The Effects of Using Target Language Strategy on Improving EFL Undergraduate Students’ English proficiency
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Abstract
The current study aims to compare the effects of using two different teaching strategies, target language (English) and student’s first language (Thai) strategy on teaching to improve undergraduate students’ English skills and to investigate factors affecting their learning when learning through target language strategy. The participants of this study were 40 undergraduate students at a university in Yala. They were divided into an experimental group and a controlled group, 20 participants each. The experimental group received target language strategy while the controlled group received students’ first language strategy. The research instruments included pretest and posttests and semi-structured interview. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that there was statistically significant difference at the level of 0.01. The mean scores of the posttests of the experimental group (x̄=19.35, SD=3.11) was higher than the controlled group (x̄=16.22, SD=1.73). In other words, the target language group outperformed the students’ first language group. The data analysis from semi-structured interview asking about factors affecting students learning revealed that instructional medias, teaching activities and verbal and non-verbal language used by the teacher were as key supporting factors in learning through target language strategy. However, obstructing factors were also found including time allocation, technology medias, and learners’ English deficiency. The findings of this study can be concluded that the implementation of first language strategy can improve EFL undergraduate students’ English proficiency with careful considerations of involving factors.
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