Uraiwan Rattanapan Noonkong. Intercultural pragmatic competence of Thai EIL University students using the intercultural interaction model (IIM). Doctoral Degree(English as an International Language). Kasetsart University. Office of the University Library. : Kasetsart University, 2019.
Intercultural pragmatic competence of Thai EIL University students using the intercultural interaction model (IIM)
Abstract:
This study was an effort to enhance three areas of the communicative ability for Thai higher vocational students: pragmalinguistics; sociopragmatics; and nonverbal communication (NVC). The Intercultural Interaction Model (IIM) was designed and implemented by the teacher researcher with the on four language functions: requests; refusals; complaints; apologies. The students learned through three main pragmatic consciousness-raising teaching activities: explicit teaching; movie discussion; and interviews with native Thai and English speakers. A case study and an action research were integrated as research methods, while triangulation was applied to promote reliability of the findings. Participants were 45 engineering students at a higher vocational university in Nakhon Pathom in central Thailand. Data were collected using Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT), role play, classroom observation, interview, teachers journal, and questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings reveal that the IIM program was effective in enhancing two areas of communication ability. To elaborate, the students pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic ability was significantly higher after they learned through the IIM program in all the four language functions (p-value<.05). However, more grammatical mistakes in their use of longer expressions were noticeable.
In contrast, the IIM was found to be obstructive to the students NVC as overuse and limited use of eye contact, facial expressions, and touching were discovered regardless of the slight improvement. Regarding perceptions on the IIM innovation, firstly, most students agreed that IIM innovative program was advantageous to their learning English (x̄= 4.18, S.D.= 0.71). Likewise, five emerging arenas of the students perceptions were discovered: 1) selecting discourse expressions; 2) awareness of speaking strategies; 3) nonverbal communication; 4) classroom atmosphere; and 5) applying learning strategies. Secondly, the peer lecturer agreed on the teachers assistance and support (x̄=3.1) and her instructions (x̄=2.9), while the classroom organization and management was fair (x̄=2.5). Finally, the teacher researcher was aware of her role as a teacher and a learner assistant. The students higher awareness of selecting speaking strategies is clear. In addition, she noticed that good learning atmosphere was from motivating activities and cooperative learning. Although this study confirms possibility of using the IIM innovation to enhance higher vocational students intercultural pragmatic competence, three concerns are proposed for further practice: 1) selecting target students; 2) practicing linguistic skills; and 3) time concerning. Therefore, developing intercultural pragmatic competence is possible when teachers are highly motivated to devote in solving those problem.
Kasetsart University. Office of the University Library