Private University In Thailand Research Articles

Thai EFL Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes towards Syntactic Structures in English Writing

This study investigates Thai EFL students’ attitudes of difficulty towards syntactic structures in English writing and their evaluation of frequencies in using syntactic structures in their writing. The framework of attitudes in this study follows Baker (1992) and Garrett (2010). The methodology of this study uses convenience sampling method. The participants in this study were 30 sophomores, majoring in English from a private university in Thailand. They were asked to fill in a questionnaire concerning syntactic structures in English writing. The instruments in this study were a questionnaire with a five-scale measurement. After the questionnaire was developed, it was validated by three experts. The three experts are PhD instructors in the field of English language and language assessment and evaluation from a renowned public university of Thailand. The descriptive statistical analysis via frequencies and percentages was used to calculate the data analysis. The results in this study show that the participants feel that dependent clauses are difficult for them to use, especially adverbial clauses, reduced adjective clauses and verbless adverbial clauses. Based upon their evaluation toward frequencies of syntactic structures, the participants frequently use existential there constructions and adjective clauses in their writing in English. It is highly expected that the results of this study will be useful for English language teachers to gain better understanding of Thai EFL university students toward their difficulties with syntactic structures in English writing. So, English teachers could bring the results of this study to provide improvement to their students.

LEVERAGING READ-ALOUD INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY (RAIS) FOR ENHANCING ENGLISH READING FLUENCY, ANXIETY, AND CONFIDENCE OF EFL CHINESE UNDERGRADUATES: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL MULTI-GROUP DESIGN

<p>The perennial challenge of reading fluency, notably profound among Asian EFL learners, stems largely from linguistic disparities, conventional teaching paradigms, and ingrained cognitive practices. This study critically investigates the challenges Chinese undergraduates face with English reading fluency, notably due to linguistic disparities and historically rooted teaching methodologies. Leveraging the Read-Aloud Instructional Strategy (RAIS), this quasi-experimental study sampled 73 students from a private university in Thailand. Baseline assessments depicted similar fluency levels across groups. Post-intervention, the instructor-centered approach demonstrated profound efficacy, with the mean fluency score soaring to 4.35, compared to the student-centered mean of 2.69 and the near-static comparison group at 2.04. Additionally, confidence metrics evinced a remarkable ascent to 3.46 for the instructor-led group, a notable rise to 2.19 for the student-centered cohort, juxtaposed against the comparison group's minimal shift to 1.71. Furthermore, the instructor-centered method substantially ameliorated reading anxiety (d=1.378) and showcased stronger, albeit weak to moderate, post-intervention correlations between fluency, confidence, and anxiety. This comprehensive study underscores the transformative potential of RAIS, particularly the instructor-centered paradigm, in concurrently augmenting reading fluency, confidence, and reducing anxiety among Chinese EFL undergraduates. The implications herein suggest the exigency of reassessing prevalent pedagogical methodologies in Asian EFL environments.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0051/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Comparing Individual and Collaborative Translation in Google Docs: An Investigation of Thai EFL Undergraduates Translation Skills

Existing research has indicated the benefits of synchronous collaboration through Google Docs in enhancing language skills and productivity among learners. However, there remains a lack of knowledge concerning synchronous collaborative translation within the context of English as in Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, particularly concerning its impact on the quality of students’ translations. This study aims to investigate the English translation skills of 20 English majors, aged between 18 and 23 years old, enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at a private university in Thailand. The investigation compares individual translation with synchronous collaborative translation in small-groups, conducted under time constraints, utilizing three distinct tests. Additionally, the study examines the prevalent language errors made by individuals and small-groups during the translation process. The findings of the study reveal significant disparities between individual translation and collaborative translation in small- groups across all three test variations employed. Notably, the results suggest that engaging in collaborative work within small-groups leads to higher translation accuracy when compared to individual efforts. Regarding the identified errors, this study highlights word choice, mechanics, articles, prepositions, and ellipses as the most frequently occurring mistakes in both individual and small-group translations. This research briefly discussed the implications of the identified errors of collaborative translation in EFL classrooms.

Impact of cultural differences on LINE app communication among Thai and Chinese employees

This research explored the impact of cultural differences using LINE application as a communication channel toward the components of employee engagement. This research added more contributions to using LINE application and employee engagement which found that both factors--job demands and employee support--are associated positively with the intensity of social media use. The survey data were gathered from 300 Thai lecturers and 300 Chinese lecturers from a private university in Thailand. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. The results from the regression analysis showed that the LINE app used for personal related internal communication has negative effects on vigor, dedication and absorption for the Thai respondents. As for the Chinese respondents, it has positive effects on vigor, dedication and absorption. This means that in the Chinese context the more they are engaged with their personal whereabouts the more active they are in the workplace.

Thai Menschenbild: A Study of Chinese, Thai, and International Students in a Private Thai University as measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

Thai Higher Education (Thai HE) is changing, due to international reform. This paper presents data collected in a longitudinal study carried out in Thailand during 2017–2018 using the US version of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and qualitative interviews. We offer a case study about the cultures and engagement of three groups of students found at an international private university in Thailand. The groups studied were international students, Chinese students in a mixed Thai/English curriculum and Thai students studying in Thai, all situated in a Thai HE institutional community. The (NSSE) was administered to 179 students: 89 in an International College, 54 Chinese students and 36 Thai students, as a control. Our results showed different attitudes toward studying, teachers, memorisation, participation, critical thinking, and empathy. This paper concludes with a discussion of how students in an international university in Thailand arrange themselves socially, and why this matters.

The Prevalence of COVID-19 Infection in Students and Staff at a Private University in Thailand by Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection Assay.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of all university courses which was followed directly by the implementation of online learning in Thailand. However, online learning was not suitable for all of Thailand. Rangsit University is a famous private university in Thailand and has been affected by this crisis, so it attempted to eliminate online learning by offering vaccination and antigen rapid screening tests to the students and staff who had to attend the university from July to September 2021. 93.71% of the students and staff from Rangsit University who attended the university from July to September 2021 were vaccinated. Only 1.18% of the students and staff were infected. The vaccines used were CoronaVac and AstraZeneca at 66.02% and 33.98%, respectively. The percentage of individuals that were infected after vaccination did not differ between the two vaccines. The percentage of people infected was 0.31% for CoronaVac and 0.29% for AstraZeneca. Other important factors that influenced the infection rate were the initial symptoms and the environment. Individuals who had initial symptoms and had visited areas with high-risk factors had a high possibility of becoming infected. This research is intended to be useful for risk management during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Characteristics and Self-Regulation of Undergraduate Students in Online English Learning: A Case Study of A Private University in Thailand

Online learning is readily available in Thailand, and scholars acknowledge its importance in assisting language learners to accomplish their foreign language goals. Currently, with the COVID-19 global pandemic, self-distancing is helping to reduce the infection rate. Since learning must continue, technologies play a vital role. Educators and students have managed to adjust to the unprecedented situation and continue with classes despite the many obstacles. Thus, this study examines the characteristic variables (motivation, belief in language, and anxiety) and self-regulation in online English learning classes, as well as investigating the relationship between the characteristic variables and self-regulation of undergraduate students at a private university in Thailand. The study involves 132 participants enrolled in an online English course during the pandemic, with a questionnaire and focus group interviews employed as the research instruments. The results showed that the students were highly motivated, exhibited positive beliefs, moderate anxiety, and high self-regulation toward online English learning. Two variables, namely motivation and positive beliefs, were found to be correlated with self-regulation in online English learning at the 0.01 and 0.05 significance level, respectively. Anxiety in online English learning was found to have no significant relationship with self-regulation in online English learning, indicating that students experiencing some level of anxiety during the online class could still exhibit self-regulated behavior. These findings are expected to provide a foundation for further research in the online learning field.

Integrating Seamless Learning within a Peer-Assisted Learning Center to Develop Student English Academic Writing Skills

Although an emerging field, seamless learning (SL) can be a powerful tool, and in this study, it was integrated into a peer-assisted learning (PAL) center in such a way to concentrate on the development of undergraduate English writing skills in Thailand. This quasi-experimental quantitative and qualitative study was conducted at an international college, where the control and experimental groups consisted of 18 and 17 research participants, respectively. The objective of this study was to examine whether student involvement in a seamless learning-focused PAL center could help develop academic writing skills of undergraduate students in an international faculty at a private university in Thailand. In this study, the instrument utilized to elicit and collect information was in the form of a sample IELTS writing test, which mirrored Task 2 of the examination. Those providing peer feedback to the participants were their fellow classmates who had achieved a CEFR English level of B2 or higher. There was a total of 48 student peer-mentors (SPMs) in this study. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that by integrating SL into a PAL center, it could significantly develop undergraduate student writing skills. With more and more university faculty budgets becoming smaller, higher educational institutions are being influenced to become more creative in adopting more fiscally responsible academic projects, and seamless learning-focused PAL centers could be implemented in such a way to develop undergraduate student writing skills at little or no cost to universities. The research implications for this study offer a framework on how to better develop academic writing skills for undergraduate students.

The Effects of Task-based Instruction Using a Digital Game in a Flipped Learning Environment on English Oral Communication Ability of Thai Undergraduate Nursing Students

The growth of Thailand’s medical tourism industry has inevitably made English oral communication skills become increasingly important to Thai medical personnel, especially to nurses who have to act as medical mediators between doctors and patients. Thus, in order to prepare nursing students for their future career, it is necessary that English teachers find a way to help students improve their oral communication ability. Thus, in this study, as a means to overcome the students’ difficulties in learning English and to enhance their English oral communication ability, the task-based instruction using a digital game in a flipped learning environment (TGF) was developed by integrating three language learning approaches, namely task-based language teaching, flipped learning, and digital game-based language learning. The development of the instructional framework for the TGF was described first. Then, to investigate its effectiveness in improving the students’ oral communication ability, an experimental study, using a one-group pretest posttest design, was conducted with 23 second-year nursing students at a private university in Thailand for 11 weeks. The effects of the TGF on the students’ oral communication ability were assessed by the participants’ pre- and post-test. The finding revealed that the participants’ average post-test score was statistically significantly higher than their average pre-test score (p < 0.05), indicating that the TGF was successful in enhancing the students’ oral communication ability. Lastly, the factors contributing to this success were discussed.

English is More than Just Words in Cross-Cultural Business Communication

This study investigated the preference of using English in cross-cultural business communication of undergraduate learners majoring in Business English at a private university in Thailand. The three main geographical groups of generalized cultural differences within the world of cross-cultural business communication are Western which encompasses North America; Central which encompasses Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East); and Eastern which encompasses Japan, China, and Eastern Asia. The overall results revealed that the participants displayed a significant affinity towards the Western geographical culture group in reference to cross-cultural business communication utilizing English. Furthermore, the participants respected that some qualities of the Central and Eastern geographical cultural group were also needed in cross-cultural business communication. In conclusion, the findings showed that although that the learners had limited global or cultural exposure outside of Thailand, they assumed that any cross-cultural business communication using English would be better accommodated in a Western geographical cultural group setting.

Significant predictors for effectiveness of blended learning In a language course

A wide variety of technologies combined with traditional classroom methods can make learning easier in the digital age. This paper studied undergraduate students’ satisfaction and learning performance after they had studied in a blended setting and investigated if variables of learner characteristics and course features would be predictors for effectiveness in a blended course. Data were gained from 149 students enrolled in a basic English course at a private university in Thailand, using a 5-rating scale questionnaire. The results of the study demonstrated that students were satisfied with instructor, interactivity and course design, and the mean score of performance was higher than the criterion. It was found that attitudes toward blended learning, face-to-face support and digital literacy were three variables predicting learning performance while only two variables including face-to-face support and attitudes toward blended learning were two predicting variables of satisfaction with the course. However, workload management and online learning tools quality were not predictors of learning performance and satisfaction with the course. When designing future blended courses, instructors should pay more attention to face-to-face support, attitudes toward blended learning and digital literacy since these factors may have an impact on the course success.

Facilitating Students’ Learning with Hybrid Instruction: A Comparison among Four Learning Styles

Introduction. Since a part of the instruction happens online, a hybrid course has usually been used to solve the problems of space and time. This article explores how students' learning styles influence their learning and satisfaction when certain format of a hybrid course is implemented.Methods. Participants were 122 first-year students at a private university in Thailand participating in 14-week fundamental English classes. Research instruments included English proficiency tests, a learning style questionnaire, and a satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed by dependent t-tests, One-way Analysis of Variance, mean and standard deviation.Results. Results suggest that hybrid teaching can be an effective way for language development. Interestingly, although students in four learning styles did not differ in their language improvement, their satisfaction was statistically different in two pairs: reflectors and activists; reflectors and pragmatists. In addition, students with reflector style (those who learn best from thinking about what has been learned, listening to and observing others, thinking through before acting on them, and working at their own pace) achieved a higher satisfaction with the course than the other three groups of learning style.Discussion and Conclusion. Results confirmed the effectiveness of hybrid instruction in language development as well as students’ high level of satisfaction on hybrid instruction. Implications for practice were discussed.

Through the looking glass: Understanding Thai academics' viewpoints on integrated marketing communications

After its debut in the 1980s, the concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC) has been widely adopted by local and international businesses. Previous studies on IMC, however, have primarily focused on marketers and advertising agencies. Thus, this research aimed to investigate academics' perspectives on four key areas of IMC: (a) the definition of IMC, (b) the key principles of IMC, (c) the benefits and barriers to IMC implementation, and (d) the future of IMC. Six qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with academics who had had at least eight years of direct experience in teaching IMC or marketing communications-related courses from top-ranked public and private universities in Thailand. The findings revealed that they had a good understanding of IMC. Surprisingly, this was limited to the strategic perspective, not the corporate perspective. In terms of IMC definition, they agreed that no matter what it was called, the most important thing was to understand the concept and core principles. They also believed that IMC would remain in this digital era; in fact, IMC would likely be driven by technological advancement. In addition, an inflexible organizational structure, turf battles, and lack of support from top management were frequently referred to as barriers to IMC implementation.

Social Intelligence and Communication Competence: Predictors of Students’ Intercultural Sensitivity

This study investigated the level of intercultural sensitivity of foreign international undergraduates and its possible predictors. Sample participants included 269 foreign international undergraduates of both government and private universities in Thailand. The research instrument was the three-page survey constructed questionnaire based on the combination of three self-evaluation scales: Chen and Starosta’s (2000) Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), McCroskey and McCroskey’s (1988) Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (SPCC), and Silvera et al’s (2001) Tromso Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS). From the pilot test, the instrument’s internal consistency was .789. Data collected were analyzed by using Descriptive Statistics (SPSS for Windows), Pearson product-moment Correlations, Independent-sample t-test, F-test (ANOVA), and Multiple Regression Analysis. The findings showed that the average level of intercultural sensitivity of the participants was at a high level (X = 4.3) with nationality and intercultural experience as significant factors. It was also found that both self-perceived communication competence and social intelligence were statistically significant predictors of intercultural sensitivity.

The mediating effect of knowledge-sharing behaviour on total quality management and organisational innovation capability

Ever since innovation was recognised as a key contributor to securing competitive advantage in the higher education arena, many factors have been introduced to enhance innovation capability. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and organisational innovation capability (OIC), as well as investigate the role of knowledge-sharing behaviour (KSB) in mediating this relationship. A survey was conducted on 367 academic staff and support staff from private universities in Thailand. The analytical results suggest that TQM is positively linked to OIC and KSB, in which the KSB plays a partial mediating role between TQM and OIC. The findings should benefit university administrators to improve innovation capability in addition to implementing TQM to develop appropriate strategies for maintaining a knowledge-sharing environment, leading to the kind of tacit knowledge that can successfully raise the innovation capability of private universities.

Factors Affecting Self-Efficacy of Teachers in International Private Universities in Thailand

The objective of this study was to study factors, namely nationality and faculty, which affected self-efficacy of teachers in international private universities in Thailand. This quantitative research studied in 10 institutions. The population of this study was 3,000. Stratified sampling by faculty was used to select 341 teachers. Analysis included percentage, mean, and two-way ANOVA. The findings indicated that: 1) In general, teachers’ nationality and faculty relatively affected their self-efficacy with a statistical significance of .01. 2) The analysis of all faculties showed that Thai and Western teachers perceived their self-efficacy at the highest level. 3) When analyzing by each faculty, Filipino and Western teachers in Business Administration had the highest self-efficacy. Thai and Western teachers, in the Humanities and Social Sciences, had the highest self-efficacy. Thai and Filipino teachers in Education had the highest self-efficacy. Outside these faculties, Indian teachers had the highest self-efficacy, in general. Overall, results indicate that nationalities and faculty have affected self-efficacy of teachers at a certain level. Due to the limitations of this study it is recommended to study further, so that more evidences will verify this conclusion.

The influence of passion and empowerment on organizational citizenship behavior of teachers mediated by organizational commitment

The present research aims to study the direct and indirect influence of passion and empowerment on organizational citizenship behavior of teachers in a private university in Thailand mediated by organizational commitment. The sample comprises 124 teachers teaching in the university and the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, adapted by Podsakoff and Mackenzie (1990), Passion Scale, developed by Vallerand, Carbonneau, Fernet and Guay (2008), School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) developed by Short and Rinehart (1992) and Organizational Commitment Scale which was modified from the original scale of Meyer and Allen (1991) by Meyer, Allen, and Smith (1993) were employed. The path model with the dependent variable organizational citizenship behavior and the independent variables passion, and empowerment and the mediating variable organizational commitment was tested using regression analysis. There are relationships between passion for teaching, teacher empowerment, and organizational commitment on the organizational citizenship behavior of teachers. The teachers have high level of organizational citizenship behavior, suggesting that they exhibit behaviors of discretionary nature that are not part of their formal role requirements, but which promote the effective functioning of the university.

University Social Responsibility and Brand Consideration for Universities

This research examines the role of University Social Responsibility (USR) in gaining inclusion in the brand consideration set for private universities in Thailand. USR may impact directly, or through brand image. Marketing communications is also important; our model shows it having an impact on the relationship between USR activities and brand image. As a control, a number of specific university attributes are also included to see their impact on inclusion in the brand consideration set. A survey (n = 408) among Muthyomsuksa 6 students (M6 = high school final year) was used to assess the model. Results show that brand image has the largest impact on inclusion in the brand consideration set, but USR and university attributes also have smaller direct impact. Marketing communications does not have a direct impact. The biggest impact on brand image is from the university attributes, with a smaller impact from marketing communications. USR does not have its own impact on brand image, but the interaction of USR and marketing communications does have an impact. Basically, USR is useful, and has some small direct impact on inclusion in the brand consideration set. By itself, it does not affect brand image, but marketing communications makes USR activities known, so with good marketing communications, there is an impact.

Strategic implication in social media marketing based on social factors associated with the private university's admission in Thailand

In this study, we conducted a follow-up study to further investigate the concept of social media use by institutions of higher education in Thailand. The research investigated what kinds of social media are currently used by the target market of the institutions in higher education, and how different groups of students or prospective students behave on such platforms. In other words, the rationale behind the study was to analyse those factors that affect students' intention in order to use social media at a private university in Thailand. Analyses were carried out to find how to implement social media through a social media strategy. According to the model assumptions and results, the findings showed that 'presenting the cooperation with other well-known companies or universities', 'presenting good image for the university through social media' and 'presenting the prestige of the university through social media' can effectively be used to promote the university through social media channels.

University social responsibility and brand image of private universities in Bangkok

Purpose This research examines the effects of University Social Responsibility (USR) on the brand image of private universities in Thailand. Brand image is important for entry into the consideration set as prospective students evaluate options for university study.USR activities may be implicit or explicit, i.e., actively communicated to external stakeholders. We show that explicit USR can help put a university into the brand consideration set. Design/methodology/approach This pilot research uses qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of six private university executives, six M6 (high school) students, and the parents of the M6 students. Findings In Thailand, some USR elements are mandated components of quality assurance, but many universities go beyond basic requirements. The university executives talked about USR beyond simply meeting government QA requirements. USR can contribute to competitiveness and it helps produce better, more socially responsible graduates. Communication about USR is done through both online and traditional media, but public knowledge lags somewhat compared to what universities actually do. M6 students are more aware of university USR activities than their parents because of online media and university roadshows at their schools. USR is not the major factor in choosing a university, and many activities are not well known. However, students and parents think that USR is helpful, and some activities directly impact inclusion in the brand consideration set. Practical implications Universities can apply these USR activities to strengthen their brand images and become part of the consideration set. However, they need more careful marketing communications to fully inform stakeholders about the whole range of USR. Originality/value The researchers have examined how private Thai universities use USR activities as a part of government mandated QA components. These USR activities can contribute to their brand image and help move the university into the brand consideration set.