A Survey Study of Perception Towards

A SURVEY STUDY OF PERCEPTION TOWARDS
WORLD ENGLISHES OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN

THAILAND
BY
MR. NUTTAPON CHAENGAKSORN
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN CAREER ENGLISH FOR
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
Ref. code: 25636221040154YHX

A SURVEY STUDY OF PERCEPTION TOWARDS
WORLD ENGLISHES OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN
THAILAND
BY
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN CAREER ENGLISH FOR
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
Ref. code: 25636221040154YHX

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER
BY
ENTITLED
A SURVEY STUDY OF PERCEPTION TOWARDS WORLD ENGLISHES OF

GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THAILAND
was approved as partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of Master of Arts in Career English for International Communication
on May 30, 2021
Chairman ___________________________________________
(Associate Professor Supakorn Phoocharoensil, Ph.D.)
Member and Advisor ___________________________________________

(Associate Professor Supong Tangkiengsirisin, Ph.D.)
Director ___________________________________________
(Associate Professor Supong Tangkiengsirisin, Ph.D.)
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Independent Study Paper Title A SURVEY STUDY OF PERCEPTION

TOWARDS WORLD ENGLISHES OF
GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THAILAND
Author Mr. Nuttapon Chaengaksorn
Degree Master of Arts
Major Field/Faculty/University Career English for International Communication
Language Institute
Thammasat University
Independent Study Paper Advisor Assoc. Prof. Supong Tangkiengsirisin, Ph.D.
Academic Year 2020
ABSTRACT
This study examined CEIC students’ perception of World Englishes. It also

explored the factors that influence their perception. The perception scale was
performed to assess the six dimensions of World Englishes (i.e., Kachru’s three
concentric circles, the standard English, the ownership of English, Thai English, the
potential sources of varieties of English, and the other aspect of World Englishes).
Gender, age, education, and occupation were surveyed from 58 CEIC students to
understand the factors contributing to their perception. The major findings indicated
that varieties of English were acceptable when it was considered communication. The
ability to communicate successfully was more critical than native-like proficiency. It
was also found that the differences in gender, age, and education influenced the
respondents’ perception of World Englishes. However, the occupation factor did not
affect their perception.
Keywords: World Englishes, Perception
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Without the assistance and support given to me by many people, my

Independent Study would have never been completed.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Supong Tangkiengsirisin, Ph.D., and my Independent Study chairman, Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Supakorn Phoocharoensil, Ph.D., for providing advice and support to me. Their
valuable feedback and comments helped me conduct the study. Their kindness is deeply
appreciated.
Next, I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Wutthipong Laoriandee from

Chulalongkorn University Language Institute and Dr. Rusma Kalra from the Faculty of
Arts, Assumption University, for spending their precious time to be expert reviewers to
evaluate the suitability of the item-objective congruence (IOC) of the questionnaire
used for my study.
I am very grateful to my lovely respondents, who kindly and voluntarily

participated in my research.
Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to my friends and family for all the
great support they provided for me.
Mr. Nuttapon Chaengaksorn
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
LIST OF TABLES vi
LIST OF FIGURES vii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Research question 3
1.3 Research objective 4
1.4 Definition of terms 4
1.5 Scope of the study 4
1.6 Significance of the study 5
1.7 Organization of the study 5
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6
2.1 World Englishes 6

2.1.1 Concept and definition of World Englishes 6
2.1.2 Alternative models of World Englishes 8
2.1.3 World Englishes debate 10
2.2 English as an International Language 11
2.3 English in Thailand 12
2.4 English perception 13
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2.5 Previous research studies 15
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19
3.1 Participants 19
3.2 Instrument 19
3.3 Data collection 20
3.4 Data analysis 21
3.5 Research ethics 21
3.6 Pilot test 21
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS/FINDINGS 22
4.1 Respondents’ perception towards World Englishes 22

4.2 Factors contributing to respondents’ perception towards 29
World Englishes
CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 46
5.1 Discussion 46
5.2 Conclusion 50
5.3 Implication 51
5.4 Recommendation 52
5.4.1 Limitation of the study 52
5.4.2 Recommendation for further study 52
REFERENCES 54
APPENDICES 57
Questionnaire 58
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BIOGRAPHY 61
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LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
Table 1: Sex of the respondents 22
Table 2: Age of the respondents 23
Table 3: Education of the respondents 23
Table 4: Occupation of the respondents 23
Table 5: The concept of Kachru’s three concentric circle 24
Table 6: The concept of standard English 25
Table 7: The concept of the ownership of English 26
Table 8: Thai English 26
Table 9: The potential sources of varieties of English 27
Table 10: The other aspect of varieties of English 28
Table 11: T-test results regarding gender 29
Table 12: T-test results regarding education 32
Table 13: ANOVA results regarding age 36
Table 14: Post Hoc Test of items 22 41
Table 15: ANOVA results regarding occupation 41
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figures Page
Figure 1: Kachru’s three concentric circles 2
Figure 2: Kachru’s three concentric circles 7
Figure 3: Modiano's Centripetal Circles Model of International 9
English
Figure 4: Modiano's model of English as International Language 10
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Symbols/Abbreviations Terms
Wes World Englishes

ENL English as a Native Language
ESL English as a Second Language
EFL English as a Foreign Language
ELF English as a Lingua Franca
EIL English as an International Language
IC Inner Circle
OC Outer Circle
EC Expanding Circle
Career English for International
CEIC
Communication
ELT English Teaching
VE Varieties of English
CSE The Current Status of English
ESI English Speakers’ Identity
Strategies in Multilingual and
SMC
Multicultural communication
AmE American English
BrE British English
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study

English, which unprecedentedly reached a great height having a large number
of users, has undoubtedly become a worldwide language (Low & Pakir, 2018). English
is spoken in approximately 75 territories as a native language (ENL) or English as a
mother tongue, and English as an official language or second language (ESL), for
instance, in the field of government and education (Crystal, 2003). Crystal also
describes further that there are other English users whose English has little or no
function in their country, so they learn English as a foreign language (EFL). As
mentioned by Neeley (2012) from Harvard Business Review, in the view of
multinational companies, English is considered a corporate language. More than 1.75
billion people can use English at a successful level. In other words, one of four
populations around the world speaks English. Since English is commonly found among
the English as foreign language users, the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) is
inevitable (Crystal, 2008a).
When English was adopted and used globally, new varieties of English
emerged. They are referred to as the New Englishes, which suggests that they are not
inferior to standard English that is used by native speakers, such as British English or
American English (Mufwene, 2000). The New Englishes have their own norms. Their
features are different from local varieties, such as vocabulary, grammar, or even
discourse style (Bamgnose, 1998). After the new varieties of English were accepted
and used on a wide scale, English changed its role from local language to global
language (Jenkins, 2009). As a result, after the concept of World Englishes emerged,
many researchers were interested in it. (Farrel & Martin, 2009; Jenkins, 2005;
Tomlinson, 2006).
The concept of World Englishes is designed to emphasize how English spread
to various communities. Inner Circle (IC) includes conventional English-speaking
countries. English was spread through the migration and settlement of English-speaking
people. The next circle is the Outer Circle (OC). It consists of countries that had
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undergone colonization. English was introduced to the local population as an additional

language. It displaced their indigenous language and is used in a wide range of domains.
The last circle is Expanding Circle (EC). This circle includes countries where English
is considered a foreign language (Kachru, 1985).
The “Expanding Circle”

e.g., China, Egypt,
Vietnam
The “Outer Circle”

e.g., India,
Singapore, Zambia
The “Inner Circle”

e.g., USA, UK,
Australia
Figure 1. Kachru's three concentric circles (Kachru, 1990)
Thailand is one of the Expanding Circle countries where English is not used as
an official language, but English has been taught and spoken as a foreign language.
English is a compulsory subject for Thai people to study since they are in primary
school (Kirkpatrick, 2010). Native varieties of English have been generally taught, so
Thai people still desire to imitate native varieties (Young & Walshch, 2010). Although
the Basic Core Curriculum was revised in 2008 by The Basic Education Commission,
focusing on English learners using English to communicate effectively, it has not been
used widely (Fitzpatrick, 2011). Therefore, the other varieties of English, which do not
relate to native varieties, rarely impact Thai people, and the concept of World Englishes
is not well known in Thailand (Pakir, 2010).
However, English is important in Thailand, and it is used for some occasions,
especially for international business, diplomacy, tourism, and science and education.
Furthermore, many surrounding countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia,
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Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia, give the status of English as an official
language. With economic integration or the Economic Community (AEC) starting in
2015, English has solely become an official language (Snodin & Young, 2015). As a
result of the change of status of English, many kinds of research have been conducted
to investigate attitude and perception towards World Englishes in Thailand (Boonsook
& Ambele, 2020; Saengboon, 2015; Saengsukkha, 2015; Snodin & Young, 2015).
The Master of Arts in Career English for International Communication (CEIC)
is a program designed for students who intended to learn English to advance in their
careers in global contexts. A wide variety of courses are offered for students to improve
both professional and language skills. The courses include Language Knowledge
Development and Professional Development, for instance, World Englishes for
International Communication, Translation Principles for Career, Written Business
Communication, Principles of Effective English Public Speaking, etc. As mentioned
above, the main purpose of many CEIC students studying in CEIC is to succeed in their
careers, especially in the global contexts. As English is used across the globe, English
is no longer compatible with native norms because of the differences in backgrounds
and cultures of each speaker (Sharifian, 2009).
Therefore, the study that focuses on CEIC students' perceptions towards World
Englishes is interesting because English as a global language has been continuing to
develop. Due to the increase of English's role in Thailand and the goal of the study
course for students to advance in their careers, especially in global contexts, varieties
of English should be recognized. Moreover, cross-sectional research is required to
understand what factors influence the students' perception. This study also aims to raise
people's awareness and create a positive attitude towards varieties of English. It is
hoped that this study can be used as a strategy for students in case of communicating
with interlocutors whose first language differs in the international contexts. Moreover,
it may help the Language Institute realize what students need and help them to meet
their needs appropriately.
1.2 Research question

The research aims to answer the following research questions:
1.2.1 What is the perception of CEIC students towards World Englishes?
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1.2.2 What are the factors contributing to CEIC students' perception towards
World Englishes?
1.3 Research Objectives

The research objectives are as follows:
1.3.1 To investigate the perception of CEIC students towards World
Englishes.
1.3.2 To explore the factors contributing to CEIC students' perception towards
World Englishes.
1.4 Definition of terms

The definition of terms is as follows:
Perception refers to an understanding or a knowledge of students towards

varieties of English throughout the world, including British English, American
English, Australian English, Singaporean English, and Thai English, etc.
World Englishes refers to varieties of English that are used by people in many
different parts of the world, such as British English, American English,
Singaporean English, Indian English, and Thai English, etc.
Factors refer to age, occupation, gender, and education that reflect CEIC
students' perception towards World Englishes.
CEIC students refer to first and second-year students who study for a master's
degree in Career English for International Communication at Thammasat
University.
1.5 Scope of the study

The study was conducted to investigate the perception towards World Englishes
of first-year and second-year CEIC students. Gender, age, education and occupation
were explored and compared to understand the factors contributing to their perception.
The total number of respondents was 58 students: 24 respondents are first-year students,
and 34 respondents were second-year students. The data were collected through
questionnaires with open-ended questions and closed-ended questions.
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1.6 Significance of the study

The result of the study can help us understand the perception towards World
Englishes of Thai professionals who need to use English in their study, daily life
communication, or even international contexts. The finding of the study can be a
guideline for students to apply in global contexts. Moreover, it can also be a guideline
for the Language Institute to understand students' needs and help them to fulfil them
appropriately.
1.7 Organization of the study

The report contains five chapters as follows:
1.7.1 Chapter one addresses the background of the study, research questions,
research objectives, definition of terms, the scope of the study, the
significance of the study, and organization of the study.
1.7.2 Chapter two describes literature reviews consisting of the definition of
World Englishes, English as an International Language, English in
Thailand, English perception, and related studies.
1.7.3 Chapter three describes the research methodology of the study.
1.7.4 Chapter four includes the result of the study.
1.7.5 Chapter five is composed of a discussion, conclusion, and
recommendation for further study.
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The literature review covers the primary concepts necessary for creating a
theoretical framework. The content has been divided into five main sections. In section
2.1, the discussion is concerned with World Englishes: the concept and definition of
World Englishes, alternative models of World Englishes, and World Englishes debate.
In section 2.2, the English asInternational Language concept and definition are
reviewed in order to understand how varieties of English interact with society. In
section 2.3, English in Thailand is presented. The theories of perception are shown in
section 2.4. This chapter ends with section 2.5 concerning previous related studies
which include international and local studies.
2.1 World Englishes

2.1.1 Concept and definition of World Englishes
World Englishes (WEs), as developed by Bolton (2004), is described as
an umbrella term that contains the existence of all varieties of English around the world.
It can refer to English used by native speakers or spoken by those who learn English in
a classroom setting with the use of English in a limited domain. In this regard, World
Englishes not only involves linguistic features of English variations but also issues such
as identities, mutual intelligibility, and pedagogical options (Kumaravadivelu, 2012;
Nelson, 2011; Nelson & Kern, 2012).
Kachru (1985) first articulated the World Englishes concept by
developing a concentric circle model: Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and Expanding Circle.
It represents the types of spread and the English function in various cultural contexts.
The Inner Circle (norm providing) refers to the countries where people use English as
a native language (ENL) or a mother tongue (i.e., the United States of America, the
United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand). The Outer Circle (norm
developing) refers to the countries where people use English as a second language
(ESL). Most of the countries in this circle were colonized by the United Kingdom or
the United States of America, such as Singapore, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, and
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Hongkong, etc. Therefore, English in the Outer Circle countries is practically used for
multiethnic communication in various domains. The Expanding Circle (norm
dependent) refers to the countries where English is spoken as a foreign language (EFL),
namely Russia, Thailand, France, and China, etc. In the Expanding circle, English is
only used for specific purposes and taught in the educational system.
Figure 2. Kachru's three concentric circles of World Englishes

(adapted from Kachru, 1985)
Furthermore, in the norm providing circles, American English (AmE)
and British English (BrE) are considered the most appropriate and preferred varieties
rather than other native varieties (Kachru, 1992b; Kirkpatrick, 2007a). It is believed
that there are supportive attitudes towards both British English varieties and American
English varieties. As a result, this belief influences the other varieties into a position in
which they seem less important (Kachru, 1982). The norm developing, so-called
'nativized varieties' are found in the Outer Circle. It is claimed by the users of other
varieties that the nativized varieties are inferior to the native varieties. Nevertheless,
they are distinctively different, and attitudes have gradually shifted from exonormative
to endonormative amongst the users in the Outer Circle countries (Jenkins, 2006a, as
cited from Ahn, 2014). Finally, regarding the norm dependent countries, which are
found in the Expanding Circle, it is believed that the norms of English within this circle
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are from external sources. It could be either American or British English varieties
(Matsuda, 2009).
2.1.2 Alternative models of World Englishes
Some researchers classify the subtypes of English differently instead of
classifying English in the way the speakers use English based on geography and history.
On the contrary, according to one of the earliest models established by Quirk et al.
(1972), Quirk classified Englishes based on how the majority of speakers acquire the
language. In native language countries such as the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, and
New Zealand, it is seen that the majority learn English as the first language. In the
countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, or Singapore, the speakers acquire other languages
as a first language and learn English as a second language. English has been used as a
second language and plays an important role due to historical reasons, especially in
politics (as an official or co-official language), education, the media, business
transactions, the legal system, etc. Finally, English is used as a foreign language in
countries where English is primarily taught in school and used predominantly for
international communication. Moreover, many researchers developed various models
to categorize and classify types of English in different ways.
After Kachru's three concentric model was introduced, McArthur (1987)
and Gorlach (1990) shortly proposed other circle models to show the diversity of World
Englishes. McArthur originated the ‘World Standard English model’ that places ‘World
Standard English’ at the centre of the circle and then branches out into less standard
subvarieties based on regional boundaries. Similarly, Gorlach (1990) identified
‘International English’ as the core of the circle. The following are regional standard
varieties (e.g., African, British Canadian, Caribbean, etc.), sub-regional standard
varieties (e.g., Indian, Irish, Kenyan, etc.), non-standard varieties (e.g., Aboriginal
English, Jamaican English, Yorkshire dialect), and pidgin and creole (e.g., Bislama,
Tok Pisin, etc.).
Modiano (1999a, 1999b) identified two models adapted from Kachru's

three concentric circles. He first introduced the Centripetal Circles Model of
International English, focusing on international communication and English as a lingua
franca. In the model, the core consists of those native and non-native speakers who are
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highly proficient in English with a less strong indigenous accent or dialect and who are
intelligible internationally. The second circle refers to the speakers using English as a
first language or second language. The third circle contains the elementary level of
English learners.
Figure 3. Modiano's Centripetal Circles Model of International English

(adapted from Modiano, 1999a)
Modiano (1999b) later proposed the model that emphasizes English as
an International Language (EIL). This model divides communities of speakers into five
groups: American English varieties, British English varieties, wide varieties of English
(i.e., Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, and South Africa Englishes), local varieties
of English (e.g., Indian, Singaporean English, etc.), and foreign varieties of English.
Within the core of the model where all circles intersect, the common feature of English,
called 'EIL', occur and it is intelligible to both native and competent non-native
speakers. The outer side of the core is the various varieties that English users of other
varieties cannot find readily intelligible. However, Jenkins (2003a) mentioned that
there is a difficulty to differentiate intelligibility and proficiency. She also questioned
the core feature of English as an International Language model which is intelligible to
the large population of native and competent non-native speakers in contrast to her idea.
She believed that all native speakers are competent in English.
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Figure 4. Modiano's model of English as International Language

(adapted from Modiano, 1999b)
Bhatt (2008) adapted McArthur’s notion of ‘English Language
Complex’. It is suitable to identify the reality of the worldwide spread of English. Bhatt
categorizes English into twelve subtypes: (1) metropolitan standards (British and
American English), (2) colonial standards (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
English, etc.), (3) regional dialects (e.g., regional varieties of American, British, or
Australian English, New Zealand, and the other colonial standards), (4) social dialects
(i.e., ethnically stratified varieties of colonial standards), (5) pidgin Englishes (e.g.,
West African pidgin English), (6) Creole Englishes (e.g., Jamaican Creole), (7)
English as Second Language (ESL), English as Foreign Language (EFL), (9) Immigrant
Englishes (e.g., Chicago English), (10) Language Shift Englishes (i.e., varieties that
emerged in the context where English has replaced the former native language, such as
Ireland), (11) Jargon Englishes (e.g., the South Seas Jargon), and Indian Englishes (e.g.,
the Indian Mixed Code "Hinglish").
2.1.3 World Englishes debate
World Englishes have been debated among researchers. Quirk (1985)
argued that English spoken or used in Inner Circle countries such as the United
Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia should be considered standard
English. The non-native speaker should adopt native-speaker norms and native-like
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proficiency. On the contrary, Kachru (1985) stated that the native English norm could
not be achieved in reality. Accepting various norms of English affects the intelligibility
of the speakers. Thus, the varieties of English have been developed through the process
of linguistics, cultures, and sociolinguistics. Furthermore, Kachru's model was
supported by many researchers. For example, Farrell and Martin (2009) indicated that
native speaker norms cannot be used in reality if speakers interact with non-native
English users only. They insisted that the differences in lexical and grammatical
features which are used by non-native English users can be intelligible. In addition,
teaching only native English might cause discrimination in which people use an accent
for racism.
2.2 English as an International Language

Matsuda (2017) provides the definition of English as International Language
(EIL) as a function, which is used in global or multilingual contexts where interlocutors
bring their varieties of English, cultural frames of reference, and strategies for effective
communication. In other words, English as International Language can be known as a
concept which includes ‘other critically oriented scholarships’ that largely share
parallel theoretical assumption and pedagogical implication (i.e., English as Lingua
Franca, World Englishes, and Global English research). Even though the use of the
terminologies is different, they generally explain the use of varieties of English for
interaction across linguistic and cultural borders. However, the conventional English
teaching method is still used by English teachers in monolingual countries (McKay &
Brown, 2016; Sharifan, 2009). Practices and texts adopted standard English (e.g.,
American or British English) as a criterion for students and persuaded them to be
proficient in native English varieties (Crystal, 2003, 2010; McKay & Brown, 2016).
In the past decades, many studies were conducted to investigate the perception
of non-native English-speaking people towards English as an International Language.
For instance, the study of perceptions towards varieties of English in India and Sri
Lanka by Bernaisch (2012) discovered that people in Sri Lanka highly prefer standard
varieties, such as American and British English, by comparison with Sri Lankan and
Indian English. On the other hand, people in India preferred British English over the
other varieties. In the Eastern region, English as an International Language was
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interested in by many researchers. Sasayama's (2013) current study reported that

although Japanese university student favoured American and British standard varieties
over their local variety, Japanese English were also acceptable for global
communication. Moreover, Yu's (2010) study showed that university students in China
appreciated varieties of English and have positive attitudes towards Chinese English.
In addition to the study of the perceptions among users of English as an
international language, several studies attempted to explore perceptions about English
as an international language of non-native speakers in different cross-cultural contexts
to broaden the understanding of their perception. For example, according to Ke and
Suzuki's (2011) study through a cross-cultural online exchange project with Japanese
students to prepare them for communication with other non-native English speakers, it
was shown that the multicultural and multilingual awareness and communication
strategies of Taiwanese students, using English as a foreign language, were increased.
Nevertheless, they still perceived the non-native-speaking model as an ideal model.
This shows a similar result to a study conducted by Jeon and Lim (2013). They
investigated Korean elementary students in cross-cultural contexts with students in
Taiwan through videoconferencing. The result still reported that the student improved
their competencies in communication.
2.3 English in Thailand

Thailand has never been colonized or controlled by any countries, and English
was not needed for Thai people. English was first brought by King Rama IV. British
English was the main model (Loungthongkum, 2007; Masawisut et al., 1986).
According to the members of the royal family, including King Rama IV, who was
educated in Britain and had the idea for the development of the country, British English
was suddenly used by the educated elite and taught to a limited number of Thai people
at a tertiary level.
After the end of World War II, thousands of Americans moved from Vietnam
to Thailand so that Thais valued English as an opportunity to achieve their career goals
and to enhance their financial well-being (Snodin, 2014). In the late twentieth century,
the spread of American culture through music, the Internet, and movie around the world
led to the similarity between World English and American English (Barber, 1996;
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Evans, 2010; Phillipson, 2003). Thailand is also influenced by American English

through the media.
Currently, Thailand adopted ELT pedagogy that tends to teach English
characterized as established varieties of English to learners. Foreigners have been hired
to teach English to students in several local schools in urban areas. The teachers include
both those speaking English as a mother tongue (i.e., British, Americans, Australian,
Canadian, and New Zealander) and those whose English is a second language (e.g.,
Filipino, Malaysian, Singaporean, etc.). Additionally, the knowledge of native-speaker
cultures is also significantly included (Ministry of Education, 2008). A set of core
educational standards through the Basic Core Curriculum revised in 2008 by The Basic
Education Commission of Thailand focuses on the ability of learners using English for
communication. However, the communicative approach in practice has not successfully
spread on a wide scale.
Thailand, located in Southeast Asia, is categorized as one of Expanding circle
countries, which focuses on native-like production and mother tongue education.
Therefore, varieties of English that are not associated with native speaker norms rarely
impact Thai people in Thailand (Pakir, 2010). Glass (2009) stated that Thailand has
never experienced colonization. English is not infused with Thai identities, and
English, which serves as a lingua franca, is not necessarily needed in Thailand. Thus,
English is not the language of Thais. Saengboon (2015) conducted a study that aims to
investigate the attitude towards the Concept of World Englishes. It was discovered that
English variations were established. Nevertheless, they still perceived that the native
varieties are a better version as opposed to the other variations. Moreover, the study
conducted in the Thai context by Snodin and Young (2015) to investigate the perception
towards the native varieties and the concept of Lingua Franca of English discovered
that the native English varieties are dominant over their alternative varieties, including
English as lingua franca.
2.4 English perceptions

Perception, described in the Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
Dictionary, is the recognition and knowledge of events, objects, and stimuli that are
caused by the use of senses (Richard & Schmidt, 2002). Shaver (1981) similarly
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indicated that perception is the understanding of the world which occurs from
constructing data obtained through our senses. In other words, perception is an
interaction of a person with their surroundings, including objects, socialization,
situations, and role relations. It can be implied that objects cannot also be perceived
without perceiving the contexts. It is similar to the perceptions of English. Regardless
of a native, second, or foreign language, it cannot stand by itself (Lowe, 2000).
In the past few decades, the perceptions in the field of World Englishes were
studied by a few researchers, e.g., Wade and Cartwright (1983) investigated perceptions
of students towards teachers' accents. The questionnaires and survey were employed as
methodological tools in the research field of World Englishes. As the field developed
over the next ten years, the studies that emphasized the description of various English
varieties and the detailed explanation of grammatical, lexical, and phonological features
have reached maturity. Language perception studies of World Englishes have displaced
them. Many researchers have started to survey how English users use and view the
different varieties of English (Tan, 2015).
According to Schleef's (2013) statement, the use of questionnaires and surveys
are common in sociolinguistic research. The survey of sociolinguistics can be divided
into five groups: (1) language surveys, (2) regional variation surveys, (3) language use
surveys, (4) language attitude and perception studies, (5) acceptability judgements.
Language surveys study what language is used or spoken in a specific area or in which
domain certain varieties are used. Regional variation surveys study variations of dialect,
which includes elicitation of their linguistic features. Language use surveys explore
words or phrases that are not of a dialectological nature, such as loan words, swear
words, specific colour terms, the use of sexist or non-sexist terms. Language attitudes
and perceptions are the studies of attitudes and beliefs of speakers. They sometimes
combine other techniques, such as matched and verbal guise tests (e.g., Clark &
Schleef, 2010; Garrett, 2010; Ladegaard, 1998; Lambert, 1967) to get information about
attitudes towards languages, dialects, accents, vocabularies, pronunciation, and so on.
As mentioned above, questionnaires are an appropriate tool for language
perception study. Its key advantage is quantity. It suits a large sample size which allows
the researcher to collect large quantities of data that can be analyzed statistically and
generalized to the whole population with a high degree of confidence. Furthermore,
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hundreds or even thousands of participants can fill out the form of questionnaires at the
same time. The amount of time and effort to meet is also cut out. The data are collected
quickly; for example, a survey of Canadian English in 1972 collected data from more
than 14,000 schoolchildren and parents. Variables in data (e.g., age, gender, region,
etc.) can be analyzed with statistical strength. Another advantage is that it is easy to
analyze data for statistics. The same questionnaire is designed for each participant in
the same way. The differences of participants affected by various techniques of the data
collection are significantly decreased so that the data collected are easily analyzed.
However, this method is not suitable for micro-level linguistic analysis that aims to
understand in-depth details and quality. Another constraint on the use of questionnaires
is that participants do not have a chance for clarification if they are left to complete the
form on their own. It can cause a chance to create some degree of unreliability (Tan,
2015).
In this regard, the aim of the study is to reveal the perceptions of Thai graduate
students who use English in various contexts. With the need for a large amount sample
size in order to have an accurate generalization and the constraint of time, the
questionnaire was employed as a methodological tool to collect data.
2.5 Previous research studies

This section presents previous studies concerning the language perception and
attitude towards World Englishes. The following are previous studies including Thai
and cross-cultural contexts that related to this research:
Jindapitak and Teo (2012) conducted the study to explore the attitudes of third-
year university students towards World Englishes. A Match-guise test was employed
to evaluate the accents of varieties of English, such as American English, British
English, Indian English, Filipino English, Japanese English, and Thai English. The
finding showed that Thai English was recognized by many participants, whereas the
other varieties were barely identified. It was concluded that participants lacked
awareness of varieties of English.
Ahn (2014) surveyed English teachers’ attitudes and awareness in South Korea.
Eight varieties of English were selected: American English, British English, Canadian
English, Singaporean English, Indian English, Chinese English, Japanese English, and
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Korean English. The research was conducted through questionnaires and interviews
from both native and non-native Korean teachers. The study discovered that varieties
of English in the Inner circle are favourable varieties, especially American English.
However, they still had positive attitudes towards Korean English. It was considered a
pleasant and friendly language.
Saengboon (2015) studied Thai university students’ perception of World
Englishes in the Bangkok area. 189 students participated in the research. The data
collection was collected through questionnaires, which include definitions of World
Englishes, Kachru’s concentric circles, the concept of standard and ownership, Thai
English, and the role of native and non-native English-speaking teachers. The study
found that the most desirable varieties among Thai university students were British and
American English. Thai English is considered an undesirable variety. Nevertheless, it
was acceptable for Thais to speak Thai English.
Saengsukkha (2015) surveyed Thai EFL teachers' beliefs towards World
Englishes and their implementation in their classroom in the Rayong area. 30 English
teachers were surveyed through questionnaires with opened-ended questions about
teachers' beliefs and teachers' teaching in their class associated with World Englishes.
The finding showed that books and materials with the World Englishes model were
used in the classroom by most Thai English teachers in Rayong. The books and
materials consisting of World Englishes were taught to their students. However, they
strongly believed that grammar and vocabulary should be taught with standard English
from the dictionary.
Snodin and Young (2015) explored 251 Thai learners to view their perceptions
towards different native English varieties. Matched guise tests were employed in the
study. Respondents were required to answer open-ended questions about their
impressions towards Inner circle varieties, including American, British, Australian,
Canadian, and New Zealand English. According to the research, it was discovered that
the preferable native English varieties for Thai people are American English, followed
by British English. American English was perceived as a standard variety. Australian
English was less favourable among the native varieties.
McKenzie et al. (2016) investigated the perception and the effect of gender of
204 Thai students towards the speech varieties of English. The finding discovered that
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Thai participants had positive attitudes towards native English varieties and Thai
English rather than any other Asian varieties. Moreover, the result also found that the
factor of gender affected the participants’ perception. The female participants tended to
favour native English varieties and Thai English more than males did. Moreover, the
respondents seemed to use Thai English to show their solidarity and identity.
Mokhtari and Chalak (2016) explored the effect of age on the perceptions
towards the varieties of English in Iran. 50 female participants were explored in the
study. The finding of the effect of age showed that there was no significant effect for
age in comprehending the different varieties of English. Furthermore, it was also found
that the varieties of English were recognized by the majority of the participants.
Lee and Lee (2018) studied understanding towards English as an International
Language and the factors influencing the perceptions by comparing two groups of
Korean students consisting of English major and non-English major students. The
research was conducted to assess two dimensions: Varieties of English (VE) and
strategies for multilingual or multicultural communication (SMC) through surveys and
interviews. The data were collected from 378 students in South Korea. The finding
discovered that students majoring in English perceived a positive attitude towards
varieties of English more than non-English major students. It was argued that English
as International Language perception was mainly caused by English as International
Language pedagogy and their students’ personal experience in various informal digital
English environments.
Lee and Hseih (2018) investigated the perceptions towards English as
International language of students in the current status of English (CSE), Varieties of
English (VE), strategies in multilingual and multicultural communication (SMC), and
English speakers’ identity (ESI) in Taiwan and South Korea. The data were collected
through questionnaires from 246 non-native English students. The result showed that
both Taiwanese and Korean participants generally accepted the concepts of English as
International Language. They also perceived their English ownership over their own
local varieties (e.g., Korean and Taiwanese English).
Tosuncouglu and Kirmizi (2019) investigated the university instructors’ and
students’ perceptions of English as Lingual Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs).
The investigation was implemented through the questionnaires, including close-ended
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and open-ended questions, to obtain the perceptions of instructors and students in

Turkey. The total number of participants was 148 people, including 44 English lecturers
and 104 university students from the department of English language and Literature in
the state universities located in Turkey. The instructors were age between 23 to 51, and
the students were 18 to 25. The finding of the study revealed that most of the
participants said that native-like performance is preferred. The varieties of local
structures or accents in English were not needed.
Boonsuk and Ambele (2020) explored the perceptions of southern Thai students
who majored in English towards the ownership of English and its relationship leading
to effective communication. 20 students across the southern region were investigated
with a semi-structured interview. The finding showed that the ownership of English and
teaching efficiency were not related to each other. Teaching English was determined
by the ability of teachers and learners. Moreover, the study also found that most
participants believed that the English language did not belong to the specific groups.
Every English user was a rightful owner of English. They can claim possession of
English.
According to previous studies of attitudes and perceptions towards World
Englishes in various contexts, it shows that World Englishes has been gradually
recognized and accepted by many researchers (Ahn, 2014; Boonsuk & Ambele, 2020;
Lee & Lee, 2018; Lee & Hseih, 2018; McKenzie et al., 2016; Mokhtari & Chalak, 2016;
Saengboon, 2015; Saengsukkha, 2015; Snodin & Young, 2015, Tosuncouglu and
Kirmizi, 2019). The purposes of the study are compatible with the aim of this research
that focuses on various varieties of English. Thus, the studies of attitudes or perceptions
towards the varieties of English are required to encourage positive attitudes and
awareness of the varieties of English.
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CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research studies the perception towards World Englishes of CEIC students.
Furthermore, it also investigates the similarities and differences between age, gender,
occupation, and education. In order to answer the research questions, the research study
is survey research. Questionnaires are the instrument used for collecting the data. The
research methods are composed of five main sections. In section 3.1, the research
describes the populations and samples of the study. Section 3.2 shows how data are
collected, and section 3.3 shows the instrument which is used in the research. In section
3.4, research instruments are explained in detail. Research ethics are described in
section 3.5. Lastly, this chapter ends with section 3.6 involving the pilot test.
3.1 Participants
The population of the study was 68 students studying in the first and second
years in Career English for International Communication (CEIC) of the Language
Institute, Thammasat University. According to Yamane’s (1967) calculation method,
the target respondents were 58 people from first and second-year CEIC students. The
sampling method used in the study is purposive sampling. The main criterion was that
the respondents need to be users of English as lingua franca in their daily or workplace
communication.
3.2 Instrument
The research study was a quantitative study relying on a survey. The
questionnaire was employed to collect data to assess CEIC students' perceptions. It was
adapted from the exploratory study of Thai university students' understanding of World
Englishes conducted by Saengboon (2015) and the incorporation of World Englishes in
ELF classroom practice: effect on anxiety in English language learning of Thai tertiary
level by Rajani Na Ayuttaya (2012). There were three parts of the questions in the
questionnaire: part 1 is the general information of respondents, part 2 includes the
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perceptions towards World Englishes of respondents, and part 3 is an open-ended

question.
Part 1: Respondents' general information
In this part, respondents were asked to inform their general information,
which includes their gender, age, educational background, and occupation.
Part 2: Respondents' perception towards World Englishes
There were six main parts containing 27 items of questions in part two:
the perceptions towards Kachru's three concentric circle (items 1-5), the concept of
standard English (items 6-9), the ownership of English (items 10-11), Thai English
(items 12-15), the potential sources of varieties of English (items 16-20), and the other
aspect of World Englishes (items 21-22). A five-point Likert scale is used in this study
because it provides sufficient discrimination (Burns, 2000). Therefore, a five-point
scale, which is normally used in the research, was applied in the study with the
following criteria:
Scale Agreement
1 strongly disagree
2 Disagree
3 Neutral
4 Agree
5 Strongly agree
Part 3: respondents' other aspect of World Englishes

The third part of the questionnaire was open-ended questions which are
adapted from the study of Rajani Na Ayuttaya (2016).
3.3 Data collection

A Google Form questionnaire with closed-ended questions and open-ended
questions was distributed to 58 first and second-year CEIC students. Respondents were
asked to voluntarily complete a set of questions through the questionnaire of the survey.
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3.4 Data analysis

The data analysis is quantitative. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used
to analyze the data. The data were analyzed for mean (M) and standard deviation (SD)
by using IBM SPSS. After the data were analyzed into descriptive statistics, a T-test
and ANOVA were performed to compare the factors contributing to the perception. The
mean of the opinion level is as follows:
Scale Agreement
4.21 – 5.00 Strongly agree
3.41 – 4.20 Agree
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral
1.81 – 2.60 Disagree
1.00 – 1.80 Strongly disagree
3.5 Research Ethics

Before data were collected, respondents were contacted and informed of the full
details of the research project. The names of respondents were not mentioned in the
research. The respondents voluntarily participated in the study. Their confidentiality
and anonymity was assured.
3.6 Pilot test

The questionnaire was listed, translated, and adapted to suit the purpose of the
study. Then, it was submitted to the advisor to correct the mistakes and assessed through
the process of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) by the experts. Finally, the data were
collected from eight respondents for the pilot test, which was assessed through
Cronbach's alpha (0.71) for reliability.
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CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
This chapter presents the result of the data analysis obtained from the
questionnaire. The data collected are to evaluate and compare the graduate students'
perception toward World Englishes by using IBM SPSS to calculate mean, standard
deviation, and percentage to acquire the descriptive and inferential statistics.
4.1 Respondents' perceptions towards World Englishes

There are three main sections of the questionnaire. The first part consists of the
general information and demographics of the respondents: sex, age, education, and
occupation. The second part contains the perception towards World Englishes: Kachru's
three concentric circles, the concept of standard English, the ownership of English, Thai
English, the potential sources of the varieties of English and the other aspect of World
Englishes. The final part is the open-ended question that relates to another aspect of
varieties of English.
In the first part, the general information, including sex, age, education, and
occupation, is reported in descriptive statistics with percentage and frequency.
Table 1 Sex of the respondents

Sex Number Percentage (%)
Male 11 19.0
Female 47 81.0
Total 58 100.0
As shown in Table 1, it indicated that the majority of the respondents were

female (81%), whereas 19% of the respondents were male.
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Table 2 Age of the respondents

Age Number Percentage (%)
20-29 years 36 62.1
30-39 years 15 25.9
40-49 years 4 6.9
50-59 years 3 5.2
Total 58 100.0
As shown in Table 2, most respondents (62.1%) were between the ages of 20

to 29. There were 25.9% of them who are between 30-39 years old. 6.9% and 5.2% of
respondents were between the age of 40 to 49 and 50-59, respectively.
Table 3 Education of the respondents

Degree Number Percentage (%)
Bachelor's degree 51 87.9
Master's degree 6 10.3
Doctoral degree 1 1.7
Total 58 100.0
As listed in Table 3, 87.9% of the respondents graduated with Bachelor's degree,

followed by Master's degree (10.3%) and Doctoral degree (1.7%).
Table 4 Occupation of the respondents

Occupation Number Percentage (%)
Government officer 20 34.5
Self-employed 7 12.1
Unemployed 12 20.7
Private company officer 19 32.8
Total 58 100.0
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Table 4 reports that the majority of the respondents were government officer
(34.5%) and private company officer (32.8%), respectively. There were 20.7% who
were unemployed and 12.7% who were self-employed.
The second part contains 22 items of questions. It was divided into six main
parts, including the concept of Kachru's three concentric circles, the concept of standard
English, the ownership of English, Thai English, the potential sources of varieties of
English, and the other aspect of World Englishes. The data were analyzed for mean and
standard deviation.
Table 5 The concept of Kachru's three concentric circle

Items Min Max Mean SD
1. Only British English are
1 5 1.90 .872
correct English
2. Only American English are
1 5 1.90 .872
correct English
3. Australian, New Zealand
and Canadian English should 1 5 3.53 .1112
be counted as correct English
4. ESL Englishes (e.g., Indian,
African, or Singaporean 1 5 2.10 .1150
English) is incorrect
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., China
or Russian English) is 1 5 2.16 .1089
incorrect
Table 5 reveals the descriptive statistics of CEIC students' perception towards

Kachru's three concentric circles. As shown in Table 5, the result indicated the
respondents agreed that Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian English were correct
English with the mean of 3.53 (SD = .1112). In Items 4 and 5, most of them disagreed
that ESL (e.g., Indian, African, or Singaporean English) and EFL (e.g., China or
Russian English) were incorrect. The mean score was 2.10 (SD = .1150) and 2.16 (SD
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= .1089) respectively. Moreover, for respondents' perception towards British or

American English from items 1 and 2, they also disagreed that correct English is only
British or American English with the mean of 1.90 (SD = .872).
Table 6 The concept of standard English

6. Correct English must have a
1 5 2.48 1.232
single standard
7. Standard English must use
1 5 3.45 1.273
the same grammar rules
8. Standard English should
contain various accents and 1 5 4.17 .976
pronunciation
9. Correctness and standard
English must be gauged 1 5 3.14 1.067
through written English
As shown in Table 6, the result concerning the concept of standard English

indicates that item 8 and 7 from the questionnaire had the highest means. The
respondents agreed that standard English might contain various accents and
pronunciations, followed by item7, which is related to whether standard English must
use the sole grammar rule with the mean score of 4.17 (SD = .976) and 3.45 (SD =
1.273). In item 9, most respondents moderately believed that correctness and standard
English must be gauged through the written form of English, with the mean of 3.14 (SD
= 1.067). Meanwhile, the respondents disagreed that correct English must have a single
standard with a mean of 2.48 (SD = 1.232).
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Table 7 The concept of the ownership of English

10. English belongs to just
1 5 3.41 1.415
anyone who can speak it
11. The owners of English are
1 5 2.24 1.174
Britons or Americans only
Table 7 provides information about the respondents' perception of the concept

of the ownership of English. It can be seen in item 11 that the respondents disagreed
that only Britons or American are the rightful owners of English with the mean of 3.41
(SD = 1.174). On the contrary, item 10, which is related to whether English belongs to
anyone who can speak it, showed that the respondents agreed with it with the mean of
3.41 (SD = 1.415).
Table 8 Thai English

12. Thai English is an
1 5 3.03 .991
individual idiosyncrasy
13. Thai English should be
used by Thais to show their 1 5 2.53 1.012
identity
14. Speaking English with
1 5 1.97 1.042
Thai accent is embarrassing
15. American or British
accents spoken by Thais are 1 5 3.29 .918
highly revered
Table 8 shows the respondents' perception toward Thai English. The descriptive
statistics revealed that item 15 in the questionnaire had the highest means. The mean of
item 15 is 3.29 (SD = .918). The respondents agreed that the American or British accent
is highly revered. Most of them moderately believed that Thai English is an individual
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idiosyncrasy with the mean score of 3.03 (SD = .991). The least two favoured items
were items 13 and 14, which are related to whether Thais should show their identity
with their Thai accent and whether speaking Thai English accent is so embarrassing
with the mean score of 1.97 (SD = 1.042) and 2.53 (SD = 1.012).
Table 9 The potential sources of varieties of English

16. You learn either British or
1 5 3.59 1.214
American English at school
17. World Englishes can be
1 5 3.47 1.030
found in English novels
1 5 3.98 .946
found on social network sites
19. Either British or American
English must be taught at 1 5 3.41 1.214
school
20. It may be interesting to
teach varieties of English
1 5 3.84 1.167
rather than British or
American English
As shown in Table 9, the most favoured items were items 18, 20, and 16. In
item 18, the respondents agreed that World Englishes could be seen in social network
sites with the mean score of 3.98 (SD = .946). The second to the most favoured item
was item 20. Most respondents agreed that teaching varieties of English rather than
British or American English might be interesting, with the mean of 3.84 (SD = 1.1670).
In item 16, it can be seen that they agreed they learn either British or American English
at school with the mean of 3.59 (SD = 1.214). The least favoured items were items 17
and 19, with the mean of 3.47 (SD = 1.030) and 3.41 (SD = 1.214), respectively.
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Table 10 The other aspect of varieties of English

21. English messages with
sporadic grammatical
1 5 3.91 1.064
mistakes are fine as long as the
message can be understood
22. If I can choose, I will
speak either British or 1 5 3.55 1.046
American English
Table 10 provides information on the respondents' perception towards the other

aspect of varieties of English. According to Table 10, It can be seen in items 21 and 22
that the respondents agreed that English messages with sporadic grammatical mistake
are acceptable if the message is understandable with the mean score of 3.91 (SD =
1.064). They also agreed that If they can choose any varieties to speak, they will speak
either British or American English with the mean of 3.55 (SD = 1.046).
In part three, the open-ended question asked the respondents about their opinion
towards English with Thai accent or other accents that are not native English varieties.
In this section, the data were coded and categorized from the main point considering
the frequency of their answer. The questions from the questionnaire were as follows:
Question: How do you feel when you hear anyone speaking English with Thai
accent or accent differing from a native speaker?
According to 58 respondents who returned the questionnaire, the finding
discovered that 70.7% of the respondents had a neutral attitude towards Thai accents or
the other accents which are not native varieties. Most of them claimed that correct
pronunciation and grammar is more crucial than accent. As long as the message can be
conveyed accurately, it is acceptable to speak English with Thai accent or other accents
which is not of native varieties. On the other hand, eleven of the respondents (19%)
who returned the questionnaire said that speaking Thai English accent is undesirable.
They feel uncomfortable when they hear people speak English with non-native English
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varieties. However, six of 58 respondents (10.3%) felt that English with Thai accent is
a unique accent and it is easy to understand.
4.2 Factors contributing to respondents' perceptions towards World Englishes

In this part, it determines the differences in respondents' perception towards
World Englishes based on gender, age, education, and occupation. T-Test and ANOVA
are performed to analyze for mean and standard deviation. The results are as follows:
Table 11 T-test results regarding gender

Mean
P-
Items Sex Mean Differ
value
ence
The concept of Kachru's three concentric circle
1. Only British English Male 2.36
.576 .199
is correct English Female 1.79
2. Only American Male 2.45
English is correct .689 .115
Female 1.77
English
3. Australian, New
Zealand and Canadian Male 3.91
English should be .462 .217

counted as correct
Female 3.45
English
4. ESL Englishes (e.g.,
Male 3.00
Indian, African, or
1.106 .036*
Singaporean English)
Female 1.89
is incorrect
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., Male 2.91
China or Russian .930 .054
English) is incorrect Female 1.98
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Mean
P-
value
ence
The concept of standard English
6. Correct English Male 2.45
must have a single .035 .934
standard Female 2.49
7. Standard English
Male 3.55
must use the same .120 .781
grammar rules Female 3.43
8. Standard English
Male 3.82
may contain various
.437 .183
accents and
Female 4.26
pronunciations
9. Correctness and
Male 3.00
standard English must
.170 .723
be gauged through
Female 3.17
written English
The concept of the ownership of English
10. English belongs to Male 3.55
just anyone who can .162 .735
speak it Female 3.38
11. The owner of Male 2.18

English are Britons or .074 .854
Female 2.26
Americans
The concept of Thai English
12. Thai English is an Male 3.27
individual .294 .380
idiosyncrasy Female 2.98
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Mean
P-
value
ence
13. Thai English Male 2.64
should be used by
.126 .714
Thais to shows their
Female 2.51
identity
14. Speaking English Male 2.27
with Thai accent is .379 .281
embarrassing Female 1.89
15. British or
Male 3.73
American accent
.536 .081
spoken by Thais are
Female 3.19
highly revered
The potential sources of varieties of English
16. You learn either Male 3.82
British or American .286 .486
English at school Female 3.53
17. World Englishes Male 3.45

can be found in .014 .953
English novels Female 3.47
18. World Englishes Male 3.82

can be found on social .203 .526
network sites Female 4.02
19. Either British or

Male 3.55
American English
.162 .693
must be taught at
Female 3.38
school
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Mean
P-
value
ence
The other aspect of varieties of English
21. English messages
with sporadic Male 3.45
grammatical mistakes
.567 .113
are fine as long as the
message can be Female 4.02
understood
22. If I can choose, I
Male 3.82
will speak either
.329 .352
British or American
Female 3.49
English
*: significant at .05
The result of the T-test in Table 11 shows that male and female had similar
views (p > .05). However, as can be seen in items 4, considering from p-value, the result
indicated that male and female were different at a significant level (p = .036). This
meant that males tended to hold a negative attitude toward ESL varieties more than
women did.
Table 12 T-test results regarding education

Mean
P-
Items Degree Mean Differe
value
nce
1. Only British English B.A. 1.80 .863 .022*
is correct English M.A. 2.67
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Mean
P-
Items Degree Mean Differe
value
nce
2. Only American B.A. 1.82
English is correct .843 .024*
English M.A. 2.67
3. Australian, New
Zealand and Canadian B.A. 3.61
English should be .775 .110

counted as correct M.A. 2.83
English
4. ESL Englishes (e.g.,
B.A. 2.06
Indian, African, or
.608 .224
Singaporean English)
M.A. 2.67
is incorrect
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., B.A. 2.08
China or Russian .755 .112
English) is incorrect M.A. 2.83

6. Correct English B.A. 2.37
must have a single .794 .135
standard M.A. 3.17
7. Standard English B.A. 3.39

must use the same .441 .540
grammar rules M.A. 3.83
8. Standard English
B.A. 4.18
may contain various
.176 .680
accents and
M.A. 4.00
pronunciations
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Items Degree Mean Mean P-

Differe value
nce
9. Correctness and
B.A. 3.14
standard English must
.137 .769
be gauged through
M.A. 3.00
written English
10. English belongs to B.A. 3.51
just anyone who can .843 .173
speak it M.A. 2.67
11. The owner of B.A. 2.08

English is Britons or 1.088 .024*
Americans only M.A. 3.17

12. Thai English is an
B.A. 3.04
individual .039 .929
idiosyncrasy M.A. 3.00
13. Thai English B.A. 2.61 .775 .078
should be used by
Thais to show their
M.A. 1.83
identity
14. Speaking English B.A. 1.90
with Thai accent is .765 .090
M.A. 2.67
embarrassing
15. British or
B.A. 3.25
American Accent
.245 .542
spoken by Thais are
M.A. 3.50
highly revered
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Mean
P-
Items Degree Mean Differ
value
ence
16. You learn either B.A. 3.61
British or American .108 .840
English at school M.A. 3.50
17. World Englishes B.A. 3.53

can be found in .696 .121
English novels M.A. 2.83
18. World Englishes B.A. 4.04

can be found in social .373 .366
M.A. 3.67
network sites
19. Either British or
B.A. 3.43
American English
.431 .412
must be taught at
M.A. 3.00
school
20. It may be
interesting to teach B.A. 3.96
varieties of English .961 .057

M.A. 3.00
American English
The other aspect of World Englishes
21. English messages
with sporadic B.A. 4.04
1.373 .002*
are fine as long as the
message can be M.A. 2.67
understood
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Mean
P-
Items Degree Mean Differ
value
ence
22. If I can choose, I B.A. 3.53 .471 .296
will speak either
M.A. 4.00
British or American
English
According to Table 12, the respondents with different degrees held similar
views (p > .05) or perception, including perception towards standard English, Thai
English, and the perception towards the potential sources of varieties of English.
However, there were some items in the questionnaire that show the differences between
the two group of respondents at a significant level. For items 1 (p = .022) and 2 (p =
.024), it showed that the respondents with a Master's degree tended to agree that correct
English is only British or American English more than the respondents with Bachelor's
degree did. For items 11 (p = .024), it also showed that the respondent who graduated
with Masters' degree had a higher level of agreement that the rightful owner of English
should be Britons and Americans. On the contrary, the respondents with Bachelors'
degree had a higher level of agreement in items 21 (p = .002). They were likely to
believe that grammatical mistakes are fine as long as the message can be conveyed
effectively.
Table 13 ANOVA results regarding ages

Sources of
Items SS Df MS F Sig
variation
1. Only British English between
3.140 3 1.047 1.405 .251
is correct English group
within group 40.239 54 .745
Total 43.379 57
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Sources of
variation
2. Only American between 2.074 3 .691 .904 .445
English is correct group
English within group 41.306 54 .765
Total 43.379 57
3. Australian, New between 7.809 3 2.603 2.245 .094
Zealand and Canadian group
English should be within group 62.622 54 1.160
counted as correct Total 70.431 57
English
4. ESL Englishes (e.g., between 7.157 3 2.386 1.888 .143
Indian, African, or group
Singaporean English) within group 68.222 54 1.263
is incorrect Total 75.379 57
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., between 6.965 3 2.322 2.067 .115
China or Russian group
English) is incorrect within group 60.639 54 1.123
Total 67.603 57
6. Correct English must between
10.983 3 3.661 2.618 .060
have a single standard group
within group 75.500 54 1.398
Total 86.483 57
7. Standard English between
5.195 3 1.732 1.073 .368
must use the same group
grammar rules within group 87.150 54 1.614
Total 92.345 57
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Sources of
variation
8. Standard English between 3.259 3 1.086 1.150 .337
may contain various group
accents and within group 51.017 54 .945
pronunciations Total 54.276 57
9. Correctness and between
4.774 3 1.591 1.429 .244
standard English must group
be gauged through within group 60.122 54 1.113
written English Total 64.897 57
10. English belongs to between
11.447 3 3.816 2.008 .124
just anyone who can group
speak it within group 102.622 54 1.900
Total 114.069 57
11. The owner of between
2.287 3 .762 .539 .657
English is Britons or group
Americans within group 76.333 54 1.414
Total 78.621 57
12. Thai English is an between
5.781 3 1.927 2.075 .114
individual idiosyncrasy group
Total 55.931 57
13. Thai English should between
1.681 3 .560 .533 .661
be used by Thais to group
show their identity within group 56.750 54 1.051
Total 58.431 57
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Sources of
variation
14. Speaking English between 1.809 3 .603 .542 .656
with Thai accent is group
embarrassing within group 60.122 54 1.113
Total 61.931 57
15. British or American between
2.751 3 .917 1.094 .360
Accent spoken by Thais group
are highly revered within group 45.267 54 .838
Total 48.017 57
16. You learn either between
.969 3 .323 .210 .889
British or American group
English at school within group 83.100 54 1.539
Total 84.069 57
17. World Englishes between
3.792 3 1.264 1.205 .317
can be found in English group
novels within group 56.639 54 1.049
Total 60.431 57
18. World Englishes between
3.927 3 1.309 1.502 .224
can be found on social group
network sites within group 47.056 54 .871
Total 50.983 57
19. Either British or between
9.069 3 3.023 2.177 .101
American English must group
be taught at school within group 75.000 54 1.389
Total 84.069 57
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Sources of
variation
20. It may be between 7.365 3 2.455 1.887 .143
interesting to teach group
varieties of English within group 70.239 54 1.301
Total 77.603 57
American English
21. English messages between
.280 3 .093 .078 .971
with sporadic group
are fine as long as the within group 64.289 54 1.191
message can be
Total 64.569 57
understood
22. If I can choose, I between
8.945 3 2.982 3.015* .038
will speak either group
British or American within group 53.400 54 .989
English Total 62.345 57
Table 13 shows the result of ANOVA, which was used to compare the
difference of opinion between ages. It can be seen that most of the respondents of all
ages seem to hold similar opinion towards World Englishes (f = 3.015, p > .05). This
meant that the respondents did not view it differently in term of Kachru's concentric
model, standard English, the ownership of English, Thai English, and the potential
sources of English varieties. However, there was a difference between ages in term of
choosing to speak English with British or American English as was seen in item 22 (p
= .038).
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Table 14 Post Hoc Test (items 22)

Mean
Age Age Std. Error Sig.
differences
30-39 years -.867* .306 .006
20-29 years 40-49 years -.167 .524 .752
50-59 years .333 .598 .579
20-29 years .867* .306 .006
30-39 years 40-49 years .700 .560 .216
50-59 years 1.200 .629 .062
20-29 years .167 .524 .752
40-49 years 30-39 years -.700 .560 .216
50-59 years .500 .760 .513
20-29 years -.333 .598 .579
50-59 years 30-39 years -1.200 .629 .062
40-49 years -.500 .760 .513
Table 14 reports that there was a significant difference between the respondents
at the ages of 20 to 29 and 30 to 39. It can be seen that the respondents at the ages of
30 to 39 tended to desire to speak British or American English more than the
respondents at the ages of 20 to 29.
Table 15 ANOVA results regarding occupations

Sources of
variation
1. Only British English is between
.923 3 .308 .391 .760
correct English group
Total 43.379 57
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Sources of
variation
2. Only American English is between
1.315 3 .438 .563 .642
correct English group
Total 43.379 57
3. Australian, Canadian, and between
6.535 3 2.178 1.841 .151
New Zealand English should group
be counted as correct within group 63.896 54 1.183
4. ESL Englishes (e.g., between
2.168 3 .723 .533 .662
Indian, African, or group
Singaporean English) is within group 73.212 54 1.356
incorrect Total 75.379 57
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., between
3.719 3 1.240 1.048 .379
China or Russian English) is group
incorrect within group 63.885 54 1.183
Total 67.603 57
6. Correct English must have between
4.732 3 1.577 1.042 .381
a single standard group
within group 81.751 54 1.514
Total 86.483 57
7. Standard English must use between
2.006 3 .669 .400 .754
the same grammar rules group
within group 90.339 54 1.673
Total 92.345 57
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Sources of
variation
8. Standard English may between
2.183 3 .728 .754 .525
contain various accents group
and pronunciations within group 52.093 54 .965
Total 54.276 57
9. Correctness and between
3.154 3 1.051 .919 .438
standard English must be group
gauged through written within group 61.743 54 1.143
10. English belongs to between
3.181 3 1.060 .516 .673
just anyone who can group
speak it within group 110.888 54 2.053
Total 114.07 57
11. The owner of English between
4.580 3 1.527 1.113 .352
is Britons or Americans group
within group 74.041 54 1.371
Total 78.621 57
12. Thai English is an between
1.355 3 .452 .447 .721
individual idiosyncrasy group
within group 54.576 54 1.011
Total 55.931 57
13. Thai English should between
4.546 3 1.515 1.519 .220
be used by Thais to show group
their identity within group 53.885 54 .998
Total 58.431 57
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Sources of
variation
14. Speaking English with between
5.329 3 1.776 1.695 .179
Thai accent is embarrassing group
within group 56.602 54 1.048
Total 61.931 57
15. American or British between
1.005 3 .335 .385 .764
English spoken by Thais group
are highly revered within group 47.013 54 .871
Total 48.017 57
16. You learn either British between
3.668 3 1.223 .821 .488
or American English at group
school within group 80.401 54 1.489
Total 84.069 57
17. World Englishes can be between
2.170 3 .723 .671 .574
found in English novels group
within group 58.261 54 1.079
Total 60.431 57
18. World Englishes can be between
.933 3 .311 .335 .800
found on social network group
sites within group 50.050 54 .927
Total 50.983 57
19. Either British or between
3.061 3 1.020 .680 .568
American English must be group
taught at school within group 81.008 54 1.500
Total 84.069 57
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Sources of
variation
20. It may be interesting to between
3.383 3 1.128 .820 .488
teach varieties of English group
rather than British or within group 74.220 54 1.374
American English Total 77.603 57
21. English messages with between
1.526 3 .509 .436 .728
sporadic grammatical group
mistakes are fine as long as within group 63.043 54 1.167
the message can be
understood Total 64.569 57
22. If I can choose, I will between

.818 3 .273 .239 .869
speak either British or group
American English within group 61.527 54 1.139
Total 62.345 57
According to the Table 15, it was clearly seen that there was not a significant
difference between occupations (p > .05). The respondent tended to believe in the
concept of Kachru's model, the standard English, the ownership of English, and the
potential sources of varieties of English similarly.
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CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter consists of a discussion of the results from Chapter 4, the

conclusion, implication, and recommendation.
5.1 Discussion
According to the result from the previous chapter, the majority of respondents
recognized the concept of World Englishes. Baker (1992) argued that language attitude
is created from a different number of variables, including age, gender, and background
of education. Therefore, the following discussion was shown in order to describe the
respondents' perceptions towards World Englishes and the factors contributing to their
perceptions as follows:
5.1.1 The concept of Kachru's three concentric circle
The study reveals that the respondents understood the concept of
Kachru's three concentric circles. As average mean scores shown in items 1, 2, 4 and 5
indicated the respondents' disagreed that either British or American English is correct
English only, and ESL and EFL English are incorrect. The mean score was 1.90 (SD =
.872), 1.90 (SD = .872), 2.10 (SD = .1150), and 2.16 (SD = .1089) respectively. It was
similar to the study conducted by Saengboon (2015) that stated that the participants had
a positive attitude toward ESL and EFL English or English in the Outer and Expanding
circles. Furthermore, it was also compatible with Brown (2012) and Kirkpatrick's
(2007) statement, which said that the existence of different varieties of English should
be recognized by ESL and EFL students.
However, there were significant differences of perception between the
respondents' gender and education. According to the result from the previous chapter,
it was found that more female respondents had a positive perception towards ESL
English than males. The result was different from the previous study conducted by
McKenzie et al.(2016) and Tosuncuoglu and Kirmizi (2019). The female participants
had a positive attitude towards ENL and EFL English more than males did. ENL
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English varieties are more favourable to females. Moreover, the result of the study
conducted by Tosuncuoglu and Kirmizi (2019) also found that the participants with a
higher degree of education seemed to be favourable towards native English varieties,
especially British and American varieties. In this study, the finding similarly discovered
that the respondents with Master's degree were likely to have a positive attitude towards
British or American English than any other varieties compared to the respondents with
Bachelor's degree. For the other factors, including age and occupation, nothing was
found to be different.
5.1.2 The concept of standard English
In this part, most respondents strongly believed that standard English
might have different accents and pronunciation with the mean score of 4.17 (SD = .976).
According to Kachru (1985), varieties of English have been developed through the
process of linguistics, cultures, and sociolinguistics so that various norms of varieties
of English should be accepted in order to be compatible with reality. However, grammar
rules were found crucial when it was considered to be standard English (M = 3.45, SD
= 1.273). The respondents held the belief that standard English should have the same
grammar rules. This result was similar to the study of Saengboon (2015). The
respondents indicated that standard English should have a single grammar rule.
Furthermore, Jenkins (2003)'s idea also supported the result of the study. It was stated
that grammar and vocabulary are referred to as standard English.
There was no significant difference between age, gender, occupation,
and education. This result was parallel to the study of gender by Tosuncouglu and
Kirmizi (2019) and age by Mokhtari and Chalak (2016). The result from Mokhtari and
Chalak (2016) stated that the variables such as age might not affect people's perceptions
towards varieties, including accent, pronunciation, etc. Instead, the level of proficiency
was the factor affecting the perceptions. However, in this study, the level of English
proficiency was not investigated. Moreover, a significant difference between gender
towards standard English was also not found in Tosuncuoglu and Kirmizi's (2019)
study.
5.1.3 The concept of the ownership of English
Most of the respondents believed that not only native English speakers
but also speakers from the Outer and Expanding circles could be the owner of English
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with the mean of 3.14 (SD = 1.415). On the contrary, they disagreed that the rightful
owners of English are only Britons or Americans (M = 2.24, SD = 2.24). It
corresponded to the study by Boonsuk and Ambele (2019). It was indicated by the
participants that English users could claim possession of the ownership of English and
use it in their own way. Moreover, this belief was also supported by Jenkins (2006). It
was argued that English cannot be restricted to any geographic or specific group of
people. On the other hand, English used globally cannot be possessed by those who
acquire English as a native language or those who acquire English as a foreign language
for communication.
Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the perception
based on the respondents' education. The respondents with Bachelor's degree held
disagreement that the owner of English is only Britons or Americans as opposed to the
respondents with Master's degree who held a neutral attitude towards it. The result
supported the idea of Tosuncouglu and Kirmizi (2019). The participants with lower
degrees seemed to hold a positive opinion towards their ownership of English and their
local varieties more than the participants with higher education. Meanwhile, the other
social factors, including age, gender, and occupation, cannot be found in the dimension
of the ownership of English.
5.1.4 The concept of Thai English
The respondents showed a level of disagreement towards items 14 and
13, which is related to whether speaking English with Thai accent is embarrassing (M
= 1.97, SD = 1.042). This was in line with the study of Saengboon (2015), which
claimed that even though Thai English was perceived as unfavourable varieties, it was
acceptable to speak it. In addition, most respondents also disagreed on whether Thai
English should be used to show their identity (M = 2.53, SD = 1.012). It was compatible
with Glass's (2010) idea, which was said that Thai English did not affect Thai identity
because Thais have never experienced colonization, and English is not needed as a
lingua franca. However, the respondents had a neutral perception that Thais who speak
British or American English are highly admired and respected (M = 3.29, SD = .918).
This result contrasted with many studies (Boonsuk & Ambele, 2020; Saengboon, 2015).
It was argued that even though Thai English is fine, but speaking English with
American and British English accents is the most admirable.
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There was no significant difference between gender, education, age, and

occupation. The respondents with different gender, education, age, and occupation
seem to hold the same opinion. Nevertheless, the result of gender contrasted to the study
of McKenzie et al. (2016). In this study, male and female respondents seemed to hold
the same opinions towards Thai English. According to the previous study (McKenzie
et al., 2016), Thai female students tended to have a positive attitude toward ENL
English and Thai English more than male students. It was said that Thai females use
Thai English to express their solidarity and identity.
5.1.5 The potential sources of varieties of English
The respondent agreed that World Englishes should be seen or spotted
in social network sites, and varieties of English should be taught rather than British or
American English with the highest mean score of 3.98 (SD = 1.214) and 3.84 (SD =
.946). This result was similar to the result from the previous study of Tosuncouglu and
Kirmizi (2019) that indicated that culture is important in language learning. It is
necessary to include cultural elements in the textbooks and social networks. This idea
also supported the respondents' belief that World English can be found in English
novels (M = 3.47, SD = 1.030). In addition, most of them also had an agreement that
either British or American English is learned at school (M = 3.59, SD = 1.214) and
English taught at school should be American or British English (M = 3.41, SD = 1.124).
According to the result of Eton and Oxford Education and the influence of American
English through media, a native speaker model was employed in the school curriculum
(Kirkpatrick, 2010; Snodin & Young, 2015).
There was no significant difference between age, gender, education, and
occupation. The result was not different from the result from Tosuncouglu and Kirmizi
(2019). The statement argued that the male and female participants or the participants
with different degrees of education hold the same opinion towards the sources of
varieties of English, especially in print materials. Moreover, they also have the same
opinion that British English and American English should be taught at school.
5.1.6 The other aspect of varieties of English
The majority of the respondents perceive a positive agreement that grammatical
mistakes are fine if the message can be conveyed effectively with the mean of 3.91 (SD
= 1.064). This result was similar to Lee and Lee (2018) and Lee and Hseih (2018). It
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was said that when participants interacted with English users who are different in
linguistic and cultural backgrounds, it is acceptable to speak English with varieties of
English or with slight grammatical errors as long as the communication is effective,
intelligible, and understandable. The respondents also hold a positive perception which
is related to the choice of the respondents in speaking either British or American
English (M = 3.55, SD = 1.064). The result from Snodin and Young (2015) similarly
showed that the participants favoured American or British English rather than other
varieties. Furthermore, according to the open-ended question from the questionnaire,
70.7% of the respondents thought that speaking with non-native English varieties is
acceptable if the message is understandable. This result was also similar to Lee (2018)
and Lee and Lee and Hseih (2018), which was mentioned above. As long as the message
is clear, speaking English with other varieties is fine.
Moreover, there are significant differences between the education and
age of the respondents' perception. The respondents who graduated with Bachelor's
degree agreed that English messages with sporadic errors are fine as long as it is
understandable, whereas the respondents with Master's degree hold a neutral attitude.
The result was different from the previous study conducted by Tosuncouglu and
Kirmizi (2019). The degree of education did not affect the intelligibility of English.
Furthermore, the respondents between the age of 30 to 39 were more likely to choose
to speak English with a British or American accent rather than other varieties, whereas
the respondents between the age of 20 to 29 were not. It was also incompatible with
Mokhtari and Chalak's (2016) study. It was said that age was not a factor for participants
in choosing varieties of English to speak.
In this study, there was no significant difference for the social factor of
occupation in the dimensions of Kachru's three concentric circle, standard English, the
ownership of English, Thai English, or the potential sources of varieties of English.
According to Crystal (2003), social factors influence the perceptions and the language
we use. However, occupation has less influence, even though in some contexts some
occupations, such as law or medicine, are highly distinctive.
5.2 Conclusion
The following conclusion can be drawn from the previous discussion as follows:
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1. The respondents relied on varieties of English for their communication.

Varieties of English were acceptable when it was considered to effective
communication. Importantly, the ability to communicate successfully in
their daily life is more critical than a native-like proficiency.
2. The social factors, such as gender, educational background, and age,
influenced the respondents’ perception towards World Englishes. The
aspect of gender affects the respondents’ perceptions towards ENL,
EFL, and ESL English. Women preferred to communicate with various
varieties more than men did. Moreover, the differences in the
educational background also had impacts on native English varieties.
The respondents with Master’s degree tended to use American or British
English more than the respondents with Bachelor’s degree. Furthermore,
the factor of age seemed to impact the use of grammar during their
communication. The respondents between the age of 30-39 tended to be
aware of the use of grammar and correctness for communication more
than the respondents between the age of 20 to 29.
3. The occupation factor did not affect respondents’ perception and their
use of English.
5.3 Implication
As suggested by the result of the study, the students seemed to be interested in
varieties of English. The diversity of English, including native and non-native English
varieties, should be taught to students who use English in a global context. Although
the native varieties have been implanted to Thais through English teaching in school
(Ministry of Education, 2008) and the influence of the media (Evans, 2010; Phillipson,
2003), ELT pedagogy needs to be adapted to suit the current situation of English
throughout the globe. Thus, it is crucial for English instruction to reflect the current use
of English during globalization and the development of technology. As mentioned by
Kachru (2004), it needs to look at the reality where the situation of English is beyond
the Inner Circle. Therefore, the World Englishes course should be prepared for the
students for the use of global communication.
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Moreover, in order to interact with English users from various backgrounds, the
awareness of the students towards varieties of English should be improved for
successful communication with EIL speakers (Matsuda, 2017). Hence, it is important
for educators or researchers to attempt to understand and improve perceptions of
students towards EIL English.
5.4 Recommendation
Based on the results and conclusion of the study, limitations of the study, and
recommendations for further study are reported as follows:
5.4.1 Limitation of the study
The limitations of the study are as follows:
1. The extent of the present study was restricted to explore a specific group
of graduate students.
2. Due to the limitation of time, the Google Form questionnaire was the
sole instrument for collecting the data during the study.
3. According to time constraints, only four social factors were explored in
the study.
4. The small sample size of the study may not be representative of all
English users of graduate students in Thailand.
5.4.2 Recommendation for further study
There are four recommendations for further study:

1. This research should be adopted to use in other contexts, especially in
careers or organizations, to raise employees’ awareness towards World
Englishes.
2. The instrument employed in the study is the only questionnaire. For
further study, other instruments should be applied (e.g., experiments,
observations, or interviews).
3. There may be other variables that can affect the results of the study.
Therefore, other variables, such as the level of proficiency of English,
should be investigated for further research.
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4. A larger number of respondents should be included for effective

generalization in further study.
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APPENDICES
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58
APPENDIX A
QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire is a part of my Independent study titled “A Survey Study of

Perceptions towards World Englishes of Thai Graduate Students in Thailand”. It is a
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Art in Career English
for International Communication, Language Institute, Thammasart University,
Bangkok.
Please be informed that this document is confidentially kept.
The questionnaire contains three main parts:
Part 1: General information

Sex
☐Male ☐Female
Age
☐20-29 years ☐30-39 years ☐40-49 years ☐50-59 years
☐Others (please specify………….)
Highest degree received

☐Bachelor’s degree ☐Master’s degree ☐Doctoral degree
Occupation
☐Government officer ☐Self-employed ☐Unemployed
☐Private company officer ☐Others (please specify……………….)
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59
Part 2: Perception towards World Englishes
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree agree
disagree
Questions 2 3 4 5
1
1. Correct English is British
English only
2. Correct English is American
English only
3. Australian, New Zealand and
Canadian English should be
counted as correct English
4. ESL Englishes (e.g., Indian,
African, or Singaporean
English) is incorrect
5. EFL Englishes (e.g., China
or Russian English) is incorrect
6. Correct English must have a
single standard
7. Standard English must use
the same grammar rule
8. Standard English may have a
different accent and
pronunciation
9. Correctness and standard
English must gauge through
written English
10. English belongs to just
anyone who can speak it
11. Only Britons or Americans
are rightful owner of English
12. Unlike Singaporean,
Indian, and Philippine English,
Thai English is an individual
idiosyncrasy
13. Thai should use Thai
English to show their Thai
identity
14. Speaking English with Thai
accent is embarrassing
15. Any Thais speaking with
British or American Accent is
highly revered
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60
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Questions disagree 2 3 4 agree
1 5
16. You learn either British or

American English at school
found in English novel
found in social network sites
19. English taught at school
must be either British or
American English
20. It may be interesting to
teach varieties of English rather
than British or American
English
21. English messages with
sporadic grammatical mistake
are fine as long as the message
can be understood
22. If I can choose, I will speak
either British or American
English
Part 3: Another aspect of World Englishes

How do you feel when you hear anyone speaking English with Thai accent or accent
differing from a native speaker?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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61
BIOGRAPHY
Name Mr. Nuttapon Chaengaksorn

Date of Birth May 19, 1994
Educational Attainment Academic Year 2017: Bachelor of Art (English)
Burapha University, Thailand
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A SURVEY STUDY OF PERCEPTION TOWARDS

WORLD ENGLISHES OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN

MR. NUTTAPON CHAENGAKSORN

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

Ref. code: 25636221040154YHX

MR. NUTTAPON CHAENGAKSORN

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

Ref. code: 25636221040154YHX

INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER

MR. NUTTAPON CHAENGAKSORN