Cultural Impediments to Teaching English Communication: A Case Study at Christian University of Thailand

Abstract

          This study aimed to identify the inhibiting cultural factors in Thai students learning English, and to recommend improvements to the system of teaching English to them. The participants in this study were two hundred undergraduate students of Christian University of Thailand, and ten teachers in the English Department. They were asked to complete the questionnaires concerning English teaching and learning activities. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to obtain the data. Findings on the cultural impediments to teaching English indicated that there were six major inhibiting cultural factors in Thai students learning English language, which were embarrassment, pronunciation, teaching methods, class discussion/interaction, individual presentations, and oral reading. Discussion on the cultural barriers was subsequently presented. As the case study applied to Christian University of Thailand, the initial recommendations referred specifically to that institution. These included the adoption of entertaining and interactive teaching aids; an extension of the focus on speaking and listening; targeting students who are specifically motivated to learn English; and the incorporation of grammar with other language learning skills.