Characteristics Of Master English Teachers In Thailand: A Case Study

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Date
2006-12
Authors
Watthanaboon, Supanrigar
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Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
This case study attempted to investigate the notable characteristics and roles of two Thai Master English teachers in Nakhonsithammarat Province, Southern Thailand. The study investigated thoroughly the two case teachers including their administrators, peer teachers, school boards, and students who were involved with the case teachers either in the present or in the past. Two methods of data collection, namely, the qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. However, because of the nature of the study, more emphasis was done on the qualitative method from 34 interviews and 20 classroom observations of both the case teachers. The interviews and observations were triangulated by using the Likert Scale Questionnaire. The questionnaires captured the perceptions and observations of 473 current and past students of the two teachers. The qualitative data were analysed using the procedures outlined by Bogden and Biklen (1998); Gay & Airsian (2003) on data reduction and display. In order to validate the data and the analysis, the interpretative and crosschecking techniques for triangulation were conducted. From the study, there emerged two main characteristics and roles beyond the school of the Master English teachers. They were (i) Personal Characteristics: being active and energetic, open minded and approachable, service oriented, extroverted and sociable, dedicated, being able to persevere, involved in teamwork and cooperation, technologically oriented, good in solving problems, able to speak confidently in public and being health conscious; (ii) Instructional Characteristics: creative use of authentic and available materials, able to provide flexible instructions, enjoyed teaching English, strived to make learning enjoyable, used innovative teaching methods and techniques, provided ample opportunities for meaningful practice, had good classroom management, shared responsibility, used effective teaching strategies and prioritized student centred approach ; (iii) Roles beyond Classroom: spirit of volunteerism, being coordinators, role models and consultants to the community. Based on the findings, this study recommends that the characteristics and roles be imparted to new and current English teachers to help improve the standard of English language teaching as well as the quality of the English teachers.
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Education
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