Teacher and Learner Views on Effective English Teaching in the Thai Context: The Case of Engineering Students

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the characteristics of effective English teachers and students as perceived by 35 teachers and 613 students, as well as according to the surveys regarding the English-teaching problems in Thailand. The instruments included two questionnaires on the characteristics of effective teachers and students as perceived by teachers and students, based on five categories: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and creditability, organization and preparation. The questionnaire responses were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively.The quantitative data revealed that for the teachers the most important attribute was organization and preparation attributes such as teaching preparation and the use of effective teaching methodology. The qualitative data revealed that the rapport items were important, especially that the teacher should be patient, not insult the students, and give clear advice. However, the students gave more weight to such rapport items as, for example, the teacher having a positive attitude toward to the students and being helpful, generous and caring about them. The qualitative data also revealed that well-prepared lessons and providing fun activities were mostly required for effective teachers. English teaching problems involve four aspects: teachers, learners, English learning content, and other factors. Discussion and the recommendations of the study are included.

The Effect of Project-Based Learning on L2 Spoken Performance of Undergraduate Students in English for Business Class

“…Additionally, the finding of this study echoes the study conducted by Mamakouc & Grigoriadou (2010) which found that the use of ICT-based project can be an effective method to improve students ICT skills. Moreover, the finding of this study is in line with the study conducted by Meksophawannagul (2015) in Thailand, where the use of PBL can improve engineering students' language skills as well as critical thinking and collaborative skills (Bas, 2008). The students' L2 spoken performance considerably increased after learning through PBL since in this study, the students are required to understand instruction, recognize relevant information in written and oral text, writing script or narratives to prepare for assignments, presentation, and project (Dooly & Masats, 2010).…”

“…The attainment of the project can be seen in the following figure: Extensive studies have been conducted to explore and confirm the benefits of integrating PBL to ESP and EFL contexts in the last decade. Some studies were done quantitatively (Mamakou & Grigoriadou, 2010;Meksophawannagul, 2015;Affandi & Sukyadi, 2016;Alsamani & Daif-Allah, 2016) and some were done qualitatively (Foss et al, 2008;Dooly & Masats, 2010;Nikitina, 2010;Khanh, 2015). For examples, Mamakou & Grigoriadou (2010) employed an E-project-based approach in ESP learning in Greece.…”

“…The present study adapted the model established by Dooly & Masats (2011) since it gives clear and tangible learning procedure for the attainment of ESP objectives. Since numerous studies (Mamakou & Grigoriadou, 2010;Meksophawannagul, 2015;Affandi & Sukyadi, 2016) did not entirely concern the aspect of L2 oral performance, the present study attempts to explore the effect of PBL on the aspects of speaking such as accent, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.…”

What Makes an Effective English Language Teacher? The Life Histories of 13 Mexican University Students

“…(Adapted from Brosh, 1996: 133) Since Brosh's study, the vast majority of work on students' perceptions of effective teaching have employed quantitative methodologies (Al-Mahrooqi, Denman, Al-Siyabi, & Al-Maamari, 2015; Alimorad & Tajgozari, 2016;Arikan, Taşer, & Saraç-Süser, 2008;Babai Shishavan & Sadeghi, 2009;Barnes & Lock, 2013;Brown, 2009;Çelik, Arikan, & Caner, 2013;Chen, Y-J, Lin, 2009;Han, 2017;Kourieos & Evripidou, 2013;Meksophawannagul, 2015;Park & Lee, 2006). The findings of these studies demonstrate several similarities, both to each other and to early studies like Brosh (1996).…”

“…Moreover, it was interesting to note that 'knowledge and credibility' were not mentioned anywhere near as often as in the previously cited quantitative studies. In other words, when students were asked specifically if they thought language knowledge was important, they generally answered that it was (as in, for example, Al-Mahrooqi et al, 2015;Han, 2017;Meksophawannagul, 2015). However, when they were simply asked to describe an effective teacher in their own words, language knowledge was not mentioned as frequently.…”