Abstract:
The objectives of this research are to study the nature and aspects of daily and related communication among Thai students and between Thai students and foreign co-workers, the problems Thai students faced in their works and daily life in foreign culture, and factors effecting their intercultural communication. This research is qualitative, using in-depth interview and participant observations. The samples are 30 Thai students consists participating in 2006 Work and Travel USA Program at Busch Garden Theme Park in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The results were as follows: 1. Thai students communicated at interpersonal level the most in the context of daily life while their communication with foreign fellows varied by kinds of work. 2. There were not so many problems and difficulties found in the communication of Thai students in foreign culture. Such problems were: work-related English communicating to their co-workers, different perspectives, their too high expectation prior to attending the program, and negative attitudes toward their colleagues of some nationalities. Nevertheless, it was found that Thai students tended to gather together among Thais and refused to get acquainted with new foreign friends, and this could be a hindrance to their new-culture learing process. which was the main objective the program. 3. The factors affecting the students' intercultural communication included their perpsonality and characteristics. family and experiential background, their understanding and knowledge about work-related culture in the American society, physical working conditions and environment, nature of group formation, regulations and policies of the program, the ways dormitories and roommates were arranged, etc.