Research Title

1. Research Title English Learning Experiences of Students Enrolled at a Thai University: a case study

2. CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY, NSW, Australia • Researcher: • Anchalee Chayanuvat(canchale@wu.ac.th) • Supervisor: • Kennece Coombe(kcoombe@csu.edu.au) • Associate supervisor: • Pauline Jones (pjones@csu.edu.au)

3. The Phenomenon • What do I want to study? Why? • How is English learned and how it should be best taught? WU My Teaching Career

4. Source of Research Problem • Personal and Professional Belief (Glaser and Strauss,1990:35)

5. The Chosen Site • Walailak University in Nakorn Si Thammarat • Fairly new, not widely known • Students from various parts of Thailand of mixed abilities • A residential university

6. 50% of students are quota students. Another 50% come from the Entrance Exam. • All with experiences of learning English for years • Researcher as insider • Researcher’s Workplace Learning

7. Aims of This Study • This study is hoped to: • 1. learn from research participants’ stories what experiences about learning English they have gone through • 2. identify essential factors that are central to student learning and find their relationship patterns • 3. sample events and incidents that may lead to an evolving grounded theory

8. The Study • I. Introduction • General Problem Statement • Main Research Question • Research Sub-questions • Significance of the Study

9. Literature Review • II. Preliminary Literature Review • The Changing Status of English • Kashru’s Circles of Learners • Varieties of English • Language teaching and language learning • Shifts in Major Teaching Approaches

10. Definitions of learning • Nunan’s four learner types • Major schools of theorists • the Behaviourists • the Mentalists • the Interactionists • the Constructivists

11. Factors Affecting Language Learning • Affect in language learning • Motivation • Anxiety • Fear of the unfamiliar • Fear of making mistakes • Presentation of Self • Attitude

12. Cultures of learning • Learning Strategies • Opportunities for language use • Access to Resources • Teachers • Learners

13. My Conceptual Framework Backgrounds Curriculum The Teaching and the Learning Process Evaluation The other persons The Self Student Learning

14. Literature Review in Brief • Literature Review reveals: • 1. The major roles played by the learners themselves. To be successful, they should be autonomous and be in control of their learning process.

15. 2. Beliefs, goals and how they are learning are all what make up a “learner’. These indicate a choice of strategies and learning approaches.

16. 3. The power of affective domain, attitude and anxiety in relation to learning

17. 4. Culture dominates how a person learns.

18. III. Research Design • qualitative in nature • a case study design • site • researcher role • research participants

19. Purpose of a case study design • To understand the research participants, especially their experiences through English learning in Thailand • To obtain data in the form of rich verbal descriptions in the research participants’ “lived” experiences

20. Researcher Role • Researcher as interviewer who has established rapport and gained trust from research participants

21. Sampling of Research Participants • Quota Section--Volunteers • Criteria: • Studying one English course during data collection period • Not in the researcher’s class • Three students from each year (Year 1 to Year 4)

22. Strengths of this Study • The insights depend on: • Richness of the cases • The analytical capabilities of the researcher

23. Research Methodology • Grounded theory • coding • categorizing • conceptualizing • theory generating • Constant comparative methods using taped-recorded interviews and participant learning journals

24. Grounded Theory • Relates abstract concept to propose a theory as an explanation of the phenomenon • The theory is grounded in that it is developed from the data, in contrast to testing a theory from literature • The relationship between two or more concepts generates a theory • A good theory is produced when there are fortunate combinations--an inquiry mind, rich experience and stimulating data

25. Data Collection and Data Analysis • The interviews were unstructured and open-ended. • The interviewer tried to reduce bias and preconceived ideas because of Theoretical Sensitivity. • The interviews would be taped and transcribed. • The data were analysed inductively to generate findings. • Data collection, data analysis and literature review ran parallel.

26. The Inductive Process • Making Sense of the Data: Open Coding, Axial Coding and Selective Coding • Organize data into categories and discuss patterns • Compare and contrast constantly • Construct an abstract synthesis

27. Data Collection • Period • Interview Design • Data

28. Data Analysis • The Grounded theory • Coding • Categorizing • Conceptualizing • Generating Theory

29. Themes from Axial Coding • The Role of English in the Globalized World • The Role of Motivation • The Mysterious Element of English • The Teacher • The Learner • Peers • Class Activities • Evaluation

30. A Model of Learning • Learner Motivation • The Mysterious Element of English • The Teacher • The learner • The Peers • Class Activities • Motivation

31. The Teacher • The teacher’s way of being • The teacher’s way of doing • The teacher as an approachable person • The teacher as a facilitator

32. Two Main Things I Have Learned • The power of reflection • Being a teacher and researcher

33. Thank You