Developing Oral Communication in English for Thai Secondary School Students by Using Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication at Rayongwittayakom School

Abstract

             The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using synchronous computer mediated communication (SCMC) to develop oral English communication for Thai secondary school students, including finding out the attitudes of students toward the teaching techniques in terms of oral English communication development. It is believed from previous research that SCMC can provide more opportunities for students to practice communication in English and develop a variety of interactions. The study was conducted with data collected from Thai secondary school students at Rayongwittayakom School. The participants were randomly selected to learn oral communication via the SCMC technique. The data was collected via the oral pre-test and post-test and assessed by using the Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM), classroom observations, a questionnaire and interviews. The data was collected over a period of eight weeks, with follow-up interviews, face-to-face and online. During the eight week period, the participants were first observed by the researcher in terms of behavior of learning. Then the questionnaire and interview were employed to countercheck the information gathered.