text:
User talk:Stevenarntson/fall 2009

weeks 6-11
HEY THIS IS Z, have posted all my required texts where they are supposed to be hopefully, i have time and date them, and saved a copy for myself, could you please email me to let me know you receved them whe you get a chance, me email is zsanders031@hotmailcom  Thanks---Z(Analytical writting/fall2009-wed@12:30)thanks again!!! --Zsanders 20:59, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

comment! I have posted the rough draft of my personal essay! JennaJohnson

Hey! I have added more to my essay, just wanted some feedback on the new stuff thanks!Daniellak

I will not be in class on week 10 because I have been snowed in in hometown Port Angeles. I have already finished my final project and am ready to present, but I will not be able to class this week. But I will see you on week 11 to present.(VanessaSorensen)

Hey, It's Terek Varland from your Tuesday GenEd class. The voodoo doll guy. I got to class late, at about 10:30, and everyone was gone. I did the work (two voodoo dolls, and a speech outline made up), and I didn't get to present and am worried about my final grade. Is there any way I can hope to get a decent grade? I'd rather not fail two classes, especially classes I did the work for. My Wednesday class teacher LOST my Final Project, and is now giving me a zero, and won't reply to any of my e-mails or phone calls. A class I did the work for. Now. I did the work for this class. I want to prove it somehow and get a good grade, is there any way I can make up or anything?? Thanks, Terek

hey, its z just want to make sure all my updated info posted, i have the saved drafts in my computer, could you please e-mail me zsanders031@hotmal.com if there are any question and to let me know you got all my info, thanksZ

weeks 1-5
Steven,

I was just reminding you about my story. I am afraid it may be a little abstract? But it's my first attempt to try and capture a picture of society in a story. It is a work in progress. CainanMartens

Allegory of the Cave
I have been thinking about today's discussion on critical thinking a lot. It really reminds me of Plato's story, The Allegory of the Cave and his discussions on absolute truth. The definition we came up with in class could, I believe, be summed up by saying that: to think critically is to search for truth, which would correlate perfectly with Plato's dialogues. Many of the fallacies we talked about also, you stated, were from Ancient Greece which is where the logic studies began. (or at least this is where society made ground on this subject)

So all in all, i was just wondering what your thoughts were on this? And what would be your view on absolute truth? (through critical thinking) CainanMartens

 * Hi, Cainan,

Good point about the Allegory of the Cave. One thing I especially like about that allegory is its opinion that if you see someone who appears confused, it's either because they're more or less enlightened than you--but there's no easy way of telling which. It's an encouragement to delay judgment of others, which was one thing we also talked about in class. As for absolute truth, I may be a few hundred years from having a sure opinion! The more I ponder it, the more doubt I feel about my own certainties.
 * Best! Stevenarntson

I suppose that is where critical thinking becomes something else entirely. I have been facing this problem for a very long time now: becoming increasingly more uncertain about my own ideas. It really seems the more I learn, the less i really know, because so many ideas contradict each other. Knowledge gained yesterday combats the knowledge of today. I would have to say that The Allegory of the Cave is one of my favorite stories, because it is the story that first interested me in "different" thinking. The story does have a very existential point at the end, which i think could be connected to the frustration of critical thinking. The point made at the end displays how the ideas that we come up with in the midst of our thinking (never truly knowing where we will end up) are widely shunned ideas. When compared to our discussion about why schools may be afraid of "opening the can of worms" I think this may play a large role. School is first and foremost an administration, and to keep itself an administration it needs to admin something, which requires a certain degree of control. (where that line is drawn i would have no clue.) If the student body were allowed to put all of their ideas into practice from their own thinking, then it would maybe abolish, or change the direction of programs that are already in place by the school. And it is always difficult to discern which of the two ideas are in the best interest of both groups. Especially, going back to the class discussion again, when pride is put into the picture. Humans, by nature agree with their own ideas, and are generally searching for flaws to find in other's ideas--this idea is from Thomas More. It really seems that the truth is something that we all naturally suppress. CainanMartens

I changed my topic to something more meVanessaSorensen

I got my subject in and my schedule figured out. Could you look over it to see if it needs any other touches before I call it good? CainanMartens

I figured out my topic...but i don't know if my planning is going to need as much as eight weeks...what should i do??TarekaBrown

Cherrykyle: This is a great website for data. http://www.wolframalpha.com/

email
What is your e-mail address??

 * click the "email" link from the main page. Stevenarntson

Un Chien
Hey Steve, I had your humanities class last quarter. You were teaching us about juxtaposition and you showed us some clips of an old film in which a man has ants walking across the palm of his hand, a man watches from a window as women on the street gets killed, and someone gets their eyeball stabbed(?). I checked the juxtaposition portion of the humanities page but couldn't find the name of the film. Can you tell me what it is?

CamilleFunk

 * Hi Camille,

I showed it during the Surrealism lecture--it's Un Chien Andalou, by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí.
 * Best, Stevenarntson

title: User talk:Stevenarntson/fall 2009


text:
User talk:Gfser

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User talk:Jithesh e j~enwikiversity

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title: User talk:Jithesh e j~enwikiversity


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User talk:Nekobus

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User talk:Psmith~enwikiversity

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Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Psmith. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Psmith~enwikiversity that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name.

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title: User talk:Psmith~enwikiversity


text:
Children, Schools and Families Bill/Amendments to Section 19C of Schedule 1

Current wording of Section 19C
19C    Entry of child’s details on home education register: supplementary provision

 * (1)  Regulations may make provision about steps to be taken by an authority in connection with an application for a child’s details to be entered on their home education register.

 * (2)  The regulations may, in particular, make provision about matters that are or are not to be taken into account by an authority in deciding—

 * (a)  whether to register a child’s details under section 19B(3);

 * (b)  whether a child is within section 19B(7);

 * (c)  whether section 19B(8) applies to a child’s application.

 * (3)  Regulations under section 19B(1)(a) may, in particular, make provision within subsection (4) or (5).

 * (4)  Provision within this subsection is provision—

 * (a)  about how an application for registration of a child’s details is to be made;

 * (b)  requiring an application for registration of a child’s details to include a statement giving prescribed information about the child’s prospective education;

 * (c)  requiring an application to include other prescribed information;

 * (d)  about the form in which a statement mentioned in paragraph (b), or any other information required to be included in an application, is to be provided;

 * (e)  for an application for registration to include an undertaking to provide a statement mentioned in paragraph (b), or other prescribed information, to the authority within a period determined by or in accordance with the regulations.

 * (5)  Provision within this subsection is provision permitting an authority to specify a period, prescribed by or determined in accordance with the regulations, within which an application to enter on their home education register the details of a child to whom subsection (6) applies may not be made unless the authority are satisfied that there has been a change of circumstances that justifies an application being made within that period.

 * (6)  This subsection applies to a child if—

 * (a)  a parent of the child has previously made an application in the prescribed manner for the child’s details to be entered on a home education register maintained by a local authority, and the application (or the most recent such application) did not succeed, or

 * (b)  the child’s details have previously been registered on a home education register maintained by a local authority, and the registration (or the most recent such registration) has been revoked under section 19F.

Proposed amendments to Section 19C
Amendment 1

Section 19C(1) Replace "an application" with "a notification"

Amendment 2

Section 19C(2)(a) After 19B(3) add "or apply to the court to assess suitability of educational provision"

Amendment 3

Section 19C(2)(c) replace "application" with "notification"

Amendment 4

Section 19C(3) remove reference to subsection (5)

Amendment 5

Section 19C(4) Remove in its entirety and replace with "Notification shall take place by means of a parent returning a form that requires the child's name, date of birth, address, and the names of the parents responsible for that child"

Amendment 6

Section 19C(5) remove entirely, and renumber accordingly

Amendment 7

Section 19C(6)(a) Replace "an application" with "a notification" and "application" with "notification" (2 places)

How it would look as amended
19C    Entry of child’s details on home education register: supplementary provision

 * (1)  Regulations may make provision about steps to be taken by an authority in connection with a notification for a child’s details to be entered on their home education register.

 * (2)  The regulations may, in particular, make provision about matters that are or are not to be taken into account by an authority in deciding—

 * (a)  whether to register a child’s details under section 19B(3) or apply to the court to assess suitability of educational provision;

 * (b)  whether a child is within section 19B(7);

 * (c)  whether section 19B(8) applies to a child’s notification.

 * (3)  Regulations under section 19B(1)(a) may, in particular, make provision within subsection (4).

 * (4)  Notification shall take place by means of a parent returning a form that requires the child's name, date of birth, address, and the names of the parents responsible for that child

 * (5)  This subsection applies to a child if—

 * (a)  a parent of the child has previously made a notification in the prescribed manner for the child’s details to be entered on a home education register maintained by a local authority, and the notification (or the most recent such notification) did not succeed, or

 * (b)  the child’s details have previously been registered on a home education register maintained by a local authority, and the registration (or the most recent such registration) has been revoked under section 19F.


text:
User:Bigroger27509

I am Big Roger27509

title: User:Bigroger27509


text:
Votian/Plural Cases

== Plural cases ==

Plural marker
The plural marker was -i-, added between a stem and a following case ending.

It has been preserved this way after short  e̮ , u, ü, o     e.g. paŋke̮-i-ллa ('by buckets') < paŋge̮-ллa ('by a bucket'),  vävü-i-lē ('to sons in law') < vävü-lē ('to a son in law'), lintu-i-ллa ('by the birds') < linnu-ллa ('by a bird'), e̮htago-i-ллa ('in the evenings') < e̮htago-ллa ('in the evening').

It is less obvious now after numerous sound changes. See the "Pronunciation" chapter below.

 * A plural stem is always in the strong grade, if there is such a grade available e.g. lintu-i-ллa ('by the birds') < linnu-ллa ('by a bird').
 * Yet a plural stem of some dialects may be in the weak grade in front of a short  vowel, if it is in the weak grade in singular e.g. pezä-llä ('on a nest') > pezi-llä  ('on nests'), jaлga-ллa ('by a foot') > jaлgo-ллa ('by feet').

 * There has been a special plural counterpart  -sī    to the  emphatic   illative  suffixes  -sē, -sē̮      e.g. Kõrvõttula dialect pē̮sa-i-sī ('into bushes').
 * Usually ( depending in vowel harmony )  -sē  or  -sē̮  is used both in singular and plural.

Pronunciation

 * Long vowels and -i- melt together into diphthongs e.g. mā-ллa ('in a country') > mai-ллa ('in countries'), rattā-ллa ('by a wheel') > rattai-ллa ('by wheels').
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä lost their last component in front of the plural -i- e.g. ke̮rke̮a-лē̮  ('into a high (place)') > ke̮rke̮i-лē̮  ('into high (places)'), pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pimei-llä  ('on dark (ways)').

 * Short vowels have disappeared in front of the plural -i- or melt together with it into a long ī e.g. sepä-lē ('to a blacksmith') > seppī-lē ('to blacksmiths'),  ärjä-lē ~ ärdžä-lē ('to an ox') > ärtšī-lē ('to oxen'),  tšäe-llä ('on a hand') > tšäzi-llä ~ tšäsī-llä  ('on hands'), naize̮-лē̮  ('to a woman') > naisī-лē̮  ('to women'), vanapa-лē̮  ('to an elder') > vanapī-лē̮  ('to elders'), sāttaja-лē̮  ('to an attendant') > sāttajī-лē̮  ('to attendants'), vokki-za  ('in a spinning wheel') > vokkī-za  ('in spinning wheels'). Yet:

 * a + -i- > e̮i in the second or third syllable, if the first syllable has  o, u  or  e̮  ( The majority of  e̮  stems belong here.)  : e.g.
 * nurka-ллa ('on a corner') > nurke̮i-ллa ('on corners')
 * poiga-лē̮ ('to her son') > poike̮i-лē̮ ('to her sons')
 * se̮bra-лē̮ ('to a friend') > se̮bre̮i-лē̮ ('to friends')

 * sāttaja-лē̮  ('to an attendant') > sāttaje̮i-лē̮  ('to attendants')

 * a + -i- > oi in the third or second syllable, if the first syllable has  i, a  or  e̮  ( Then it's counterpart in Kukkuzi dialect is probably a)  : e.g.
 * adra-ллa ('by a plough') > adroi-ллa ('by ploughs')
 * kataga-ллa ('on a juniper') > katagoi-ллa ('on junipers').
 * se̮na-ллa ('in a word') > se̮noi-ллa ('with his words')

 * siллa-ллa ('on a bridge') > siлtoi-ллa ('on bridges')
 * Also: koto-ллa ('by a home') > kotoi-ллa ~ koi-ллa ('by homes') & rōto-ллa ('by a fish-bone') > rōtoi-ллa ~ roi-ллa ('by fish-bones')

 * ä + -i- > oi in the second syllable of some words, if the first syllable has  ei  : e.g.
 * leivä-llä ('on a bread') > leipoi-ллa ('on breads')

 * The plural diphthongs oi, e̮i, ai, äi may lose their plural -i-  in unstressed syllables e.g. se̮bre̮-лē̮ ('to friends').

Dialectal alternatives

 * Votic of Ingria
 * Eastern Votic dialect
 * o has been preserved anywhere in front of the plural -i-.
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä and the plural -i- melt together into ī e.g. pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pim̆mī-llä  ('on dark (ways)').
 * Short consonants were geminated in front of the long ī e.g. pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pim̆mī-llä  ('on dark (ways)').

 * Western
 * In a group of villages the case endings are preceded by ai or äi ( depending in vowel harmony ) in plural
 * of some 2 syllable stems, if the stem vowel was  i, u, o, e  or  e̮   : e.g.  tšive-llä ('on a stone') > tšiväi-llä ('on stones'), лahze̮-лē̮  ('to a kid') > лahsai-лē̮  ('to kids'), pojo-лē̮  ('to a boy') > pojai-лē̮  ('to boys'), pilli-llä  ('by a musical instrument') > pilläi-llä  ('by instruments')
 * of some 3 syllable stems, if the stem vowel was  i  or  o   : e.g.  ahvako-лē̮  ('to a perch') > ahvakkai-лē̮  ('to perches'), karjuši-лē̮  ('to a shepherd') > karjuššai-лē̮  ('to shepherds')
 * Hill dialect:
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä and the plural -i- melt together into ī in ( Kattila and  Pihlaala  etc.) e.g. vaлke̮a-лē̮  ('onto a white (place)') > vaлkī-лē̮  ('onto white (places)'), pehmėä-llä  ('on a soft (place)') > pehmī-llä  ('on soft (places)').

 * Valley dialect:
 * All Votic (both eastern and western) dialects in contact with Soikkola ingrian dialect may use borrowed plural markers ( depending in vowel harmony )  -löi, -лoi  or  -läi, -лai  (all four in the very same dialects) e.g. Mati dialect püssü-löi-llä ('by guns'), jarvi-лoi-ллa ('on lakes'), Kõrvõttula dialect se̮tamehi-läi-l̄   ('by warriors'), vittso-лai-л̄     ('by twigs').
 * Mati dialect
 * The plural diphthongs oi, e̮i, ai, äi are usually replaced with long vowels in unstressed syllables of plural partitive  e.g. e̮hsa ('a tree branch') > e̮hsē̮ ('tree branches' - plural partitive), tšivi ('a stone') > tšiv̆vǟ  ('stones' - plural partitive).

 * Vaipooli

 * Jõgõperä dialect
 * o has been preserved anywhere in front of the plural -i-.
 * Short consonants were geminated in front of the long ī e.g. tšäe-llä ('on a hand') > tšässī-llä  ('on hands').

Declensions

 * XIV Declension: -s stems ending with -iz in singular nominative have the same stem for plural and singular e.g. kallī-ллa  ('on an expensive one') > kallī-ллa  ('on expensive (things)').

title: Votian/Plural Cases


text: Category:Theory Lab:Social studies

title: Category:Theory Lab:Social studies


text: Category:Theory Lab:Citizenship education


text: Category:Theory Lab:Philosophy

title: Category:Theory Lab:Philosophy


text: Category:Theory Lab:Practical philosophy


text: Category:Theory Lab:Religion

title: Category:Theory Lab:Religion


text: Category:Theory Lab:Biology

title: Category:Theory Lab:Biology


text: File:IMG 8121.jpg

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text: File:Topomapproject.jpg

title: File:Topomapproject.jpg


text:
Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University

The Use of English Among Members of the Thai Academic Community of Dhurakij Pandit University’s Postgraduate Business Students(Research in Progress)
'''Work in Progress. For referencing or quoting, please inform the researcher of your use '''

The Department of English, Dhurakij Pandit University.

Contact the researcher, Janpha Thadphoothon, at janpha.th@dpu.ac.th or janphauc@yahoo.com

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the postgraduate students’ English use with other members of the Thai academic community. The instruments of the research were the seven-part questionnaire developed by the researcher and the qualitative data from two roundtable seminars.

The questionnaire was answered by 131 DPU postgraduate students (MBA and DBA), collected during the first semester of the academic year 2009. The two roundtables were conducted in August, 2009. The statistics utilized in analyzing the data were percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test One-way ANOVA, and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. Qualitative data were analyzed using simple content analysis.

The major findings were as follows:

1. Most of the respondents moderately used English in their graduate study (M=3.00). Like other graduate students, for example a study conducted by Prinyajarn and Wannaruk (2008), the student participants reported that they had limited opportunities to practice or use English.

2. Similar to the finding reported by Prinyajarn and Wannaruk (2008), this study revealed that the reading skill was the most important skill for their study and it was their main concern. They said that they needed it to understand texts or related articles for their courses and research work.

3. The analysis found the significant relationship between the student participants’ perceived identity being or not being part of the Thai academic community  and their use of English within the academic community. The relationship was statistically significant at p > .05. Those who identified themselves as being part of the community were found to use more English.

4. The English support needed from the institution was high. It was found that gender influenced the English support needed. Compared with male participants, the female seemed to prefer more English support.

5. The correlation between their coping ability and need of support was significantly negative (-.39). This suggests that those who needed more support were those with lower English ability or vise versa. It was not a surprise, however, to discover that the respondents who said they needed more support were those whose perceived English ability was low.

6. However, the correlation between the ability to cope with the demands of English and the overall perceived English ability was significantly positive (.33).

7. This research also revealed the relationship between the subjects' perceived English ability and their support needed from the establishment. The correlation between the two variables was found to be significantly negative (-.28). This suggests that the subjects who needed less support were often those whose English ability was perceived to be higher or vice versa.

Table of Contents

 * 1) /Introduction/
 * 2) /Literature Review/
 * 3) /Methodology/
 * 4) /Findings and Discussion/
 * 5) /Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations/
 * /References/
 * /Appendices/


text:
Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Introduction

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Postgraduate students in Thailand, like elsewhere, need to deal with changes and expectations from society: they are expected to participate in the academic discourse of the local academic community as well as the global one. Such the academic discourse often entails that they understand and use general and academic English. In short, they need to use it effectively. For those who have spent some time doing their research in English speaking countries such as England, Australia, or the US, one common concern for them, among others, would be how to participate and function effectively within the new discourse community. In this case, the demand is obvious: they have to use academic English to carry out their research and report their findings.

Usually, program providers put in place academic support structure to assist postgraduate students in reaching their full potential and becoming leaders in the scholarly community. The University of Melbourne, for instance, has created an online course, a community of practice called Postgraduate Essentials (Brooks and Fyffe, 2004) as a community for new students to prepare themselves for their study. Today, program providers put in place support structures to help new students, enable them to engage effectively in a new community of practice (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). Postgraduate students such as MBA or DBA students, at local universities in Thailand are often required to conduct research in Thai and use Thai to report their findings and writing up their theses. Nevertheless, as novice academics, they often have to read a great number of English texts, as they are major sources of research information. They are expected by the society, including the academic community, to know English and use it appropriately. In short, they are required to possess certain levels of academic English skills. In addition, one of the admission requirements for postgraduate programs in Thailand is that the students demonstrate adequate levels of English proficiency, for example, a TOEFL / TU-GET / CU-TEP score of 550 or IELTS of 6.0 is a common requirement.

It can be said that English has become an integral part of Thailand’s postgraduate education. In other words, new members (budding academics) need to gain their membership through their English ability. Such a gate-keeping measure, a common practice among higher institutes, is a means to ensure that candidates are equipped with academic English skills ready to participate effectively in the academic community and beyond.

Thai academics are expected to have ‘sound knowledge’ of Thai and English, among other qualities such as critical thinking and IT skills. They possess certain dispositions, and one of which is the drive to search for truths. They are expected to function as active researchers, excel in administrative, teaching, and academic matters. In academic institutions, Thai scholars, moreover, need to earn their academic titles such as assistant professorship and associate professorship.

While recognizing the fact that English is important, it usually takes some time for learners to develop proficiency in English as a foreign language for academic purposes. From the socio-cultural perspective, those postgraduate students, as they are acquiring the language, are being socialized into the new community (Ochs, 2002). As we know, there are many discourse communities and different discourse communities have different ways of using English for their academic purposes. There are ‘technical terms’ to master; they are conventions of usage to follow such as the use of loan words and calques.

PURPOSES OF THE STUDY
The purposes of this study were to: 1) investigate the post-graduate students’ perceived English ability.

2) investigate the postgraduate students’ conception of the Thai academics and their perceived identities.

3) investigate the scope and extent of DPU postgraduate students’ use of English with other members of the Thai academic community.

4) identify the main problems arising from their use of English within the Thai academic community.

5) identify the students’ perceived coping ability.

6) investigate the relationship between the students’ personal factors, their perceptions, and the factors related to language use.

7) find out about the support they needed from the institution regarding the training of English.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research asked the following questions:

 * 1) How did the post-graduate students perceive their own English ability?
 * 2) What were their conceptions of the Thai academics and their perception of their identity as   Thai academics?
 * 3) Across the four skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, what are the their levels of use with other members of the Thai academic community?
 * 4) What were their challenges or difficulties of English use?
 * 5) How well or effective could they cope with the problems?
 * 6) Were there any relationships between the students’ personal factors and their use of English, perceived English ability, and reported problems in language use?
 * 7) Was the support they receive from the university adequate?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this study lies in its attempt to investigate the use of English among graduate students in business administration; it did so by perceiving them as novice or budding academics. Secondly, it attempts to identify the students’ perceived coping ability. Thirdly, it attempts to correlate their perception and their levels of English use.

RATIONALE
As a result of the strong growth of postgraduate studies, there are now many research students in Thailand who are entering various discourse communities. These communities of practice, explicitly or implicitly, require that their members acquire and use academic English within and beyond their fields (Morita, 2004). The process of equipping the students with adequate academic English requires more than teaching them academic English as prescribed in the curriculum or textbooks. In the context of international students in English speaking countries such as in Australia, Adamson (1993, cited in Wilson 1997, p. 767) has argued that international students need academic, cultural, and linguistic competences to tackle university sstudy.

To be competent in the academic discourse requires their active participation in the academic discourse community over a certain period. This process of socialization is a complex process and is often non-linear. This developmental process, undoubtedly, requires ‘time’, as they need to engage in the academic English activities. In short, they need to learn the rules of ‘the market’ and adjust what Bourdieu called ‘habitus’ (Bourdieu, 1991). From this perspective, new members need to engage in the activities of the discourse community.

Realizing that this process is complex, dynamic, and cultural, degree providers often put in place a series of academic interventions such as seminars and conferences for the novices to ‘transform’ themselves into experts. In other words, efforts are made to help the new students participate effectively in the new discourse community. Through the process, they will become legitimate participants within the periphery of the new discourse community (Wenger, 1998; Lemke, 2002). This process takes time. Academic support is thus a crucial element.

Novices in any field have many roles to play. They need to use academic English to gain membership and participate in many discourse communities, as there are many of them within the Thai academic community. Indeed, there are other discourse communities that focus on and communicate about particular disciplines, or domains of inquiry. For example, there are sets of rules for the field of accounting. These communities have their own professional organizations and publications within which group members communicate about topics of interest to scholars who are working in the same discipline. Again, they have their own conventions, rules, standards, assumptions, and ways of approaching topics. So, another task of the novices is to learn how to communicate appropriately and effectively within their own discipline and beyond. Moreover, among the scholar community, it is regarded that doctoral and master’s degree holders/candidates are novice scholars who should be capable of using English to debate a wide range of issues. In addition, most postgraduate candidates are required to demonstrate their competence in scholarly research, which often involves extensive use of English. In the process, for example, they are expected to work closely with faculty members whose interests are similar to their own. This demands their active participation and dedication (Benz, 1996).

This research aims to study the process of DPU postgraduate students’ engagement in the new discourse community. Even though the students are going to write their theses in Thai (L1), in the process, they have to read a great deal of English texts such as theses and articles. Moreover, they are expected to be able to participate successfully in the existing academic communities (disciplinary community, Thai academic community, and global community). One of the requirements is to use English effectively within their field of expertise. Thus, in order to participate in the new context, they are required to use English to penetrate the myriad of academic discourse communities, including establishing effective relationships with their instructors, classmates, peers, and scholars in their fields.

This study will investigate non-English speaking postgraduate students as they are being socialized into the new community of practice. The new discourse community they have entered at the beginning of their program can be termed the new academic community. This new community has its own standards, rules, assumptions, and expectations that govern communication within the community. An important part of joining the new community is learning how to communicate appropriately and effectively within it --- how to function within the new context. English is one aspect of their participation.

In conclusion, from a socio-cultural perspective, the postgraduate students are in the process of becoming new members who are expected to be able to cope with academic English within the Thai academic discourse. They are in the process of what Wenger (1998) calls legitimate peripheral participation, transforming their identity. An in-depth understanding of their participation process as well as factors influencing their participation and new identities is worth an in-depth investigation.

DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS
Below are the definitions of the terms used in this study.

- DPU refers to Dhurakij Pundit University, a private university located on the outskirts of Bangkok. The website is at www.dpu.ac.th

- English Academic Discourse Community refers to a Thai academic community where members (teachers, researchers, scholars, students) are connected to the academy in some way, individuals who also use academic English to communicate their shared ideas and feelings.

- Perceived Identity is defined as an individual student’s self-report of how he or she perceives him/herself as a postgraduate business student. A person’s identity is formed through his or her history of social engagement in a particular society. In this study, the student participants’ perceived identities are determined from their responses to the questionnaire.

- Level of Participation refers to an individual student’s self-report of his or her level of participation in the English academic discourse community. Their levels of participation will be assessed by the questionnaire.

- Perceived Coping Ability refer to students’ self-report of their methods of dealing with the demands of English use within the academic community. These strategies will be assessed by the questionnaire as well as the interview.

- Postgraduate Business Students refer to the MBA (Master of Business Administration) and DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) students of Dhurakij Pundit university for the academic year 2007.

- Personal Factors refer to a student’s age, sex, income, and educational background

LIMITATIONS
This study only investigates DPU postgraduate students. It may not be generalizible to other contexts. This study was conducted in the Kingdom of Thailand, starting in June 2007 and will last until July 2008. The population is first year postgraduate students in the filed of business administration.

EXPECTED BENEFITS
As it employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, it is expected that this research would create an in-depth understanding of how Thai postgraduate business students in L1 context engage and negotiate their identities in the new community of practice --- how “the new kid fits into the block”.

It is also expected that this insight will be useful for students as well as program providers, for they will be better informed of what, when, and where to put in place necessary support structure, especially the academic one. In addition, this study will shed some light on the practice of academic English discourse within the Thai academic community.

OUTLINE OF THE RESEARCH REPORT
This report is divided into five chapters. The first chapter, Chapter One, is the introduction. The topics include: Background of the Study, Purposes, Research Questions, Significance of the Study, Rationale, Definitions, Limitations, Expected Benefits, and Outline of the Research Report. Chapter Two is the literature review. Topics include: The Use of English in Thailand,  The Use of English within the Thai Academic Communities, The Characteristics of English Use Among the Thai Academics, and Literature on the Use of English among members of the Thai Academic Communities.

Chapter Three is the methodology.

Chapter Four presents the findings, followed by the discussions. The conclusions, implications, and recommendations of the research are presented in the last chapter, Chapter Five.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Literature Review

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter reviews the literature on the following topics:

 * The Use of English in Thailand
 * The Use of English within the Thai Academic Communities
 * Characteristics of English Use Among the Thai Academics
 * Literature on the Use of English among members of the Thai Academic Communities

THE USE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THAILAND
Unlike Singapore or Malaysia, English in Thailand is not a second language; it has been taught as a foreign language since its inception. Standard Thai has been and still is the most important language in the Thai society. Thai students have been taught English as a foreign language. There are other foreign languages such as French, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, among others. Lately, Chinese has become the second most popular foreign language among Thai learners.[Citation needed here.]

In Thailand, English has also been perceived as being a global language. English as a global language is more than just a language for global communication. In many countries, English has become a status symbol (Phillipson, 1992). Like in many other countries, the ability to speak or use English well in Thailand is seen as a means to enhance one’s social status.

As English has become a global language, including its role as a language for academic purposes, coupled with the globalization of Thailand, Thai academics, in addition to good knowledge of Sanskritized Thai, are required to know and use English well. Indeed, having sound English ability is one of the most important requirements for most Thai academics.

Nowadays, it is observable that English has permeated into all fabrics of the Thai society and culture, as evidenced by the greater amount of English words mixed with Thai words or phrases in Thai media (Kapper, 1992). Among the Thai academics, English is recognized as an academic language. In addition to utilizing the knowledge borrowed from the literature written in English, Thai academics generally use English words or terms in their communities. Loanwords (including loan-tranlated words or calques) have been used as a common practice.

THE USE OF ENGLISH WITHIN THE THAI ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES
Like academics elsewhere, Thai academics, have been using English for verious purposes. In fact, they have been relying on knowledge and research findings from the West, especially the English-speaking cultures such as the US, Australia, and the UK. Being able to use English for utilitarian purposes, in addition to having excellent knowledge and skills of Sanskritized Thai, has been recognized as an almost indispensable requirement for one’s role as a Thai academic.

Albeit well-annecdoted, research on the use of English by Thai academics is still in its infancy. This study was probably the first attempt to investigate their English use, perceived problems in the use, their coping ability, and their needs of support.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE USED AMONG THE THAI ACADEMICS
The use of English as an L2 among the Thai academics has been influenced by the Thai language and culture, resulting in its unique characteristics.

The use of English among the Thai academics has been documented as having salient characteristics in five distinctive areas: (1) pronunciation, (2) the use of loanwords, (3) the practice of code-switching/mixing, (4) names and titles, and (5) rhetorical conventions,

LITERATURE ON THE USE OF ENGLISH AMONG MEMBERS OF THE THAI ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES
A study of English ability, English use problems, and the need of English among 239 Thai graduate students found that, in general, their proficiency level was low. However, theeirs needs to use English in their study were high. Most of them admitted that their language background was insufficient to handle the demand of English.

Sriwilai Polmanee and Panida Sinsuwan conducted a study to find out about the needs and problems of the graduate students in two program: the Thai language and the Ebglish language programs. Their results showed that the students of the two programs were similar in their needs of the English language. Both of them recognized the fact that the learning of English was important in the study at the graduate level. Both of them differed in their problems of the language skills.

Wutinat Chirapan (1987) conducted a survey and found that among the four skills, reading was the skills that the graduate students needed the most.

Chirapan (1987) carried out an investigation with graduate students at Mahidol University about the needs, wants problems and instructor expectations in the academic use of English. The respondents included graduate students and lecturers in three main disciplines; Life Science, Physical Science and Applied Linguistics. Questionnaires were distributed to 154 graduate students and 71 lecturers. The finding indicated that the all four skills were necessary. Moreover, it was found that Life Science students needed to use English in a wider range of activities than other students did.

Naparath Dhithiwattana (BE 2539) investigated and compared the frequency and the pattern of mixing English in Thai by lecturers of different disciplines at Kasetsart University and to study the relationship between their attitudes and behaviors of code-mixing. With regard to the lecturers' attitudes toward code-mixing, it was found that their attitudes did not always correspond to their code-mixing behaviors; eight out of the sampled fifteen people had correspondence of attitude and behavior of mixing English in Thai. In other words, they had code-mixed even when they themselves said it was inappropriate.

A survey conducted by Pinyosunun (2005) found that one of the major causes of English language problems was the lack of opportunities for Thai postgraduate students to use the language. The survey also noted that most students said they overcame problems in using English in an international program by self-learning.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Methodology

CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter identifies the participants of this study, explains the research instruments and measures to ensure the quality of those tools; it describes how the data were collected and analyzed. This chapter ends with a summary

POPULATION, SAMPLE, AND & SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The population of this study consisted of DPU postgraduate business students, namely MBA and DBA students.

Table 3.2: DPU Postgraduate Business Students

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS, DEVELOPMENT OF THE INSTRUMENTS, AND DATA COLLECTION

 * 1. Research Instruments

The instruments were the questionnaire and the guideline questions of the roundtable discussions.

The questionnaire was developed by the researcher; it has seven parts:

 * 1) General Information
 * 2) Identity and Perception of the Thai Academic Community
 * 3) Perceived English Ability
 * 4) Use of English within the Community
 * 5) Perceived Language Problems
 * 6) Perceived Language Coping Ability
 * 7) Perceived Support Needed from the University.

 * 2. Development of the Instruments

Two measures were implemented to ensure the high quality of the data collection instruments: content analysis and reliability analysis.

After reviewing the relevant literature, we constructed the questionnaire. For the analysis of the contents, we asked a panel of five EFL experts to decide each of the item within each construt. The index obtained was the ratioi between what was regarded as being relevant and necessary for the measurement of a particular construct and what was deemed to be unnecessary and irrelevant. The technique was called Content Validity Ratio or CVR, which has been widely used among researchers. Lawshe's CVR, hence, was used to determine whether the items were essential/necessary for the measurement of the designed constructed.

The CVR values range from +1 (All of the experts agree that the statement is necessary for the measurement of the construct) to -1 (They all say that the statement in question is unnecessary. Therefore, the values that are closer to +1 indicate that the experts are in agreement that the item is essential to content validity. See Appendix A for the detaled report of the analysis.

Once the content analysis was completed, the remaining items were selected to form the questionnaire. The trial was conducted to analyze its reliability.

The reliability of the constructs within the questionnaire is as the following:

 * 3. Data Collection

Quantitative Data

Quantitative data were collected from parts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed through the cooperation from the graduate school of Dhurakij Pundit university.

Qualitative Data

Qualitative data were collected from two sources: (1) Data from the open-ended questions (Part 2 of the questionnaire) and (2) Data collected from the two focus group discussions.

DATA ANALYSIS
The data were analyzed using the following statistical procedures: frequency distribution, percentages (%), arithmetic mean (X), and standard deviation (SD).

First, the frequency distribution and percentages were used in the analysis of answers, concerning the general background of the participants.

Data from the open-ended questions were analyzed using the content analysis method.

Criteria for Interpreting the Findings
The following are the criteria for the interpretation of the results of the analyses. 1. Respondents' Use of English

Data analyzed were interpreted based on the following criteria.

The higher mean reflects the higher level of English use.

2. Perceived Language Problems

The higher mean reflects the higher level of language problems.

3. Perceived Language Coping Ability

The higher mean reflects the higher level of coping ability.

4. Perceived Support Needed from the University

The higher mean reflects the higher level of support needed from the university.

5. Criteria for their English proficiency

The higher mean reflects the higher level of perceived English proficiency.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
Two roundtable seminars were conducted. The title is: English for Graduate Study: What, Why, and How Much?

The first roundtable was the one for the MBA student participants. There were five participants and it was conducted on Sunday, August 2, 2009. The second roundtable was participated by 4 DBA students, held on Sunday, August 9, 2009. Both roundtables were conducted at DPU.

They were to illicit qualitative data to help support the findings from the questionnaires.

See Appendix 3 for the summaries of the two roundtables.

CHAPTER SUMMARY
Data were collected from two sources: questionnaires and transcribed roundtable discussions.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Findings

This chapter presents the findings of the research; it, then, presents the discussions of the research findings. The topics under this chapter are the following:

 * 1) General Information about Respondents
 * 2) Respondents’ Perceptions of Their Identity and the Thai Academic Community
 * 3) Respondents’ Perceived English Ability
 * 4) Respondents’ Perceived Level of English Use in Their Graduate Study
 * 5) Respondents’ Perceived Level of English Use Within Their Academic Community
 * 6) Respondents’ Perceived Problems in Their Use of English
 * 7) Respondents’ Perceived Coping Ability
 * 8) Respondents’ Perceived Support Needed from the University
 * 9) Results of the focus-group discussions
 * 10) Discussions

The questions to be discussed are:

 * 1) How did the post-graduate students perceive their own English ability?
 * 2) What were their conceptions of the Thai academics?
 * 3) Across the four skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, what are the students’ levels of use with other members of the Thai academic community?
 * 4) What were their challenges or difficulties of English use?
 * 5) How well or effective could they cope with the problems?
 * 6) Were there any relationships between the students’ personal factors and their use of English, perceived English ability, and reported problems in language use?
 * 7) Was the support they receive from the university adequate?

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT RESPONDENTS
118 MBA students and 13 DBA students participated in this study; 59.50 percent (78) were female. The tables present the general information of the respondents.
 * Age

Most students were between 26-30 years old. Only two of them were aged above 41 years old. The data also show the age difference between the two programs. As one might expect to see happen, MBA students were younger than DBA students.

 * Occupational Background

Forty six or 35 percent of them were employees of private organizations.

 * Overseas Training Experience

In terms of their overseas training, it was found that their level was low.

Of the total respondents of 130, only 24 (19%) said they have experienced training in the foreign setting. The majority of them, 106 or 81%, said ‘NO’.

The number of the participants who have experienced English language training overseas was low too. Of the total number of respondents, only 5 of them (4%) said they have done so. The majority of them said they never had such the experience (125 or 96%).

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR IDENTITY AND THE THAI ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
In an effort to find out the respondents' perception of the role of English within the Thai academic community, the open-ended question was asked, which was, ”What do you think are the qualifications of Thai academics in business administration field?”. Below are the results.

Inaddition to other qualifications such as knowledge and skills in management and theoretical knowledge, many of them also mentioned the English ability.

Based on the table above, it was found that only 31 MBA students (30%) mentioned English proficiency as a part of the qualifications of Thai academics. However, 6 DBA students or as high as 55 per cent mentioned it.

The next question asked in this section was whether or not they considered themselves academics in the field of business administration. They were also asked to provide a reason.

Fifty-five percent (6) of the DBA students perceived themselves as Thai academics. For the MBA students, however, the percentage was much lower or at 30%.

The last question of this section asked them about their perception of themselves as part of the Thai academic community.

In response to the question “Do you consider yourself being part of the Thai academic community?” the majority of the student participants (61%) answered “YES.” Only 42 of them or 39 percent said "NO".

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEIVED ENGLISH ABILITY
The student participants were asked to assess their English proficiency, skill by skill, followed by their overall self-assessment; a Likert-Type scale, ranging from 1 (very weak) to 5 (excellent) was used. The responses were categorized; each range has the following meaning:

Results of English proficiency's self-assessment. (N = 131)

The above table shows the respondents’ rating of their English proficiency. In general, the respondents rated themselves as having a 'fair' level of proficiency.

Perceived Listening Ability Level	Frequency	Percent Excellent	2	1.5 Good	22	16.8 Fair	68	51.9 Weak	24	18.3 Very Weak	14	10.7 Total	130	99.2

In terms of the student participants’ listening ability, most of them (51.9) rated their listening ability as being ‘fair’. Up to 29 percent said that theirs was weak and very weak.

Perceived Speaking Ability

Level	Frequency	Percent Excellent	1	.8 Good	12	9.2 Fair	69	52.7 Weak	36	27.5 Very Weak	11	8.4 Total	129	98.5

Most of them rated their speaking ability as ‘fair’; only 10 percent (13) said their speaking ability was good and excellent.

Perceived Reading Ability Level	Frequency	Percent Excellent	5	3.8 Good	40	30.5 Fair	64	48.9 Weak	14	10.7 Very Weak	7	5.3 Total	130	99.2

Perceived Writing Ability Level	Frequency	Percent Excellent	2	1.5 Good	23	17.6 Fair	57	43.5 Weak	37	28.2 Very Weak	11	8.4 Total	130	99.2

For their writing ability, it was found that the majority of the respondents said theirs was ‘fair’.

The students were also asked to rank the four skills. The first was the important of skills for their education. Of the total of 123 students, 112 (91%) were MBA students; 11 (9%) were DBA students.

Skills	Percent Listening	72 Speaking	68 Reading	63 Writing	49

Skills	Percent Listening	78 Speaking	77 Reading	54 Writing	42

They also said that their weakest skill was

Program	Weakest Skill Total Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing MBA	34 (30%)	43 (37%)	1 (1%)	38 (33%)	116 DBA	3 (25%)		1(9%)	8 (67%)	12 Total	37 (29%)	43 (34%)	2 (2%)	46 (36%)	128

For DBA students, 67 percent of them (8 out of 12) reported that their weakest skill was writing; 25 percent (3) said that it was the listening skill. For MBA students, the speaking skill was mentioned as their weakest (37%).

With regard to their reported best skill, it was found that:

Program	Best Skill Total Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing MBA	25	16	61 (53%)	14 (12%)	116 DBA	2	2	7 (59%)	1 (9%)	12 Total	27	18	68 (54%)	15 (12%)	128

In sum, it was found that…

Male and Female: Not Sig.

SEX	N	Mean	S.D Perceived English Ability	Male	42	3.00	.79 Female	71	2.76	.76

RESPONDENTS’ USE OF ENGLISH IN THEIR GRADUATE STUDY
This aspect od English use was investigated by having the respondents answer the close-ended question: Please identify the extent of your use of English in your graduate study.

Five options were given for them to choose from: Never (0%), Occasionally (1-20%), Sometimes (21-50%), Often (51-80%), Always (81-100%).

The respondents’ answers were averaged, and the meanings of their score were interpreted based on the following criteria:

 * Level of English Use in Graduate Study

Most of the respondents moderately used English in their graduate study (M = 3.00). Like other graduate students (e.g. the study by Prinyajarn and Wannaruk, 2008,), the subjects of this study have limited opportunities to use and practice English in their graduate study.

This finding was in line with what Prinyajarn and Wannaruk (2008) have pointed out that, for graduate students in science and technology, reading is their main concern. They need reading skills to read texts or related articles for their courses and research work.

 * Level of English Use Within the Academic Community

 * Level of English Use in the Workplace

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEIVED LEVEL OF ENGLISH USE WITHIN THEIR ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
The question to determine their English use within the academic community is: How often do you use English in your academic community? The results were as follows:

The mean of the 130 respondents who answered this question was 2.47, which was considered to be the use at the ‘low’ level. Only 13 per cent or 17 of them said they often or always used English in the community. The majority said they sometime or occasionally used it.

 * The use of English in the community of the two programs: MBA and DBA, was found to be similar. In other words, their use was not significantly differ from one another's.

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEIVED DIFFICULTIES IN THEIR USE OF ENGLISH
In terms of their perceived difficulties in English use, the following findings were revealed:

Overall, the respondents had problems communicating in English; the level of difficulties was moderate. They difficulties spanded across the four macro-skills.

Moreover, it was also found that their perceived problems are positively correlated with each other. The correlations were found to be significant.

This confirms that the problems are across the four skills.

This is not sig. Program (N)	Mean	SD	Sig Perceived Difficulties in English Use MBA (118) 3.28	.65	Not Sig DBA (13) 3.38	.73

Both groups has similar problems using English (M = 3.28).

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEIVED COPING ABILITY
Another aspect of the analysis was to investigate their perceived coping ability, how well could they cope with the demand of English.

 * Coping Ability

It was found that their coping ability was at the moderate level (M=3.26). It was also found that MBA and DBA students did not differ in their coping ability.

Male and female sig at the .05 level

Construct	Sex	N	Mean	SD	Sig Support Level	Male	43	3.64	.73 .05	Female	78	4.02	.66 Coping Ability	Male	43	3.43	.55 Not Sig Female	78	3.17	.64

In terms of their ability to cope with the demand of English ability and skills, male and female students did not differ in their perceptions. However, in terms of their support needed from the institution, female and male students differed, and the difference was significant at the .05 level of significance.

This difference is similar to a study by Hong (2007) who found that female Tibetan students were prefer dependent style of learning. This suggests that females need more support.

In terms of language learning strategies, Madeline and Oxford (1988) have reviewed the roles of gender in second language learning, pointing out that females tend to use more social learning strategies from males

RESPONDENTS’ PERCEIVED INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
This construct was determined from their responses to the following items:

 * I would like the university to help me develop my knowledge and English language skills.
 * My English language skills and ability are adequate; I do not need help from the university.
 * The university should try harder to help me improve my English language skills.
 * My English language ability is adequate to support my study and work in Thailand.
 * Overall, I have received adequate support to develop my language skills.

They were asked to identify their attitudes towards each of the items above, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

Overall, they received the high level of support from the institution.

RESULTS FROM THE ROUNDTABLES
Two roundtables were conducted in August 2009, and the title of which was English for Graduate Study: What, Why, and How Much?

The first roundtable was conducted on 2 August 2009, participated by five MBA students, facilitated by the researcher. The second one was organized on 9 August 2009, participated by 4 DBA students, also, facilitated by the researcher.

 * Summary of the Roundtables

Both graduate programs, MBA and DBA, were the Thai ones, the language of instruction was Thai, including their lecturers and supervisors. This fact might be the cause of the low level of English use. Both groups, however, mentioned that their ajarns (teachers or professors) required them to use the textbooks written in English. So reading was the important skills.

One MBA participant (MBA 1) said:

ในความเข้าใจนะค่ะ ภาษาอังกฤษในระดับบัณฑิตศึกษาเนี่ย ส่วนใหญ่จะเน้นทักษะทางด้านการอ่านมากกว่า เพราะว่าเท่าที่เรียนมาหนังสือหรือ textbook ที่เราใช้ส่วนใหญ่ที่อาจารย์เค้าใช้ก็จะเป็นภาษาอังกฤษ ถึงแม้ว่า การเรียนการสอนจะเป็นภาษาไทยแต่ว่า text จะเป็นภาษาอังกฤษ อาจารย์ก็จะอิงจากใน text ซะส่วนใหญ่ คิดว่าทักษะทางด้านอื่นที่สำคัญ สำหรับระดับบัณฑิตศึกษา เพราะทักษะอย่างอื่น อย่างการพูด การเขียนคงไม่ ได้ใช้เท่าไหร่

[My impression is that postgraduate English, mainly, is mainly about the use of reading skills. So far, the textbooks our ajarns (lecturers) have used are written in English. Even though, the instruction is in Thai, but the texts are in English. Ajarns use them as their references. Other skills such as speaking and reading are rarely used.]

For DBA 1, reading skills were very important for the study at the doctoral level:

ภาษาอังกฤษในระดับบัณฑิตศึกษาในความคิดของฉันนะค่ะ ก็คือคิดว่าเป็นการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษที่มีทักษะที่ดี ทั้ง การฟัง พูด อ่าน และเขียน ก็คือการเรียนระดับนี้ คิดว่าการอ่านเป็นสิ่งที่สำคุญที่สุดนะค่ะ เพราะว่าอย่างตอนนี้ที่ เรียนอยู่ DBA ค่อนข้างที่จะอ่าน Journal ค่อนข้างเยอะ ถ้าไม่มีทักษะการอ่านที่ดีนะค่ะ รวมถึงการเขียนที่ดี ก็ จะไม่สามารถที่จะเขียนงานวิจัยหรือว่ารายงานออกมาได้ดีนะค่ะ

[In my opinion, graduate-level English requires students to have skills in   their use of English, across the four skills, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I think at this level, reading skills are very important. As an DBA candidate, I have to read alot of articles from journals in English. Without good reading and writing skills, it would be   difficult to produce good research reports or theses.]

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
This is the summary of the findings. Use of Macro-Skills

 * In terms of their use of English skills (macro skills), it was found that the most used skills reported were the reading skills. This finding was not a surprise. The information from the two focus group seminars confirms this quantitative finding.

Perceived Language Problems
 * The use of writing and speaking skills were found to rank lower. Again the findings were consistent with those from the focus group seminars.

 * The subjects said they had moderate level of language problems across the four macro-skills.

Perceived Language Coping Ability The means was 3.26 with SD of .60. Their language-coping ability was moderate. Perceived Support Needed from the University The mean was 3.87 (SD =.70). Their level of institutional support was high.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the following topics: Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS
This study investigated the use of English with other members of the Thai Academic Community among Dhurakij Pundit University’s postgraduate business students. 131 postgraduate students answered the questionnaire; two focus-group interviews were conducted.

The questions asked were:
 * 1) How did they (131 post-graduate students as the subjects) perceive their own English ability?
 * 2) What were their conceptions of the Thai academics? How did they perceive their identities?
 * 3) Across the four skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, what are the students’ levels of use with other members of the Thai academic community?
 * 4) What were their challenges or difficulties of English use?
 * 5) How well or effective could they cope with the problems/challenges?
 * 6) Were there any relationships between the students’ personal factors and their use of English, perceived English ability, and reported problems in language use?
 * 7) Was the support they receive from the university adequate?

Main findings:

1. The use of English of DPU postgraduate students within the Thai academic community was limited in the scope and degree.

2. Only thirty-seven (32%) out of 116 postgraduate students surveyed mentioned English as part of the qualifications of Thai academics; Seventy-nine of them or 68% did not mention English in their self-reports. The majority of them (65 or 61%) said they were part of the Thai academic community; whereas, 42 or 39% said they were not (N=107).

3. Support from the institution is needed, especially, among those whose perceived English ability is low. One of the findings is that However, the correlation between the ability to cope with the demands of English and the overall perceived English ability is positive (.33). This means that if the ability is high, the ability to cope with English is also high.

4. The link between perceived identity and coping ability was significantly correlated.

5. The present study has reported the relationship between the three constructs: (1) Perceived Support from the Institution, (2) Perceived English Ability, and (3) Coping Ability.

6. Personal factors have affected their performance. For example, their overseas training experience, which was sig at 0.05 level.

IMPLICATIONS

 * The findings have the following implications.

 * 1) The study found the low level of English use among the student participants. The program providers/developers should structure the learning environment conducive to language development.
 * 2) The study found the relationship between the student participants' perceived identity and their use of English. This may suggest that program providers look beyond conventional teaching such as teacher-fronted conventional classroom teaching.
 * 3) The study found that female student participants preferred a different level of institutional support. As more women have opportunities to enhance their educational potential, program providers should recognize the different needs of the two sexes; this may mean that their support structures be adequate and flexible and individualized.

RECOMMENDATIONS

 * 1) This study only investigated 131 postgraduate students in one of the private universities in Thailand. Thus, its generalizability is limited. Future studies should broader the scope of the investigation.
 * 2) This study revealed that perceived identity had the role in explaining reported language use and the level of language coping ability of the student participants. Further research should investigate the many facets of perceived identities and other variables, e.g. the relationship between identities and other variables such as attitudes and motivations.
 * 3) The present study has reported that the level of English use of the student participants was low. This seems to confirm the current state of English use among postgraduate students in Thailand. (The low percentage of them said they had overseas language training experience). The program providers should create conditions where they are required to use more English in their postgraduate study.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/References

References in the Thai Language

 * 1) วิทยา นาทอง. (2527). การเปรียบเทียบภาษาอังกฤษกับภาษาไทย. กรุงเทพ: มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง.
 * 2) สุวรรณี พันธุ์พรึกส์ และ ฌัลลิกา มหาพูนทอง (2550) การศึกษาความสามารถ ปัญหาและความต้องการในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของนักศึกษาในระดับปริญญาโทและปริญญาเอกของสถาบันเทคโนโลยีพระจอมเกล้าพระนครเหนือ Source http://www.kmutnb-journal.net/journal/39206255118413.pdf [Latest Access: 22 October 2009].
 * 3) ศรีวิไล พลมณี และพนิดา สินสุวรรณ, ความต้องการและปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของนักศึกษาปริญญาโท สาขาการสอนภาษาไทย และสาขาการสอนสังคมศึกษา เปรียบเทียบกับนักศึกษาสาขาการสอนภาษาอังกฤษ, คณะศึกษาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่, 2544.
 * 4) พรมมหาราช, พ. (2545). ปัญหาในการทำวิทยานิพนธ์ของนักศึกษาระดับบัณฑิตศึกษาคณะวิทยาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่.
 * 5) วิจารณ์ พานิช. (2546). การจัดการเครือข่ายวิชาการ. กรุงเทพ: กรมอนามัยฯ.
 * 6) วิจิตร ศรีสอ้าน. (2549). การควบคุมวิทยานิพนธ์. เทปวีดีทัศน์. กรุงเทพ: มหาวิทยาลัยธุรกิจบัณฑิตย์.

References in the English Language

 * 1) Baker, W. (2008). A Critical Examination of ELT in Thailand. "RELC Journal", 39 (1), 131-146.
 * 2) Ballard, B., & Clancy, J. (1997). "Teaching International Students". Canberra: IDP Australia.
 * 3) Bourdieu, P. (1991). "On Language and Symbolic Power". Cambridge: Basil Blackwell.
 * 4) Hong, Y.-r. (2007, April). A Survey of the Learning Style Preference of Tibetan EFL Learners in China. US-China Foreign Language.
 * 5) Wutinat Chirapan. "A survey of academic English language needs of graduate students at the Faculty of Science, Mahidol University." Master's thesis (Applied Linguistics), Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University, 1987. CALL NO. : Thesis W973s 1987
 * 6) Chirapan, W. (1987). A survey of academic English language needs of the medical students at Mahidol University for the use of the four skills of English. M.A. Thesis in Linguistics, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University.
 * 7) Kapper, J. (1992). "English borrowing in Thai as reflected in Thai journalistic texts." Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota 36: 1-17.
 * 8) Lemke, J. L. (2002). Language Development and identity: multiple timescales in the social ecology of learning. In C. Kramsch, Language Acquisition and Language Socialization: Ecological Perspectives (pp. 68-87). London: Continuum.
 * 9) Morita, N. (2004). Negotiating Participation and Identity in Second Language Academic Communities. TESOL Quarterly, 38 (4), 573-603.
 * 10) Ochs, E. (2002). Becoming a speaker of culture. In C. Kramsch, Language Acquisition and Language Socialization (pp. 99-120). London: Continuum.
 * 11) Oxford, R., & Madeline, E. (1988). Effects of Sex Differences, Career Choice, and Psychological Type on Adult Language Learning Strategies . The Modern Language Journal,, 72 (3), 253-265.
 * 12) Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 * 13) Pinyosunun, A. (2005). Problems in Using the English Language of MBA and MA International Graduate Students in Private Universities. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Bangkok: Master's Thesis.
 * 14) Prinyajarn, G., & Wannaruk, A. (2008). Communication Strategies Training for Science and Technology Graduate Students. Suranaree Journal of Social Sciences, 1, 17-32.
 * 15) Stroud, C., & Wee, L. (2006). Anxiety and Identity in the Language Classroom. RELC Journal, 37(3), 299-307.
 * 16) หลักสูตรบริหารธุรกิจมหาบัณฑิต M.B.A. Retrieved January 15, 2009, from Vongchavalitkul University: http://web.archive.org/20070214043442/www.vu.ac.th/admission.php?subpage=2
 * 17) Utamawiriya, M. (2002). Problems in Learning Business English of Thai Private University Students in Thailand. Department of English for Business and Technology, The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok: Master's Degree Thesis.
 * 18) Wenger, E. (1998). "Communities of Practice: Learning, meaning and Identity. Cambridge": Cambridge University Press.
 * 19) Wenger, E., McDermott, R. A., & Snyder, W. (2002). "Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge". Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
 * 20) Wilson, K. (1997). Wording it up: Plagiarism in the interdiscourse of international students. In the Proceedings of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Conference in Adelaide, South Australia, 8-11 July 1997.
 * 21) Norton, B. & Toohey, K. (2002). Identity and language learning. In R. Kaplan (ed.) Handbook of Applied Linguistics (pp 115-123). Oxford: Oxford University Press.


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Appendices

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Content Validity Analysis

Appendix B: Questionnaire

Appendix C: Roundtable Discussions


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Appendix A: Content Validity Analysis

The panel of 4 EFL specialists were asked to consider each item of the questionnaire.

Part 1: Levels of English Use with other members of the Thai academic community

Please identify whether or not each item is necessary for the measurement of the level of the English use of the students with other members of the Thai academic community.

 * Use of Listening Skills

 * Use of Speaking Skills

 * Use of Reading Skills

 * Use of Writing Skills

ส่วนที่ 2: การรับรู้ปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ และ การรับรู้ความสามารถในการแก้ปัญหา

2.1 การรับรู้ปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ

ในฐานะผู้เชี่ยวชาญในการเรียนการสอนภาษาอังกฤษ ท่านเห็นว่าแต่ละข้อความดังต่อไปนี้ มีความสำคัญหรือไม่ต่อการวัดการรับรู้ปัญหาของนักศึกษาฯในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ โปรดทำเครื่องหมาย X ลงในช่องที่กำหนดให้

 * Problems in the Use of Listening Skills

 * Problems in the Use of Speaking Skills

 * Problems in the Use of Reading Skills

 * Problems in the Use of Writing Skills


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Appendix B: The Questionnaire

Part 1: Respondents' Personal Details
My program is (Please mark X) …….MBA………DBA.

I am (Please mark X)

___ 20-25 years old ___ 26-30 years old ___ 31-35 years old ___ 39-40 years old ___ 40 years old or above

I have been studying at this university for … (Please mark X) ___ less than 1 year ___ 1-2 years ____ 2-3 years ____ 3-5 years

Gender: ___ Male ___ Female

Which organization are you working for? ___ owner of a business ___ civil servant ___ Private company ___ state enterprise ___ teacher/lecturer (Private) ___ teacher/lecturer (Government) ___ student (not working yet) Others (Please specify)__________________________________

How frequent do you use English in your workplace? (Choose one answer only) ___ Never (0% ___ Rarely (1-20%) ___ Sometimes (21-50%) ___ Often (51-80%) ___ Always (81-100%)

Have you ever been overseas to participate in a training or an educational program? ___YES (If Yes), which country(ies)_____________________ Length of Stay:_______ ___ NO.

Have you ever been overseas to learn a foreign language? ___ YES If YES, which countries: _____________________________ Length of stay: ___________________________ ___ NO.

Part 2: Self-Conception
To you, what are the key qualifications for a Thai academic in the field of business administration? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Do you consider yourself an academic in business administration? Why/Why not? _____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
 * This study defines the term ‘the academic community in business administration’ as a group of individuals, including graduate students (MBA & DBA), lecturers, researchers, business people, academics in the field of business administration or related fields, be they in the governmental or private sector.

______________________________________________________________________________
 * Do you consider yourself part of the Thai academic community of business administration? Why/Why not?

_____________________________________________________________________________
 * Why is having English skills and ability is necessary for Thai academics in the field of business administration?

 * Please evaluate your own English ability and skills by marking X in the box.

Listening ___ Very Weak ___ Weak ___ Fair ___ Good ___ Very Good

Speaking ___ Very Weak ___ Weak ___ Fair ___ Good ___ Very Good

Reading ___ Very Weak ___ Weak ___ Fair ___ Good ___ Very Good

Writing ___ Very Weak ___ Weak ___ Fair ___ Good ___ Very Good

Globally (In General) ___ Very Weak ___ Weak ___ Fair ___ Good ___ Very Good Your English grade at DPU is (Please mark X) ___ A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ F ____ S ____ U ____ Haven't commence the course

(Note: This question is optional.)

Which of the following skills is considered your weakest? (Choose only one). ___ Listening ___ Speaking ___ Reading ___ Writing

___ Listening ___ Speaking ___ Reading ___ Writing
 * Which of the following skills is considered your best (strongest)? (Choose only one).

___ Never (0%) ___ Rarely (1-20%) ___ Sometimes (21-50%) ___ Often (51-80%) ___ Always (81-100%)
 * How often do you use English in your study (Choose only one)?

___ Never (0%) ___ Rarely (1-20%) ___ Sometimes (21-50%) ___ Often (51-80%) ___ Always (81-100%)
 * How often do you use English in your academic community (Choose only one)?

Part 3: English Use Within the Academic Community

 * For each of the given items, please select one of the five options that best represents your experience. The five options are: (1) Never (0%), Rarely (1-20%), (3) Sometimes(21-50%), (4) Often(51-80%), and (5) Always (81-100%).

อนึ่ง คำถามเหล่านี้เป็นคำถามเกี่ยวกับการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของท่านนับตั้งแต่การเข้ามาศึกษา ณ มหาวิทยาลัยธุรกิจบัณฑิตย์นี้เท่านั้น

___ ไม่เคยเลย ___ นานๆ ครั้ง _____เป็นบางครั้ง ______ ค่อนข้างบ่อย _______ เป็นประจำ
 * Listening Skills

Part 4: Perceived Problems in English use
โปรดเลือกตอบว่าท่านเห็นด้วยหรือไม่เห็นด้วยมากน้อยเพียงใด ทำเครื่องหมาย X ลงในช่องที่กำหนดให้

Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Unsure	Agree	Strongly Agree

Part 5: Perceived Coping Ability (To solve their language problems)

 * ท่านมีวิธีจัดการกับปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของท่านอย่างไร โปรดทำเครื่องหมาย X ลงในช่องที่ตรงกับการรับรู้ของท่านเกี่ยวกับความสามารถในการจัดการกับปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของท่านเอง
 * อนึ่ง คำถามเหล่านี้เป็นคำถามเกี่ยวกับการรับรู้ความสามารถในการจัดการกับปัญหาในการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของท่านนับตั้งแต่การเข้ามาศึกษาที่ มหาวิทยาลัยธุรกิจบัณฑิตย์

Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Unsure	Agree	Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree    Disagree     Unsure      Agree       Strongly Agree
 * Listening Skills


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/Appendix C: Focus Group Discussions

Roundtable Seminars
Two roundtable seminars were conducted. The title of the seminar was English for Graduate Study: What, Why, and How Much?

Sunday, August 2, 2009 [MBA] Sunday, August 9, 2009 [DBA]

The two roundtables were conducted at DPU.

 * 1) MBA Roundtable
 * 2) DBA Roundtable


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Postgraduate Use of English at Dhurakij Pundit University/MBA Roundtable

MBA Roundtable Seminar
Content is being updated and revised. i am sajad bhat and my E-mail address is bhatsajad00@yahoo.com I want to discuss something with other people living in the world.