Language Institute

English articles represent one of the most challenging areas of second language acquisition for learners whose L1 lacks articles. The two studies presented here examine the developmental sequence of acquisition, the first through a cross-sectional analysis of Thai learners at different levels of overall English proficiency, the second through a longitudinal experiment in which learners were exposed to semantically-tailored tokens of article use, but without any explicit or meta-linguistic instruction. It is argued that the data do not show evidence of abrupt parameter resetting. Instead, the developmental patterns fit well with probabilistic models of acquisition.

English articles represent one of the most challenging areas of second language acquisition for learners whose L1 lacks articles. The two studies presented here examine the developmental sequence of acquisition, the first through a cross-sectional analysis of Thai learners at different levels of overall English proficiency, the second through a longitudinal experiment in which learners were exposed to semantically-tailored tokens of article use, but without any explicit or meta-linguistic instruction. It is argued that the data do not show evidence of abrupt parameter resetting.

Using the pragmatic approach to code-switching studies, this paper presents a case study of how a group of Thai multilingual teenagers employ code-switching to organise their discourse while gaming. Auer’s method of sequential analysis was used to reveal the ways participants used code-switching to negotiate the language for interaction and to organise conversational tasks. Participants were found to have used both participant-related and discourse-related code-switching in their interactions with one another. Analysis of these instances of code-switching suggests that code-switching is used as an additional resource by multilingual teenagers to achieve particular conversation goals in interaction, and that multilingualism is a linguistic and interactive resource that is unique to those that are able to communicate in more than one language.

This study surveys problems with English language teaching and learning and the professional development (PD) needs of high-school teachers in three provinces of three Secondary Educational Service Areas in Thailand. Both closed-and open-ended questionnaires were employed. The data was analyzed by frequency distribution and percentage; the problems and PD needs are herein presented from highest to lowest ranking. The study’s results may possibly be generalized so that local organizations and institutions of higher education can provide appropriate assistance and improve the English teaching situation in Thailand in general.

The Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI) is a 62 item self-reporting questionnaire that has been used to assess communication strategy (CS) use across a number of different countries. The present study uses an adapted Thai translation of the OCSI to gather quantitative data regarding CS use from 104 first year undergraduate students at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Additional data was gathered regarding the oral fluency and general English proficiency of the participants in order to identify which CSs are commonly used by Thai students and examine the relationship between strategy use and proficiency levels. The results of the study showed that message reduction and alteration and negotiation for meaning whilst listening were, respectively, the most frequently reported speaking and listening strategies. Additionally, significant differences occurred the OCSI responses of high and low proficiency groups, with high proficiency learners reporting significantly higher use of social-affective, fluency-oriented, negotiation for meaning whilst speaking and circumlocution and low proficiency learners reporting significantly higher use of message abandonment and less active listener strategies. The differences in the reported strategy use of the two groups suggests that further research into the effects of strategy training for low proficiency learners would be beneficial.

This paper examined the comparative effects of Reading-While-Listening practice (RWL) and a proposed practice of Listening before Reading while Listening (LBRWL), both of which practices were inspired by the principles of extensive listening. Participants were 138 Thai Grade 8th students, from a school in the north of Bangkok, Thailand, divided into 3 groups, with 2 experimental groups (RWL and LBRWL groups) and a positive control group (high language proficiency group) as the top baseline. Two vocabulary tests and two listening tests (each of which had specific and general tests) were administered in three stages over 16 weeks (1 school term); before, after, and 10 weeks after the experiments. The results showed that participants, in both experimental groups, using 12 graded reader books with audio CDs, were found to gain in all four tests. The all delayed posttests indicated the language retentions. When compared among the three groups, the participants in LBRWL outperformed the R...

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) deals with different types of load available in human working memory and how to manipulate instructional designs so that working memory can be available for learning. Designing relevant instructional materials based on CLT can help promote students’ language learning based on research studies in language education when intrinsic cognitive load is hold stable, extraneous cognitive load is low, and germane cognitive load is high. Major areas of instructional designs which pose great challenges on language education include split-attention, modality effect, worked example and completion problem effect, and redundancy effect. Suggestions based on research studies in vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, and listening-speaking are explored so that capacity in working memory can be enhanced, suitable for language learning.
[Thammasat Review 2014, Vol.16, No.2, pp.93-108]

This paper aims to investigate and implement various uses of technologies in language education in the 21st century. Research explored in this paper show that there are a wide variety of technology to choose from, either offline or online media. Teachers and students who are digital immigrants can benefit from integrating technology in their learning and teaching. If only these teachers and students understood the importance of and practiced Network-based language teaching and e- learning skills.
[Thammasat University Journal 2012, Vol.31, No.1, pp.26-54]

This paper examines similarities and differences between Thai and English consonants. It determines areas of difficulty when Thai students try to pronounce English consonantal sounds. It is found that some English sounds that do not occur in Thai phonology tend to pose great difficulty these sounds include /g/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, and /dʒ/. Sounds that exist in Thai but can occur in different syllable positions in English also tend to be difficult to pronounce; examples include /f/ and /s/. In attempting to tackle the problem of sounds nonexistent in Thai, Thai students are likely to substitute Thai sounds for English sounds. An additional problem is the interchangeability of /l/ and /ɾ/ in Thai, erroneously transferred to English. To alleviate the problem sounds for Thai learners of English, this paper recommends that teachers follow listening and speaking pedagogy for pronunciation in terms of recognition, discrimination and production.

This paper aims to examine similarities and dffirences between Thai and English consonants. It determines areas of dfficulties when Thai students try to pronounce English consonantal sounds. It is found that English sounds which do not occur in the Thai phonology tend to pose great difficulty for Thai students to utter. Those sounds include /g/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, and /dʒ/. Sounds which exist in Thai but can occur in different environment, i.e. syllable position, are also prone to be difficult to pronounce. Such examples are /f/ and /s/. To tackle the problem of sounds nonexistent in Thai, Thai students are likely to substitute Thai sounds for the English sounds. In addition, the phenomenon where /l/ and /ɾ/ are used interchangeably in Thai tends to be transferred in pronouncing /l/ and /ɹ/ in English with great challenges.