipped model. The findings revealed that flipped instruction helped enhance the students’ collocation knowledge. Interestingly, in terms of the effects the results yielded no significant differences between the flipped and traditional approaches. Most flipped learners generally had a favourable perception of the flipped classroom. Taken together, the study offers insightful implications to the line of research on flipped classrooms in ELT contexts

Tour guide simulation: A task-based learning activity to enhance young Thai learners' english

Purpose - This study aimed to explore the effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) with a tour guide simulation as a focused activity on young Thai learners English speaking skill and their attitudes towards the instruction. Methodology - Based on a three-phase framework (i.e., pre-task, during-task, and post-task), TBLT was implemented with a Grade 4 class for a period of eleven weeks. Initially, a set of English lessons developed based on the context of local tourist attractions was implemented at the pre-task stage. In the second stage, a simulated tour guide task was used to assess their ability to turn the language input into a practical and authentic use of English speaking. Subsequently, corrective feedback on each student's performance was provided, and their attitudes towards the instruction were examined at the last stage. Findings - The students were able to satisfactorily complete the tour guide task in English, indicating the potential of the task as a device to strengthen their speaking skill. Moreover, they generally had a favorable attitude towards the instruction. Significance - These findings are significant for both schoolteachers and curriculum designers. In addition to confirming the effectiveness of TBLT, this study highlights the promising use of context specific-based lessons and class activities as an avenue for young learners to practice speaking English in a context relevant to them