Empowering Learners in Limited-Interaction Environments: Thai Speaking Acquisition Through Repetition and Role-Play

Speaking is one of the most challenging skills for Indonesian learners of Thai because opportunities to communicate with native speakers are limited. Although repetition and role-play are widely recognized as effective language teaching strategies, little research has explored students’ perceptions of these approaches when implemented by a native Thai teacher. This study investigated Indonesian university students’ perceptions of Thai speaking acquisition through repetition and role-play. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, involving 18 Indonesian learners studying Thai in Thailand and one native Thai teacher. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire, and qualitative data were obtained through a semi-structured interview with the teacher. Questionnaire responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data were analyzed through manual thematic analysis before integration. The results revealed highly positive student perceptions of repetition and role-play with an overall mean of 4.13, particularly regarding perceived improvements in vocabulary retention, pronunciation accuracy, confidence, and communicative competence. Qualitative findings showed that structured repetition, contextual role-play, and continuous corrective feedback promoted authentic communication and active participation. Overall, repetition and role-play functioned as complementary pedagogical strategies that effectively facilitated Thai speaking acquisition in an authentic learning environment.