Thai Students and Teachers' Perceptions of Learning and Teaching English through the Communicative Language Teaching Approach

Abstract

This study is designed to explore Thai students and teachers’ perceptions of English learning and teaching through the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach in Loei Primary Educational Service Area Office 2, and to compare the students and teachers’ perceptions of English language learning and teaching through the CLT approach. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. The researcher used a quantitative questionnaire survey to explore 295 students and 20 teachers’ perceptions of English language learning and teaching through the CLT approach. Semi-structured interviews with 10 students and 5 teachers to elicit their views on English learning and teaching through the CLT approach were also conducted. The results indicated that the students and teachers supported the CLT principles and displayed characteristics of the CLT approach through their reported perceptions. However, the results showed that the students and teachers in the context of this study had misunderstandings regarding the use of the CLT approach in class communication. Implications which could be used as strategies for exploring the students and teachers’ perception of the CLT approach are suggested.