This thesis seeks to consider Thai students and their reasons for choosing to study in United Kingdom universities. Through the literature review it has been identified that higher education is globally expanding. Competing knowledgebased economies with higher education institutions have led education to be considered a market commodity and consequently the marketization of higher education in competitive world markets. This is exemplified by discussion of the United Kingdom higher education policies and the resulting demand for higher education in the United Kingdom. The numbers of overseas students studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom is rising, with a notable increase in the number of students from South-East Asia. In its endeavour to increase its knowledge-based economy, Thailand has increased opportunities for Thai nationals to study overseas through scholarships and Government policies. The advantages of overseas degrees to individuals, these include a facility with English language, enhanced employment and promotion prospects, and increased social status, are discussed. A study of Thai students studying in the United Kingdom has been used to explore the reality of these advantages for individual students. A case study approach was used and personal interviews with students and questionnaires with their parents and grandparents. The data was analysed using a ‘categorical-content perspective’ narrative method (Lieblich et al., 1998). The thesis concludes that, despite as a nation Thailand having good geographical links with other advanced countries such as Japan and China, living in an economically stable and democratic country, having excellent opportunities to access Thai universities and having no direct links with the United Kingdom, Thai students still see real advantages to studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. This decision is influenced by social and cultural factors, in particular the extended family, and potential financial rewards. However as a result of studying overseas in the United Kingdom the Thai students experience and have to resolve various social and cultural tensions. They have become more individualistic in their attitudes and opinions, which are at odds with the traditional collectivist values, held by their families and deeply entrenched in Thai society.

This research aimed at understanding the reading practices of two groups of international postgraduate students across three semesters. The research was underpinned by a conceptual framework incorporating metacognitive concepts with framing theory. The methodology involved individual interviews using academic text and pair think-alouds followed by retrospective interviews using general-interest texts. The interviews and pair think-alouds took place at an Australian university with Thai and IndianBangladeshi postgraduate students and at university campuses in Thailand and India. The data selected from the interviews and pair think-alouds revealed significant changes in reading practices between first and third semester at an Australian university and the participants' awareness of these changes. The participants' reflections also provided some explanation for the differences in their cognitive and metacognitive strategy use. The research study was important because, at the postgraduate level, students are faced with complex text interpretation processes. International students, in addition, have to make a significant cultural/study shift; not only do they have to become accustomed to the reading of academic texts using discipline-specific patterns but often have to adjust to different conventions used by authors from cultural backgrounds other than their own. Little is known, in particular, about Thai and Indianmangladeshi postgraduate students' reading experiences in their own countries or how their reading practices change during study at an Australian university. The research findings suggest a dynamic, multi-dimensional, developmental framework for conceptualising international postgraduate students' reading practices in first semester at an Australian university, and the changes in reading practices and the educational and socio-cultural influences on these changes by third semester; the findings, in addition, can inform the debate on literacy levels in the cross-cultural academic environment and can contribute to discussions on such pedagogical issues as reforming of curricular structure, the internationalisation of curricula and the development of more culturally sensitive supervisory frameworks.

Abstract not available

Using Ethnography of Communication, Conversational Analysis, and surveys, Thai students' participation in group work was studied to determine how they interact with native English-speaking students. Issues discussed are: (1) behaviors Thai students display during group work; including comparisons and contrasts to native students' behaviors, (2) prejudices native students have about including Thai students in group work, (3) Thais' strengths and weaknesses in group work, and (4) perceptions native and Thai students and their professors have regarding group work and its importance to successful course completion. The study concludes by recommending ways that both Thai students and their professors can enhance the learning outcomes of courses that heavily emphasize group work.

Writing effectively in an academic setting is a challenge for many students, especially at the graduate level. Graduate students often struggle with the demands of writing a thesis, which is a specific genre of writing with its own set of standards, norms and conventions. The difficulties described above deepen for students who have to write in their second language. Since language and writing are culture specific, each language has its own unique rhetorical conventions. By comparing three different theses, this study aims to identify the differences between Thai and English discourse. Understanding these differences will provide some guidance to Thai students who are writing their theses in English.

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Sexually transmitted diseases are a major problem among adolescents in Thailand, and seeing that unprotected sex is a growing trend, awareness must be increased. The aim of this study was to examine Thai students’ knowledge of and attitudes to STDs as well as if there are any differences in gender regarding these questions. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a private university in Bangkok, Thailand. The Health Belief Model was provided as theoretical framework. A questionnaire was answered voluntarily by 150 students, both male and female. The results showed that the students had low level of knowledge on STDs and their attitudes showed that they have many misconceptions regarding these issues. The study also showed that Thai students want to learn more about STDs and wish to receive this information from school. No major difference in gender was found. This study shows that additional education on STDs is needed among Thai adolescents. Further research in this area is acquired to get a wider perspective of Thai students’ knowledge on STDs, to help prevent future spreading of STDs. / Sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar är ett stort problem hos ungdomar i Thailand och eftersom oskyddat sex är en växande trend bör detta uppmärksammas. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka thailändska studenters kunskap om och attityder till sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar. Studien önskade även undersöka huruvida det fanns någon skillnad mellan könen. En deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie gjordes på ett privat universitet i Bangkok, Thailand. Health Belief Model användes som teoretiskt ramverk. Ett frågeformulär besvarades frivilligt av 150 manliga och kvinnliga studenter. Resultatet visade att studenterna hade bristande kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar. Deras attityder visade att studenterna hade många felaktiga uppfattningar i frågan. Studien visade även att de thailändska studenterna vill lära sig mer om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar och önskar att få denna information ifrån skolan.  Studien visade inga stora skillnader mellan könen. Denna studie visar att ytterligare kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar hos thailändska ungdomar behövs. Ytterligare forskning inom området är önskvärt. Detta för att få ett bredare perspektiv om thailändska studenters kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar, för att bidra till att förebygga ytterligare smittspridning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2291. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-220).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2002. / Title from title page screen, viewed February 2, 2006. Dissertation Committee: William C. Rau, George Padavil (co-chairs), James C. Palmer, Phyllis McCluskey-Titus. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-129) and abstract. Also available in print.

In this dissertation, I investigate how Thai doctoral students adapt to and navigate academic expectations in their nonnative language. Through coded semi-structured interviews with eight participants from six different universities across the U.S., I analyze the lived experiences, stories, and challenges faced by Thai doctoral students in Humanities disciplines as students in Humanities are believed to rely more on writing as a mode of inquiry than students in STEM. I explore how, and to what extent, they cultivated agency to meet the expectations of the academy and how they assimilated into the U.S. academic culture. I initially hypothesized that writing was the most challenging skill, given that composition program and classrooms are virtually nonexistent in Thai curricula and students coming into the U.S. academy from such educational backgrounds would have limited exposure to formal writing instruction. Interestingly, through thematic coding schemes, I found that, while writing was challenging, there were other significant factors impacting their education. In my analysis, I found that students also had to navigate academic reading, participation in active classroom discussions, and acculturation into U.S. academic setting, all of which challenged their learning experiences. I argue in the dissertation that these complex social negotiations, not accounted for in most pedagogical structures in U.S. education, result in inequitable access to curriculum and undo hardships on students. By amplifying the voices of Thai students, this project highlights the ways that Thailand's educational system, deeply entrenched discourses of loyalty to Thailand's monarchy and the Criminal Code Act 112, impacts Thai students' formation and navigation of academic identity while encountering the U.S. Academy. / Doctor of Philosophy / In this dissertation, I investigate how Thai doctoral students adapt to and navigate academic expectations in their nonnative language. Through coded semi-structured interviews with eight participants from across the U.S., I analyze the lived experiences, stories, and challenges faced by Thai doctoral students in Humanities disciplines. I explore how, and to what extent, they cultivated agency to meet the expectations of the academy and how they assimilated into the U.S. academic culture. I initially hypothesized that writing was the most challenging skill, given that composition program and classrooms are virtually nonexistent in Thai curricula and students coming into the U.S. academy from such educational backgrounds would have limited exposure to formal writing instruction. Interestingly, participants revealed that, while writing was challenging, there were other significant factors impacting their education. In my analysis, I found that students also had to navigate academic reading, participation in active classroom discussions, and acculturation into U.S. academic setting, all of which challenged their learning experiences. I argue in the dissertation that these complex social negotiations, not accounted for in most pedagogical structures in U.S. education, result in inequitable access to curriculum and undo hardships on students. By amplifying the voices of Thai students, this project highlights the ways that Thailand's educational system, deeply entrenched discourses of loyalty to Thailand's monarchy, impacts Thai students' formation and navigation of academic identity while encountering the U.S. Academy.