Thai Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Filipino ESL/EFL Lecturers’ Intercultural Communicative Practices in Science Teacher Education

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Published: Jul 19, 2023
Keywords:
intercultural communicative competence (ICC) native-English speakers (NES) non-native English speakers (NNES) Filipino ESL/EFL lecturers science education

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Singhanat Nomnian
Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, Thailand
Analiza Liezl Perez-Amurao
Humanities and Language Division, Mahidol University, International College, Thailand
Akhyar Rido
Faculty of Arts and Education Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia
Francisco A. Magno
Department of Political Science and Development Studies, De La Salle University, Philippines

Abstract

There has been an increasingly dominant presence of Filipino ESL/EFL lecturers in Thai higher education; yet, few studies explore the intercultural communicative practices between these Filipino lecturers and pre-service teachers in science teacher education. This study examined Thai pre-service science teachers’ perceptions of their Filipino lecturers. The theoretical framework of this study consists of intercultural communicative competence (ICC), tensions between native and non-native English speakers (NES-NNES), and Thai students’ perceptions of English and its varieties. Using a qualitative research paradigm, this study employed focus-group interviews with 15 pre-service teachers from biology, math, and general science majors at a Rajabhat University in Thailand. The findings suggest three key issues: 1) Filipino lecturers’ teaching styles and methods, 2) classroom communication, and 3) their English accent. The implications of this study promote not only the integration of cross-cultural exchanges and translanguaging practices into classroom interactions between NES/NNES lecturers and Thai learners but also awareness of World Englishes and Global Englishes to envisage multicultural/lingual realities in social and professional contexts. This study sheds new light on the pragmatic benefits of enhancing Thai learners’ intercultural communicative competence as part of ESL/EFL pedagogy in Thai higher education.

Article Details

How to Cite
Nomnian, S., Perez-Amurao, A. L., Rido, A., & Magno, F. A. (2023). Thai Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Filipino ESL/EFL Lecturers’ Intercultural Communicative Practices in Science Teacher Education. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 16(2), 533–547. Retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/article/view/266970
Issue
Vol. 16 No. 2 (2023): LEARN Journal (July-December)
Section
Research Articles
Author Biographies

Singhanat Nomnian, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, Thailand

An associate professor and a chair of a PhD Program in Language and Intercultural Communication. Following his EdD in TESOL and Applied Linguistics from the University of Leicester in the UK, he was awarded Endeavour Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Australian Government to conduct research at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia. His research interests include second/foreign language education, teacher professional development, intercultural communication, and sociolinguistics. He is the President of Thailand TESOL (2021-2023). He is the head and principal investigator of this research project.

Analiza Liezl Perez-Amurao, Humanities and Language Division, Mahidol University, International College, Thailand

An assistant professor and a chair of the Humanities and Language Division of Mahidol University International College, Thailand. She currently carries out research and publication projects in applied linguistics and linguistic anthropology, among others, having received the 2020 Bonifacio P. Sibayan Distinguished Professorial Chair in Applied Linguistics awarded by the Linguistic Society of the Philippines in recognition of her PhD work in the said fields. She has been invited and currently serves as a member of the Regional Advisory Committee for SOAS GLOCAL, University of London.

Akhyar Rido, Faculty of Arts and Education Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia

An associate professor of applied linguistics in the English Department, Faculty of Arts and Education, Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia. He was a visiting scholar at Mahidol University International College, Thailand (2022) and a visiting researcher at the Research Centre for Education, the National Research and Innovation Agency, Republic of Indonesia (2022-2023). His research has focused on classroom interaction and second language learning.

Francisco A. Magno, Department of Political Science and Development Studies, De La Salle University, Philippines

A professor of Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University. He has been a Visiting Professor at Hiroshima University and Waseda University and a Visiting Researcher at Osaka University, Florida State University, and the University of Reading. He finished his PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research interests include governance, public policy, and sustainable development.

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