Browsing by Author "Gonzalez, Orlando"
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    A comparative study of motivation for and situational interest in learning Chinese as a foreign language among Thai upper elementary school students
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2022) Chen, Ting ; Gonzalez, Orlando
    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in motivation for and situational interest in learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) among Grades 4-6 students at an international school in Bangkok. Research design, data and methodology: In order to accomplish this purpose, a quantitative comparative research design was employed on 36 students from Grade 4, 31 students from Grade 5, and 32 students from Grade 6 enrolled in an international school in Bangkok, in the academic school year 2021- 2022. Motivation-related data were gathered through administering the Motivation for Learning Chinese Questionnaire (MLCQ), adapted from Gardner (2010), while the situational interest scale was measured using the Situational Interest Scale (SIS), adopted from Chen et al. (1999). Results: The overall level of motivation for learning in CFL of the participants, regardless of their grade, was partially high and was numerically very similar across grades, whereas the overall level of situational interest in learning CFL was moderate regardless of the grade, and numerically dropped in Grade 6. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in either motivation for or situational interest in learning CFL among Grade 4, Grade 5, and Grade 6 students at the target school. Conclusions: The results indicate that being enrolled in either Grade 4, 5 or 6 at the target school appears to have no statistical effect on the participants’ motivation for and situational interest in learning CFL.
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    A comparative study of Chinese teachers’ expectations of students’ development between selected public and international kindergartens
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2021) Cai, Yingting ; Gonzalez, Orlando
    This study was aimed at comparing Kindergarten 3 teachers’ expectations of students’ development between selected public and international kindergartens in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. Research design, data and methodology: Five public kindergartens and five international kindergartens were conveniently chosen for this study, and a total of 198 teachers (113 teachers from public and 85 teachers from international kindergartens) participated in it. Data were collected using the Teachers’ Expectations of Students’ Development Questionnaire (TESDQ), whose design was based on a questionnaire originally developed by Tremblay et al. in 2008. This research followed a comparative research design, and statistical analysis was performed using independent samples t-tests and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: Significant differences were found between the Kindergarten 3 teachers from the selected public kindergartens and those from the selected international kindergartens, favoring the latter group that was found to have significantly higher levels of teachers’ expectations of overall students’ development, as well as of teachers’ expectations of students’ sociocognitive development, students’ motor development, and students’ literacy and numeracy development. Conclusions: The results obtained by this study indicate that being working in a particular type of kindergarten in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China, appears to have a statistical effect on the Kindergarten 3 teachers’ expectations of students’ development.
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    A correlational-comparative study of burmese high school students’ motivation and academic achievement in English as a foreign language class
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2021) Mu, Bu ; Gonzalez, Orlando
    The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there was a significant relationship between motivation for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and English academic achievement, and a significant difference in motivation for learning EFL, in terms of motivational intensity, desire to learn English, and attitudes toward learning English, between Grades 10 and 11 students at Mungmyit Sinli IDPs High School, Kachin State, Myanmar. A total of 225 students participated in this study. Motivation-related data were gathered through administering a survey questionnaire adapted from the international version of Gardner’s (2010) Attitude/Motivation Test Battery, while the English students’ monthly test scores were considered to measure participants’ English academic achievement. From the statistical analysis of the collected data, it was found that there was no significant relationship between Grade 10 students’ motivational intensity and desire to learn for learning EFL with their English academic achievement, while their attitudes toward learning English were found to have a significantly weak relationship with their English academic achievement. On the other hand, the results revealed that there was no significant relationship between Grade 11 students’ motivational intensity, desire to learn English and attitudes toward learning English with their English academic achievement. Besides, it was also found that there was a significant difference in motivational intensity between Grade 10 and Grade 11 students, while no significant difference was found in their desire to learn English and attitudes toward learning English. Based on these findings, recommendations for teachers, students, school administrators and future researchers are provided.
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    The effect of computer-assisted phonics games on Thai Kindergarten students’ listening proficiency and English Phonics achievement
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2021) Rachanee Srimanothip ; Gonzalez, Orlando
    This study was aimed at comparing the Kindergarten 2 students’ listening proficiency and English Phonics achievement before and after using computer-assisted phonics games in English Phonics class at an international school in Bangkok during the academic year 2020-2021. This research followed a one group pre-test post-test pre-experimental research design. One conveniently chosen class of 13 Kindergarten 2 students participated in this 8-week study. An instructional intervention was implemented in English Phonics class two sessions per week and 40 minutes per session. Statistical data analysis indicated that the difference between participants’ listening proficiency before and after using computer-assisted phonics games in English Phonics class was significant, favoring the latter condition. Moreover, the participants’ listening proficiency improved from good before using computer-assisted phonics games, to excellent after using such games. It was also found that there was a significant difference in participants’ English Phonics achievement before and after using computer-assisted phonics games in English Phonics class, favoring the latter condition. Results from the data analysis also showed that Kindergarten 2 students’ English Phonics achievement improved from a recommendation for English Phonics class support before using computer-assisted phonics games, to an excellent achievement after using such games. Based on the research findings, recommendations for students, teachers, administrators, curriculum developers and future researchers are provided.
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    Grade 10 Indian students' academic performance and leisure interest in science under laboratory-based and textbook-based methods
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2022) Yadav, Poonam ; Gonzalez, Orlando
    Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in the gain in academic performance and leisure interest in Science between Grade 10 students learning under laboratory-based method and those learning under textbook-based method at St. Joseph High School, Barhalganj, India. Research design, data and methodology: The researchers implemented, during June 2022, a quasi-experimental research design, using two conveniently-chosen groups of Grade 10 students from the target school: a group of 35 students was taught using laboratory-based method, while a group of 37 students was taught using the textbook-based method. For the data collection, the Students’ Leisure Interest in Science Questionnaire and a Science academic performance test were both administered as pre-tests and post-tests. Results: There was no significant difference in the gain in either academic performance in Science or leisure interest in Science between Grade 10 students learning under laboratory-based and textbook-based methods; however, participants’ academic performance in Science was numerically higher for those learning through laboratory-based method. Conclusions: The results indicate that the teaching method under which Grade 10 Indian students from the target school were learning Science appears to have no significant effect on their gain in either academic performance or leisure interest in Science.