EFL Oral Communication Teaching Practices: A Close Look at University Teachers and A2 Students’ Perspectives in Thailand and a Critical Eye from Serbia

Abstract

This paper aimed to reexamine current EFL oral communication teaching practices from the perspectives of teachers and A2 students at two universities, namely Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Thailand and University of Novi Sad (UNS), Serbia. The main objectives were: (1) to analyze current practices from the perspectives of teachers and students, (2) to identify real problems encountered by teachers and students attempting to embrace Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to improve oral English communication, and (3) propose practical solutions for classroom practices to improve the majority of students' oral proficiency from the elementary level.The findings were that oral English communication classes at PSU continue to embrace CLT and that the majority of Thai A2 students were frequently engaged in group activities rather than in individual and teacher-centered tasks. There was reliance on unrealistic, scripted role plays. Unlike the Serbian students, Thai students apparently needed to acquire more independent skills, become less passive learners, and interact more spontaneously in the target language. Other problems at PSU included mixed ability classes. Recommendations are placement tests, choices of more advanced elective courses, rigorous enforcement of upper enrollment limit, a balance between group and individual communicative tasks, and replacement of scripted with non-scripted role plays.

Investigating the Problems of Teaching Oral English Communication Skills in an EFL context at the Tertiary Level

“…Though developing EFL learners' oral English communication skills is a complex phenomenon in an EFL context, most of the studies that have been conducted focused on the problems EFL learners face at different levels of education to develop learners' oral skills in different global EFL contexts (Afshar & Asakereh, 2016;Alam, 2013;Alyan, 2013;Khudhair, 2019;Polishchuk, 2018;Tsang, 2017;Yanagi & Baker, 2016). A limited number of studies investigated the problems EFL teachers face at the tertiary level in different global EFL contexts (Abda, 2017;Bruner, Sinwongsuwat, & Radić-Bojanić, 2015;Chen & Goh, 2011;Demir, 2017;García, 2012;Nuraini, 2016) and in Bangladeshi context (Chowdhury & Shaila, 2013).…”

“…Besides, García (2012), in his qualitative study, reported that lack of learners' oral practice environment, oral activities, and time constraint challenged Mexican EFL teachers to teach and develop learners' oral competency at higher education. In the Serbian and Thai context, except for large class size and learners' passiveness, learners' mixed ability was also reported as a problem for EFL teachers for teaching oral skills at the tertiary level (Bruner, Sinwongsuwat, & Radić-Bojanić, 2015). Along with these problems as mentioned above, Turkish EFL teachers faced other problems like learners' attitudes, teachers' lack of pedagogical knowledge, lack of technological support, and problems regarding curriculum and assessment procedures (Demir, 2017).…”

“…To develop EFL learners' oral English communication skills, both teachers and learners face several problems in an EFL context. In the global EFL context, a considerable number of studies have investigated the problems EFL learners face at different levels of education to develop learners' oral skills (Afshar & Asakereh, 2016;Alam, 2013;Alyan, 2013;Khudhair, 2019;Polishchuk, 2018;Tsang, 2017;Yanagi & Baker, 2016) whereas few studies were investigated from EFL teachers' perspectives (Abda, 2017;Bruner et al, 2015;Chen & Goh, 2011a;Demir, 2017;García, 2012;Nuraini, 2016). In Bangladesh, though learners have to take at least one English course from primary to the tertiary educational level, their performance is not up to the mark (Rahman et al, 2015).…”

How Tiered English Instruction Affects Reading Comprehension of Thai Students in Mixed-Ability EFL Classrooms

“…In most classrooms, especially at the basic education level, teachers are often challenged by the diversity of the students in the class-abilities, preferences, learning styles, and motivation, to name a few (Apairach & Vibulphol, 2015;Bruner et al, 2015;Kuehn, 2020;Phairee et al, 2008;Vibulphol, 2016). The 'standardized' teacher-centered instructional approach may not support the students in such classrooms effectively (Loima & Vibulphol, 2014Suthipiyapathra et al, 2019;Vibulphol, 2016).…”

Efficacy of Task-Based Learning in a Chinese EFL Classroom: A Case Study

“…Therefore, many universities provide courses aimed to help learners to communicate fluently in diverse contexts. However, in-class oral activities as employed in a Chinese EFL classroom like scripted role-play and prepared oral presentations are apparently counterproductive in the context of genuine, authentic use of the target language (Bruner, Sinwongsuwat, & Radić-Bojanić, 2015).…”