A Qualitative Study of Thai University Students’ Reliance on Verbal Communication Strategies in Intercultural English Interactions

Abstract

This qualitative study, conducted at an international university in Thailand, investigates the intercultural communication strategies Thai students use when interacting in English with foreign visitors. In such encounters, students informally act as cultural representatives, making effective communication central to successful cross-cultural exchange. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten Thai undergraduates who regularly interact with international visitors, the study explores how students manage communication difficulties and negotiate meaning. The findings show a strong preference for verbal strategies, such as message reduction, message replacement, and paraphrasing, while non-verbal (e.g., gestures, facial expressions) and interactive strategies (e.g., comprehension checks, direct appeals for help) are used less consistently and often less consciously. Rather than claiming to identify a wholly new pattern, the study extends existing work on communication strategies in EFL contexts by providing context-specific insight into how Thai students understand, select, and rationalise their strategy use in real intercultural encounters. The small sample size and single institutional setting limit the generalizability of the findings; however, the study highlights a need for EFL pedagogy in Thailand to systematically integrate training in non-verbal and interactive strategies as part of a more holistic approach to intercultural communicative competence.