they had problems with their qualifications. Nor did they agree that the problems about facilities supporting
teaching were serious.
The second reason that may help explain the situation of English-language teaching is that Thai teachers of
English seem to cope surprisingly well with presumed common problems such as overly large classes, limited
and impractical curricula and textbooks, difficulties with language assessment, and limited availability of
computers and other instructional aids. They have made do with what they have and rated the problems as
moderately serious. In addition, they seem to have been doing well in some particular areas. For example, they
disagreed that they had serious problems concerning teaching and constructing the tests of vocabulary, grammar
and structure.
However, the skills focus that teachers of ten years ago perceived important were reading and writing skills,
while teachers of this current study wished to improve teaching strategies for communication skills. As the
findings revealed, the teachers’ top five problematic areas, although at a moderate level, involved teaching
writing, incorporating experiential learning into English classes, their own minimal use or exposure to English,
teaching listening and speaking, and using games and songs effectively in English classes. Also, the teachers’ PD
needs shifted from those of Noopong’s teachers, who requested strategies for teaching reading, writing, and
knowledge of psychology in teaching respectively, to the needs of equipping teachers with strategies for teaching
listening-speaking or conversation and writing.
Thai teachers of English in this study focused more on developing their own and their students’ productive skills
such as speaking and writing probably because of their weaknesses in these areas. It is widely accepted that
Thais, even university graduates, have much difficulty successfully communicating in English. According to
Suwanarak and Phothongsunun (2009), half of undergraduate students participating in their study pointed out
that they were unable to use English to communicate in real situations as they were weak in listening and
speaking skills. They attributed the failures to themselves – having made little effort in practicing English. These
students’ responses may, to some extent, give the answer to the following second discussion question.