Understanding Class Engagement Patterns among Thai Undergraduate EFL Students: Insights for Enhanced Learning Support
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
To better understand how Thai undergraduate students engage with an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class, this research explores English class engagement patterns among Thai undergraduate EFL students to provide insights for optimal learning support. The study employed a mixed-methods approach with 47 purposively selected participants enrolled in an English course during the 2023 academic year. Quantitative data were collected using the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) at midterm and at the end of the semester, measuring behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of engagement. Findings indicated overall positive engagement trends, with improvements observed across behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions throughout the semester. Qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews further shed light on factors influencing engagement, highlighting the impact of interactive teaching methods, classroom environment, and personal motivation. The study identified issues such as language barriers and instructional clarity and offers practical recommendations for enhancing student engagement in English language education settings.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
-
Authors must agree to the journal publication rules and allow the editors to edit the manuscripts for publication.
-
Author’s right belongs to the author but Journal of Southern Technology holds the right of first publication and thus allow readers to use the article for the purpose of education but not commercial.
References
Appleton, J. J., Christenson, S. L., & Furlong, M. J. (2006). Student engagement with school: Critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. Psychology in the Schools, 43(5), 387-402.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Brophy, J. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Brusilovsky, P., & Millán, E. (2007). User models for adaptive hypermedia and adaptive educational systems. In The Adaptive Web (pp. 3-53). Springer.
Carini, R. M., Kuh, G. D., & Klein, S. P. (2006). Student engagement and student learning: Testing the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 47(1), 1-32.
Chi, M. T. H. (2009). Active-constructive-interactive: A conceptual framework for differentiating learning activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1(1), 73-105.
Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2021). Teaching and Researching Motivation (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Eccles, J. S., & Jacobs, J. E. (1986). Social forces shape math attitudes and performance. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 11(2), 367-380.
Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and Contemporary Issues. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109.
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., & Jordt, H. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Guthrie, J. T., McRae, A., & Klauda, S. L. (2007). Contributions of concept-oriented reading instruction to knowledge about interventions for motivations in reading. Educational Psychologist, 42(4), 237-250.
Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., & Perencevich, K. C. (2004). Scaffolding for motivation and engagement in reading. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 155-175). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 111-127.
Jiang, A. L., & Zhang, L. J. (2021). University teachers' teaching style and their students' agentic engagement in EFL learning in China: A self-determination theory and achievement goal theory integrated perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 704269.
Jitsaeng, K., Chansanam, W., Kanyacome, S., Detthamrong, U., & Li, C. (2024). Factors influencing social media platform engagement among Thai students: A quantitative study. Emerging Science Journal, 8(2), 539-556.
Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), 758-773.
Kramsch, C. (2009). The Multilingual Subject. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., Clément, R., & Vallerand, R. J. (2003). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational Orientations and self-determined Motivation. Language Learning, 53(1), 33-64.
Pan, L., Ye, Y., & Li, X. (2024). Factors affecting Thai EFL students’ behavioral intentions toward mobile-assisted language learning. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1333771.
Paramesthi, M., & Suwartono, T. (2023). Challenges and strategies of English language teaching within the Freedom-to-Learn curriculum in Indonesia. Proceedings Series on Social Sciences & Humanities, 12, 502–509.
Pianta, R. C. (2016). Classroom processes and teacher-student interaction: Integrations with a developmental psychopathology perspective. In D. Cicchetti (Ed.), Developmental psychopathology: Risk, resilience, and Intervention (3rd ed.), pp. 770–814. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Sawyer, B. E. (2004). Primary-grade teachers' attitudes and beliefs about classroom management. Classroom Management in Early Childhood Education (pp. 171-194). Routledge.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860.
Schunk, D. H. (2008). Learning Theories: an Educational Perspective (5th ed.). Pearson.
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2001). Focus on form through collaborative dialogue: Exploring task effects. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: second language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 99–118). Longman.
Thongsongsee, J. (2022). Exploring EFL teachers’ roles and practices in promoting student engagement. THAITESOL Journal, 35(2), 36-62.
Tran, L. K. H. (2022). EFL Vietnamese student engagement in face-to-face learning environment. European Journal of Education Studies, 9(12), 382-397.
Trowler, P. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/student_engagement_literature_review_0.pdf
Venski, A. M., & Surono. (2024). An analysis of classroom interaction patterns applied by a Thai English teacher in an English for young learners’ classroom at Suansanti School in Bangkok. Professional Journal of English Education, 7(2), 372-383.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). Academic Press.
