Communicative Challenges and Strategies in English During Cultural Workshops for International Students

Abstract

This research consists purposes were 1. to identify the main communicative challenges Vietnamese international students experienced when using English during Thai cultural workshops 2. to examine the strategies students used to cope with communication breakdowns in English-mediated workshop interaction and 3. to explore perceived outcomes of participation from student and instructor perspectives. This study employed a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design. The research instruments included a pre-workshop questionnaire, a post-workshop questionnaire, semi-structured student interviews, short instructor interviews, and observation checklists. The sample group consisted of Vietnamese international students and workshop instructors participating in Thai cultural workshops at Udon Thani Rajabhat University, including 48 students in the pre-workshop survey, 31 students in the post-workshop survey, 14 students in semi-structured interviews, 4 instructors in short interviews and 3 observed workshops: Muay Thai, Thai music and pottery-making. Quantitative data were analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while qualitative data from interviews and observations were analyzed through thematic analysis. The research results found that 1) the main communicative challenges were limited vocabulary (54.20% in the pre-workshop survey; 67.70% in the post-workshop survey), pronunciation difficulties (29.20%; 45.20%) and listening-related difficulty associated with accent and speech rate 2) students mainly used body language and gestures (75.00%; 74.20%), translation applications (39.60%; 74.20%), peer support (29.00%), and clarification from instructors (25.80%) to maintain communication, while avoidance of speaking decreased to 3.20% after the workshops and 3) students reported improved confidence in using English after participation, with post-workshop confidence at a moderate level (x̄ = 3.26, S.D. = 1.03), 87.10% reporting increased confidence and overall strategy effectiveness rated highly (x̄ = 4.00, S.D. = 0.93). The findings indicate that English-mediated cultural workshops can support EFL communication development when instructors provide clear scaffolding, vocabulary support, demonstrations, and structured opportunities for clarification.