PROBLEMS AND REQUIREMENTS IN ORGANIZING THE TEACHING OF THAI LANGUAGE SUBJECT FOR ENHANCING READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AMONG STUDENTS FROM THE PGA K'NYAU ETHNIC GROUP

Abstract

This research aimed to determine problems and requirements in organizing Thai language instruction to enhance reading comprehension skills among Pga K'nyau ethnic students.The sample consisted of five Thai language teachers who taught Pga K'nyau students and 25 Pga K'nyau students in Secondary 1 who studied Thai Language with a focus on reading comprehension during the 2023 academic year at Ratchathani Wittayalai School in Sukhothai Province. The samples were selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments included an in-depth interview form for Thai language teachers and a questionnaire on the requirements related to organizing Thai Language instruction to enhance reading comprehension skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, mean(M), and standard deviation (SD). The findings of the research indicated as follows: 1. Problems in organizing Thai language instruction to enhance reading comprehension skills among Pga K'nyau ethnic students were classified in four aspects. 1) ‘Students’ – the Pga K'nyau students failed to achieve the intended objectives in reading comprehension because they were not fluent in reading Thai, they used Thai as their second language, they lacked knowledge of reading comprehension principles, they have limited understanding of certain vocabulary meanings, and they lacked confidence in communicating or using Thai language. 2)‘Teachers’ – the teachers used teaching techniques that were not consistent with the contexts of the Pga K'nyau students. 3) ‘Contents’ – the instructional contents were not aligned with the students’ experiences or cultural backgrounds. The contents were too long and difficult for the Pga K'nyau students to comprehend. 4)‘Teaching Media’ – the teachers lacked modern and appropriate instructional medea, resulting in low engagement among the Pga K'nyau students. 2. The requirements related to organizing Thai Language instruction on reading comprehension for Pga K'nyau students were classified into three areas. 1) Teaching management– it was found that requiring teachers to demonstrate reading comprehension methods before assigning students to practice was at the highest level (M = 4.60, S = 0.58). 2) Reading media (electronic books) – requiring to read the Jataka Tales was at the highest level (M = 4.56, S = 0.58). 3) Measurement and evaluation of reading comprehension skills – requiring measurement and evaluation using objective and subjective tests was at the highest level (M = 4.52, S = 0.51).