Reflections on the CEFR in Thailand: Problems and Needs of Thai EFL Teachers

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: teaching, learning, and assessing (CEFR) is a six-point scale used to describe a language learner's ability (A1-C2). The Thai Ministry of Education (MoE, 2014) approved the framework as a guide for revamping English instruction at all levels. However, little has been undertaken to study Thai English teachers’ perspectives on CEFR (Franz & Teo, 2017; Kanchai,2019). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate Thai EFL teachers’ thoughts on the CEFR: Problems and Needs. The participants were 300 Thai English teachers who teach English as a foreign language (EFL) in Northeastern Thailand's public secondary schools. All participants had at least three years of English teaching experience. Participants were selected using the approach of convenience sampling. A seven-point Likert scale questionnaire was utilized to collect quantitative data, while a semi-structured interview was employed to gain qualitative data from 10 participants. The interviewees were purposefully chosen for the semi-structured interviews based on their expressed willingness in the survey questionnaire. The quantitative data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, percentages, and standard deviation, whereas the qualitative data were coded into CEFR domains for analysis. The quantitative findings revealed that Thai EFL teachers utilize the CEFR moderately in their classrooms. In addition, the results demonstrated that adopting the CEFR in language teaching, learning, and assessment presented the challenges. The requirement for CEFR implementation in language teaching, learning, and assessment revealed a significant need for CEFR implementation in the classroom. However, qualitative studies suggested that English teachers implemented the CEFR moderately in their classrooms. In particular, the research revealed that the problems associated with implementing the CEFR in language teaching, learning, and assessment were relatively high, and the necessity for applying the CEFR in language teaching, learning, and assessment was significant. Overall, the findings indicate that stakeholders, such as teachers and curriculum authors, require CEFR training implications, and additional research is also recommended.

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