Oral Communication Achievement of the Bachelor of Arts Students Major in English at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Thailand

Abstract

Thailand has always been a country with one official language, Thai. English is the first foreign language that students must study in schools. The problem in English oral communication achievement could be attributed to the students’ limited opportunities to practice the language they are acquiring. Thus, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL) offers the English for International Communication (EIC) program to provide the necessary language and cultural skills for students to enter, participate, and thrive in a number of English related fields of study and work where communicative competency in English is the key to academic and professional success. This study sought to examine the factors affecting English oral communication achievement of the students enrolled in Bachelor of Arts major in EIC at RMUTL, Tak Campus, Thailand. Sixty-nine students were included in the survey. The researcher-made questionnaire was validated by three experts and piloted in another university campus to explore the reliability and usability of the questionnaire in the current study. The results revealed that the Thai university students have average English oral communication level and they perceived aptitude, attitude and motivation as significant factors that affect their English oral communication skills. The learning intervention program must be designed to offer students fun-filled learning activities, coaching, group dynamics and English language oral communication exposure. Furthermore, the university instructors should make efforts to identify students who have low English oral communication skills to help them to improve. The university may consider investing on the special intervention program to further realize the university’s mission and vision concerning English for International Communication course; giving the graduates more chances to secure a job; and making them well-prepared for their future careers.