Grammatical Constructions Written by Thai EFL Learners in a National Competition Context
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| Title: | Grammatical Constructions Written by Thai EFL Learners in a National Competition Context |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Abhinan Wongkittiporn (ORCID |
| Source: | PASAA: Journal of Language Teaching and Learning in Thailand. 2025 71:240-268. |
| Availability: | Chulalongkorn University Language Institute. Prem Purachatra Building, Chulalongkom University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel: +66-2-218-6092; Fax: +66-2-218-6104; e-mail: pasaa.editor@gmail.com; Web site: https://www.culi.chula.ac.th/en/pasaa/1 |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, High School Students, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Grammar, Student Writing Models, Competition, Connected Discourse, Rhetoric |
| Geographic Terms: | Thailand |
| ISSN: | 0125-2488 2287-0024 |
| Abstract: | This study examined the ability of Thai EFL learners to use grammatical constructions to report facts in descriptive writing. The context of the study is different from previous studies as the context was a national written competition in which the participants took part in the activities willingly. The conceptual frameworks for observations followed Radford's (2023) Generative Model of English Syntax, Kearns' (2011) Semantic Principles of Compositionality and Kreidler's (2024) Factivity. These frameworks were useful to study form and meaning as they are based on rules regarding how words combine together. The text analysis showed four grammatical constructions including passive constructions, subjective complements, existential there constructions and transitive complements. The research study was a quantitative analysis of texts written by Thai students. The participants were 67 Thai senior high school students in Thailand, participating in a national English writing competition held by a Thai university with the support of the Thai Ministry of Culture in 2024. The participants were assigned to write descriptive essays. The grammatical constructions were manually coded and entered into SPSS version 29. The analysis revealed a statistically significant association between senior high school students' English writing performance and their use of grammatical constructions for reporting factual information (p = 0.001). When comparing the results of Thai senior high school students with a previous study of American senior high school students, it found that that both groups showed a similar result relating to grammatical constructions in English. However, the difference between the two groups was the pragmatic discourse of given and new information. Cohesion was reported as a major problem among Thai senior high school students. The results of this study may be helpful for Thai classrooms by highlighting issues related to the form and function of language use. Thai schools and stakeholders may consider how cohesion and coherence can be taught to help strengthen students' communicative competence and writing in English. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1491533 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study examined the ability of Thai EFL learners to use grammatical constructions to report facts in descriptive writing. The context of the study is different from previous studies as the context was a national written competition in which the participants took part in the activities willingly. The conceptual frameworks for observations followed Radford's (2023) Generative Model of English Syntax, Kearns' (2011) Semantic Principles of Compositionality and Kreidler's (2024) Factivity. These frameworks were useful to study form and meaning as they are based on rules regarding how words combine together. The text analysis showed four grammatical constructions including passive constructions, subjective complements, existential there constructions and transitive complements. The research study was a quantitative analysis of texts written by Thai students. The participants were 67 Thai senior high school students in Thailand, participating in a national English writing competition held by a Thai university with the support of the Thai Ministry of Culture in 2024. The participants were assigned to write descriptive essays. The grammatical constructions were manually coded and entered into SPSS version 29. The analysis revealed a statistically significant association between senior high school students' English writing performance and their use of grammatical constructions for reporting factual information (p = 0.001). When comparing the results of Thai senior high school students with a previous study of American senior high school students, it found that that both groups showed a similar result relating to grammatical constructions in English. However, the difference between the two groups was the pragmatic discourse of given and new information. Cohesion was reported as a major problem among Thai senior high school students. The results of this study may be helpful for Thai classrooms by highlighting issues related to the form and function of language use. Thai schools and stakeholders may consider how cohesion and coherence can be taught to help strengthen students' communicative competence and writing in English. |
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| ISSN: | 0125-2488 2287-0024 |
