สุกานดา เขาแก้ว. Students' Difficulties Using Generic Worksheets of the Self-Access Learning Centre at the School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. Master's Degree(Applied Linguistics for English Language Teaching). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2005.
Students' Difficulties Using Generic Worksheets of the Self-Access Learning Centre at the School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Abstract:
The aim of this research is to investigate students' difficulties using generic worksheets of
the Self-Access Learning Centre at the School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's University
of Technology Thonburi. The subjects who were involved in this study were 40 third-year
undergraduate students from the Faculty of Industrial Education at King Mongkut's
University of Technology Thonburi. The instruments used were a questionnaire and a
semistructured interview.
This research study attempts to find out whether the generic worksheets of listening and
reading skills can enhance independent learning and what difficulties and support the
subjects need when working on the generic worksheets. The findings reveal that the generic
worksheets could enhance independent learning. However. the subjects. especially, the ones
who were new to self-access leaning modes needed more supports to help them work
independently when working on the generic worksheets. The difficulties were due to the fact
that the generic worksheets did not provide guidance as the full-featured self-access
materials did.
Consequently, the findings reveal that the students should be trained before using the
generic worksheets via an orientation program on types of materials at the SALe and
benefits and drawbacks of each kind of them especially of the generic worksheets. Besides,
the teacher should give advice on learning strategies to the students to regulate their own
learning including deciding what to focus on which, in turns, affects their choice of
materials. Moreover, the students need supports at the SALC via a wall sign or posters
and/or some materials in the learner training comer advising on learning strategies, how to
do self-assessment, reference resources and follow up activities. They also need a counsellor
at the counselling comer to help them when they are not sure about the assessment and how
to tackle their problems. It is hoped that this study is useful for all teachers and SALC staffs
to enable the students to achieve their target learning purposes through this sort of material.