The current study aims to investigate (1) common cohesive devices used in the writing development of Thai undergraduate students majoring in English, (2) the frequency of cohesive devices used in the writing of Thai undergraduate students majoring in English, and (3) the relationship between the number and types of cohesive devices and the quality of the writing as rated by writing experts. Thirty junior students majoring in English contributed thirty academic essays as sample texts in the study, with a total number of 16,856 words. Halliday & Hasan’s (1976) taxonomy of cohesion was used as an analytical framework of cohesive devices, while a writing assessment rubric developed by Hogue & Oshima (2007) was used to determine students’ writing quality. His findings revealed four types of cohesive devices frequently used by Thai undergraduate students including reiteration, reference, conjunction, and ellipsis. A one-way ANOVA revealed significant difference numbers of cohesive devices used in the students’ writing. In addition, students’ writing scores positively correlated with the total number of words used in the writing task, the total number of cohesive devices used, and the number of references.

The objective of the current study was to investigate undergraduate students’ motivation in learning three East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), with intended effort used as a measure of motivation, based on Dörnyei’s L2MSS theory (2005) and five other predictors. The study’s participants were 95 undergraduate students, recruited by convenient random sampling on a voluntary basis, eight of whom volunteered to participate in interviews. Descriptive data and Pearson correlations were used to identify language learning motivations and the relationship between predictors and the intended effort, while a qualitative content analysis was used to support quantitative findings. The results revealed that the participants showed high levels of motivation in learning East Asian languages. A strong linear relationship was found between L2 learning experience, with all languages studied, and the ideal L2 self component. Moreover, the factor of intended effort had a positive relationship with instrumentality-promotion (r = .651, p = .000), international posture (r = .275, p = .003), and cultural/community interest (r = .426, p = .000) in Chinese learners, cultural/community interest (r = .433, p = .015) in Japanese learners, and international posture (r = .446, p = .015) in Korean learners. Nonetheless, instrumentality-prevention and intended effort were negatively related in Japanese learners (r = -.420, p = .019). The study recommends a comprehensive study be undertaken to investigate the role of L2 learning experience and its importance in L2 learning.

Question type and format in reading tasks are essential characteristics that have been proven to affect students' performance. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of questions used in the IELTS reading comprehension tasks, including (1) question types and (2) question formats. The researchers collected 240 reading question items from six test modules in Barron's IELTS Preparation Test, authored by Lougheed (2016). The categorization criteria for different question types were adapted from Nuttall's (2005) taxonomy of questions. Question formats were categorized based on common question formats (Lougheed, 2013; Hughes, 2003). Data were analyzed using frequency and percentage. The findings revealed three common question types in the reading sections of IELTS preparation tests, including questions of literal comprehension (43.8%), questions of reinterpretation (43.3%), and questions of inference (12.9%). Five question formats were commonly used in the reading tests, including multiple-choice (33.3%), identifying information (28%), completion (25%), matching (11.7%), and short answer (2%). In addition, the study revealed four main patterns of question arrangement in the reading test as supplementary findings. This study discussed the characteristics of IELTS question items and patterns of question arrangement to contribute towards a more accurate interpretation of reading tasks and a prospective design for reading practice for EFL students.

This study adopted mixed method research to investigate motivating factors of Thai undergraduate students who took foreign language courses at a Thai university in the Greater Bangkok area, using Dörnyei’s (2009) L2MSS as a study framework. One hundred and seventy-three undergraduate students completed a questionnaire, 25 of whom agreed to participate in the semi-structured interview session. Quantitative data were analyzed utilizing frequency, mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA, while interview data were content analyzed. The findings revealed different motivating sources for the students who had taken or were taking foreign language courses. English and Korean students reported the Ought-to L2 Self as their primary source of motivation, while French, Chinese, and Japanese students reported the Past L2 Learning Experience. The study suggested that teachers provide an adequate and supportive learning experience to foreign language students, leading to higher motivation and engagement in foreign language classrooms.

Abstract-The current study aims to investigate types of corrective feedback used in two classroom settings (i.e. EFL and international school classrooms) and to compare the frequency of corrective feedback types used in the two classrooms. The participants of this study were 31 students from two classrooms (6 international and 25 in EFL classrooms) and their respective teachers; one in each classroom. Data was collected through four classroom observations and one semi-structure interview conducted with the teacher from each classroom. The findings revealed that all six types of feedback were provided by the teachers in the two classrooms. A comparison of the frequency of the use of corrective feedback in two different classrooms revealed that recast was the most frequently used type of feedback in the EFL classroom while metalinguistic clues were used the most in the international school classroom. Data from the interviews suggested that teachers from both classrooms provided the feedback to students without awareness of how the feedback types should be used appropriately for different foci of the content. This study recommends the need for teacher training on corrective feedback so that the teachers will be able to analyze, select, and provide appropriate feedback types to learners. Index Terms-corrective feedback, English language classroom, EFL, immersion program