CHAPTER L
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the rationale and background of the study. It is divided
into six main parts, rationale and background, research objectives, research questions,
scope and limitations of the study, definitions of terms and significance of the study.
1.1 Rationale and Background
1.1.1 An Overview of English Language
Due to the rapid globalization and the great impact of information technology,
English has become the main language of intemational communication. It plays a key
role as a language widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose
native languages are different from each other. It is the major language of commercial
activity, international diplomacy and agencies, the media, tourism, the Internet and
global publishing. Knowledge in almost every field is also available in English
(Maley, 2000; Harmer, 2001). Over 400 million people in the world today use English
as a second or foreign language. Companies around the world require people who
have English skills. Many countries have English television and radio stations,
Therefore, most global communication takes place through the English language.
Nowadays, the English language has become an important part in the daily life
of Thai people. Merchandise usually has the name of the factory, trademark, and
directions using English labels. Advertising signs and titles of stores are also written
in English. Most major cities in the world have at least one English language
newspaper, and Thailand has two. Thus, one who knows English can take advantages
of the information from those sources.
This is relevant to the objectives of the National Education Act (1999) and the
Basic Education Curriculum (2001) of Thailand that the English language is a tool to
obtain information from various sources available in English and very necessary for
higher education. It helps learners in career, cooperative work and living together inthe ever changing society. Furthermore, it is a tool that promotes the lifelong and
autonomous learning in learners,
English learning and teaching in Thailand has continually been developed and
adapted from “Chalk and Talk” to “Learner Centered”. Traditionally, learning was
focused on the language as a structured system of grammatical pattem, and it has
changed to emphasize on communication aspects. Teacher's roles have changed.
Previously they were the source of information to the leamer. Now the leamer has
‘multiple sources of information, and the teacher is merely the guide and facilitator for
all that information (Kaewdaeng & Ordonez, 2000). Also, The Ministry of Education
(1996) mentioned that the need for Thai people to communicate with other people
should be urgently fulfilled. Therefore, English has been made compulsory in the
curriculum starting from Grade 1 onwards. The main objective of learning English in
Thailand is to improve on the effectiveness of communication in all aspects-listening,
speaking, reading and writing,
1.1.2 The Importance of Writing Skill
In today’s information age, everybody is a writer. The written word is a
universal medium for personal interaction, transaction of public business and
workplace communication. Written communication may be handwritten, typed and
printed out, or transmitted electronically. Writing has a multitude of other purposes as
well. It is an everyday activity. We write to remember lists or study notes. We also
write to persuade, to entertain, to inform or to create, In school or college, we write
reports, term papers and essay examinations. We write letters back home and e-mail
messages to friends, or write our daily thoughts in a joumal or diary. In our
professional life, we write memos, reports and summaries. Written communication is
every where in today’s world. Writing confidently and effectively is a survival skill in
our modem world.
In conventional ordering of second language skills, writing often comes later
in both teaching and learning, after listening, speaking and reading. Valette (1977)
and Torat (1981) pointed out that this is because of its importance and difficulty, and
moreover, writing also stimulates other skills. They added that, in writing, the writers
need to transfer their spoken language into symbols. It needs grammatical knowledgeof language structure to create a meaningful written work. Nunan (1989) also
supported this idea that writing fluently and expressively is the most difficult of the all
skills for all language users. He clarified that writing is not a natural activity, normal
people physically and mentally lear to speak by nature, but all people have to be
taught how to write
Writing is a tool for thinking (Young & Pinheiro, 1996; Leeds & Rainey,
2003). It is the very necessary skill for leamers and not just for recording our
thoughts. Since writing lets us communicate to many people we may never meet. We
‘can get in touch with people without having to be there in person. Therefore, people
have to think before they write, think of what to write about and who will read their
work. Writing helps promote thinking, and it is a powerful tool that everyone can use.
Writing skill is very important in getting a job. Interpersonal skills especially
written communication is extremely important in evaluating graduates for
‘employment. Employers ask for such skill as “Good command of written and spoken
English.” Several studies indicate that writing is an important clement in most careers.
The basic education in Thailand takes twelve years prior to higher education.
Students are categorized into four levels according to their language proficiency:
Preparatory Level (Grades 1-3), Beginner Level (Grades 4-6), Developing Level
(Grades 7-9) and Expanding Level (Grades 10-12). For the English language subject
at all levels, objectives in the curriculum comprise four strands:
1. Language for Communication
Language and Cultures
Language and Other Subject Areas Connection
ae
Language, Community and World Relationship.
The Department of Academy, Ministry of Education pointed out one of the
student outcomes in The Basic Education Curriculum (2001) about writing skill that
students at Expanding Level (Grades 10-12) should be able to write about their own
interested topics such as family, school, environment, foods and drinks, interpersonal
relationship, hobbies, recreation, health, buying and purchasing, weather, education
and careers, travels, public services, places, sciences and technology, by using within
3,600-3,750 words, use compound and complex sentences in various contexts of both
formal and informal prose and use discourse markers. That means they should be able