English for the Purpose of Reducing the Poverty of Orphans with Disabilities in Thailand

Abstract

This study examines the English teaching/learning practices of Christian missionaries who teach Thai orphans with disabilities with a view to developing skills that will enable them to overcome their impoverished condition.   The researcher found that older Thai orphans (>14 years) with disabilities evinced higher levels of awareness of their disabilities and are accordingly more engaged in learning English than the other orphans examined.  This is because they believe the acquisition of English skills will prove compensatory in view of the paucity of survival skills they now command, thereby enhancing employment opportunities in spite of their disabilities.  Conversely, the researcher found that younger Thai orphans (<14 years) with disabilities exhibited lower levels of awareness of the consequences of having disabilities and scarcely saw the need to learn English for the sake of becoming more employable.  As a result of demonstrating the role of awareness of disabilities as a major motivating factor for learning English, the researcher concludes that Thai orphans such as those studied can be encouraged to learn English by heightening their awareness that their job opportunities are limited by their disabilities and that becoming skilled in English can provide a feasible means whereby they can obtain suitable employment.  The results of this study should prove beneficial to those engaged in sustainable English education and practice in Thai orphanages.

Keywords: Orphans with disabilities, English teaching/learning, poverty reduction