1.2 Causes of Failure
Upon examining the English-language classes, many researchers pointed to a few main factors contributing to the failure of English-language teaching-and-learning: unqualified and poorly-trained teachers, poorly-motivated students, learners of mixed abilities in overly large classes, and rare opportunities for student exposure to English outside of class time (Dhanasobhon, 2006; ONEC, 2003).
Wiriyachitra (2002, citing Biyaem, 1997) compiled the causes of difficulties in English language teaching and learning in Thailand especially in the primary and secondary schools. Some of the problems she posted were: teachers’ heavy teaching loads, inadequately equipped classrooms and education technology, the university entrance examination system, teachers’ insufficient English language skills and cultural knowledge. The problems involving students who wished to speak English fluently included challenging interference from Thai language, lack of opportunity to use English in their daily lives, unchallenging English lessons, being passive learners, being too shy to speak English with classmates, being poorly-motivated and lack of responsibility for their own learning. These problems have been attributable to the unsatisfactory results of English language teaching as mentioned earlier.
However, according to Geringer (2003), the most important factor in student learning progress is the teachers, and teacher quality outweighs other factors such as motivation, funding, and class sizes. Qualified teachers can create the best environment for learning. As for Thailand (Education in Thailand, Wikipedia), a survey, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, measuring the qualifications of four hundred Thai teachers of English, found that a full 60% of them had knowledge of English and teaching methodologies below that of the syllabus level at which they were teaching. Of the remaining top 40%, only 3% had a reasonable level of fluency, and only 20% were teaching class-levels for which they were both qualified and competent. Noopong (2002) also reported that 65% of primary school teachers who were teaching English had not taken English as their major of their studies, and only around 70% of secondary school English teachers graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. Dhanasobhon (2006) explained that at the secondary level, there is a shortage of teachers of English because English majored graduates love to work in other higher salary jobs such as flight attendants, or in hotel and tourism businesses, or with private companies.