CEFR in Thailand : A Case Study of English Teachers' Perception of Education Policy Change in Two Southern Regions

Abstract

Thailand has seen several English language curriculum reforms over the last twenty years, all of which were found to have failed to lift the standard of English language proficiency of Thai students at all levels. The Ministry of Education in 2014 adopted the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to improve the standard of English learning and teaching in Thailand's schools. How this education policy change was communicated to and perceived by English language teachers at state secondary schools in four provinces in the south of Thailand is examined in this case study, using grounded theory methodology, combining document analysis, a questionnaire, and semi-structured in-depth interviews as research instruments. The three research questions were: a) What do state secondary school teachers understand CER to be, and what impact do they perceive it to have on them and their teaching? b) What are the factors that influence teachers' attitudes to and degrees of support for the introduction of CER? and c) What is the relative efficacy of channels and mechanisms used in communicating English language teaching policy? The study found divergence in teachers' understanding of the CEFR policy plans, associating the acronym mostly with the six-level proficiency scale and an online placement test the teachers had been required to take. The main factors contributing to teachers' dispositions were identified as policy change fatigue, policy communication deficiencies, and teachers' high level of extra-curricular workload. This study also found that their responses to policy change in the form of CEFR introduction was not defined by demographic factors, and that teachers revealed a high degree of individuality in their responses.