English Instruction Difficulties Perceived by Teachers in English as Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms at the University Level in Thailand
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Abstract
Although English Language Teaching (ELT) development has been in progress for decades, a very low level of Thai English language competency in the previous year reflects the quality of ELT in Thailand and several problems with teaching have been constantly reported. This study inductively investigates instructional difficulties relating to teaching materials, classroom management, teachers, and students experienced by Thai EFL teachers in classroom practice. The samples obtained from purposive sampling included 112 teachers in the top 50 universities in Thailand. A set of questionnaires validated by three experts (α 0.94) were used to collect quantitative data, followed by conducting interviews provided by six volunteer teachers to obtain qualitative data. Descriptive statistics, along with qualitative data, were used for data analysis. The quantitative results found that the most considerable difficulties perceived by Thai EFL teachers were the difficulties relating to students with low English proficiency ( = 3.80, SD = 1.12); classroom management, using mother language (L1) in class, organizing language activities (
= 3.43, SD = 1.16); the difficulties relating to teachers, dealing with difficulties stimulating students to learn, structuring suitable lessons, and monitoring student performances (
= 2.37, SD = 1.12); and teaching materials (
= 2.14, SD = 1.00), respectively. Additionally, the qualitative results were consistent with the quantitative results. As for development for classroom practice, professional development and teacher training regarding instructional techniques, strategies, and classroom management were highlighted.
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