Thai EFL teachers and learners’ beliefs and readiness for autonomous learning
The emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community has spurred countries in the region to relook their English language teaching approaches to ensure it is in line with regional and global changes. This has resulted in Asian countries seeking to modernise their teaching and learning of the language to...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2016
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10734/1/14927-44201-1-PB.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10734/ http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/872 |
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| Summary: | The emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community has spurred countries in the region to relook their English
language teaching approaches to ensure it is in line with regional and global changes. This has resulted in
Asian countries seeking to modernise their teaching and learning of the language to promote higher order
thinking skills and pave the way for better learner autonomy. This paper examines Thai teacher and learner
beliefs about autonomous learning within the Thai culture of learning to determine if both are ready for
autonomous learning. Using a qualitative approach employing interviews with teacher and students data was
created from 76 English language teachers and 116 lower secondary school students, subdivided into high
performing and low performing groups from 41 schools in Bangkok. The overall results indicate that both
teachers and students hold positive beliefs about autonomous learning. The findings further reveal that the
teachers supported communicative language learning while the students emphasised their needs for mental
support, that teachers from large schools have higher academic expectations than those from smaller schools,
and that lower performing students struggle for more academic and psychological support than their higher
performing peers. The exam system, students’ dependence on teachers, and a lack of understanding from
families and surrounding communities make it difficult for both teachers and students to achieve a high degree
of autonomy. The study sheds some light on the challenges facing policy makers, particularly the Ministry of
Education, with regard to what they can do to promote autonomy in the Thai school system. |
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