Promoting Inclusion through English for Organic Farming and Ecotourism in ASEAN Countries: A Thai Example

DJ Kaiser; Yupa Saisanan Na Ayudhya

DJ Kaiser Webster University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2120-3320
Yupa Saisanan Na Ayudhya Webster University

Keywords: ESP, ecotourism, inclusion, media literacy

Abstract

Organic Farming and Ecotourism can be valuable resources for economic stability in many ASEAN communities. English is vital to exchange organic farming practices with other farms outside their country and is a necessary skill to promote ecotourism to international tourists (Morrow, 2015; Upayokin, 2007; Wallenberger, 2012). This research article will use a 2017 visit to a community in Phetchaburi, Thailand as a case study to look at addressing this community’s needs from an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) approach (Belcher, 2004; Swales, 1985). Because this and similar communities have limited economic resources and less access to English teachers and classrooms, we focus on publicly available materials on the Internet. After a needs analysis, this article will focus on how YouTube videos can be used to develop and expand a corpus of materials for English acquisition to meet local needs. Specific attention will be paid to developing media literacy skills (Bloom & Johnston, 2010; Hobbs, 2010; Silverblatt, Miller, Smith, & Brown, 2014) as a way to further empower local teachers and students in their English language acquisition. The final purpose of this paper is to propose sustainable language development to support sustainable ecotourism and economic vitality.

Author Biographies

DJ Kaiser, Webster University

DJ Kaiser is the Associate Dean for the School of Education and Director of Teaching English as a Second Language at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He has delivered presentations, workshops, and seminars on language instruction, language pedagogy, language planning and policy, technology for education, translation studies, and program development throughout the United States and in Mexico, Canada, China, Thailand, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Greece, Holland, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Ecuador.

Yupa Saisanan Na Ayudhya, Webster University

Yupa Saisanan Na Ayudhya is a doctoral candidate and Coordinator of the Doctor of Education Program at Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She is a founding member of the Digital International Media Literacy E-book project www.dimle.org and a coauthor of Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages, Thai edition. Her research interest is in cultural translations of media literacy concepts, principles, and analytical approaches. Her dissertation research focuses on proposing a heuristic for analyzing digital media presentations and digital cultures.