BUARATTANA ATTACHOO (LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY)
THANA KRUAWONG (Kasetsart University)

SCRUTINIZING THAI EFL STEM TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE/PRACTICE IN A CLIL LEARNING CONTEXT: PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Over the last twenty years, the increase in teaching STEM subjects in English, to be aligned with content-based ELT approaches, has been evident. Numerous studies indicate that many non-English speaking countries in EFL environments have embraced STEM education to different extents. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Thai EFL CLIL teachers (ECT), who provide teaching STEM teachers in an Intensive English Program (IEP) in a private school in Thailand. To obtain the lived experiences, a phenomenological study was utilized as a theoretical framework for the study. Semi-structured interviews were addressed to participants from six primary school teachers who were obliged to teach Sciences, Mathematics, and Technology. The questions in the interview protocol contained three groups of questions to investigate participants’ perceptions regarding their background, pedagogical aspects, and language used in the setting. The collected data was analyzed using the process of Phenomenological data analysis and content analysis to discover the emerging themes. The analysis process involves bracketing, horizontalization, grouping relevant topics, the construction of textual and structural descriptions. Under this process, the researcher removes personal expressions and prejudgments to avoid bias and focuses on the experiences of participants. The findings of this research revealed meaningful lived experiences under major themes: awareness of language used in the classroom; teaching preparation; challenges in language and content delivery; and issues in assessment. The implications of the study would be significant for professional development in CLIL pre-service teacher education, particularly in the STEM context.

Buarattana Attachoo, Ph.D., is a university lecturer at the Language Institute, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand. Her research interests include English Language Learning and Teaching in Inclusive Education; Vocabulary Learning Strategies; English Language Learning of Students with Disabilities; and Qualitative Research in ELT.

Thana Kruawong, Ph.D., is a university lecturer at the Division of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Education, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. His research interests include Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), English for Specific Purposes, teacher professional development, and English curriculum development.