AUMMARAPORN NOOYOD (MAHASARAKHAM UNIVERSITY)

EXPLORING THE DIGITAL READING TRENDS: THAI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES FOR ONLINE EXTENSIVE READING MATERIALS : MATERIALS DESIGN

This study explores the digital reading trends among Thai university students, focusing on their preferences for online extensive reading materials. As digital platforms become increasingly integral to education, understanding students’ reading preferences is essential for developing effective language learning resources. This research involved 120 first-year English major students, aged 18-19, from three universities in northeastern Thailand, selected through convenience sampling. Data collection was conducted using an online questionnaire, which included both ranking and open-ended questions to capture a comprehensive picture of student preferences. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify underlying themes and descriptive statistics to summarize the findings. The results revealed that students favored reading materials that were engaging, diverse, and easily accessible, with a strong preference for topics that aligned with their personal interests and academic needs. Additionally, the study found that students valued materials that were appropriate linguistic levels, aiding both comprehension and language development. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring online extensive reading materials to meet the specific preferences and needs of students, promoting sustained interest and improved language skills. The study provides valuable insights for educators and resource developers, offering guidance on how to create more effective and engaging digital reading resources. Future research should continue to explore the evolving preferences of students in different contexts to further enhance the effectiveness of digital learning tools.

Aummaraporn Nooyod, lecturer at the English Language Department where she also serves as a committee of the Postgraduate (B.Ed. in English) Board, Faculty of Education, Loei Rajabhat University, Thailand. She received Bachelor of Education Program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and is studying a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching. Her research interests are pedagogy and education, reading comprehension and fluency, extensive reading, language learning and technology, second Language acquisition, translanguaging, and discourse analysis. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8330-8734