Revitalizing English Education in a Post-Pandemic Learning Recession in a Private Religious School in Yala Province, Thailand: A Case Study
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on the learning outcomes of rural students in Thailand, leading educators to explore innovative ways to restore their learning conditions. To address the issue, teachers are adapting to the changing learning behaviors of students who spend excessive time on internet entertainment during online classes. In this study, we investigated the teaching method of an English teacher in a private religious school in Yala province who had switched to podcasts to improve the listening skills of students after instruction had returned to normal in the classroom. By examining the teacher's instructional practices, we aimed to understand the impact of utilizing podcasts as a digital tool, while also exploring students' perceptions of the teaching and learning management associated with podcast-based learning. The research used a mixed-method approach including observation, pre-test and post-test assessments, student satisfaction evaluation, and focus group discussion to answer the research objectives. Our analysis was based on data collected during the second semester (December 2022-January 2023) from 31 high school students in Mathayom 5 (Grade 11) of a private religious school in rural Yala Province, using mean, standard deviation, and t-test dependent samples. It was found that the teacher used a modern digital tool- a podcast to improve her students’ listening skills. However, the teacher's teaching style resulted in passive responses from classroom participants, with students becoming defensive. However, the study found that the difference in the scores of pre-and post-test achievements was found to be t = 18.32, which was statistically significant at the .05 level. Nevertheless, the qualitative data analysis indicates that the seriousness of the teacher in teaching led to a significant improvement in English listening skills after learning. Students who learned through podcast learning activities expressed high levels of satisfaction with the teacher’s podcast learning management (= 4.34, S.D. = 0.76). The study concludes that using podcasts can help reverse learning declines and stimulate student interest, but teachers should encourage student involvement and discussion of critical and constructive opinions.
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