Search

Understanding the complexities of language utilization in political slogans and campaigns may reveal its importance in molding public conversation and impacting electoral results. The present study examined the meaning of the various election campaign posters in the Philippines, employing rhetorical semantic analysis. The central questions that the study seeks to answer are: How are meanings constructed from these election campaign slogans? and What rhetorical devices were used to build these election campaign slogans? Findings revealed that political slogans in the Philippines embodied a unique linguistic structure. In other words, Philippine slogans possess a distinct linguistic style, as they convey messages of commitment, authenticity, and service from the political candidates. While our findings highlight the use of a more straightforward language in political slogans, it could also be noted that such simplicity of the language is reinforced by the use of the local language. This is very important in the context of political communication because the Philippines is a multilingual country, and using the local language is a good way to appeal to the people’s emotions. This could suggest familiarity and relatedness, which are important traits for people to vote for a particular political candidate.

Teaching online may require teachers to shift to and display a professional identity different from the ones they held in face-to-face classroom teaching. Drawing upon the concept of teacher professional identity (TPI) and employing narrative inquiry as a method, the present study examines how two English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers display their professional identity through reflexivity as they shift experiences of being and becoming online teachers. It also explored how such identity is developed among EFL teachers in Thailand throughout their online teaching experience. The findings underscored how the EFL teachers viewed themselves through reflexivity as beginners as they negotiated their TPI during the sudden transition to online teaching because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, we argue that because TPI is dynamic, the sudden shift to online teaching prompted the teacher-participants to reflect on their experiences and redevelop a professional identity corresponding to online teaching as a new environment. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the importance of teachers' reflexivity toward TPI development in online teaching and pedagogy.

This qualitative study examines how five secondary school TESOL teachers in Thailand use TikTok to express their emotions and shape their professional identities. The research uses semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore the platform's role as an emotional outlet and a medium for enhancing teacher-student relationships. Findings indicate that TikTok helps teachers manage work-related stress and allows them to present authentic selves, facilitating deeper connections with students. This interaction further informs their pedagogical practices and supports their professional identity development. The study suggests that TikTok's ability to bridge emotional expression with professional engagement offers valuable insights for integrating social media into educational frameworks. Recommendations are provided for leveraging these platforms to enhance teachers' well-being and instructional strategies, highlighting the need for further research with a broader sample. This study demonstrates the potential of social media to impact teaching dynamics and professional growth.

The current study explores the TikTok identities of Thai university teachers and how those identities impact their professional identity as teachers. Five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university teachers in Thailand voluntarily participated in semi-structured individual interviews. Findings obtained using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design confirmed existing findings that teachers’ identities are multifaceted. However, in the context of a digital teacher’s identity, teachers displayed unique identities (e.g., expressive, relational, adaptive, and progressive) that also shaped their identity as teacher-educators. Such identities impact their professional teacher’s identity, allowing them to project an authentic teacher-self, become caring and approachable teachers to their students and colleagues, forge genuine connections, and implement pedagogical innovations and practices. The findings also acknowledge the profound influence of TikTok on teachers’ identities and professional practices. Furthermore, this study highlights the convergence of technology and social media platforms as influential in constructing a teacher’s professional identity and promoting pedagogical advances. The findings offer a significant contribution, shedding light on the potential advantages of using TikTok within the teaching and learning process.

In recent years, efforts to internationalize the curriculum (IoC), including developing new courses or modules explicitly focusing on global issues and cross-cultural communication, have become prevalent. This study explored the perceptions, experiences, and challenges international faculty (InFac) encountered and their roles in IoC within Thai higher education institutions (HEIs). Using purposive sampling, 13 InFac participated in an open-ended email questionnaire and semi-structured individual interviews. Findings revealed that although the participants acknowledged the complexity of the IoC within Thai HEIs, they held positive perceptions about it, highlighting their role as agents of change and contributors to IoC. They also perceived IoC within Thai HEIs as a dynamic and evolving process characterized by an upward trajectory of growth and development. Findings also highlighted that IoC concentrates not only on the curriculum but also on institutional policies, classroom pedagogies, and teachers’ interaction with the curriculum. The study discusses its implications and offers recommendations for future research.

AbstractThis qualitative study examined the inclusive strategies in language teaching that teachers (ties) employed to cater to the different linguistic backgrounds (tongues) of the primary learners in the Philippines. It also explored the effects of these inclusive strategies on the pupils’ learning. Five teachers teaching in a classroom with linguistically diverse students and 16 linguistically diverse pupils from kindergarten to Grade 3 participated in the study. Findings from interviews, classroom observation, visual learning materials, and learning logs revealed that teachers utilized diversifying instructional materials, diversifying communication mediums, and diversifying activities strategies to cater to all the pupils’ needs despite their language differences, making inclusive education accessible. However, although these strategies were inclusive, they evoked maximized learning and minimized learning in the pupils. Because diversity is a constant in multicultural settings like the Philippines, the findings suggest that teachers must improve time management while using inclusive strategies to offset the minimized learning effect, i.e. the lack of time. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

While a number of migration studies concentrated on the economic, political, and social issues faced by immigrants both in their home and host countries, studies that attempt to connect migration, culture and sexuality, particularly the migration decisions among gay men and how such migration shaped and influenced their identity and sexuality within the Global South context are scarce. Using the theoretical frame of queer intercultural communication, this study aims to explore and understand the labor migration of two highly skilled Filipino gay men and how they construct or reconstruct their identity and sexuality in Bangkok, Thailand. Findings from the individual interviews revealed that personal, professional, and social factors shaped participants’ decision to come and work in Bangkok. Being highly skilled and having a job in Bangkok provides the participants the means not only to support their personal and family needs but also to participate in queer discourses and practises that allowed them to explore and understand their sexuality. This study highlights that looking at the issues on identity and belonging from the gay men’s perspectives enhances our understanding of the multiple gender identities that contribute to the study of queer intercultural communication and migration.

While most of the literature on education during the COVID19 pandemic concentrated on full online synchronous and asynchronous teaching, studies on hybrid teaching and teachers’ teaching practices and experiences during this unprecedented time are limited. This study examines English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ hybrid teaching practices, challenges, and perspectives in a university in Thailand. Using an open-ended questionnaire and a follow-up individual, online interview, findings revealed that hybrid teaching is perceived as a synchronous online and onsite teaching, where online students were connected through an online platform, and onsite students attended the class physically in the classroom. Moreover, class time, other online platforms for language reinforcement activities, and technical tools such as multimedia projectors were significant in facilitating hybrid teaching. However, teachers also encountered issues like conducting language assessments, making hybrid teaching student-student interactive, and presenting lesson explanations and examples to online students. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Language curriculum reform can be challenging and demanding. However, it is crucial for the language teaching and learning process. In Thailand, while the reforms in Thai language education aim to address the country's language proficiency problem, there have been limited studies investigating how these reforms are implemented at an institutional level. This sequential exploratory mixed method research investigated the curriculum policy change in a university in Thailand and how such curriculum policy was implemented, impacting students' language proficiency. Using students' pre-test and post-test scores from 1501 first-year students for the academic year 2019–2020 and interviews with seven university stakeholders, the findings point to the dual function of the curriculum policy change. Such curriculum change, specifically on the implementation of English as a medium of instruction (EMI), is geared toward improving students' language proficiency and the university's internationalization. Based on the findings, we argued that a language curriculum reform should be planned and implemented comprehensively by identifying the grassroots issues to achieve a specific purpose. Implications are discussed, and suggestions are offered.

While a number of studies in the literature have explored the potentials of using Facebook in classroom teaching, there is a scarcity of studies that investigate its use as an online learning support application, especially when classes have to be moved to online and remote teaching due to health emergencies like the COVID19 pandemic. This article explores the use of a closed-class Facebook group (FBG) as a learning support application from the perspectives and experiences of 33 university English language students in Thailand. A self-report survey questionnaire and a semi-structured individual interview were conducted to get the data for the study. Drawing on the concept of connectivism, findings revealed that although students faced some issues like internet connectivity, lesson concentration difficulty, and lack of support from the family, they still held positive perceptions in moving to online class on Facebook during the pandemic. They believed that Facebook provided them with an easy way to connect with their classmates, who can support them in their remote language learning. Thus, Facebook is not only perceived as a social network by the students, but also as a learning platform where they can easily retrieve academic sources and share them with their classmates for intellectual discussion. This article argues that given the right online pedagogical strategy, Facebook can be used as an alternative to an established learning management system, especially when a university does not have one.

While previous studies in the literature may have used the concept of a community of practice (CoP) to investigate its role for teachers’ professional development, this study identifies the role of a teachers’ CoP in navigating the challenges in online/remote teaching faced by six teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in a university in Thailand during the COVID19 pandemic. This study employed a purposive-convenience sampling method with an individual online interview to gather qualitative data. Findings revealed that although teacher-participants pointed out the lack of students’ interaction, lack of time to do assessment and feedback, and the lack of students’ concentration in online teaching, they greatly acknowledged the role of the teachers’ CoP in navigating the demands and challenges of online teaching during the pandemic. Some of the ascribed roles of the teachers’ CoP in online teaching include; a support group, a source of solutions to online teaching issues, and a learning community. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future studies are offered.

While a number of studies focused on identity construction, teacher attrition, and lived experiences among early-career teachers, studies on early-career English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' professional practices for teacher learning remain underexplored. Using the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework dimensions of professional practice as a framework and a narrative inquiry as a method, this study explores how early-career EFL teachers engaged in teacher learning through a reflective practice of their teaching beliefs, classroom practices, and professional values. Findings from the open-ended written interview questions and semi-structured individual interviews suggest that early-career EFL teachers' experience and academic orientation influence their preconceived beliefs and professional values towards teaching. However, such beliefs and attitudes are negotiated and changed when teachers engage in teacher learning through a professional development program that provides them the space to reflect on who and what they are as teachers. This study has implications for early-career EFL teachers' professional practices and language education curriculum programs.

Despite the sustained focus towards inclusive language teaching and queer pedagogy in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and language education in recent years, employing an inclusive pedagogical practice and having language teaching resources that respect the gender identity among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) students remain a challenge in many English language teaching (ELT) classrooms throughout the world. Employing an auto-ethnomethodological approach, in this article the authors present their teaching practice experience in an attempt to queer their ELT classroom and provide a safe space for all gender identities in learning the language through a queer-informed language teaching framework in an ELT classroom at a university in Thailand. It is the goal of this inquiry to add to the empirical evidence for gender inclusivity in an ELT classroom. Additionally, this study offers language practitioners consideration for having a queer-informed classroom where there is diversity, inclusion, and engagement and where students are free to discuss their sexual identities, adding to the growing influence of gender perspective and inclusivity in heteronormative language education.