In the Payap MA (TESOL) curriculum, thesis and project enable students to build on coursework by exploring some area of teaching or learning English that they are most interested in - and that is often related to their own teaching situation. Some recent examples illustrate the range of problems addressed and approaches taken:

Investigating the implementation of the learner-centered approach in China's new English curriculum - Li Sihong

This case study of two teachers implementing the new learner-centered curriculum in a junior secondary school in southwest China revealed a disparity between the planned and implemented curriculum. The author's conclusions about the factors informing classroom practice have implications for diffusion of curriculum innovation and teacher development. A presentation of this work was delivered at the 2006 Thailand TESOL conference.

Evaluation of the teaching of reading skills and strategies in college level EFL coursebooks - Hong Zhi Yang

This study used a checklist created by the author to identify the reading skills and strategies taught in both international and national (Chinese) undergraduate level reading coursebooks. This analysis was followed by an evaluation of how the skills and strategies were taught. The value of the study goes beyond the selection of a suitable coursebook through indicating areas for adaptation and supplementation of materials, and providing guidelines for materials design.

Teachers' use of American Headway 2 - Sirintra Chathep

While global coursebooks, exemplified by such 'best-sellers' as Headway, are found in classrooms throughout the world, little research has been carried out into the roles they play. This study, presented at the 2006 Thailand TESOL conference, looked at how a number of teachers in their own educational situations used the same coursebook unit. The findings revealed that far from following the coursebook 'script', the teachers were selective in their use of the coursebook, and supplemented the book with tasks reflecting their own understanding of teaching and learning. The author shows that the coursebook makes a limited contribution to lessons as experienced by learners, and suggests that a coursebook may only have a modest role in teacher education.

An exploration of perceptual English language learning styles among Wichai Wittaya secondary school students. - Fatime Simsek

The importance of teachers taking learner differences into consideration is being increasingly recognized. In this study the author investigated the learning styles of students in her own teaching situation through administration and analysis of a questionnaire. The results revealed a diversity of learning styles among the students, and suggested that particular learning styles may to some extent be associated with gender.

Teaching presence in tandem learning - Cosmo Landsburg

Advances in technology are opening up new opportunities and options for language teaching and learning. Tandem learning - a language exchange where two learners alternately 'teach' each other their respective mother-tongues - can be pursued by anyone online in 'distance' mode. But whether unsupervised and untrained learners can profit fully from tandems remains open to doubt. An experimental study of a tandem indicated that teaching presence and explicit training in collaborative techniques can improve the quality of the learning exchange. The study underscored the need to balance teaching presence against learner autonomy.

A design for a course to train English-major Chinese university learners in dictionary skills - Yinghui Zhang

This project investigated the dictionary strategies needed by English-major students in Chinese universities and provided an outline course design for teachers to implement dictionary training in this educational context.

An evaluation of the opportunities for output in college business English textbooks - Xinhui Zhao

This study analyzed and evaluated four college-level business English textbooks used in China to determine which offered better opportunities for output and so was most likely to promote learning in the Chinese institutional context. A checklist was developed on the basis of one published by Andrew Littlejohn, and the quantitative data resulting from analyses using this checklist were subjected to qualitative evaluation. The study thus provides motivated guidance for Chinese teachers of business English on the selection of textbooks and learning tasks.

Corrective feedback in Chinese EFL classroom interaction: Provision, response, and interactional contexts - Liu Yan

This qualitative case study explored the variations in teachers' and learners' use of corrective feedback according to interactional context. Learner responses in the form of modified output were examined in relation to four interactional contexts: focusing on (i) content; (ii) communication; (iii) classroom management; and (iv) explicit language form. While teachers most often provided feedback on learners' problematic utterances in contexts focusing on explicit language form and classroom management, learners were found to act upon teachers' feedback in content- and language-focused contexts, but never in contexts focusing on classroom management. The pedagogical implications are discussed.