ERIC Number: ED566148
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 304
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-3037-3700-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Practicality of EFL Writing for Thai University Students: An Attitudinal Study
Wattanasin, Karnchanoke
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University
As a contribution to the development of the teaching of English writing in Thailand and studies of second language (L2) writing, reported in this dissertation is a research project on Thai undergraduate students' writing frequency and their attitude toward writing in English as a foreign language (EFL). The chapters of the paper include a description of a preliminary pilot study conducted in 2005 and the present research as its further inquiry. The principal instrument of the research was a questionnaire on attitude and writing frequency, which was developed based on the data from the preliminary study. Both statistical and qualitative analyses were performed. The distributed copies of the questionnaire were in Thai, the respondents' native language, and statistical analyses of the answers were undertaken via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13.0. The student participants' open-ended answers were grouped into conceptual categories, tabulated, and analyzed to underpin the numerical results. The data showed that the students viewed writing in informal contexts more positively than that in formal contexts, yet they did not have much experience in EFL writing apart from the writing they were engaged in for schoolwork. English-major students and those who wrote in English more frequently had more experience writing in English, and their attitude toward EFL writing was typically more favorable than students from the non-English majors and those who wrote less frequently. In addition, the statistical results showed that it is the frequency of writing that played a more vital role in their attitude toward EFL writing than the students' majors. This finding leads to the research argument that students--no matter what their fields of study--need ample opportunity to write in English. Additionally, in order for students to have more favorable attitudes toward EFL writing, not only do they need to write often. The students' writing also indicated that they needed to perceive the practicality of EFL writing, and that they needed effective and adequate feedback--including that on linguistic features of the texts--as well as positive support from their teachers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Undergraduate Students, Writing (Composition), Questionnaires, Student Attitudes, Statistical Analysis, Qualitative Research, Language Usage, Majors (Students), Nonmajors, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A