An analysis of Thai English as a foreign language students' learning behaviour based on Joan Rubin's good learner model

The aim of this study was to identify good language learner characteristics in the classroom and the teachers’ reflections on the students’ behaviors based on Rubin’s good language learner model (1975). The participants recruited by purposive sampling were six undergraduate students majoring in English and Communication at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand. The data was collected through classroom observations, student interviews, and teacher interviews. Seven 3-hour class meetings were observed in their entirety. The observation findings show that Rubin’s having a strong drive to communicate, attending to meaning and seeking out opportunities to use the language characteristics were common characteristics that the participants showed in the classroom. The observation findings were also consistent with the teacher interviews. However, Rubin’s good language learner model has some limitations when used as a conceptual framework to examine good learners] characteristics primarily through observation of classroom behavior.