The Perceptions and Experiences of English Teachers regarding Large EFL Classes

Abstract

Large class sizes tend to be a standard feature nowadays of most ESL/EFL classes at the secondary and tertiary education levels in many countries, including Thailand. Chulalongkorn University Language Institute (CULI) too is affected by this phenomenon. To investigate (1) English teachers’ perceptions of the optimal class size as well as the advantages and disadvantages of teaching large EFL classes and (2) English teachers’ experience teaching large EFL classes, a set of questionnaires was distributed to 70 full-time Thai teachers who teach English courses offered by the institute for both undergraduate and graduate students. Moreover, ten of these instructors were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews to obtain more in-depth information. The data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed and discussed.