GUIDE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY IN THAILAND

171 Sunasuan et al., 2020 Volume 4 Issue 2, pp. 171-192 Date of Publication: 23rd September 2020 DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20319/pijtel.2020.42.171192 This paper can be cited as: Sunasuan, P., Pansuppawat, T. & Manaratchasak, M. (2020). Guide to the Development of the Intensive English Program for Graduate Students at the Silpakorn University in Thailand. PUPIL: International Journal of Teaching, Education and Learning, 4(2), 171-192. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.


Introduction
Since 1967, Thailand has joined with other 4 countries in founding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN. In 2003, all the nations had agreed on plans to promote the ASEAN community. This contributed to ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Socio-Cultural Pillar, and Political and Security Pillar and planned. Officially in 2015, AEC has fully implemented and agreed to use English as a common communicative language among nations. It became a huge challenge yet also an opportunity for Thailand across the globalization of 21st-century education.
The Minister of Education of Thailand (2016) has written the announcement of the Higher Education Commission regarding the policy of raising English language standards in higher education institutions. It provoked all the universities to reform their English standards. The vision was to develop an effective program focusing on three language skills which are 1) English for academic purposes 2) English for communication, and 3) English for occupational purposes. The missions were to improve the current policies, standards, assessments, curriculum planning, and instructional design to meet international standards.
Accordingly, Silpakorn University has established standard criteria and tests of English proficiency as the admission and graduation requirements (Silpakorn University, 2019). It addressed that students in all disciplines at the master's and doctorate levels must pass the English language test from the standardized tests according to the CEFR or from the language testing council that has standards comparable to CEFR at level A2 and above. There is an exempt only for those who have graduated from an English-speaking course.
The Center for General Education Management and English Language Development (G&E Center) of the Silpakorn University thusly, has developed an Intensive Courses for graduate students (Master-Doctorate) for students who have not yet passed the criteria. There are 2 courses, namely ENG 102 and ENG 103, for those who have scored in the A2 and B1 criteria, respectively.
However, most of the students who have passed the training program still have a problem in using English in their academic and occupational purposes. Approximately 75 percent of English teachers in Thailand have English proficiency at only A2 levels (The Nation Thailand, 2018) Although in the past, the government has been formulating strategic plans and development policies to upgrade the English language skills of all groups of people continually, the implementation of the policy seemed to have not seen concrete results and was considered less successful. This reflected from the results of the English skills ranking of the Thai population according to the survey of the English Language Skill Ranking Office of EF (Education First). The test of the population of 1,300,000 people in non-English language mothers of 88 countries, Thailand ranked at 64, which is only higher than Kazakhstan, Burma, Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Uzbekistan, and belonging to groups with English language skills very low (Prachachat Business, 2018).
Comparing to the proportion of English used in ASEAN countries, it found that Thai people who communicate in English are at a low level with an average of only 48.54, making Thailand ranked 16 th out of 21 countries in the Asian level compared to the average of all countries that will be at a medium level of 53.49 (EF, 2018). Being low means being able to only use skills for traveling, discussing in small groups of coworkers, or only simple messaging email with coworkers (Council of Europe, n.d.).

PUPIL: International Journal of Teaching, Education and Learning ISSN 2457-0648
For this reason, the research was to study and develop the guide to the development of the intensive English program for Graduate students at Silpakorn University to meet with the objectives of learning English courses including student needs.

Research Objectives
The principal objectives of the study were as follows.
 To study the potential of the current intensive English program to meet student needs.
 To study the English language skills required for the development of the Intensive English Program for Graduate Students at the Silpakorn University in Thailand

Literature Review
This part consists of summaries of key sources for the study of a guide to the development of the intensive English program for graduate students at the Silpakorn University in Thailand.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) was created to establish international standards for explaining the level of language proficiency. It was initially used within the European Union, that is not just the level of English, but also other international languages. Since then, the CEFR language policy has developed and gained wide acceptance around the world (Council of Europe, n.d.).
The CEFR's Language Proficiency Framework shows that: (1) learners at level B1 should have sufficient English skills for preliminary studies, offer opinions, explain the idea, but maybe somewhat stuck in either academic or daily usage which is not yet considered fully sufficient in the work. (2) As for level B2, learners must be able to understand the importance of complex content, including content that has many and various terminologies. At this level, students can work independently in an academic context and use English as an expert. There are only slight discontinuity and accuracy limitations (Council of Europe, n.d.).

Definitions of English Language Skills for Graduate Students
Following the announcement of the Higher Education Commission on the Policy of Raising the English Language Standards in Higher Education Institutions, announced on April 12, 2016 (The Higher Education Commission, 2016), the necessary skills for higher education in level 3 students (Postgraduate or higher) have three key skills which are 1) English for academic purposes 2) English for communication, and 3) English for occupational purposes. The learners should develop 3 skills and expected to use languages with digital knowledge to meet the quality of education to be lifelong learners of the future.
According to Gibbons ( 2009) , English for academic purposes is the ability to use the English language that meets the objectives of the study. The language emphasizes the correct structure principles for use in publishing academic papers, books, or documents. English for communication is the ability to use English as a professional communication tool. That is useful for a career, such as using it in teaching and learning courses ( Albostan, 2012;Febriana, Intan, Oktaviani, & Supriadi, 2019) . English for occupational purposes is the ability to use English for communication, informal information exchange, or using language to search for information from foreign sources (Roger & Rogers, 1976;Valette, 1977).

Curriculum Development Concept
The curriculum is a plan or program to impart knowledge, skills, expertise, and other competencies for intended purpose through learning experiences designed to enable learners to process knowledge or skills using a variety of appropriate activities (Taba, 1962;Oliva, 1992). The Wanthong (2018), a training course aims to develop specific skills, knowledge, or ideas than general curriculum development. It is more specific in the composition and procedures that are more detailed. The components of the training program consist of 7 components: 1) objective setting 2) content 3) learning experience 4) learning media 5) training location 6) training period and 7) evaluation measurement. Moreover, the researchers were able to synthesize the training course development processes to 7 steps (see Figure 1). The first step is to analyze the needs. This process focuses on the study of basic information about the English proficiency, fields of studies, occupations, and needs of the learners, including course requirements. This should be inquired directly from students and teachers to study internal and external social factors. The mastery goals should set to meet the needs and course requirements. Then, the following steps are about to design the details of the contents, learning activities, materials to suit the goals. Then, the assessment and evaluation process is to find the efficiency and effectiveness of the course.

English Language Curriculum Development Concept
The invention of the English language curriculums started in England, the country where English is the native language. It firstly focused on curriculum development to manage to teach and learning within various institutions both within and outside the country. It mostly focused on the study of grammar and literature to understand thought expressions (Ball, 1985). Later, it started to look at the student-centered learning with a focus on personal development (Dixon, 1975). Most recently, after 2000, there is a focus on self-development, and comprehension skills (McGraw, 2010). English for academic purposes concepts focus on gradually mastery objectives from an understanding of general messages to criticism level and be able to explain the mood and tone of the speaker which is the ultimate goal. The teaching styles should help learners remembering key characteristics and forms of academic language.

Learning Theory Concept
 Adult learning theory focuses on learner-centered and the role of learners in selfdevelopment for sustainable learning. There are 4 important principles of adult education: 1) learn better in problem-based learning than content-based learning (Knowles, 1986).
 Learning behavior theory focusing on cognitive behavior aims to develop higher-order thinking skills for students to develop thinking skills for long-term use, not only remembering or understanding (Deller, 2019). Psychological behavior begins with receiving information, responding to value, and starting to be organized or systematically become the individual's attitude or behavior (Dave, 1967).

The Study Context
In this research, the researchers reviewed three English intensive courses for graduate students, which are Kent State University, Chulalongkorn University, and Mahidol University, to compare to the English intensive course at Silpakorn University.
 Kent State University is in Ohio State, USA. It is a 50-year old university with a focus on research. It is rated in the first-tier list of the best national university by the US news agency, and also in the world's top 100 graduate study management (Kent State University, 2019).
The admission criteria for students is at level B2 or higher, depending on the field of study.
Most specializations accept at a C1 level or higher. Students who do not meet the required score have to attend additional English language training courses, organized by the ESL center, to meet certain criteria. Each course has 7-week long.
 Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand. The university has been maintaining its place in the top 50 universities in Asia for several years. At the master's level, the admission criteria for the master level is at B1 or higher in some faculties. For the doctorate level, students will have a higher criterion at B2. Unless, they must submit a new test score or attend intensive English training for two courses, Academic English for Graduate Studies, and Thesis Writing. They must pass the criteria before graduation. If the score is less than the B1 level, students will only take the

Research Methodology
This research uses Mixed-methods research model which focuses on collecting both qualitative and quantitative data at the same time (The convergent parallel design) to study the true state without controlling variables or situations (Creswell & Plano, 2011).

Population and Sample
The population was 131 students who are studying at the graduate level at Silpakorn University, Sanamchandra Palace Campus, and enrolled in the Intensive English Training Course, ENG 102 and ENG 103, in the first semester of the academic year 2019. Three sample groups were selected for data collection by purposive sampling selection. The primary data collection with 46 students used a survey questionnaire. The secondary data collection used descriptive research (focus groups with 6 students, and interviews with two teachers).

Study Variables
The independent variable is the Intensive English Program for Graduate Students at the Silpakorn University in Thailand. Dependent variables are 1) expected skills in an intensive English course 2) required skills for developing an intensive English course, and 3) current intensive English course satisfaction.

Research Process
There are 4 processes as followed.
Step 1 The researchers collected documents and researches related to curriculum development, which are Silpakorn University announcement for the standard criteria and test of English proficiency (2019), concepts and theories related to curriculum development, training curriculum development, and English language skills for graduate students.
Step 2 The researchers used the interview form to interview with 2 teachers about the current learning conditions of students in all 3 English skills, including English for academic purposes, English for communication, English for occupational purposes.
Step 3 The researchers used a questionnaire with 43 students from 2 intensive English courses, ENG 102, and ENG 103. The researchers distributed and collected the questionnaires in the classroom. Then, the researchers have FGD with 6 students for 20 minutes.
Step 4 The researchers collected data from both questionnaires and note-taking by checking the completeness of the data obtained to prepare, analyze, summarize, and discuss the results in the next step.

Data Collection Tools
There were three major data collection tools used in this study.

Data Analysis
The data analysis focuses on three parts which are 1) teacher Interview data collection 2) the focus group discussion data collection, and 3) the graduate student satisfaction data collection.

Teacher Interview Data Collection
The data was collected from two teachers who are currently teaching the intensive English program at Silpakorn University. The interview was conducted in a one-one interview in Thai. The highlights can be summarized as follows (see table 1). The university has implemented the policy of the English standards by offering the course for those who failed to meet the requirements.

Objectives of course
The course aims to help the students to develop English skills for passing the requirement in a short time as it is concerned that the students might not pass the standard examination from other organizations.

Teaching and learning procedures
The courses are options for students who failed to meet the criteria and do not plan to take a test from other organizations. Students are mixed from various faculties but grouped by their levels of proficiency and available schedule.
The course is primary designed for the major content but allows students to choose their own choices for topics of studies in some lessons.

Problems in
designing the course Since the curriculum aims to meet with the CEFR criteria, the calibration is relatively high when compared to the learners' level of English. Therefore, there may be problems such as the provision of teaching materials or many students do not know what level they are.

Expectations of the course
Students pass the course and can use the English language at a better level.

The Focus Group Discussion Data Collection
The data collection was from 6 students, who are currently studying the intensive English program at Silpakorn University. Three students are in ENG 102 section, and three students are in ENG 103 section. The discussion was in Thai. The highlights can be summarized as follows (see table 2). Most of the students need to study this course as a university requirement. Thus, they mostly focus on passing the standard criteria only. There isn't a very clear personal motivation yet.

The Graduate Student Satisfaction Data Collection
The study results from the student satisfaction questionnaire suggest that the learners received the knowledge about the content was rated at a moderate level at averaged 3.28 with a standard deviation of 1.04. The 3 skills with the lowest satisfaction levels are 1) Reading skills for occupational purposes 2) Writing skills for academic purposes and 3) Listening skills for occupational purposes respectively. Students who are less satisfied and dissatisfied are at 16.58 and 5.98, a total of 22.83 percent, or almost 1 in 4 students (See Table 3). The satisfaction of content comprehension has an average of 3.3, which is at a moderate level. The standard deviation is at 1.00. The number of responses is mostly at the middle level to high at 36.23%, followed by very satisfied at 31.70. The unsatisfied respondents were 14.49% and very unsatisfied respondents were 5.62%. These present more than 20 percent of all respondents.
The 3 skills with the lowest levels of satisfaction were 1) the writing skills for occupational purposes 2) writing skills for academic purposes and 3) speaking skills for occupational purposes respectively (See Table 4). The satisfaction of the knowledge application was at an average of 2.93 which was at a moderate level with a standard deviation of 1.23 which is higher than 1.00. The greatest number of responses is at a moderate level at 27.9%, followed by very satisfied at 19.38%. The unsatisfied respondent is at 18.48%. The dissatisfied respondent is at 17.57%. The 4 skills with the lowest level of satisfaction are: 1) Academic speaking skills 2) Academic listening skills 3) Listening skills for occupational purposes and 4) Reading skills for occupational purposes (See Table 5).

1. The Findings of the Potential of the Current Intensive English Program with the Expected Proficiency Level
From comparing the data of the teacher interview and focus group discussion with the student, it found that the curriculum design aimed to only meet the CEFR standard. Students who have completed this course aim to develop their English language skills for prevailing usage but not for a specific purpose in English in academic, professional, and English communication at an active level. Both teachers and students agreed that It helps to develop some general English language skills but not for the field of study and work. Thus, students suggested that the course should have more options, for example, having online learning or dividing into small elective courses, not just forcing everyone to study every skill. Laadem (2017) also argues that using technology to support the learning of the English language is the promotion of both linguistic and technological competencies. E-learning is also an effective way to raise the quality of education in developing countries and ESL in higher education.
From studying the contexts of the three universities, it has been found that all three universities have separated courses for each skill or combining of similar skills. The courses mostly emphasize the skills according to the level of context of the learners and the field of studies, which will be divided into compulsory courses and selected courses to meet the needs of students.
Comparing to the current course at Silpakorn University, the course focuses on integrating all skills into one program in which students from all disciplines study together and do not focus on specific skills.
This addresses the needs in the program design to develop more specific skills relevant to the learners. The first step in curriculum development should be highly focused as it helps a developer to understand the student's needs. Gestanti, Nimasari, & Mufanti, (2019) argues that conducting need analysis is the first, most significant part to be conducted in designing an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. It gives chances for both teacher and students to define the effective outcomes based on their purposes and needs. In accordance with Sakcharoen (2015) who studied the learning process to support life-long learning, adult learners will focus on learning that will benefit themselves in the long term. This is consistent with the research data collection from the Thammasat University Language Institute about learning English by using the workload as a base to develop English language skills for academic goals (Viriya, 2018) which concludes that the effective curriculum development of English language skills should consist of 1) studying the basic needs to select the content 2) emphasizing instruction for communication through interaction in the target language 3) using statements that are from authentic sources in a variety of learning situations 4) providing opportunities for learners to develop both language skills, and learning process 5) adding about the learners' own experience to use as an important part of instruction, and 6) connecting language learning in the classroom to the language used outside the classroom.

Intensive English Program for Graduate Students at the Silpakorn University in Thailand
Align with the previous findings, the unsatisfied data shows the need of improving the course and focusing more on specific skills especially skills relevant to learners' experiences and current needs. The strength of the current program is the choices of topics that students can choose but are still limited.
The rated scale of knowledge gained was at a moderate level. Most of the answers are in boxes 3 and 4 points, but the number of answers in the box 5 points and 2 points is also similar.
Students who are less satisfied and dissatisfied are almost a quarter of students. Similar to the satisfaction rating for comprehension of writing skills for occupational purposes, the unsatisfied rating was from 21 out of 46 respondents, or nearly half of respondents.
This shows that it is still necessary for the program developer to pay great attention to the curriculum design to meet the needs of the students. From the student survey results, the most needed skills in developing the intensive English course is the academic writing skills with the most frequency (5), following by reading skills at a practical level (3), writing skills for occupational purposes (2), reading skills for occupational purposes (2), speaking skills for academic purposes (2), and listening skills for occupational purposes (2) respectively. This is consistent with research on adults training of the University of Washington School of Public Health (2014) which said that there are 5 important principles as followed: 1) the materials used must be useful immediately to the students 2) the materials used must be related to learners 3) the learning environment must make the students feel safe to participate. 4) the presentation of the training must be accessible and 5) the training should encourage students to share their experiences.

Research Implementation
The study focused on developing a guide to the development of an intensive English program. Curriculum makers and researchers may use this guide to design an effective program to meet the needs of students the most. Using the guide with different learning methods such as faceto-face, online, or blended learning should provide more options to meet the needs of graduate students as adult learners.

Limitations
A major limitation of this study is the difficulty to generalize the results because the small sample size was obtained from Silpakorn University, Thailand unless other studies share the same context.

Conclusion
Guides for the development of an intensive English program should be different from general courses in terms of composition and form which need to develop learners for more specific objectives. This may be a skill, knowledge, or attitude adjustment which has a specific goal, for certain groups at a time. There are 7 components and 7 steps in the development of an intensive English program as shown in Figure 1. The processes address finding basic information to understand learners and paying attention to the specific needs of the course, such as analyze learner needs for solving one's own problems or studying at the graduate level, in accordance with the skills that students want to develop in each level separately.
Intensive English program reviews show that the teachers developed the curriculum guidelines based on the CEFR standards but does not emphasize skills in each area and does not directly consider the needs of the learners. The program is organized to help students pass the English standard requirements. Following the opinions of the learners, there is no internal motivation as they are aimed to pass the criteria. This makes it impossible to use directly with work or in real life as they should. In contrast to students' opinion, the curriculum should encourage the development of English language skills and abilities that are more in line with the required skills mentioned above as an alternative for students to learn what will be used in their lives. According to the needs of the learners, there may be a variety of study options for students to access as well.
The inquiries from students suggest that: the most needed skills in developing the intensive English course are the academic writing skills, reading skills at a practical level, writing skills for occupational purposes, reading skills for occupational purposes, speaking skills for academic purposes, and listening skills for occupational purposes respectively. This can be the determination of the purpose of curriculum design according to the steps that the researchers have studied and synthesized previously. That is the most important first step by asking the question directly from the student and defining objectives so that they can be specified specifically for that need. Next is the content determination and setting the learning experience to be consistent with the study of the concepts of English language skills at the graduate level. The selection of content will enable learners to understand and apply knowledge better. The content design and teaching methods should focus on interaction with the target language.