Effects of Holistic Approach using Local Cultural Content on English Oral Communication Ability of Sixth Grade Students in Phrae Province

Abstract

This study aimed to study the effects of Holistic Approach using local cultural content on English oral communication ability of sixth grade students and to investigate their opinions towards learning through Holistic Approach using local cultural content. The participants were 21 sixth grade students studying in Phrae Province in academic year 2017. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected in 13-week experiment using seven instruments including need analysis questionnaire, English oral communication test, English oral communication scoring rubrics, lesson plans, self-evaluation form, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory questionnaire, and focus group discussion. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, mean scores, and standard deviation were implemented to investigate the quantitative data which were the difference of mean scores of students’ oral communication ability, and metacognitive awareness before and after learning. Moreover, the qualitative data from the self-evaluation form and focus group discussion were also analyzed by using percentage and content analysis to examine students’ opinions towards learning through Holistic Approach using local cultural content. The finding revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores from the pre and post English oral communication test at .05 level and the effect size was 3.66 which represented the large effect. Additionally, students also reported positive opinions towards learning through Holistic Approach using local cultural content. In conclusion, the present study indicated that Holistic Approach using local cultural content could improve students’ oral communication ability and stimulate the positive opinions towards learning English and local culture.