English Language Teaching; Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 ISSN 1916-4742 E-ISSN 1916-4750 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Teacher and Learner Views on Effective English Teaching in the Thai Context: The Case of Engineering Students Mantana Meksophawannagul1 1 College of Industrial Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand Correspondence: Mantana Meksophawannagul, College of Industrial Teachnology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand. Tel: 66-8-1441-1599. E-mail: [email protected] Received: July 20, 2015 Accepted: October 10, 2015 Online Published: October 11, 2015 doi:10.5539/elt.v8n11p99 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n11p99 Abstract This study aimed at investigating the characteristics of effective English teachers and students as perceived by 35 teachers and 613 students, as well as according to the surveys regarding the English-teaching problems in Thailand. The instruments included two questionnaires on the characteristics of effective teachers and students as perceived by teachers and students, based on five categories: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and creditability, organization and preparation. The questionnaire responses were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative data revealed that for the teachers the most important attribute was organization and preparation attributes such as teaching preparation and the use of effective teaching methodology. The qualitative data revealed that the rapport items were important, especially that the teacher should be patient, not insult the students, and give clear advice. However, the students gave more weight to such rapport items as, for example, the teacher having a positive attitude toward to the students and being helpful, generous and caring about them. The qualitative data also revealed that well-prepared lessons and providing fun activities were mostly required for effective teachers. English teaching problems involve four aspects: teachers, learners, English learning content, and other factors. Discussion and the recommendations of the study are included. Keywords: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and creditability, organization and preparation, English teaching problems, attributes, and characteristics 1. Introduction In Thailand, English is widely recognized as an important foreign language both in academic and occupational fields (Foley, 2005). However, many studies have indicated very low language proficiency of Thai students (Bunnag, 2005a, 2005b cited in Khamkhien, 2010; EF English Proficiency Index, 2012 cited in Phonthongsunan, 2014; ONET-reports, 2012-2014). The scores on the two standardized tests, the TOEFL and TOEIC, officially indicated that Thai test takers’ scores were significantly low (Bolton, 2008; Bunnag, 2005a, 2005b cited in Khamkhien, 2010). Moreover, Thailand came in at 53rd, the world’s second-lowest rank, with an average score of 43.36, according to the Educational First English Proficiency Index (EF English Proficiency Index, 2012 cited in Phonthongsunan, 2014). Thailand's English average scores (2012-2014) for the O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) were unsatisfactory; for example, 430,000 upper-secondary school students scored 22.12, 25.35, and 23.44, (out of 100) (O-NET reports, 2012-2014). Without any doubt, effective English teachers have a great influence on students’ achievement (Murray, 1991; Prabhu, 1990; Phothomsunan, 2014). An effective teacher creates an environment that enhances deep learning outcomes (Ramsden, 1992). The quality of effective teachers can be categorized in many ways depending on the researchers’ interests. Many studies have categorized the attributes of effective teachers, for example, Babai and Sadeghi (2009), Faranda and Clarke (2004), Lowman (1997), Park and Lee (2006), and Wichadee (2010). Babai and Sadeghi (2009) proposed that the key elements of effective language teachers include knowledge of 99 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 the language, and pedagogy and the teacher’s personality. Faranda and Clarke (2004) categorized effective teachers in terms of five attributes: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and credibility, and organization and preparation. Rapport refers to the characteristics of teachers that take responsibility for their students and develop a good classroom atmosphere. Delivery is generally the discipline of providing useful content of instruction and teaching methodology. Fairness refers to the teachers’ impartiality in the classroom interaction and the grading and curriculum frame. Knowledge and creditability refer to the teachers’ competent and experiences in their subject area. Organization and preparation refer to all of the disciplines (i.e. course syllabus, learning objectives and goals, supplemental materials) that the learners want from teachers. Lowman (1997) proposed two distinct dimensions of effective teaching; namely, the instructor’s ability to stimulate intellectual excitement and use of psychology in a classroom. Park and Lee (2006) suggested three elements, namely, English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, and socio-affective skills; while Wichadee (2010) suggested four elements, namely English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, organization and communication skills, and socio-affective skills. Studies on the characteristics of effective language teachers have been carried out in many countries, for example, Turkey (Ghamsemi and Hashemi, 2011), Iran (Babai and Sadeghi, 2009), Australia (Ramsden, 2003), Asia (Barnes and Lock, 2010, 2013; Chen and Lin, 2009; Faranda and Clarke, 2004; Park and Lee, 2006; Xuerong, 2012), and Thailand (Chen, 2012; Wichadee, 2010). Faranda and Clarke (2004) found that, based on the five attributes of effective teachers (i.e. rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and credibility, and organization and preparation), Korean university students viewed rapport and delivery as the most important characteristics of an EFL teacher. A study by Chen and Lin (2009) concluded that instructional competence, personality, and the teacher-student relationship were considered the key attributes of effective EFL teachers, while Wichadee (2010) found that organization and communication skills were important from the students' viewpoint. Regarding the case of Thailand, Chen (2012) examined the favorable and unfavorable characteristics of EFL teachers and found that the sixty respondents that were undergraduate students at Vongchavalitkul University really cared about the EFL teachers’ personality and how the teachers behaved toward them. They believed that an effective teacher should be kind, friendly, and understand the students. Moreover, the students expected a teacher to have the knowledge and ability necessary to deliver the content in a meaningful way. Thus, it is believed that the teachers’ characteristics have a strong influence on the learning process and products (Murray, 1991; Prabhu, 1990), although, in the Thai context, only one study, that by Phothomgsunan (2014), suggested a correlation between the students’ achievement and the attributes of EFL teachers. This study aimed at investigating both the teachers' and learners' views of the key attributes of effective English teachers, and examined the favorable characteristics of language learners as perceived by EFL teachers and learners. Although there are many studies on the characteristics of good language learners (Brown, 2000; Erman and Oxford, 1995; Gardner and MacIntyre, 1992; O’Malley and Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1989, 1990;; Skehan, 1989; Young and Oxford, 1997), the research on effective EFL learners in the Thai context is very sparse, especially studies on engineering students. This study investigated the main obstacles to English teaching and learning in Thailand as well. 3. Research Questions This study attempts to answer the following questions: 1) What are the attributes of effective English language teachers as perceived by teachers and students? 2) What are the attributes of effective English language learners as perceived by teachers and students? 3) What are the main causes obstructing English teaching and learning in the Thai context as perceived by teachers and students? 4. Research Methodology 4.1. Participant The participants of this study were selected using the convenience sample method. They were divided into two groups: EFL teachers and EFL learners. Thai was the first language for all of the participants. 100 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 4.2 Setting The researcher contacted EFL teachers that were teaching at the university level. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire, which was delivered to them from June to September, 2014. Some of the teachers and students helped to share the online questionnaire link with their friends as well. The questionnaire was in Thai and took about 20-30 minutes to complete. 4.3 Instrument Two online questionnaires (i.e. one was for EFL teachers and the other for EFL learners) were used. Both questionnaires were developed by the researcher to suit the Thai context based on related studies on the characteristics of effective EFL teachers and learners. The questionnaires were delivered online to three experts in order to validate their quality. After the researcher reviewed the questionnaires according to the experts' comments and suggestions, they were re-submitted to the experts. 4.3.1 Questionnaire on the Quality of Effective English Teachers and Learners as Perceived by Teachers The questionnaire consisted of three parts. In the first part, the teachers were asked to provide general information (i.e. age, gender, level of education, and opinion on using technology in the language classroom). The second part included 30 attributes of effective English language teachers placed on a five-point Likert scale with additional open-ended questions. The 30 attributes were listed with option to rate them on a scale from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (very important). All of the attribute items were adapted from the concept proposed by Faranda and Clarke 2004 (i.e. five attribute categories: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and credibility, and organization and preparation). Extra opinions on effective teachers could be given in an open-ended format. Problems of English teaching were also asked in the open-ended format. The last part included 14 attributes of good language learners placed again on a five-point Likert scale and with additional open-ended fomat. The 14 attributes were adapted from the studies on how to be good language learners (Norton and Toohey, 2001; Reid, 1987; Rubin and Thompson cited in Nunan 1999; Ushida, 2005) and on the interviews with three native Thai teachers that had taught English for at least 5 years, with the option to rate each item on a scale from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (very important). The teachers were asked to share their positive and negative experiences in teaching in an open-ended format as well. 4.3.2 Questionnaire on the Quality of Effective English Language Teachers and Learners as Perceived by Learners This questionnaire comprised three parts. In the first part, the students were asked to provide general information (i.e. gender, years of studying English) as well as to rank their language proficiency (i.e. reading, speaking, listening, writing) from 1 (expert or competent) to 4 (not competent). Part two was similar to the second part of the questionnaire for the teachers above, excluding the part on problems of teaching. In the last part, the learners’ opinions on effective EFL learners consisted of 14 items and the students were asked to rank the top-three obstacles to their language learning. It should be noted that the list of obstacles to language learning were synthesized from the studies of Biyaeam (1997), Dhanasobhon (2006), Kaewmorakot (2005), Noom-ura (2013), ONEC(2003), Pande (2013), and Silapasatham (2007). It consisted of ten items and an open-ended format. The students’ opinions concerning their contentment with learning English with native Thai and native English speakers and the reasons for those opinions were requested in this part as well. 4.4 Data Analysis The attributes of effective EFL teachers and EFL learners were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The arithmetic mean was calculated using the SPSS 17.0 computer program. The open-ended information was grouped and qualitatively analyzed. 5. Results of the Study General information: In the present study there were 35 university English language teachers, of whom 5 (14%) were male and 30 (86%) female. Nineteen teachers had a doctoral degree and sixteen a master degree. These teachers (97%) believed that teachers should have knowledge of technology in order to teach a target language comfortably. Six hundred and thirteen engineering major students were the samples of this study. Of these, 468 (76%) were male and 145 (24%) female. The average age was 22 years and the average years of studying English was 14.6. The results showed that the respondents ranked reading skills (i.e. 504 out of 613 students = 82%) as the highest 101 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 language competency, followed by listening (i.e. 287 out of 613 students = 47%), speaking (i.e. 333 out of 613 students = 54%), and writing (i.e. 402 out of 613 students = 66%). 5.1 The Attributes of Effective English Language Teachers as Perceived by Teachers and Students The quantitatively and qualitative analyses consisted of two parts: teachers’ views and students’ views. The arithmetic means for effective English language teachers as perceived by both teachers and students are presented in Table 1. Table 2 illustrates the overall ranking of attributes grouped into five categories based on Faranda and Clarke (2004) and as perceived by teachers and students. Tables 3-7 show the mean scores and standard deviations for each category (i.e. rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and credibility, and organization and preparation). 5.1.1 Quantitative Data– Teachers’ Views According to Table 1, the attribute of effective EFL teachers with the highest means was "to be fair" (i.e. item 20: M =4.80), followed by the "ability to use relevant real world example in the lessons" (i.e. item 9: M=4.77). The least important attribute was "the teachers should use the students’ native language" (i.e. item 13: M=3.37). Among the five categories of effective teachers, the mean scores were arranged in order of importance as follows: organization and preparation (M=4.66), rapport (M=4.52), fairness (M= 4.50), knowledge and credibility (M=4.43), and delivery (M=4.21) (Table 2). When investigating the attributes in each category, it can be concluded that effective teachers should have the following attributes:  According to Table 3, being punctual and patient, as well as giving clear advice and not insulting the students were the top three important "rapport" items where the mean sores of three items were 4.74.  As shown in Table 4, the most important "delivery" item was the teachers' ability to use relevant real world examples in the lessons (M= 4.77).  Tables 5 showed that being fair was the most important "fairness" item (M= 4.80).  Clearly understanding the course content, objectives, and evaluation received the highest mean for the "knowledge and credibility" items (M=4.74) (Table 6).  As shown in Table 7, well prepared lessons were the most important "organization and preparation" items (M=4.74). 5.1.2 Quantitative Data –Students’views According to Table 1, the important characteristic of effective teachers was that the teachers should have positive attitudes towards the students and be helpful to them in and outside the classroom (i.e. item 28: M =4.43). Being open to criticism (i.e. item 30: M=4.39) was nominated as the second most important, while assigning homework to review the lessons was the least important attributes (M=3.91). As clearly shown in Table 2, the students viewed that rapport was the most important category (M=4.31), followed by organization and preparation (M=4.23), delivery (M=4.17), fairness (M= 4.15), and knowledge and credibility (M=4.15). When investigating the attributes in each category, it can be concluded that effective teachers should have the following attributes:  According to Table 3, having positive attitudes towards students and being helpful were the most important "rapport" items (M= 4.43).  Regarding the "delivery" items in Table 4, the most important attributes were providing fun activities, being upbeat, and having a sense of humor (M= 4.38).  Sticking to rules and regulations and enhancing the students’ morality were positioned at the highest mean for the "fairness" items (M=4.32) (Table 5).  Regarding the "knowledge and credibility" items in Table 6, the students believed that teachers should have a high level of English proficiency (M=4.24).  As shown in Table 7, well-prepared lessons were the most important attribute for the "organization and preparation" items (M=4.26). 102 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 Table 1. Mean scores and standard deviation of the attributes of effective English language teachers as perceived by the EFL teachers and EFL students No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 1 Prepare the lessons well 4.74 .443 3 4.26 .593 12 2 1. Manage class time effectively and systematically 4.57 .558 8 4.19 .647 14 3 2. Clearly provide a comprehensive syllabus with 4.60 .497 7 4.18 .674 15 course objectives, methodology, and course evaluation 4 3. Clearly understand course content, course objectives, 4.74 .443 3 4.15 .692 17 and course evaluation 5 4. Use a variety of teaching aids and technology in class 4.54 .505 9 4.20 .716 13 such as audio/visual media 6 5. Be able to explain English grammatical rules clearly 4.43 .739 11 4.12 .803 19 7 6. Have English pronunciation close to natives 4.11 .832 16 4.12 .776 19 8 7. Have high level of English proficiency (listening, 4.43 .608 11 4.24 .750 12 speaking, reading, and writing) 9 Use relevant real world examples in the lessons 4.77 .426 2 4.30 .695 8 10 Know information of the target language cultures 4.40 .604 12 4.07 .730 21 11 Be patient. Monitor and give clear advice for error 4.74 .505 3 4.30 .756 8 correction. Do not insult students when they make mistakes. 12 Use the target language as a medium of communication 3.91 .887 19 3.97 .856 24 13 Use the students’ native language only when necessary 3.37 .808 21 4.04 .828 23 14 Be able to answer complex questions 4.23 .770 14 4.09 .750 20 15 Provide interesting and meaningful activities 4.51 .612 10 4.19 .709 14 16 Induce students’ motivation and interest. Help students 4.71 .572 4 4.26 .758 11 build up confidence 17 Assign homework for reviewing the lessons 4.09 .658 17 3.91 .833 25 18 Give students regular tests for reviewing the lessons 4.26 .611 13 4.05 .762 22 19 Encourage group work and participation 4.17 .664 15 4.14 .727 19 20 Be fair (on giving feedback, grading, paying attention to 4.80 .406 1 4.29 .708 9 individual differences) 21 Be punctual 4.74 .505 3 4.31 .699 7 22 Give prompt feedback on assignments 4.66 .539 6 4.19 .726 14 23 Have good personality or appearance 4.03 .618 18 4.16 .732 16 24 Not discriminate students and treat them fairly 4.69 .530 5 4.36 .708 4 25 Be flexible 4.54 .561 9 4.25 .731 11 26 Listen to students, not lose temper easily, and be kin(cid:0) 3.89 .796 20 4.33 .737 5 27 Provide fun activities, entertain students in class, and make 4.54 .505 9 4.38 .735 3 difficult content easy. Be upbeat (full of hope, happiness and good feelings) and have a sense of humor 28 Have positive attitudes toward students. Be helpful to 4.69 .471 5 4.43 .640 1 students in and outside the classroom 29 Stick to rules and regulations. Try to enhance the students’ 4.74 .443 3 4.32 .686 6 morality. Build an awareness of wrong behavior and cheating 30 Be open to criticism 4.69 .471 5 4.39 .700 2 103 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 Table 2. Overall ranking of attributes by five categories (Faranda and Clarke, 2004) as perceived by the EFL teachers and EFL students Category Teachers Students Mean S.D. Rank Mean S.D. Rank 1. Rapport (i.e. items 11, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30) 4.52 .372 2 4.31 .448 1 2. Delivery (i.e. items 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, 27) 4.21 .374 5 4.17 .412 3 3. Fairness (i.e. items 17, 18, 20, 22, 29) 4.50 .367 3 4.15 .524 4 4. Knowledge & Credibility (i.e. items 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 4.43 .392 4 4.14 .389 5 10, 14) 5. Organization & Preparation (i.e. items 1, 2) 4.66 .433 1 4.23 .556 2 Table 3. Mean scores and standard deviations for rapport items No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 11 Be patient. Monitor and provide clear advice for error 4.74 .505 1 4.30 .756 6 correction. Not insult students when they make mistakes. 16 Encourage students’ motivation and interest. Help 4.71 .572 2 4.26 .758 7 students to build up confidence 21 Be punctual 4.74 .505 1 4.31 .699 5 23 Have good personality or appearance 4.03 .618 5 4.16 .732 9 24 Not discriminate students and treat them fairly 4.69 .530 3 4.36 .708 3 25 Be flexible 4.54 .561 4 4.25 .731 8 26 Listen to students, not lose temper easily, and be kind 3.89 .796 6 4.33 .737 4 28 Have positive attitudes toward students. Be helpful to 4.69 .471 3 4.43 .640 1 students in and outside the classroom 30 Be open to criticism 4.69 .471 2 4.39 .700 2 Table 4. Mean scores and standard deviations for delivery items No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 9 Use relevant real world examples in the lessons 4.77 .426 1 4.30 .695 2 12 Use target language as a medium of communication 3.91 .887 5 3.97 .856 6 13 Use the students’ native language only when necessary 3.37 .808 6 4.04 .828 5 15 Provide interesting and meaningful activities 4.51 .612 3 4.19 .709 3 19 Encourage group work and participation 4.17 .664 4 4.14 .727 4 27 Provide fun activities, entertain students in class, and 4.54 .505 2 4.38 .735 1 make difficult content easy. Be upbeat (full of hope, happiness and good feelings) and have a sense of humor 104 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 Table 5. Mean scores and standard deviations for fairness items No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 17 Assign homework for reviewing the lessons 4.09 .658 5 3.91 .833 5 18 Give students regular tests for reviewing the lessons 4.26 .611 4 4.05 .762 4 20 Be fair (on giving feedback, grading, paying attention to 4.80 .406 1 4.29 .708 2 individual differences) 22 Give prompt feedback on assignments 4.66 .539 3 4.19 .726 3 29 Stick to rules and regulations. Try to enhance the 4.74 .443 2 4.32 .686 1 students’ morality. Build an awareness of wrong behavior and cheating Table 6. Mean scores and standard deviations for knowledge and credibility items No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 3 8. Clearly provide a comprehensive syllabus with 4.60 .497 2 4.18 .674 3 course objectives, methodology, and course evaluation 4 9. Clearly understand course content, course 4.74 .443 1 4.15 .692 4 objectives, and course evaluation 5 10. Use a variety of teaching aids and technology in 4.54 .505 3 4.20 .716 2 class such as audio/visual media 6 11. Be able to explain English grammatical rules 4.43 .739 4 4.12 .803 5 clearly 7 12. Have English pronunciation close to natives 4.11 .832 7 4.12 .776 5 8 13. Have high level of English proficiency 4.43 .608 4 4.24 .750 1 (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) 10 Provide information on the target language culture 4.40 .604 5 4.07 .730 7 14 Be able to answer complex questions 4.23 .770 6 4.09 .750 6 Table 7. Mean scores and standard deviations for organization and preparation items No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective teachers should 1 Prepare the lessons well 4.74 .443 1 4.26 .593 1 2 14. Manage class time effectively and 4.57 .558 2 4.19 .647 2 systematically 5.1.3 Qualitative Data –Teachers’ Views From the extra comments and suggestions made by the 25 teachers, only three of the five categories proposed by Faranda and Clarke (2004), i.e. rapports, knowledge and credibility, and organization and preparation, were mentioned (see Appendix A: The extra attributes of effective language teachers). In general, teachers should understand the learners’ learning styles individually and have their own faith in enhancing the learners’ language proficiency. Moreover, teachers should be fair, generous, helpful, and reliable. Using teaching psychology to motivate the learners and having up-to-date information and being connected with the learning content were also important. In conclusion, the extra attributes of effective teachers mostly concentrated on how to have a good 105 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 relationship with the students. 5.1.4 Qualitative Data –Students’ Views From the extra views on effective teachers made by 229 of the 613 students, the ranking according to the number of times or frequency of students’ suggestions was as follows : (1) rapport: 147 of 229 students = 64.1%), (2) delivery: 110 students of 229 students = 48.0%), (3) knowledge and credibility: 76 of 229 students = 33.2%), (4) organization and preparation: 34 of 229 students = 14.8%), and (5) fairness:13 of 229 students = 5.7%). The students’ extra views on effective teachers are summarized in Appendix B. In general, the favorable characteristics of teachers were being fun, fair, patient, cheerful, generous, flexible, friendly, open-minded, energetic, and helpful. The information gathered using the open-ended format correlated with the mean scores shown in Table 2. That is, the students viewed the rapport category (i.e. relationship between teachers and students) as the most important attribute of effective teachers. 5.2 The Attributes of Effective English Language Learners as Perceived by Teachers and Students The quantitatively and qualitatively analyses consisted of two parts: teachers’ views and students’ views. 5.2.1 Quantitative Data –Teachers’ Views As shown in Table 8, the top three attributes of effective language students included having responsibility for learning (M =4.86), demonstrating effort persistently (M= 4.71), and being enthusiastic and interested in obtaining new knowledge both in and outside the classroom (M=4.69). Discipline in completing all assigned reading before the class was nominated as the least important (M=4.20). Table 8. Mean scores and standard deviation of the attributes of effective English language learners as perceived by the EFL teachers and EFL students No. Statements Teachers Students Mean SD Rank Mean SD Rank Effective learners should 1 Discipline himself/herself and complete all assigned 4.20 .797 12 4.17 .650 10 reading before class 2 Respect classroom or institute’ agreements, discipline, and 4.40 .497 10 4.20 .637 9 regulations 3 Apply effort persistently 4.71 .462 2 4.28 .641 5 4 Be enthusiastic about and interested in obtaining new 4.69 .471 3 4.23 .672 7 knowledge both in and outside the classroom 5 Have responsibly for learning 4.86 .355 1 4.34 .621 3 6 Have the courage to ask, share opinions, and try to find 4.51 .562 8 4.22 .716 8 solutions by trial and error 7 Practice and review learning content regularly 4.55 .564 6 4.17 .740 10 8 Manage learning effectively, be able to set priorities, and 4.34 .684 11 4.16 .665 11 organize learning content systematically 9 Try to find learning strategies to practice and improve the 4.64 .489 4 4.27 .684 6 four language skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking), as well as pronunciation, grammatical rules, and vocabulary 10 Be able to master shyness or loss of confidence well 4.54 .561 7 4.22 .728 8 11 Be honest. Not cheat on the tests or assignments 4.71 .519 2 4.27 .713 6 12 Be polite and respect the teachers 4.43 .608 9 4.46 .626 1 13 Be punctual 4.63 .547 5 4.33 .661 4 14 Understand one’s own choice of suitable learning styles 4.43 .655 9 4.42 .633 2 such as collaborative learning, games, visual/audio learning style 106 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 5.2.2 Quantitative Data –Students’ Views As shown in Table 8, the highest mean for the attributes of effective language students was being polite and respecting the teacher (M =4.46), followed by understanding one’s own choice of suitable learning styles (M =4.42), and being responsible for learning (M=4.34). The least important attribute was knowing how to manage learning, setting priorities, and organizing learning content (M=4.16). 5.2.3 Qualitative Data –Teachers’ Views and Experiences Sixteen of 35 teachers suggested extra attributes of effective learners (Appendix A), where learning motivation and objectives were demanded for a good learner (i.e. teachers 1, 5, 9, 14, 21, 28, 30, 33, 35), while being enthusiastic (i.e. teachers 4, 6, 21, 24, 31) and having moral shame and dread were highly recommended (i.e. teachers 1, 2, 21, 27, 35). Polite manners were required for effective students (i.e. teachers 3, 5, 12). Teacher 32 and 34 suggested that being good students they should practice their language ability regularly. Moreover, the teachers were requested to narrate both pleasant and unpleasant experiences of language teaching (Appendix C). Pleasant experiences included the students' putting effort persistently into learning despite their low language proficiency, attending class regularly, and realizing the importance of English. Unpleasant students’ behaviors included students' being lazy, forgetting to bring their textbook, playing games, chatting via social media, sleeping in the classroom, lack of English background knowledge with huge language proficiency gaps among students in one class, lack of opportunities to practice the target language, feeling too embarrassed to practice English in the classroom, and cheating during examinations or copying their friends’ assignments and homework. 5.3 The Main Obstacles to English Teaching and Learning in the Thai Context as Perceived by Students The findings are presented in two sections: teachers’ views and students’ views. 5.3.1 Teachers’ Views on the Obstacles to English Teaching Process The obstacles to the English teaching process were grouped as follows: (1) teachers, (2) classroom management, (3) authority, and (4) technology issues. To begin with, teachers have a lot of duties, including teaching, doing research and administrative tasks, being part of committees to approve research proposals, and so on. Some teachers have insufficient English language skills and lack the cultural knowledge of a target language. Moreover, there are usually more than forty students in a classroom, making it difficult to manage classroom effectively. Even though the university authorities realize the importance of English, they do not provide adequate financial support as there are important issues to deal with. Regarding the technology issues, there are no audio or visual aids, nor Internet access in the classroom. Some classes have audio and visual aids, but they are broken and there are no technicians to help the teachers that have no technical knowledge. 5.3.2 Students’ Views on the Obstacles to the English Learning Process The students were asked to rank the obstacles to their language learning. Among the 10 statements as shown in Table 9, the top obstacles to the students' language learning were the difficult and complicated learning content of English, with many words and rules that were difficult to remember, as well as embarrassment when making mistakes. One hundred fifty-nine students (25.9%) ranked the difficult content as the most important obstacle, while 450 students (73.4%) ranked it as the second most important factor. Eighty-five students (13.9%) ranked the complicated content as the third most important. Another obstacle reported by 72 students (11.7%) was that they felt embarrassed making mistakes. Overall, the frequency distribution (Table 9) on the obstacles to English learning suggested that students believed that English is a difficult subject (i.e. item 1), with complicated learning content (i.e. item 6). More importantly, the students had no content knowledge (i.e. item 2) and felt embarrassed when making mistakes (i.e. item 5). Regarding the students’ contentment with learning English with native Thai and native English teachers, 514 students (83.8%) preferred native Thai teachers, whereas 99 students preferred native English teachers. More than fifty percent of the respondents explained that their reason for choosing native Thai teachers was that they could ask questions whenever they did not understand the content. Moreover, Thai teachers have experienced difficulties in learning English so they would know how to transfer knowledge effectively (i.e.56 of 514 students) and how to motivate the students (i.e.114 of 514 students). Some said that native Thai teachers prepared for the 107 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 11; 2015 lessons better (i.e. 46 of 514 students). In all, the students thought that native Thai teachers might have the necessary language proficiency, teaching technique, and strategies necessary to teach the target language (i.e. 65 of 514 students). It was even asserted that some native Thai teachers could teach better than native English speakers (i.e. 31 students), as some native English speakers have only language skills but lack teaching skills and teaching psychology (i.e. 22 of 517 students) and do not understand the nature of Thai students (i.e.13 of 517 students). Eleven students complained that if they could not understand what native Thai teachers were teaching, it would be very difficult to understand native speakers, while 3 students believed that the best way to learn English was by paying expensive fees to tutors outside the university. However, some students viewed that Thai accents were the main problems in learning with native Thai teachers (i.e. 23 of 99 students preferred native speaking teachers). These students loved to study with native English speakers since they could learn to pronounce the target language close to the way a native does. Five students believed that native English teachers could explain grammatical structures more clearly. Nine students did not mind learning with native or non-native English speakers as long as the teachers had the ability to transfer knowledge. Table 9. Frequency and percent of the causes obstructing English learning as perceived by students No. Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 No. of Frequency % Frequency % Frequency % Statement students 1 I think that English is difficult to 613 159* 25.9 450* 73.4 4 0.7 learn. 2 I have no English knowledge or I do not know English since I don’t 10. understand what the teachers taught 194 71 11.6 59 9.6 64 4 in primary school or secondary school. 3 I have had terrible experience with 81 20 3.3 34 5.5 27 4.4 this subject. 4 I think English is not useful since I 68 19 3.1 24 3.9 25 4.1 do not use it in my everyday life. 5 I feel embarrassed about mistakes. 11. 168 32 5.2 64 10.4 72* 7 6 I think English is very complicated because of many words and rules. I 15. 247 70 11.4 85 13.9 92 cannot remember all of the words 0 and rules. 7 I do not like English. 57 13 2.1 20 3.3 24 3.9 8 There are too many people in a 71 14 2.3 26 4.2 31 5.1 classroom. 9 I have to learn with strict teacher/ineffective and boring teaching style. I hate English. When 75 22 3.6 23 3.8 30 4.9 I have to attend the class, it is living in a hell. 10 I think learning English is very 49 10 1.6 17 2.8 22 3.6 boring. 6. Discussion This study aimed at investigating the teachers’ and students’ viewpoints regarding the characteristics of effective English language teachers and learners, as well as finding the main obstacles to language learning in the Thai 108