http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/137 English for Professional Development 2026-04-19T15:44:03Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1642 Developing english reading materials to promote critical thinking skills for myanmar upper secondary students: researchers’ and practitioners’ collaboration Pyae Phyo Sirikorn Bamroongkit Critical thinking (CT) has been widely recognized as a crucial aspect of 21st-century education policies. Recognizing its significance, Myanmar’s recent educational reforms emphasized the integration of CT into its new education system, K+12, with its explicit statement in the National Education Law (2014), and the National Education Strategic Plan (2016-2021). However, the current state of CT in the extant English coursebooks remains underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study adopted Research and Development (R&D) (1) to investigate the current state of CT (2) to develop a critical thinking program for EFL upper secondary school students through researcher-practitioner collaboration and (3) to study the affordances and challenges of implementing the critical thinking program. Guided by Macalister and Nation’s (2020) framework for Language Curriculum Design, this three-phased study revealed that the reading materials of the extant English coursebooks were dominated by lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) over higher-order thinking skills, encouraging rote learning practice, and providing limited opportunities for CT development. Despite the modest increase in CT in the selected post-reform books, the alignment between the policy and the practice remains partial. The three collaborative workshops with five in-service EFL teachers generated a critical thinking program consisting of five components: (1) contextual, (2) conceptual, (3) material, (4) pedagogical, and (5) task-related ones. Instead of adding only CT-based questions, the program embedded CT within institutional feasibility, shared conceptual understanding, cognitively accessible materials, scaffolded progression from LOTS to HOTS, and revised task structures aligned with textbook formats, showing that critical thinking integration needs a systemic and contextual alignment rather than task modification only. The final phase reported that the affordances are high usability and practicality of the developed materials, the enhancement of students’ engagement and motivation, and the promotion of critical thinking skills of students. Despite the affordances, challenges such as the language barrier and minor students’ initial resistance to the critical thinking-based tasks were exposed. The findings of this study extend the existing literature, showing that developing critical thinking is not an immediate pedagogical outcome but a gradual, scaffolded process requiring learners’ adjustment and sustained pedagogical support of teachers. Students’ resistance represents a cognitive transition rather than a failure of reform. The study therefore contributes theoretically by proposing a bottom-up, researcher–practitioner collaborative model for critical thinking material development in centralized and institutionally constrained contexts. In addition, it also provides the empirical evidence that collaborative design can bridge not only the gap between policy and practice but also the gap between research and practice, empowering teachers as co-researchers and co-designers and active agents of sustainable educational reform rather than passive implementors. Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- English for Professional Development, School of Liberal Arts. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1641 Teaching practicum in Thai rural schools: pre-service english teachers’ self-efficacy and Identity construction Sumit Choephatruedi Bhornsawan Inpin This study examines how pre-service English teachers (PSETs) in Thailand develop teacher self-efficacy (TSE) and construct teacher identity (TI) during their teaching practicums in rural school contexts, with particular attention to the demands of English language teaching (ELT) in under-resourced environments. Although rural schools constitute nearly half of Thailand’s educational institutions, empirical research remains limited on how rural practicum experiences shape PSETs’ efficacy, professional identity, and instructional practices as English teachers. This gap is especially significant in English as a foreign language (EFL) context, where limited student exposure to English, low proficiency levels, and scarce instructional resources place distinctive pedagogical and emotional demands on novice teachers. Addressing this gap, the study was guided by three research objectives: (1) to examine how PSETs’ self-efficacy develops during rural practicums; (2) to investigate how TSE contributes to the construction of English TI; and (3) to identify the ELT-specific challenges and opportunities within rural practicums that influence both processes. Adopting a social constructivist perspective, the study employed a qualitative case study design involving three fourth-year PSETs enrolled in a Bachelor of Education (English) program at a university in northern Thailand. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations focusing on ELT practices, and reflective narratives. Using the three-phase coding method, the findings revealed that PSETs’ self-efficacy developed in a nonlinear, context-sensitive manner. At the outset of the practicum, participants entered rural schools with optimism shaped by university coursework and aspirations to teach English, alongside anxiety related to classroom English use, pronunciation, spontaneous interaction, and teaching learners with very low English proficiency. These initial beliefs were quickly challenged by a period of reality shock as participants encountered multi-grade classrooms, minimal ELT resources, limited exposure to English outside the classroom, and expectations to perform both instructional and non-instructional roles. Over time, English teaching self-efficacy was gradually strengthened through small but meaningful mastery experiences, such as successfully managing classroom interaction in English, adapting ELT activities for mixed-ability learners, improvising teaching materials, and observing incremental student engagement and progress. Vicarious experiences emerged through informal learning from mentor teachers and colleagues, particularly in navigating classroom management and localized ELT practices. Social persuasion, especially encouragement, trust, and recognition from students, mentor teachers, and community members, played a critical role in validating participants’ identities as English teachers. Participants’ emotional and physiological responses, including stress, exhaustion, pride, and renewed efficacy, served as key interpretive cues for evaluating their instructional competence and professional growth. The findings further indicate that TSE and TI are developed through a reciprocal but uneven process. While increased efficacy in English lesson delivery, classroom interaction, and student engagement strengthened participants’ sense of themselves as English teachers, identity development did not continually advance in parallel with instructional efficacy. In some cases, participants demonstrated growing ELT competence while simultaneously questioning their long-term commitment to the profession due to emotional exhaustion, institutional pressures, and limited structural support. Notably, social persuasion and community recognition played a more decisive role in shaping English TI than mastery experiences alone. The rural practicum thus functioned not merely as a testing ground for pedagogical skills but as a transformative ELT identity space in which autonomy, emotional labor, and close community relationships accelerated professional growth. Contrary to deficit-oriented assumptions, resource-scarce rural contexts both constrained and strengthened PSETs’ self-efficacy and identity by fostering adaptive, context-responsive ELT practices. This study contributes to ELT scholarship by advancing an integrated understanding of the reciprocal relationship between TSE and TI in rural EFL practicum settings. It highlights how English teacher development is shaped through interactions among linguistic competence, emotional resilience, social validation, and contextual realities. The study offers practical implications for English teacher education, including the need for rural-focused ELT preparation, intensified training in classroom English use, structured mentorship with experienced rural English teachers, and systematic reflective practices that focus on identity work. These findings underscore the importance of stronger university–school partnerships and targeted policy support to enhance the preparation, retention, and professional sustainability of English teachers in underserved rural communities. Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- English for Professional Development, School of Liberal Arts. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1640 An investigation into factors influencing behavioral intentions to use aI-based educational technologies and AI-TPACK educational needs: a mixed-methods study of chinese pre-service EFL teachers Qin, Zongbi Maneerat Chuaychoowong Artificial intelligence (AI) in education offers the potential for a more personalized, flexible, inclusive, and engaging learning experience and a more advanced educational environment. However, there is a noticeable gap in understanding the behavioral intentions (BI) of Chinese pre-service EFL teachers regarding their future use of AI-based educational technologies. Furthermore, the identification and analysis of the educational needs of pre-service EFL teachers in the context of AI-assisted EFL education remains limited. The objectives of this study were to identify the factors influencing Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ behavioral intention to use AI-based educational technologies, to examine the degree of influence and correlations among these factors, to identify pre-service EFL teachers’ AI-TPACK educational needs and examine stakeholder perceptions to inform effective EFL teacher preparation for AI-assisted EFL teaching and learning. An extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model incorporating four AI-TPACK constructs was adopted. Nine factors, including performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating condition (FC), behavioral intentions, AI Technological Knowledge (AI-TK), AI Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (AI-TPK), AI Technological Content Knowledge (AI-TCK), and AI-TPACK, were examined. Following a convergent parallel mixed methods design, data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with pre-service EFL teachers, an administrator, ICT teachers, and in-service EFL teachers. Structural equation modelling and comparative analyses were conducted. Quantitative and qualitative findings were triangulated. Results showed that behavioral intentions were positively predicted by performance expectancy (β = .259, p < .001), social influence (β = .391, p < .001), and AI Technological Knowledge (β = .481, p < .001), with AI-TK being the strongest predictor. AI-TK had direct effects on AI-TPK (β = .757, p < .001) and AI-TCK (β = .627, p < .001), while its effect on AI-TPACK was non-significant. Facilitating conditions emerged as the most influential factor, exerting strong effects on PE, EE, and AI-TK. Unexpectedly, AI-TCK (β = −.379, p < .001) and AI-TPK (β = −.326, p < .035) negatively influenced effort expectancy, and some hypothesized paths were not supported. For AI-TAPCK educational needs, the results indicate that AI-TK (M = 3.57, SD = 0.64) was the most critical area of need. However, in interviews, participants prioritized AI-TPACK, while AI-TK ranked last. Pre-service teachers demonstrated awareness of AI’s pedagogical potential but lacked confidence in deep integration. Administrators regarded AI as a tool rather than a replacement for teachers, ICT teachers highlighted efficiency and ethical concerns, and in-service EFL teachers emphasized insufficient AI training. All groups agreed on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical awareness, and systematic training. For EFL teacher preparation, pedagogical foundations should be established before the integration of AI-based educational technologies. Pre-service teachers should be supported in developing technical adaptability, enhancing ethical awareness, and developing interdisciplinary competence to ensure effective and responsible educational AI applications. Furthermore, AI-related training should be started early, and building it up from basic knowledge to hands-on application to improve EFL teachers’ preparedness. This study contributes to research on AI technology acceptance in EFL education and provides implications for technology acceptance modeling in the AI era, EFL teacher education and professional development, school leadership, policy-making, and ethical dimensions of AI in education. Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- English for Professional Development, School of Liberal Arts. Mae Fah Luang University, 2025 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://mfuir.mfu.ac.th:80/xmlui/handle/123456789/1466 A case study of station rotation model blended in traditional elt listening and speaking class at Phayao Pittayakhom school Sherina Lim Thanittha Rusmeecharoen Thesis (M.A.) -- English for Professional Development, School of Liberal Arts. Mae Fah Luang University, 2016 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z