The Development of a Booklet on English for Small Hotels and Backpackers in an ELF Context: Focusing on Cross-Cultural Awareness in Ayutthaya

Abstract

Background and Objectives: A certain number of past research studies on the development of English learning materials for tourism (such as handbooks, textbooks, or video media) typically focused on functional English used in general situations. However, the development of books specifically tailored (booklets) to the context of small hotels and backpackers within the framework of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has received limited attention. Furthermore, this specific group of tourists possesses unique cultural backgrounds and behaviors distinct from conventional tourists, necessitating a thorough understanding and awareness to inform textbook content. Therefore, this research aims to: 1) develop a booklet on English for small hotels and backpackers in an ELF context, focusing on cross-cultural awareness in Ayutthaya, and 2) examine the personnel's opinions toward the developed booklet.
Methods: The research and development (R&D) methodology was applied by employing the first three stages (ADD) of the ADDIE model: 1) Analysis, which investigated tourist behaviors as well as the problems and needs of the personnel; 2) Design, which involved structuring and planning the book's content; and 3) Development, which produced the booklet focusing on real-world situations, functional English, and cross-cultural awareness explanations. The research instruments included observation forms (field notes), semi-structured interview guidelines, and the developed booklet. Data were collected from 32 key informants and 15 observees, and subsequently analyzed using content analysis.
Results: The findings from the analysis phase revealed that the majority of backpackers were ELF users with distinct group behaviors, notably a concern about being deceived and a preference for budget-conscious spending. Meanwhile, small hotel personnel lacked understanding of certain cultural differences but expressed a need to use English in their operations for simple, comprehensible communication, as well as a need for language specific to certain topics. Regarding the developed booklet, it comprises 7 main chapters, covering from greetings to leave-taking. The functional English content was developed alongside cross-cultural awareness grounded in actual tourist behavior. For the opinion study, the hotel personnel expressed positive opinions toward the booklet, placing a particular emphasis on content related to safety and small talk.
Application of this study: The insights gained from this study can serve as a useful guideline for the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), as well as for developers of English instructional materials, handbooks, and textbooks for hotel operations. However, utilizing these research findings to produce a book for widespread publication must be carefully considered, because the language used in the booklet in this research is within the context of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF).
Conclusions: This research represents an initial phase of research and development for a booklet on backpackers' cultural awareness within an ELF framework, yielding valuable insights. Nevertheless, to achieve a fully comprehensive textbook, further investigation and development in other relevant dimensions remain necessary in the future.