Evaluations of series of the qq-Watson, qq-Dixon, and qq-Whipple type

Using $q$-series identities and series rearrangement, we establish several extensions of $q$-Watson formulas with two extra integer parameters. Then they and Sears' transformation formula are utilized to derive some generalizations of $q$-Dixon formulas and $q$-Whipple formulas with two extra integer parameters. As special cases of these results, many interesting evaluations of series of $q$-Watson,$q$-Dixon, and $q$-Whipple type are displayed

Generalizations of Ramanujan's reciprocity formula and the Askey-Wilson integral

By using two known transformation formulas for basic hypergeometric series, we establish a direct extension of Bailey's $_6\psi_6$-series identity. Subsequently, it and Milne's identity are employed to drive multi-variable generalizations of Ramanujan's reciprocity formula. Then we utilize also Milne's identity to deduce a multi-variable generalization of the Askey-Wilson integral

An Action Agenda for Educational Leaders in Response to Marketing Orientation of Higher Education Institutions in Thailand

The objectives of this research are: 1) to identify the major challenges in higher education (HE); 2) to explore the application of marketing-oriented activities in HE; 3) to ascertain the perception and attitudes of educational leaders towards marketing orientation (MO) in higher education institutions (HEIs), Thailand; and 4) to propose an action agenda regarding MO for educational leaders of HEIs, Thailand. Qualitative research methods, i.e. the content analysis and semi-structured interview were employed. One hundred eighty books related to HE were chosen for content analysis. Assumption University, Ramkhamhaeng University, King Mongkut‘s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, and Chulalongkorn University were selected as the sample universities representing private, open, autonomous, and public universities respectively. Four presidents or vice presidents from the above universities were interviewed by employing semistructured interviews. The major findings are 1) the influences of MO and external drives have changed the context in which HEIs exist and therefore it calls for a strong and visionary leadership which can apply strategic long-term planning based on a business platform. 2) The practice of MO in HE showed a) HEIs were committed to create a good image in order to attract perspective students; b) HEIs focused on increasing the satisfaction of their niche markets; c) in order to design excellent programs, reforms in curriculum were conducted to satisfy the practical demand-driven context; d) self-accountable entrepreneurial and academic activities were employed to enlist financial support. 3) The leaders of HEIs, Thailand were aware of the importance of applying marketing techniques and strategies in HE; nevertheless, such techniques and strategies were only applied at a superficial level and certain areas, rather than at a strategic and holistic level. 4) Therefore, the action agenda proposed calls for a strategic perspective towards the application of MO by employing a holistic approach in HEIs, Thailand, which covers the levels of 1) Government 2) The public 3) The industry 4) The university and 5) Leadership. The significance of the study is the action agenda can be referred by all the stakeholders of HE in order to effectively respond to MO

Wisdom Approach to English Language Teaching

 This article attempts to propose an approach called a ‘Wisdom Approach’ for English Language Teaching (ELT). The main argument put forward is that a ‘Wisdom Approach’ reflects not only the communicative and instrumental role that language plays but more importantly the wider social and educational role that language plays in our life and education. It concludes by outlining the principles of the Wisdom Approach

Developing Thai EFL Learners’ Email Literacy in Business Communication Course at Tertiary Level, Thailand

The study followed a pre-test-instruction-post-test design to examine the effectiveness of teaching business emails to a group of 111 Thai students who enrolled a Business Communication course conducted in a business program for undergraduates, Thailand. The research aimed to find out 1) the development of students’ business email writing after the explicit instructions and 2) in what aspect(s) students’ business email writing will improve. A Total of 222 email scripts collected before and after the 12-week explicit instructions was analyzed quantitatively by paired t-tests. The findings showed that the students had significant gains in each evaluation aspect of the email writing task in the post-test after the explicit instructions. The students improved greatly in terms of the Content, Organization, as well as Framing moves, as demonstrated by the greater use of concrete subject headings, correct greeting and closing constructions, complete self-identifications on the post-test than on the pre-test. On the other hand, students made only modest progress in terms of Business Writing Style, more specifically, students were more aware of using more polite and professional business writing tones in the task. However, there was little progress in terms of students’ Language Proficiency in general according to the paired score difference in both tests. These findings are discussed with implications for classroom practices and future research

Developing Chinese Textbooks to Match Thai Learners’ Identity in Higher Education, Thailand

This paper aims to develop Chinese textbooks targeting Thai learners by assessing the overall effectiveness of the Chinese textbooks used in the international programs in higher education institutions, Thailand, as well as by analyzing Thai learners’ perceptions toward the textbooks. The three Chinese textbooks being used were analyzed in terms of the amount of grammar, the level of difficulty of grammar, topics, vocabulary and cultural knowledge. One hundred and sixty-nine college students participated in the study to express their attitudes towards the textbooks. The results showed that although the Chinese textbooks target beginners, there was a lack of content consistency. Moreover, there were significant mismatches between the textbooks and the Thai learners’ needs and wants in terms of text topics, cultural knowledge, and real-life application. The researchers, therefore, would liketo propose that Chinese textbooks in Thai market should adopt a learner-centered approach to satisfy Thai learners’ identity