The Current Issues of Teaching English in Thai Context

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to point out the current issues of teaching English in Thai context. The author gathered the current issues and commented on what is happening in the teaching and learning English in Thailand in various dimensions. The distinct issues include the reform of English language curriculum in Thailand based on three main factors. The first factor includes language teaching context, methods, and social context of education. The second one is issues of power and inequality linked to the dominance of English as a foreign language and language of instruction in Thai context. The last one is general discussion on critical applied linguistics in relation to language teaching as well as critical sociolinguistics in terms of socio-political issues related to language education in Thai context. The result of the problem has led to efforts to improve the English language teaching methods in the Thai curriculum. Another purpose of writing this article is to make the policy makers and the educators involved in the teaching and learning of English in Thailand to be aware of the problems and help find solutions to improve the level of English language knowledge and ability of Thai students.