PASAA: A Journal of Language Teaching and Learning

What Makes a Dream English Teacher? Thai Secondary School Students’ Perceptions

Monthon Kanokpermpoon — 2026-05-21

English teachers, who are in close contact with students in terms of language training and development, have been studied for their impacts on students’ language learning. However, what really secondary school students in Thailand perceive of their “dream” (or imagined) English teachers has not been conducted. This study aims to explore Thai secondary school students’ perceptions of English teachers and to examine latent factors underlying their perceptions. Using an online questionnaire on English teachers’ characteristics and qualifications, this study employed a descriptive survey and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on 267 Thai secondary and high school students, who were conveniently and snowballing recruited. The results of survey showed the highest ratings for socio-affective skills and interpersonal relationships between the two groups. Qualitative written responses on the questionnaire revealed that “dream” English teachers were low-anxiety teachers who used communicative and innovative pedagogy and differentiated caring teaching. EFA revealed shifting characteristics from two-factor secondary school English teachers to three-factor high school English teachers. Socio-affective skills and innovative pedagogy were two major factors, with language proficiency becoming a separate factor in high school. The results have implications on teachers’ personal characteristics and innovative pedagogy trainings as well as policymakers to revise their language policy in Thailand.

A Competence-Based, Technology-Mediated Speaking Intervention in Vietnamese EFL Classrooms: a Comparative Study of Collaborative and Expert-Novice Dyads

Vu Tran — 2026-05-21

This study investigates speaking development during participation in a speaking instructional model combining Competence-Based Language Teaching (CBLT), dyadic interaction, and mobile social networking site (Zalo)-based speaking practice for secondary EFL learners in Vietnam, where students have few opportunities for authentic oral communication despite years of studying English. Two classes of seventy-two Grade 8 learners (36 in each class) participated in a 12-week program. Both classes followed the same CBLT and Zalo-based speaking curriculum but worked in different dyads: collaborative peer pairs or expert–novice pairs with English-major university buddies. Data included pre- and post-speaking tests, focus group interviews, and weekly Zalo speaking recordings. Quantitative results of pre- and post-test scores suggested that the model was associated with significant improvements in grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and interactive communication for both dyads, with expert–novice dyads showing larger gains in accuracy-related areas. Qualitative data, analyzed via thematic analysis, showed that the three components operated as an interdependent ecology: CBLT provided the pedagogical structure, dyadic interaction functioned as the mechanism for linguistic development, and Zalo served as the low-pressure delivery environment. These findings offer promising evidence regarding the feasibility of this instructional ecology for supporting speaking development in resource-limited contexts.

Humanising Language Teaching in the Age of AI

Napat Jitpaisarnwattana — 2026-05-21

While language teachers widely acknowledge affordances of digital technologies for enhancing language learning and teaching, an accompanying sense of disquiet has intensified as technological innovation increasingly sets instructional agenda and undermines our autonomy. In particular, the growing influence of algorithms, large-scale data analytics, and, more recently, artificial intelligence has raised concerns that decision-making power is progressively shifting away from human teachers, prompting critical questions about teacher agency, well-being, and meaningful human interaction within technology-mediated language teaching environments. Drawing on contemporary research in Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL), the paper conceptualises “humanising pedagogy in language teaching” through five interrelated dimensions: personalisation, digital literacy, digital well-being, positive computing, and human relationships and interaction. Based on these considerations, the paper then discusses not only how teachers can remain relevant as human teachers, but also how they can support their learners as they continue to interact with AI tools. The paper concludes by offering future directions regarding how language teachers can coexist and collaborate with technology, especially artificial intelligence though teacher-AI collaboration (TAC) framework.