Research pursued by TESOL faculty engages most areas of contemporary concern, making it possible to provide expert supervision for a wide range of possible thesis topics and projects (a selection of recently completed theses and projects are summarized here).

ESP

Graeme Ritchie’s research interests include the development and evaluation of language teaching materials, in particular materials used to teach English for Specific Purposes. His research in this area includes a recent report on the design of English for nursing purposes material, published in the Australian TESOL journal Prospect. Further work in this area, exploring the use of teacher-learner classroom interaction to generate learning texts, was presented at the 2006 Thailand TESOL conference. This interest in the design and use of teaching materials is reflected in the work of Payap University MA (TESOL) students working with him on their thesis research, with several students completing, or currently undertaking research on the evaluation and use of coursebooks, and the involvement of learners in co-constructing their own learning texts.

Learner motivation and learner autonomy

Philip Keay’s interests lie in the areas of learner motivation and learner autonomy, and their relevance to teachers' professional development. More specifically, he is concerned with how teachers can create a successful interplay between themselves, the learners, and the classroom. His current project focusses on the use of learner logs as a motivational tool that encourages learners to think reflectively and to take on responsibility for their own learning, as well as providing valuable insights and feedback for the teacher.

Norms and attitudes in language learning

Jonathan Leather is interested in normativity in the accent orientations of second-language users, and in their attitudes towards the 'correctness' of the language they produce. He is also currently exploring the attitudes of Thai learners, their parents and their teachers towards the formal study and informal acquisition of English in the educational system and in society at large. In both of these areas of investigation he is following the multidimensional approach reflected in his co-edited Ecology of Language Acquisition (Kluwer, 2003).

Curriculum development and professionalisation

David Richards’ interests lie principally in curriculum development, currently in outcomes-based syllabuses, classroom-based research in curriculum implementation, assessment and evaluation, along with feedback, and strategies of language learning and use. He campaigns for the professionalisation of TESOL through his writings and involvement in professional conferences. His research, publications and editing have covered second language acquisition, syllabus design, needs analysis, methodology, language policy, ESP, materials development, assessment and evaluation.