The Benefits of the Proprioceptive Method Used in Learning English via Facebook by Thai Government Officials

Abstract

Good listening and pronunciation skills lead to successes in foreign language learning. The main purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of adopting the Proprioceptive Method in learning English by Thai local government officials with the help of Facebook. A seventeen-day training course was implemented, comprising two days of face-to-face training, fourteen days of online training via Facebook, and one day of course wrap-ups and evaluation. The crucial training instruments used in the study was online conversations, a minimal-pair listening test, a satisfaction survey and a Facebook chat room for participants’ written comments. The statistical results showed that after the training, the trainees’ ability to segment English consonant sounds that were problematic for Thais significantly increased. It is inferred that the Proprioceptive Method tended to be effective for training English via Facebook. However, looking closely to the participants’ perceptions of the sounds in each pair, the rise was statistically significant in certain pairs, but not all. Additionally, the result from a satisfaction survey demonstrated that the training method was perceived to be at the highest level of satisfaction. Nonetheless, participants’ written comments indicate advantages and disadvantages of the training.