Abstract

Academic writing skills are essential in the context of teacher education programs, as this career path is directly linked to the academic field. The current study seeks to investigate the knowledge and academic writing abilities of Thai EFL preservice teachers, to enhance their academic writing skills, to explore their perceptions of ideal teaching and learning approaches, and to design an Academic Writing Teaching Model tailored to the specific context of Thai EFL preservice teachers. The research design employed a quasi-experimental approach and purposive sampling to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from forty-six participants who had completed at least one semester of teacher training. Research ethics were obtained before conducting the pretest, followed by a six-week treatment, with the final draft serving as the posttest. The results indicated that, based on a rubric, the participants’ knowledge and abilities in terms of logic, grammar, and lexical usage were initially low. However, after implementing the Gradual Release Model and Scaffolding Approach, the posttest scores showed significant improvement with a p-value of 0.01. Furthermore, the study revealed that Thai EFL preservice teachers favored teaching and learning approaches such as Communicative Language Teaching and Game-based Learning. These approaches emphasized real-life situations, meaningful interaction, communication, and enjoyment. Notably, there was minimal mention of grammatical practices and instructions, possibly indicating a reluctance to engage with grammar. Overall, the findings suggest that the Gradual Release Model and Scaffolding Approach can positively impact the academic writing skills of Thai EFL preservice teachers.