The ASEAN community establishment and the English higher education in Thailand: A case study of Chulalongkorn University language institute

The establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community on December 31, 2015 has resulted in a resurgence of the promotion of English education among its Member States. In line with efforts to prepare for the integration of the Community, this study, contextualized in Thailand, investigated: (1) the impact of the establishment on English undergraduate courses at Chulalongkorn University Language Institute (CULI), (2) the CULI\u27s alignment with Thai government English policies and Thai society\u27s needs for the citizen\u27s English proficiency improvement; and (3) challenges CULI has as it prepares its students for the integration. The societal needs were gleaned from a compilation of 166 news articles from three online newspapers between the years 2011 and 2012. Data from a field research at CULI included semi- structure interviews with 29 students, teachers and administrators; 35-hour observation of seven classes; document analysis of written language policies and classroom materials, and participation in two ASEAN-related events. Findings showed that the ASEAN Community establishment led to an increase in materials with content about other ASEAN nine countries, especially the supplementaries for the first foundation course despite an ineffective use of the materials. The establishment also prompted CULI to stress more on students\u27 self-study. CULI in general aligned with the broad government policies on envisioning the importance of ASEAN knowledge and English proficiency development. Thais\u27 weakness in speaking skills was a main concern of the society. CULI\u27s extracurricular activities well served this need, but in the classroom it has yet to incorporate more speaking activities and increase the amount of English use as a medium of instruction. The society also saw the importance of resources (IT and foreign teachers) for language learning, and contacts with foreigners to ensure language proficiency development. While CULI has good resources, students\u27 contacts with foreigners out of class still need to be addressed. In preparing its students for the upcoming ASEAN integration, CULI faced challenges that arose mainly from insufficient workforce, lack of communication about policy, and lack of intrinsic motivation to integrate ASEAN knowledge among teachers. Suggestions were also made in light of more effective ways in incorporating such content in English classrooms and in increasing contacts with foreigners to improve the students\u27 speaking skills. Hopefully, this study helps better prepare the students to become proficient users of English as an international language (EIL) in the future