Why keep silent? Voices from Thai EFL students in an English-medium instruction university

In a collectivistic society such as Thailand, quiet students are considered as demonstrating negative academic performance in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. This phenomenological study attempted to provide insights relating to the silence of Thai EFL students in a university context where English is the primary medium of instruction. In-depth interviews and self-reflection of 35 first-year students were carried out at an autonomous public university, situated in the north of Thailand, where this is the case. Given this context, students were quiet in the classroom for several reasons such as personality traits, learned behaviors, situational factors, the role of the teacher, and the teaching approach. Additionally, cultural factors were identified as a significant reason for this behavior in English intensive courses. The pedagogical implication for the EFL context is also discussed.