WHY DO THAI EFL STUDENTS REMAIN SILENT? EXPLORING BARRIERS TO WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH

Abstract

This study explored the barriers that contribute to Thai EFL students’ reluctance to communicate in English during classroom interaction. A qualitative descriptive design was employed with 30 Thai undergraduate EFL students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through observations of six classroom sessions, audio recordings, field notes, and semi-structured interviews with 10 students. The data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed six major barriers: fear of making mistakes, low self-confidence and perceived English proficiency, fear of negative peer evaluation, teacher-related factors, classroom and instructional conditions, and sociocultural expectations. These barriers interacted to influence students’ willingness to communicate and contributed to their decision to remain silent. The findings further indicate that silence should not necessarily be interpreted as disengagement, as it may reflect psychological, interpersonal, pedagogical, and sociocultural pressures. Supportive classroom environments and low-risk communicative activities are therefore recommended to enhance students’ willingness to communicate.