CHAPTER L INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the rationale and background of the study. It is divided into six main parts, rationale and background, research objectives, research questions, scope and limitations of the study, definitions of terms and significance of the study. 1.1 Rationale and Background 1.1.1 An Overview of English Language Due to the rapid globalization and the great impact of information technology, English has become the main language of intemational communication. It plays a key role as a language widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose native languages are different from each other. It is the major language of commercial activity, international diplomacy and agencies, the media, tourism, the Internet and global publishing. Knowledge in almost every field is also available in English (Maley, 2000; Harmer, 2001). Over 400 million people in the world today use English as a second or foreign language. Companies around the world require people who have English skills. Many countries have English television and radio stations, Therefore, most global communication takes place through the English language. Nowadays, the English language has become an important part in the daily life of Thai people. Merchandise usually has the name of the factory, trademark, and directions using English labels. Advertising signs and titles of stores are also written in English. Most major cities in the world have at least one English language newspaper, and Thailand has two. Thus, one who knows English can take advantages of the information from those sources. This is relevant to the objectives of the National Education Act (1999) and the Basic Education Curriculum (2001) of Thailand that the English language is a tool to obtain information from various sources available in English and very necessary for higher education. It helps learners in career, cooperative work and living together inthe ever changing society. Furthermore, it is a tool that promotes the lifelong and autonomous learning in learners, English learning and teaching in Thailand has continually been developed and adapted from “Chalk and Talk” to “Learner Centered”. Traditionally, learning was focused on the language as a structured system of grammatical pattem, and it has changed to emphasize on communication aspects. Teacher's roles have changed. Previously they were the source of information to the leamer. Now the leamer has ‘multiple sources of information, and the teacher is merely the guide and facilitator for all that information (Kaewdaeng & Ordonez, 2000). Also, The Ministry of Education (1996) mentioned that the need for Thai people to communicate with other people should be urgently fulfilled. Therefore, English has been made compulsory in the curriculum starting from Grade 1 onwards. The main objective of learning English in Thailand is to improve on the effectiveness of communication in all aspects-listening, speaking, reading and writing, 1.1.2 The Importance of Writing Skill In today’s information age, everybody is a writer. The written word is a universal medium for personal interaction, transaction of public business and workplace communication. Written communication may be handwritten, typed and printed out, or transmitted electronically. Writing has a multitude of other purposes as well. It is an everyday activity. We write to remember lists or study notes. We also write to persuade, to entertain, to inform or to create, In school or college, we write reports, term papers and essay examinations. We write letters back home and e-mail messages to friends, or write our daily thoughts in a joumal or diary. In our professional life, we write memos, reports and summaries. Written communication is every where in today’s world. Writing confidently and effectively is a survival skill in our modem world. In conventional ordering of second language skills, writing often comes later in both teaching and learning, after listening, speaking and reading. Valette (1977) and Torat (1981) pointed out that this is because of its importance and difficulty, and moreover, writing also stimulates other skills. They added that, in writing, the writers need to transfer their spoken language into symbols. It needs grammatical knowledgeof language structure to create a meaningful written work. Nunan (1989) also supported this idea that writing fluently and expressively is the most difficult of the all skills for all language users. He clarified that writing is not a natural activity, normal people physically and mentally lear to speak by nature, but all people have to be taught how to write Writing is a tool for thinking (Young & Pinheiro, 1996; Leeds & Rainey, 2003). It is the very necessary skill for leamers and not just for recording our thoughts. Since writing lets us communicate to many people we may never meet. We ‘can get in touch with people without having to be there in person. Therefore, people have to think before they write, think of what to write about and who will read their work. Writing helps promote thinking, and it is a powerful tool that everyone can use. Writing skill is very important in getting a job. Interpersonal skills especially written communication is extremely important in evaluating graduates for ‘employment. Employers ask for such skill as “Good command of written and spoken English.” Several studies indicate that writing is an important clement in most careers. The basic education in Thailand takes twelve years prior to higher education. Students are categorized into four levels according to their language proficiency: Preparatory Level (Grades 1-3), Beginner Level (Grades 4-6), Developing Level (Grades 7-9) and Expanding Level (Grades 10-12). For the English language subject at all levels, objectives in the curriculum comprise four strands: 1. Language for Communication Language and Cultures Language and Other Subject Areas Connection ae Language, Community and World Relationship. The Department of Academy, Ministry of Education pointed out one of the student outcomes in The Basic Education Curriculum (2001) about writing skill that students at Expanding Level (Grades 10-12) should be able to write about their own interested topics such as family, school, environment, foods and drinks, interpersonal relationship, hobbies, recreation, health, buying and purchasing, weather, education and careers, travels, public services, places, sciences and technology, by using within 3,600-3,750 words, use compound and complex sentences in various contexts of both formal and informal prose and use discourse markers. That means they should be able