International students perspectives on university instructional practices : a case of a Thai university

Abstract

This study investigated the teaching and learning process in the programs taken by international students, also explored the expectations and classroom learning experiences of international students studying in the courses at a Thai university as well as explored the level of satisfaction of international students at a Thai university. This research applied the mixed methods approach to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data. The questionnaire respondents consisted of 66 out of a total number of 107 of international students from Curriculum and instruction and Bilingual Education of Rangsit University, using Krejcie and Morgan, (1970), with 95% confidence level and 10% errors. Qualitative data were collected from 12 volunteers. The research was conducted in the first semester of 2019 academic session. The questionnaire was analyzed with the mean score and S.D. The interviews contents were analyzed into themes connected to what motivated the interviewees’ perspectives. The themes were ranked according to frequencies. The questionnaire data found top three factors on the perception on university instructional practices by the analysis of mean score and standard deviation. The top 3 highest mean scores ranking in order were found. They were 1) The lecturers used IT to support their teaching (x̅ =4.35, S.D.= 0.77), 2) The lecturers encourage students to work together in small groups (x̅ =4.29, S.D..=0.74); 3) The lecturers mostly used group-work (x̅ =4.20, S.D.= 0.75) in high perception levels respectively. On the other hand, the lowest score items were 1) The lecturers used old knowledge to teach students, (x̅ =3.24, S.D.=1.08). The lecturers preferred some students more than some (x̅ =3.45, S.D.=1.06). The lecturers gave appropriate feedback on my studies (x̅ = 3.88, S.D.= 0.87), I feel studying here is like studying in my country (x̅ =3.82, S.D.=1.05). The semi-structured interviews revealed four responses: ”Lecturers can only help us climb the ladders,” “Activities and assignments help us engage more in learning,” “Book, materials and after-class consultations help us think better,” and “Facilities are up to standard and good.”