Investigating the effects of coaching and mentoring for non-English-major teachers in their use of English in rural schools in Thailand

Investigating the effects of coaching and mentoring for non-English-major teachers in their use of English in rural schools in Thailand

English proficiency is one of the most important skills for learning in a globalised world. As such, teachers in countries such as Thailand have been encouraged through various education policy levers in recent years to use English as a language of instruction so that students can improve their English proficiency. However, while there have been several policies to promote using English as a language of instruction in Thai schools, there remain multiple tensions and issues. There were four aims for this study:1) to investigate the challenges facing Non-English-Major (NEM) teachers in their English teaching practices in rural schools in Thailand;2) to examine the effectsof coachingand mentoring as professional development activities to support NEM teachers;3) to analyse the reflections of NEM teachers in their use of English in teaching;and4) to consider the policy implications of coaching and mentoring, to provide practical recommendations for English teaching in rural schools in Thailand. A case study methodology was employed to examine the experiences and professional learning through coaching and mentoring often NEM teachers,who worked in Subsomboon Pochai School Network, Khon Kaen Primary Educational Service Area Office2 (KK PESAO 2), which is a rural area in Northeast Thailand. Data were collectedin two phases, through the use of observations, interviewsand field notes. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data, which were presented in thematic groupings. The findings revealed that the main challenges faced by NEM teachers in the use of English included being accustomed to the use of Thai as the language of instruction, having no incentive to reward the use of English nor punishment for not using English, teaching approaches and lack of available teaching resources, lack of solidarity from colleagues and a lack of school policies highlighting the need to teach English.The findings in relation to NEM teachers’ reflections found that using English as a language of instruction was based on individual English experiences,that using English as a language of instruction encouraged students’ and NEM teachers’ English literacy development, and that using English as a language of instruction enhanced students’ English competence. This study found that coaching improved the NEM teachers’ self-observation, self-confidence and self-monitoring in the use of English as a language of instruction. Further, the mentoring program led to improvements in NEM teachers’ individual relationships, the acquisition of new experience teaching approaches, self-confidence and self-monitoring, the promotion of collaborative learning in the use of English,and the sharing of unexpected questions regarding teaching and learning from NEM teachers. The mentoring program had the most profound effects on improving outcomes in comparison to the coaching program,in terms of skills, knowledge and experiences, self-observation, self-monitoring, collaborative teaching, building a strong relationship and instructional design and selection. There are implications for in-service teacher professional learning, in which NEM teachers can be better supported through coaching and mentoring to develop their skills and confidence in using English as a language of instruction in rural schools in Thailand.