English Speaking Tasks Used for Teaching Thai Students and Implementation Challenges Faced by Teachers: A Case Study of 11th Grade Secondary Schools in Sadao District

Abstract

This case study employed a mixed-method that aimed to analyze how speaking tasks were presented through grade 11 English teaching materials. It described the extent to which communicative levels were applied in the materials and classroom teaching. The study also aimed to explore how teachers delivered speaking activities in the classroom, and to investigate their difficulties in engaging students in speaking activities. In order to achieve these aims, data were collected from purposively selected participants. Three teachers and 54 students in grade 11 from three secondary schools in Sadao district, Thailand, took part in this research. The teachers were asked to analyze speaking tasks presented in the teaching materials and participate in semi-structured interviews. The selected classrooms were also observed. The students who participated in the classes were asked to reflect on how speaking tasks were presented. The Littlewood communicative continuum was adopted as a framework to analyze the speaking tasks presented. Based on the findings, the speaking tasks in the teacher-made materials were forms-focused whereas those in the commercial textbooks were meaning and forms-focused. Tasks delivered in one school could not achieve their objectives because the teachers did not follow guidelines on the teaching material. The teachers revealed such challenges in teaching speaking as students’ English proficiency level was lower than expectations of teaching material authors and insufficient time in teaching English caused time limitation in delivering speaking activities in the classrooms.