Browsing by Subject "English"
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ItemA comparative study of attitudes toward transition from the Singapore National Curriculum in primary level to the UK Cambridge International Curriculum in secondary level held by secondary years 1 to 4 students in English, mathematics and science subjects at an international school in Greater Bangkok, Thailand(Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2022) Wachiravit Karuensatit ; Gonzalez, Orlando Rafael GonzalezThis quantitative study was conducted to compare, among different secondary year levels, the attitudes toward the transition from the Singapore National Curriculum at the primary level to the UK Cambridge International Curriculum in the secondary level held by Secondary Years 1 to 4 students in three academic subjects (i.e., English, Mathematics and Science) at an international school in Greater Bangkok, Thailand. This study was conducted on 102 students in Secondary Years 1 to 4 in the academic year 2019-2020. The target school follows the Singapore Ministry of Education’s national curriculum at nursery, kindergarten, and primary school levels, while the school follows the UK Cambridge International Curriculum at the secondary level. A questionnaire entitled the Questionnaire for Attitudes Toward Transition from the Singapore National Curriculum in Primary Level to the UK Cambridge International Curriculum in Secondary Level was developed for the data collection. The questionnaire comprised three 15-item sections (one for each subject), coded on a 6-point Likert scale, designed to assess students’ attitude toward the curricular transition in relation to six dimensions; timetable, classwork, homework, assessment, teachers, and textbooks. The data analysis found that the participants’ attitudes toward the curricular transition in English, Mathematics, and Science ranged from slightly negative to positive. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that, in the English subject, there was a significant difference between students’ attitudes toward the curricular transition along with all year levels. There was a significant difference in the Mathematics subject between students’ attitudes toward the curricular transition among Secondary Year 1 and Year 2 students and Secondary Year 2 and Years 3 and 4 students. In the Science subject, there was a significant difference between students’ attitudes toward the curricular transition among Secondary Year 1 and Years 3 and 4 students, and Secondary Year 2 and Years 3 and 4 students. Based on the research findings, recommendations for students, parents, teachers, administrators, and future researchers.
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ItemA comparative study of Grade 5 students' word stress competence under multisensory and listen and repeat teaching approaches in English as a foreign language class at a public school in Bangkok, ThailandThis study aimed to determine the level of word stress competence of Grade 5 English as a foreign language students taught through multisensory. To listen and repeat teaching approaches and determine whether there was a significant difference in the gain in word stress competence from the pre-test to the post-test among students taught in English as a foreign language class at a public school in Bangkok, Thailand. The research was a quasi-experimental study conducted on two groups. The experimental group (Class 5/2) used the multisensory teaching approach. The other group was the control group (Class 5/1), using the listen and repeat teaching approach in the 2019 academic year. The research instrument utilized was the pre-post test of word stress competence developed by the researcher. The scores were analyzed using standard deviations and an independent samples t-test (two-tailed). The study’s findings revealed a significant difference in the gain in word stress competence from the pre-test to the post-test between students in the experimental and control groups. Students taught through the multisensory approach achieved higher than those taught through listening and repeat.
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ItemDevelopment of a vocabulary instruction model for content and language integrated learning for English language learners in Bangkok(Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 2014) Robert McBain ; Nathara MhunpiewThis paper presents a research project on content vocabulary instruction with a focus on the development of a model to improve vocabulary learning in a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) environment. The model was based on Cronbach's (1942) and Stahl and Fairbanks' (1986) theories of vocabulary learning, and culminating in a productive stage of specific vocabulary. The model also relates to the analysis of classroom discourse which highlights the importance of a student-centred learning approach, where emphasis is placed on encouraging students to progress more at their own pace and in their own time rather than the circumstances set by the teacher (in light of concerns over the amount of and frequent use of content vocabulary) while studying major theories in content-area studies.
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ItemThe effects of self-directed learning on the English reading comprehension ability of MBA studentsIn this study, self-directed learning (SDL) refers to practices for English reading comprehension ability of individual students outside of a classroom for 7 consecutive weeks. The objectives were to investigate the effect of SDL on English reading comprehension ability and its effect size; and to explore how SDL improves English reading comprehension ability of the 33 MBA students of Dhurakij Pundit University in Bangkok, Thailand. This research project took the form of an embedded mixed methods design with a variant of the embedded experimental model. Quantitative data were collected by the reading part of TOEIC, and qualitative data by a Learning Summary and Evaluation Sheet, and by the teacher’s reflections. The dependent samples t-test reveals that, on average, the English reading comprehension ability of the subject students before the SDL (M = 12.30, SD = 2.76), and that after the SDL project (M = 13.33, SD = 3.30) is significantly different (p = 0.02). This means that, on average, the English reading comprehension ability of the students in the post-test significantly increases from the pre-test. The effect size is 0.34, which means that its magnitude is “small”. SDL improves reading ability in terms of “increasing awareness of reading strategy use” (51.52%), “developing learning responsibility and effort” (21.21%), “providing freedom to learn” (21.21%), and “building self-confidence to read” (6.06%). Implications and applications are discussed, and recommendations are provided.
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ItemA study of reading genres and questions in Thai and English textbooks for O-NET examinationsReading is one of English skills that students have to learn since in primary school until university. However, the result of the national examination in Thailand for English subjects seems unsatisfied, which reading part occupies the largest portion. This study aims to find out the differences and similarities in reading sections of English textbooks and O-NET and GAT examinations in terms of genre and type of questions. Reading passages and questions were analyzed based on Derewianka's linguistic features of genres and Nuttall's taxonomy of questions. Text organization and linguistic features were shown in each text on the right and left respectively to identify the genres. The findings show the dominance of information report in the textbooks and examinations. Although literal comprehension questions are dominant in the textbook, reinterpretation questions also appear in the examinations. Therefore, materials writers should develop materials to help students improve their ability in reading a range of texts for their future education and functional roles in their lives.
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ItemA study of reading questions in high school English textbooks and national testsThe lack of English language proficiency of Thai students has been acknowledged for years, and this is reflected in the national test scores i.e. O-NET, GAT, and GET, all of which fall below 50%. The question of concurrence between testing and teaching was raised when the revision of national curriculum (B.E. 2551) was implemented in prototype schools in 2009. Reading comprehension skills, in particular, were given attention as it contributes to other skills and overall learning. The aim of this study is to seek the connection between reading questions in the tests and textbooks in Thai schools. For this purpose, Barrett’s taxonomy (Pearson, 2009) was adapted. The findings indicate that Inferential Comprehension is dominant in the tests, but Literal Comprehension is dominant in the textbooks. However, there is a partial agreement between the tests and textbooks in terms of high-order questions such as Inferential Comprehension, Evaluation, and Appreciation. The findings imply that the design of tests and textbooks should be reviewed to reflect the effectiveness of the curriculum and learning, which will possibly improve test scores in the national tests. Textbooks are the most reliable source of learning English for non-native English speakers. Therefore, they are widely used by schools. Nowadays, there are plenty of commercial English textbooks that are produced for English language education worldwide. However, it is generally agreed upon that learning a second language pedagogy is influenced by the socio-cultural frame of reference of the learners, and the objectives of learning vary from place to place according to curriculum design. Selecting a good textbook that suits the learning context and curriculum is challenging for schools. This study provides further information to people who are involved in the textbook selection of all levels of educational supervision.
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ItemA study of the relationship between use of bilingual strategies and academic performance of Assumption University's learners of FrenchThis study examines the relationship between students’ use of bilingual strategies and their academic performance in the Department of Business French of Assumption University (AU). A quantitative approach was adopted. The study includes a sample of 63 students learning French in AU. A questionnaire was elaborated to collect data about the frequency of use of bilingual strategies and the academic performance of students. Descriptive and correlational statistics, including a Pearson Product Moment computation of correlation, were used to interpret the data and measure the significance of the correlation between the two sets of variables. The results indicated that a high frequency of use of bilingual strategies is correlated with high academic performances. Some recommendations grounded in the results are proposed in conclusion.