Integrating Word Cloud Technology with Active Learning Methods to Enhance Thai Undergraduate Students’ English Grammar Competence

บทคัดย่อ

In the context of university-level education, the integration of active learning methodologies into grammar instruction has become increasingly indispensable for promoting learner engagement, autonomy, and higher-order thinking skills. In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings—particularly in Thailand—grammar remains a persistent pedagogical challenge. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effectiveness of incorporating word cloud technology within active learning frameworks to enhance grammatical competence among 38 second-year English major students at Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, selected through cluster random sampling.Research instruments included pre- and post-achievement tests, student learning logs, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including a paired-samples t-test and relative development scores. Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in students’ grammatical competence (p < .05), with a large effect size. Qualitative data from interviews and learning logs were thematically coded and content-analyzed, yielding three emerging themes: (1) Grammatical Competence, reflecting students’ increased ability to understand parts of speech, sentence structures, subject-verb agreement, and vocabulary expansion through contextualized examples; (2) Learning and Teaching Activities, highlighting the motivational impact of group collaboration, Think-Pair-Share techniques, gamified exercises, and student-centered tasks; and (3) Technology in Enhancing English, emphasizing the role of word cloud tools in promoting engagement, independent learning, and instructional applicability, while also identifying challenges such as device limitations and unstable internet connectivity.Findings from semi-structured interviews further corroborated the quantitative results, revealing that learners perceived the integration of word clouds and active learning as not only effective in reinforcing grammar skills, but also transformative in shaping their future pedagogical beliefs as pre-service teachers. Participants reported greater confidence, deeper vocabulary retention, improved reading comprehension, and increased enthusiasm for collaborative learning. Despite some technological constraints, students overwhelmingly endorsed the approach as a dynamic, visually engaging, and pedagogically sound enhancement to traditional grammar instruction in higher education contexts.