Trends in Choosing EFL Research Topics: A Case Study of Thai Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe emerging trends in EFL research topics chosen by Thai undergraduate students. The participants were 469 fourth-year English major students from the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Education at Naresuan University during the academic years 2022 to 2024, with 156, 158, and 155 students, respectively. The data consisted of research studies conducted by these students as part of their final project for the Research Report Writing course offered during the academic years 2022-2024 (140 studies in total). These 140 research studies were categorized into two main types based on the type of research conducted: quantitative and qualitative research. As for quantitative research, six subcategories were identified: 1) language input (listening and reading), 2) language output (speaking and writing), 3) language form, 4) language proficiency, 5) affective needs, and 6) language strategies. Regarding qualitative research, only one subcategory (i.e., literature) was identified, as the students’ qualitative research focused solely on this area. The data were analyzed using percentages, and the research categories were ranked accordingly. It was found that the majority of the students chose quantitative research to conduct rather than qualitative research, and research on affective needs was the most chosen subtheme for their research project topics. It was followed by language strategies, language form, and language output, especially speaking, respectively. Results, discussion, limitations, and pedagogical implications of the study in response to the findings are also discussed.