Analysis of Grade 7 Students’ Levels of English Sociolinguistic Knowledge, Ability, and Etiquette after use of Scenario-Based Learning activities

Abstract

This study was conducted to analyze the English sociolinguistic knowledge, ability, and etiquette levels of Grade 7 students at Suankularb Wittayalai School after an eight weeks treatment with scenario-based learning (SBL). The hypothesis for this study being as follows: Treatment with SBL will have a significant effect on students’ levels of English sociolinguistic knowledge, ability, and etiquette. This study was conducted by analyzing the results of the English sociolinguistic competence pretest and posttest scores, administered and collected during Term 1 of the 2024 Academic Year. Thirty Grade 7 students’ pre and posttest scores were selected by random cluster sampling for use in this analysis. The individual test items of the tests were separated and analyzed based on their criteria as follows: twelve items testing for knowledge of vocabulary and language patterns, nine items testing  ability to use vocabulary and language patterns, and nine items testing etiquette. The three sets of data were analyzed using paired t-tests. The results showed a significant increase in students’ English sociolinguistic knowledge (less than the .05 significance threshold), but insignificant changes in the ability and etiquette levels. The results of this study reveal a need for development in how English sociolinguistic competence, in particular the higher-order aspects of it, are taught and practiced in the classroom.