Thailand’s English proficiency plummets: Survey

[SheikYabodyline]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand is the center of the world and when Mr Prayuth came in power he said that Thai was a world language... I have explained so many times that students should learn English because it used everywhere and on the internet, but the only response I get is speak Thai is better.....Refusing to participate in the lessons and never try to say a word English. 
I noticed that in the 15 years I am teaching English went downhill in speedtime...But I retire after this semester because the unwillingness of the students. Results are visible.. and than you have to watch DLTV when the Thai teachers teach English..... than you know no wonder...... 

You've been teaching English for fifteen years? That corresponds nicely with the downward trend in English competence. Far be it from me to correlate the two though...

[zzaa09]

I find it to be deeply troubling nor understand the almost obsessive indoctrination ideals of mandating second languages towards the overwhelmingly greater percentage of respective populations that will never have a practical need/wish/desire to attain English by way of their everyday lives. They'll never have any practical purpose or reason to use it. 

 

Granted, there are those segments of the populations that, for whatever reasons in their lives, have a great desire to become sufficient in the magical English - those are the ones that should be targeted and expanding the education upon. 

[it is what it is]

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

Not many of the expats here speak latin either.

English, whether you like it or not, is useful all over the world. Thai is useful in one country only, 

hence the preface 'people who live here', i think if you intend to make a country your home then it would be beneficial to learn the language

[vangrop]

I remember a native american teaching English in a rural secundary school in Isaan, The guy was plumber in the US. Hardly to understand in normal conversation. No teaching skills, no grammar knowledge, hillbilly pronounciation. Which result should be expected?

[recom273]

When everything in the whole Thai education system is so fatally flawed, and nothing changes - then what is to be expected.

 

Until something changes for the better in the Education system then we will read this EF headline every year.

[recom273]

4 minutes ago, vangrop said:

I remember a native american teaching English in a rural secundary school in Isaan, The guy was plumber in the US. Hardly to understand in normal conversation. No teaching skills, no grammar knowledge, hillbilly pronounciation. Which result should be expected?

I bet the school, kids and parents loved him tho'

[overherebc]

12 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

hence the preface 'people who live here', i think if you intend to make a country your home then it would be beneficial to learn the language

I've been here for a long time but it is not my home. I could list the differences but I don't have all night.

[Longwood50]

39 minutes ago, Thunglom said:

English speaking Americans are some of the most parochial language learners I've ever come across

I would say "that dog don't hunt" 

[ikke1959]

33 minutes ago, SheikYabodyline said:

You've been teaching English for fifteen years? That corresponds nicely with the downward trend in English competence. Far be it from me to correlate the two though...

Thank you for  your confidence in my teaching

[Willy Wombat]

Thailand with the Dunces hat

[3NUMBAS]

exam cheating has damaged their prospects,and pussy for good results in return

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, recom273 said:

I bet the school, kids and parents loved him tho'

They probably thought 'he looks just like us'...

[EricTh]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

"Thailand’s English proficiency plummets"

 

However, Thailand's proficiency in Mandarin is improving.

 

How did you come to this conclusion?

 

[EricTh]

5 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

Maybe we English speaking countries who live in Thailand should try speaking some Thai.  I bet we are worst then the Thais.

 

Europeans can master English easily because they are of the same language family with many cognates, that's why the top 20 are almost all European countries.

 

I had a laugh when a farang couldn't remember how to say fish in Thai after the owner of the shop keep on teaching him every time he wants to order the same dish.

 

I think Thai would have an easier time learning Lao language than farang.

Edited November 27, 2021 by EricTh

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I see UK is not in the top 10.

The ranking is for second language speakers. They have to master at least two languages.

 

USA, Canada, Australia, UK are all native English speakers who only need to master one language.

 

Saying a few sentences like sawatdee krap doesn't qualify one as a speaker of that language.

Edited November 27, 2021 by EricTh

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, Longwood50 said:

I wonder where the USA would rank?  Some areas of the USA if you don't speak Spanish like Miami, you can't function.  I lived in Houston for a period of time and some areas of the city if you did not speak Spanish you could not communicate with anyone. 

That is saying nothing of the Ebonics that takes a special degree of understanding.  And for anyone who has ever traveled to Louisiana that Cajun dialect may be something but English it is not.  

The ranking is for non-native English speaking countries. USA, Canada, Australia, UK are all excluded for obvious reason.

 

 

 

 

 

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, vangrop said:

I remember a native american teaching English in a rural secundary school in Isaan, The guy was plumber in the US. Hardly to understand in normal conversation. No teaching skills, no grammar knowledge, hillbilly pronounciation. Which result should be expected?

 

The problem in Thailand  is that the most important criterion for hiring English teacher is that they must be native speakers.

 

Most of these English teachers don't know how to teach English as a second language. Speaking it fluently  is not the same as teaching it well.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by EricTh

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Then as usual, they'll try sticking it on the farangs, ignoring how much their system's at fault, and that the majority of English teachers in Thailand happen to be Thai.

 

My Thai wife, who was taught English in school here by native Thai nationality EN teachers, was just explaining to me how Thailand probably ranked so low on this ranking list because Thailand never lost a "wah"....

 

I paused, and asked "Wah??? What's "Wah???" And she explained, yes, "wah" against foreigners.... And I replied, "Darling, I think you mean "WAR"!  And she said, "yes, but my Thai teacher taught me... WAH!"

 

Even after being together for many years, it seems we have one of those kinds of "my Thai teacher taught me" conversations every week or so... My wife most of the time by now knows how to pronounce things correctly, but probably just likes to "hack" me off by rubbing her native TH EN learning stuff in my face! ????

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Thunglom]

2 hours ago, Longwood50 said:

I would say "that dog don't hunt" 

...and you point being?

[Thunglom]

25 minutes ago, EricTh said:

The ranking is for non-native English speaking countries. USA, Canada, Australia, UK are all excluded for obvious reason.

 

 

 

 

 

why only "white" countries, why not include..

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Canada*
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• Malta
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

and then there's countries like India, Bangladesh, South Africa,,,,,

Edited November 27, 2021 by Thunglom

[StayinThailand2much]

Can't be that bad. - I noticed, coming back to Thailand after two years away, that Thais use English words now to talk behind foreigners' backs.

 

And it seems to be cooler than ever for Thais not to learn (proper) English.

Edited November 27, 2021 by StayinThailand2much

[MrJ2U]

Thai Education system is well known to suffer from literacy.

 

Most teachers in Thailand aren't that good. 

 

I never feel guilty about taking our kids out of school and on a vacation, I think they'll learn more.

[djayz]

7 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

They weren't doing very well 10 years ago and since then, they have done their level best to get rid of as many foreigners as possible... including teachers.

One has to ask "why?". Surely it's in nobody's interest to remain at the bottom of the barrel. Is this a strategy or pure incompetence/or ignorance? 

[vangrop]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

My Thai wife, who was taught English in school here by native Thai nationality EN teachers, was just explaining to me how Thailand probably ranked so low on this ranking list because Thailand never lost a "wah"....

 

I paused, and asked "Wah??? What's "Wah???" And she explained, yes, "wah" against foreigners.... And I replied, "Darling, I think you mean "WAR"!  And she said, "yes, but my Thai teacher taught me... WAH!"

 

Even after being together for many years, it seems we have one of those kinds of "my Thai teacher taught me" conversations every week or so... My wife most of the time by now knows how to pronounce things correctly, but probably just likes to "hack" me off by rubbing her native TH EN learning stuff in my face! ????

 

I bet the firsttime you met she told you'r a very hansum man.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, vangrop said:

I bet the firsttime you met she told you'r a very hansum man.

That type of chat was never part of her vocabulary. Thai public school librarians don't generally speak that way.

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[recom273]

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

 

The problem in Thailand  is that the most important criterion for hiring English teacher is that they must be native speakers.

 

Most of these English teachers don't know how to teach English as a second language. Speaking it fluently  is not the same as teaching it well.

 

 

This is not true, (in my 15 years experience) most of the lessons in most of the schools are taken by a Thai teacher where they are taught grammar, most of the schools I have taught in had one period per week with the western teacher. This is not 100% true, EP or bilingual programs / schools will differ, but I hated these posts and relished 40-50 screaming kids hanging from the fans that no one else could handle.

 

While I agree with you, from what I see now, its even worse, it's not that you need to be a native speaker, it's that you need to be able to speak English, there are a lot more non-native white faces teaching now who will accept the lower wages and the increasingly worse conditions.

 

I don't blame the kids, I was happy with the results I got, and the proof of that were the kids that I later interviewed for university places, people who I taught in the oil industry, the kids who I remember from schools that later who turned up at my gate working menial jobs for true vision or Kerry express that could interact with westerners as opposed to their colleagues who would shy away with a "phoot mai bpen" - This is what I think is the role of the western teacher.

 

Unfortunately the system is flawed, we can point fingers and make excuses all we like, it's the government authorities and the institution that are failing the kids. 

[Blumpie]

English is an extremely difficult language to master.  It takes great effort to learn it.  It also takes great courage to speak another language and attempt it.

When the pandemic started and foreigners were banned, I wrote that english proficiency would certainly go down.  If you don't practice it you lose it.  

Instead of teasing Thais about their lack of english, wouldn't it be nicer to compliment them on their english, even if it isn't that great?  Do it today and make someone feel good.  

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, blackprince said:

The English Proficiency Index is the most methodologically flawed test around. Serious linguists wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. From their own website:

 

"The test-taking population represented in this Index is self-selected and not guaranteed to be representative. Only those who want to learn English or are curious about their English skills will participate in one of these tests. This could skew scores lower or higher than those of the general population." Not 'alf guv.

 

A more telling comparison would be with the number of westerners who gain any Thai fluency after years or decades of immersion in the Thai language.

 

 

Some learn Thai but most don't. 

A lot can depend on whether you're here for retirement or work and the work you are involved in. In the case of O&G work and working in engineering and related fabrication the specifications are always in english. The contracts are in english and the reasons are obvious. If written in Thai too many interpretations can be made from the printed word, that doesn't happen if it's in english. One example is the difference between should and shall, that is not so clear in Thai and it can make a big difference.

Back to the point of learning Thai, if you spend all your working day using english and the Thais you are working with have to converse in english with you it doesn't help your Thai skills.

If you are early retired then yes you have a better chance to learn Thai, but, many of those who do learn Thai from a bar and believe me if you use that Thai in 'polite' circles you don't want to know what educated Thais think of you.

 

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

The ranking is for second language speakers. They have to master at least two languages.

Was your SOH taken surgically or were you born without it?

[RichardColeman]

Considering the wise boss PM said Thai could be the number one spoken language one day, it probably matters very little to him anyway