Mananya Anothai. A study of intercultural communication challenges experienced by foreign teachers in Thai schools. Master's Degree(Career English for International Communication). Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library. : Thammasat University, 2021.
A study of intercultural communication challenges experienced by foreign teachers in Thai schools
Abstract:
Intercultural communication plays a crucial role in communication between foreign teachers and EFL learners at Thai schools. When people come from different cultural backgrounds, challenges that lead to communication failures can occur. This study explored the challenges in intercultural communication experienced by foreign teachers in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom in Thailand. The participants in this study were foreign teachers working at Thai schools. The data was collected using a questionnaire with close-ended and open-ended questions. The findings of the research showed that the most challenging issue in intercultural communication between foreign teachers and EFL learners was language differences due to the limited vocabulary, unfamiliar accents, and limited grammatical knowledge of EFL learners. Nonverbal misinterpretation was found to be the second most challenging issue because EFL learners' nonverbal cues were sometimes misinterpreted by the teachers. Assuming cultural similarities was the third most challenging issue which occurred when the participants assumed that their own culturally familiar criteria were similar to those of EFL learners. The findings of this study may be used as guidelines for foreign teachers working at Thai schools to understand and address potential challenges, as well as avoid misunderstandings when communicating with EFL learners
Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library