English as a Global Language in Multilingual Thai Universities: Perceptions and Experiences of Myanmar Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62819/bej.2026.3414Keywords:
English as a global language, intercultural communication, Thai higher education, Myanmar studentsAbstract
This study investigated Myanmar students' perceptions of English as a global language in Thai universities, explored the factors shaping those perceptions, and examined the challenges and opportunities they experienced in multilingual academic settings. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, combining questionnaire and semi-structured interview data. One hundred Myanmar students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate international programmes at four Thai public universities completed the questionnaire, and twelve volunteers participated in follow-up interviews. The questionnaire examined five constructs: Mutual Intelligibility, Varieties of English, Multicultural Communication, Identity, and Assessment. Quantitative findings revealed generally positive perceptions across all five constructs, with Identity recording the highest mean score and Varieties of English the lowest and most variable. Qualitative analysis identified four key factors shaping students' perceptions, as well as four challenge themes and four opportunity themes. The findings also revealed tensions between confidence and insecurity, together with differing experiences of English language development. Overall, challenges and opportunities frequently coexisted within the same multilingual environment, with communicative difficulties often accompanied by opportunities for language development and intercultural learning.
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