Measuring Reading Comprehension Difficulties among Thai International English Students Studying in Indonesian Universities

Mastering reading comprehension is quite challenging for EFL learners, thus the purpose of this study is to measure reading comprehension difficulties among the English Department students of Thailand Pattani currently studying in Indonesia. Descriptive quantitative research was used as the research design within this study. 25 English Department students of Thailand Pattani studying across Indonesian universities had been selected purposively to be the participants. Data were obtained through a 20-item reading comprehension test, which assessed students’ understanding of main ideas, stated and unstated details, and vocabulary. The test was administered online using Google Forms. The data collected were analysed quantitatively by using some formulas. The findings reveal that the overall reading proficiency among English Department students at Pattani, Thailand, is weak, with an average mastery score of 51.52%. The most challenging component was identifying main ideas or topic sentences, with a mastery level of 43% (poor category), followed by vocabulary meaning questions at 48% (poor category). In contrast, questions related to stated and unstated details had a slightly higher mastery score of 57% (weak category). These results highlight the need for targeted instructional strategies in EFL reading comprehension development.