Paper Title
CA-Informed Analysis of English Conversations in Thai High School Textbooks

Abstract
This study attempts to apply Conversation Analysis (CA) insights into enhancing features of textbooks used for teaching English conversation to Thai high school students. It particularly aims to explore features of model conversations and related exercises presented in the textbooks used in the mainstream classroom to identify features of naturally occurring conversation that are missing and should be added for students’ awareness raising. The two textbooks examined were taken from function- and theme-based textbook series currently used for teaching integrated English skills to grade 9 students in Thailand, referred to as Textbook A and B respectively, and the analysis was performed with CA insights on practices involved in the organization of naturally occurring conversation. The findings show that both textbooks contain authentic examples of everyday conversation with only a few samples of phone conversation. Stressing the importance of face-to-face conversation, they, however, lack features highlighting essential practices in the natural organization of the conversation of this type. While Textbook B provides various exercises for students to practice making conversation with their peers after learning a dialogue example, Textbook A offers few exercises allowing students to practice constructing turns and sequences. With a separate section in each chapter, the latter seemed to place more emphasis on the pronunciation of certain sounds, stress, and intonation. In terms of the overall structure of the conversation samples presented, most of the conversations in Textbook A are short, goal-driven dialogues with both opening and closing. On the other hand, Textbook B provides limited examples of conversations with opening and closing sequences, and most of the conversation samples are abruptly ended without accomplishing clear interactional goals. Finally, the features of naturally occurring conversation such as overlap and repair were missing from both the books and the audio materials accompanying them. It is suggested that to enhance the quality of the books for the benefit of the Thai students most of whom have limited exposure to English outside the classroom, sample conversations approximating naturally occurring conversation can be provided along with balanced exercises targeting its natural features and various aspects of turn-taking and sequencing practices. Keywords - Conversation Analysis, English Conversation Textbooks, EFL Learners, Textbook Analysis, Thai High School Students