The Effect of Codemixing ThaiEnglish in Print Advertisements on Product Knowledge and Understanding...

7/27/2019 The Effect of Codemixing ThaiEnglish in Print Advertisements on Product Knowledge and Understanding Attitudes and Purchase Intention Consumers Educa

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THE EFFECT OF CODE-MIXING (THAI-ENGLISH) IN PRINT

ADVERTISEMENTS ON PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND

UNDERSTANDING, ATTITUDES AND PURCHASE INTENTION:

CONSUMERS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AS A MODERATOR

THANYARAT CHANTAROTHAI

Advisor: Assistant Professor Vilaivan Aroonmanakun

A RESERACH PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF ARTS

IN

ENGLISH FOR CAREERS

LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

BANGKOK, THAILAND

MARCH 2011


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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of code-mixing (Thai-

English) in print advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitudes

and purchase intention. In addition, another objective was to explore the relationship

between code mixing and the consumers educational background which was as a

moderator.

The subjects of this study were 120 Thai females living in Bangkok and

neighboring provinces. The subjects consisted of respondents holding qualifications

lower than a bachelor's degree and people who obtained a bachelor's and postgraduate

degree. They were selected by using stratified random sampling to complete the self-

administered questionnaire with closed-ended questions for demographic

information. In addition, they answered closed-ended questions with semantic

differential scales for information about the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in

print advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitude, as well as

purchase intention. Moreover, two facial skincare whitening products were selected

as samples for this research study. Both of them were adjusted into two types of

language used in the advertisement: Thai monolingual and code mixed (Thai-English)

language attached with the questionnaire. The findings were analyzed using the SPSS

to find descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean.

The results obtained showed the majority of respondents believed that

advertisements containing code-mixing could convey messages effectively, provide

better knowledge and understanding than Thai monolingual advertisements, as well

as create a positive attitude toward language in advertising and product image.

However, code-mixing in advertisements had no effect on attitudes toward

advertisements as a whole and could not convince them to buy the products or had no

effect on their purchase intention.

There is a correlation between the use of code-mixing and consumers

educational background; code-mixing (Thai-English) in advertisements created better

knowledge, understanding, attitudes towards language and product image than not

ii


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using mixed English terms for high educated consumers. In contrast, the use of code-

mixing had a significant effect only on product image for low educated consumers.

However, code-mixing (Thai-English) did not cause better attitudes toward

advertisements as a whole and had no influence on the purchase intentions for both

groups of respondents who were at different educational levels.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research could not have been accomplished without the generous support

and help by a number of people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all

who contributed to this study.

First and foremost, my deepest gratitude is extended to my research advisor,

Assistant Professor Vilaivan Aroonmanakun, for her useful advice, understanding and

encouragement in completing this research.

Furthermore, I would like to thank all the instructors at the Thammasat

University Language Institute for giving me the valuable knowledge and experiences

that helped guide my research.

Special thanks are also due to Ms.Siriwan Ritraumsup for her coordination

during my study.

Last but not least, I have been fortunate to have my family, several friends and

colleagues who were willing to give me detailed suggestions on how to improve this

study and their great encouragement in completing this research.

Thammasat University Thanyarat Chantarothai

Bangkok, Thailand March 2011

iv


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CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT iiACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv

CONTENTS v

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION 11.1 Background 11.2 Objectives of the Study 41.3 Definitions of Terms 4

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 72.1 Code Mixing 7

2.2 Advertising 92.3 Consumer Decision-Making 10

2.4 Consumers Educational Background 11

2.5 Relevant Research 12

3. METHODOLOGY 153.1 Subjects 15

3.2 Data Collection 15

3.3 Procedures 16

4. RESULTS 194.1 Demographic Data of the Respondents 19


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4.2 The Effect of Code-Mixing (Thai-English) in Print Advertisements onProduct Knowledge and Understanding, Attitudes and Purchase

Intention 21

4.3 The Effect of Code-Mixing (Thai-English) in Print Advertisements on

Product Knowledge and Understanding, Attitudes and Purchase Intention

by Using Consumer Educational Background as a Moderator 22

5.CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 375.1 Summary of the Study 375.2 Summary of the Findings 385.3 Discussion 415.4 Recommendations for Further Research 43

REFERENCES 44

APPENDIXES 46

A.Questionnaire in English for Code-Mixing Advertisement 46B.Questionnaire in English for Thai Monolingual Advertisement 51C.Questionnaire in Thai for Code-Mixing Advertisement 56D.Questionnaire in Thai for Thai Monolingual Advertisement 63E.The Advertisements of Facial Skincare Whitening Products 70


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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

In the midst of a struggling economy and the intense competition of the

business world, companies need to initiate a variety of marketing strategies to present,

advertise and sell their products in the best possible way. Advertising has become one

of the most successful communication methods on which many companies are willing

to spend a large amount of money in order to persuade consumers to purchase their

products or services. In the present, we cannot deny that advertising has become a part

of our everyday life whenever we open a newspaper, magazine, turn on radio, TV or

mobile phone, access the internet or even look at the signs in the public places.

Nielsen Media Research (2010) showed that the estimated total advertising

expenditure in Thailand in July 2010 was 8.3 billion baht. The top three brand groups

during January July 2010 were Happy mobile phone system, Isuzu pickups and

Coke soft drink respectively.

Advertisement aims to inform, persuade, and remind the consumer. The

advertising language is very important because it not only attracts the customers

attention, but also arouses their behavioral intention and is powerful in conveying the

message. In order to secure a number of readers and to compete with many other

similar advertising messages, advertisers try to make their advertisements as powerful

as possible. Today advertising is one of the largest industries influencing our lives,

and therefore, the language used in advertising has a powerful influence over people

and their behaviors.

In recent years, the trend of using code-mixed language has become a common

global phenomenon and has been used in large quantities in advertisements. Lis

study (as cited in Chen, 2006, p.468) found that there are four major reasons for

mixing English with the native language. Firstly, the English equivalent is used in

place of native language to avoid offensive or embarrassing words. Secondly, the


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English expression may be preferred because of its more general or specific meaning

compared with the native language. The third is bilingual punning to create a double

meaning if the English equivalent shares some sounds with the native language.

Lastly, an English expression may also be preferable because it is more economical

compared to the native language in terms of linguistic effort. Many high-frequency

English terms are used by many Hong Kong people without hesitation when the

purpose of communication is to convey the message clearly and efficiently.

Moreover, the main reason for using code-mixing in advertisements is that they serve

to attract the attention of audiences. In addition, the use of code mixed statements may

invoke professional recognition and technology associations, and result in a

professional image, which in turn has an impact on the purchasing behavior of

consumers. Furthermore, Leung (2010) stated that code-mixing has become socially

and communicatively unavoidable (p.417) in the current globalized society in which

people from different languages and cultures can connect or communicate through

advanced technologies. However, Martin (2002) found that even though a large part

of the research in code-mixing has been limited to spoken discourse, many scholars

having taken an interest in this phenomenon in its written form as it appears in

advertising copy. For example, Takashi 1990 conducted linguistic analyses of

Japanese advertisements, and Martin 2002 did his Ph.D. dissertation on

English/French code-mixing in advertising in France.

With respect to the current language situation in Thailand, English seems to be

widely used and has great influence to Thai society. Huebner (2006) stated that in the

1960s, English was spoken by only a few elite Thais; now, however, many people

whose employment brings them into contact with the international community speakEnglish with some degree of proficiency. Moreover, at the higher levels of education,

English is the language of specialized knowledge and also a symbol of modernity and

professionalism. Nowadays, many Thai people often mix English expressions into

their words in both speaking and writing. There is frequent Thai-English mixing in

communication among Thais from different age groups and different genders. For

example, English is often particularly mixed in the sentences or utterances among

well educated people, in TV programs, music lyrics and print advertisements.


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Most of the previous research of code-mixing focused on broadcast media and

analyzed the forms of code-mixing, types of code-mixing and attitudes of the

audience, one research related to the study of code mixing was Code-mixing of

English and Thai in Thai Television Music Program conducted by Thanutcha

Preechaamornkul (2005). She focused on three major parts of code-mixing words in

Thai television music programs; 1) grammatical pattern 2) the function of code-

mixing based on applied linguistic functions and 3) nativized features based on the

process of nativized features of English words. She found that the majority of code-

mixing used in Thai television music program were nouns, verbs, adjectives and

interjection. Code-mixing was used frequently for emphasis and clarification even if

Thai equivalents existed. In addition, there were six nativized features found in Thai

television music programs: truncation, hybridization, conversion, semantic shift,

reduplication and word order shift. In addition, another research was English-Thai

Code-Mixing: A Study of Thai Television Programmes and the Audience Attitudes

conducted by Worawalan Sopee (2002). She found that every television presenter in

every discussion program used English-Thai code-mixing in various categories such

as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and abbreviations. However, a majority of the

audiences partially accepted code-mixed language, especially the use of terminologies

in computer, business and healthcare. Nevertheless, the audiences preferred the

presenters to use Thai language as much as possible in order to avoid the difficulty of

understanding the English language.

Even though most of the previous research of code-mixing in Thailand

focused on broadcast media because they are a popular means of mass communication

and have been a major entertainment medium in Thailand, the code-mixed languagealso has been found in large quantities in print advertisements. Unfortunately, there

have been quite a few studies done on code-mixing (Thai-English) in print media. In

order to make the research on code-mixing more varied, therefore, the researcher will

study a different aspect which is the effect of code mixing (Thai-English) in print

advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitudes towards

advertisements and purchase intention. The advertisements of facial skincare

whitening products in magazines were selected because their advertisements contain

the obvious code mixed language in lexical level. Nielsen Media Research (2010)


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showed that this kind of product is the top expenditure in advertising in magazines in

January August 2010 with about 80 million baht. Furthermore, magazines can be

good indicators showing the code-mixing practices in print advertisements which may

reflect the relative importance of the mixed languages in Thai society. Pennycook

(2010) suggests that it is great if we understand language from a local attitude or

thinking because the ways in which languages are used and thought about are never

just only language but also about community and society.

In addition, this study aims to analyze the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English)

in print advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitudes, purchase

intention and consumers educational background as a moderator. However, this

project does not include the analysis of code-mixing form, types of code-mixing and

the reasons of using code-mixing in written language.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are the following:

1.2.1 To find out whether the code-mixed statement in advertisements canactually convey messages to the audience effectively.

1.2.2 To determine what is the consumers attitude towards the use of codemixing in print advertisements.

1.2.3 To test the effects of code mixing on consumers purchase intention.1.2.4 To explore the relationship between code mixing and consumers

educational background in product knowledge, attitudes towards advertisements and

purchase intention.

1.3 DEFINITION OF TERMS

The definition of the terms of this study is as follows:

1.3.1 AdvertisingAdvertising is defined as a form of communication intended to persuade an

audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon

products, ideals, or services. It includes the name of a product or service and how that


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product or service could benefit the consumer, to persuade a target market to purchase

or to consume that particular brand. Brands are paid for or identified through sponsors

and viewed via various media (Advertising, n.d.). According to OGuinn, Allen,

and Semenik (2000) advertising also has an important role in marketing. It is relevant

to important aspects of the marketing process which are 1) designing a marketing mix,

2) achieving effective market segmentation, product differentiation and positioning,

3) contributing to revenue and profit generation and 4) enhancing consumer

satisfaction.

1.3.2 Code-mixingCode-mixing is defined as all cases where lexical items and grammatical

features from two languages appear in one sentence (Muysken, 2000). For the purpose

of this paper, the code-mixing is limited to the language mixture of Thai and English

found within one and the same sentence. However, grammatical features are not

included in this study because it will be focused only on the impact of code-mixing on

consumers product knowledge, attitude and purchase intention.

1.3.3 Print AdvertisementPrint advertisement refers to the advertisement in a printed medium such as

newspaper, magazine or trade journal (Advertising, n.d., p. 7).This paper focuses on

magazines because they can be great tools for cosmetic and skin care products to

advertise and reach their specific market segments. OGuinn, Allen, and Semenik

(2000) stated that the advantage of magazines over other media is the ability of

magazines to attract a highly selective audience and magazines can be read repeatedly

over a week or a month while some of them are saved for long periods as future

reference.1.3.4 Product KnowledgeProduct knowledge is defined as a consumers understanding and knowledge

about a product or service. The product knowledge is one of the important constructs

in consumer behavior and can influence how consumers assess products because they

usually make decisions based on the information in their memories


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1.3.5 AttitudeRekeachs study (as cited in Phipps & Simmons, 1995, p. 198) defined attitude

as to a learned orientation or disposition, toward an object or situation, which

provides a tendency to respond favourably or unfavourably to the object of situation.

1.3.6 Purchase IntentionPurchase intention refers to a plan to buy a particular product or service in

the futureby target consumers. It is also a result of a consumers interaction, attitude

and perception towards that product or service.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/plan.htmlhttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/final-good-service.htmlhttp://www.investorwords.com/9809/future.htmlhttp://www.investorwords.com/9809/future.htmlhttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/final-good-service.htmlhttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/plan.html


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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into four topics: (1) Code Mixing, (2) Advertising, (3)

Consumer Decision-Making, and (4) Consumers Educational Background

2.1 CODE-MIXING

Poplack (1980) defined code-mixing as the mixing of two or more languages

within a sentence, while the term code-mixing defined in Bhatia and Ritchies study

(as cited in Leung, 2010, p. 49) was the mixing of various linguistic units

(morphemes, words, modifiers, phrases, clauses and sentences) primarily from two

participating grammatical systems within a sentence. Moreover, Muysken (2000)

stated that the code-mixing refers to all cases where lexical items and grammatical

features from two languages appear in one sentence. The patterns of intra-sentential

code-mixing are divided into three different basic processes. The first approach is the

insertion of a foreign lexical or entire constituent into a given structure of another

language, which is similar to borrowing. Second is the alternation between structures

from languages, which is akin to the switching of codes between utterances. The last

one is congruent lexicalization of material from a different lexical inventory into a

shared grammatical structure, which is similar to style shifting and monolingual

linguistic variation. Stanlaw (1987) explained that one important reason for the useof English loanwords is that they provide linguistic tools that individuals can use in

personal and highly creative ways whereas Takashi (1990) pointed out that there are

five reasons why there is a phenomenon of mixing between English and native

language in the society. First, mixed English words can fill a lexical gap because of

no native equivalent. Second, there are terminologies which are more technical and

special terms and cannot be replaced by native equivalents. Third, the use of mixed

English words is to avoid direct expressions referring to embarrassing things in some


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topics, such as sex. Fourth, the mixed English words can convey a modernity and

sophistication. Lastly, they are trade names that are used directly without translation.

The concept of code-mixing in this study is derived from the code-mixing

concept as proposed by Muysken, but grammatical features are not included in this

study. According the phenomenon, mixing language between local and English

language has become a common practice in many countries and seems to be a popular

phenomenon in Asia, English expressions are also commonly found in Thai

advertisements today. So instead of investigating code-mixing between Thai and

English in the spoken language, the current study focuses on the impact of the mixture

of Thai and English in print advertisements on consumers product knowledge,

attitude and purchase intention to prove whether code-mixing (Thai-English) is able

to achieve these aims of advertising or not. Moreover, English words in this study are

common English words, product names and terminologies which are mixed into Thai

language.

The reason why terminologies are included in this analysis is in recent years

terminologies have been used in large quantities in advertisements. As advertising

language is perceived to be creative, attract attention, arouse interest, create desire and

inspire action, advertisements are usually packed with various distinguishing elements

like parallelism, ellipsis, incomplete sentences, alliteration, assonance, rhyme, catchy

print, unpredicted spelling and other creative language such as code mixing and

terminology. Hongs study (as cited in Chuang, Tsai, Cheng, & Sun, 2009, p. 485)

defined terminologies as the advertising messages that are associated with the

functions of products based on scientific specification and technology. In addition,

Leung (2010) stated in the research thatadvertising language is highly stylized. Yetit has to work within a fixed set of restrictions, such as legal matters, and what is

deemed as more trivial issues such as space. With such limitations in mind,

advertising language has to be so carefully crafted with the intention to manipulate

and persuade consumers on lexical level with the combination of visual image. The

language of advertising is therefore quite a restricted genre.


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2.2 ADVERTISING

According to marketing strategy, promotion is the communication dimension

of the strategy and has as its purpose to inform, persuade, or remind the consumer

about products, services, or ideas. There are four common types of promotion i.e.

personal selling, publicity, sales promotion and advertising. Burrow and Eggland

(1995) defined advertising as any paid form of non-personal communication sent

through a mass medium by an organization about its products or services (p. 523).

The role of advertising in marketing relates to four important aspects of the marketing

process. First, in the marketing mix, it is to focus on the ability of the advertising

effort to communicate to target audience about the value which the products or

services have to offer. Second, advertising also plays an important role in supporting

the companys general marketing strategies which are market segmentation, product

differentiation and positioning. Third, advertising plays a significant role in

contributing to revenue and profit. Fourth, advertising has a role in creating customer

satisfaction.

Advertising is the most common type of promotion which has many

advantages. It can reach to the masses at a relatively low cost per person. In addition,

the advertisement can reach geographically diverse people at the same time and is a

very expressive form of promotion because the combination of color, print, sound and

motion can make the emotional benefits. Finally, the message can be repeated and

reinforces as many times as the advertiser selects. On the other hand, there are also

many disadvantages, such as it is a one-way communication from advertiser to

consumer in which the consumer cannot ask any questions. Furthermore, it is difficultto control whether the advertisement is directed to the target customer or not. Lastly,

the total cost of placing advertisements is very expensive. OGuinn, Allen, and

Semenik (2000) discussed that advertisements in magazines also have both

advantages and disadvantages. For their advantages, magazines can attract a highly

selective audience based on demographics, lifestyles or special interests. Magazines

also offer a wide range of creative opportunities, both size of the ad, color, use of

white space and playing off the special interests of the target audience. Moreover,

magazines can be kept for long period which increases the chance of readership.


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However, there are limitations for advertising in magazines as well, such as limited

reach and frequency as well as the high cost.

2.3 CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING

For effective advertising, advertisers need to understand consumer behaviors

and their decision-making process. Mason and Ezell (1987) pointed out that the

process of consumer decision-making consists of six stages called the hierarchy of

effects model. First, awareness is the ability of a consumer to recall a brand name

either with or without prompting. Second, knowledge is the ability of a consumer to

describe the important attributes of a product or service. Third, liking is the attitude of

the consumer towards a product or service. Fourth, preference is the degree to which a

consumer feels more positive about a product or service relative to other offerings.

Fifth, conviction is the likelihood that the consumer will purchase the product or

service. Finally, purchase is the acquisition of a product or service. Such a model is

provided in Figure 1.

Figure 1General Model of the Hierarchy of Effects

Purchase

Conviction

Preference

Liking

Knowledge

Awarene

From this model marketers or advertisers should realize that not all their

consumers are at the same stage and not all people at one stage move onto the next


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stage. Furthermore, some people may need more time before moving onto the next

stage than others.

On the other hand, Burrow and Eggland (1995) explained that for maximizing

chances of a successful sale, the mental stages of consumer decision-making has only

five stages i.e. attention, interest, desire, conviction and action (AIDCA approach).

The AIDCA approach has been used for many years by sales and marketing

professionals. Normally, a customer must focus attention on an advertisement or sale

presentation first and it is important to get the customers interest in the product. A

customer moves from interest to desire when it is clear that the product meets

important needs. The desire turns to conviction when the customer determines the

product is a good value and the best choice. That leads to action, or the purchase of

the product. Sellers, marketing professionals and advertisers who are able to

determine which of the AIDCA stages each customer is at will be able to provide the

specific information that each customer needs. Such a model is provided in Figure 2

Figure 2AIDCA Approach

Attention Interest Desire Conviction Action

Moreover, Christ (2009) claimed that there are several influences affecting

consumer buying behavior, which can be classified as internal influences and external

influences. The internal influences are knowledge, attitude, personality, lifestyle and

motivation, whereas the external influences consist of group membership and

purchase situation (as cited in Tangchakvaranont, 2010, p10). Although different

researchers developed slightly different models, the basic idea is the same, which is

that people experience a sequence of psychological stages before purchasing a

product.

2.4 CONSUMERS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

In the current language situation, Thais now have a better knowledge of

English than they had in the past and English has a strong influence on the Thai


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language. This is the reason why Thai people tend to increase their use of English

code mixing in their daily life. The consumers educational level can be a good

indicator of their language proficiency with regard to understanding English. English

language proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in English.

Some of them may not be well-educated, some of them have limited English skills;

therefore, they may not fully understand advertisements containing English words. In

contrast, those people with higher education and higher linguistic intelligence are

typically good at reading, memorizing words and learning foreign languages very

easily. They also have high verbal memory, recall, and an ability to understand

foreign languages. Furthermore, consumer knowledge is one of the important

constructs in consumer behavior and information processing (Alba & Hutchinson

1987). Rao and Monroe (1988) found that product knowledge can influence how

consumers assess products. Consumers with varying levels of knowledge in a specific

product category respond differently to advertisements. Toncar and Munch (2001)

reported that when advertising agencies adopt incomplete product information,

consumers could not fully understand and they may lose the control over the

information.

2.5 RELEVANT RESEARCH

Several past studies relating to the use of code-mixing in media are as follows:

Leung (2010) studied An Empirical Study on Code Mixing in Print

Advertisements in Hong Kong. The purpose of this study was to investigate the

effect of code mixing (Chinese English) on print advertisements. The resultsshowed that most code-mixed advertisements could be understood. Furthermore,

convenience products and shopping products were noticed to be suitable to be

advertised with code-mixing. Last but not least, young people and well-educated

people preferred code mixing in advertisements.

The study of Chen (2006) The mixing of English in magazine advertisement

in Taiwan, revealed the top ten frequently used English expressions. Moreover, this

research found that English is often used to add to the colorfulness and attraction of

the advertisement. The results also indicated that most respondents had positive


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attitudes towards the use of code-mixing (Chinese English) in magazine

advertisements.

The research on English-Thai Code Mixing: A Study of Thai Television

Programmes and the Audience Attitudes by Worawalan Sopee (2545) was done to

identify and evaluate the phenomenon of English-Thai code-mixing on Thai television

in terms of its characteristics and frequency of occurrence and to analyze the

audiences attitudes. The results indicated that the majority of noun words were used

and English code mixing was most frequently found in news programs. Furthermore,

most of the audiences have a neutral attitude towards the appropriateness of using

English words mixed with Thai sentences.

Thanutcha Preechaamornkul (2005) conducted a research Code-mixing of

English and Thai in Thai Television Music Program to investigate three major parts

of English words mixed into Thai television music programs; grammatical patterns,

the function of code-mixing based on applied linguistic functions and the process of

nativized features of English words. It was found that the majority of code-mixing

used in Thai television music programs were nouns, verbs, adjectives and interjection.

Code-mixing was used frequently for emphasis and clarification even when Thai

equivalents existed. In addition, there were six nativized features found in Thai

television music programs: truncation, hybridization, conversion, semantic shift,

reduplication and word order shift.

The study on The Effect of Terminologies on Attitudes towards

Advertisements and Brands: Consumer Product Knowledge as a Moderator was

conducted by Chuang, Tsai, Cheng, and Sun (2009) in order to find out the

relationship between advertisement terminology and consumer product knowledge inthe attitudes towards advertisements and brands. This study revealed that low

consumer product knowledge individuals form significantly more favorable

advertisement attitudes and brand attitudes towards advertisements with terminologies

than towards advertisements without terminologies, but no differentially favorable

advertisement attitudes and brand attitudes are formed for high consumer product

knowledge individuals.

For this research, it is worth studying the effect of code mixing (Thai-English)

in print advertisements on product knowledge, attitudes towards advertisements and


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purchase intention to find out whether a code-mixed statement is able to achieve the

objective of the advertising or not. Moreover, the purpose of this study is to

investigate the relationship between code mixing and consumers educational

background in product knowledge, attitudes towards advertisements and purchase

intention.


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CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes: (1) the subjects, (2) data collection, (3) the procedures

used in the collection and analysis of the data and (4) the data analysis.

3.1 SUBJECTS

The subjects of this study were Thai females living in Bangkok and

surroundings including Nondhaburi, Pratumthani, Nakornprathom, Samutprakarn,

Samutsakorn and Samutsongkram. They were selected by using stratified random

sampling which was a combination of randomization and categorization. It means that

120 Thai females from different age were randomly approached in Bangkok at

shopping malls, business areas, educational institutions, organizations and companies.

They were divided into two groups according to educational level i.e. a low

educational group having educational level lower than a Bachelors degree and a high

educational group graduating in Bachelors degree or postgraduate level. The

expected number of respondents in this research was 80% from 150 people, with 120

females responding to the questionnaires.

3.2 DATA COLLECTION

Research Instrument

A self-administered questionnaire with 69 closed-ended questions was used in

this study (see Appendix A). It was divided into two parts as follows:

Part 1: Demographic Information

The objective of this part was to survey demographic data of the respondents.

There were nine questions focusing on age, nationality, educational background,

status of reading magazines, name of magazines, frequency of reading magazines,


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interest in advertisements of the respondents when they read magazines and attention

to advertisements in magazines.

Part 2: Information about the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in print

advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitude as well as purchase

intention

The second part consisted of 60 questions; 30 questions focused on code-

mixing (Thai-English) advertisement and the other 30 were used for Thai

monolingual advertisements. Both sets of questions were categorized as follows:

Items 1-7: Test of product knowledge and understanding

Items 8-14: Test of attitude towards language

Items 15-23: Test of attitude towards product image

Items 24-28: Test of purchase intention

Items 29-30: Test of attitude towards advertisements as a whole

Moreover, two facial skincare whitening products (Sisley and Loreal) were

selected as samples for this research study. Both of them were adjusted into two types

of language used in the advertisement: Thai monolingual and code mixed (Thai-

English) language attached with this section, including a statement with semantic

differential scales to access level of agreement. Respondents were asked to indicate

their answers by marking a continuum (with a tick or an X) between two bipolar

adjectives at the extremes (1 strongly disagree to 7 strongly agree).

3.3 PROCEDURES

3.3.1 The questionnaires were distributed to 150 females in various places in

Bangkok and surrounding areas in January 2011. Participants were asked for their co-

operation before answering the questionnaire and asked to return the completed

questionnaire within the same day. The participants were randomly divided into four

conditions:

1. Females having low educational background: questionnaire consisted ofcode-mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisement of product A.


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2. Females having high educational background: questionnaire consisted ofcode-mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisement of product A.

3. Females having low educational background: questionnaire consisted ofcode-mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisement of product B.

4. Females having high educational background: questionnaire consisted ofcode-mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisement of product B.

Furthermore, in order to avoid the order effect, the order of questions of code-

mixing and Thai monolingual advertisement was randomly switched. The

respondents were asked to complete scales to assess their product knowledge and

understanding, attitudes, as well as purchase intention towards both code-mixing

(Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisements.

3.3.2 After the questionnaires were collected, data analysis was made by using

the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12.0 to calculate the

frequency, percentage and mean. The hypotheses were tested by using Paired Sample

t-test. The data retrieved from the first part of questionnaire were results from

questions for screening the data of respondents such as educational background and

status of reading magazines as well as questions for investigating frequency of

reading magazines, interest in the advertisements and attention to advertisements in

magazines. They were analyzed in the form of descriptive statistics, which included

frequency and percentage.

The data retrieved from the second part of the questionnaire were answers

from 60 closed-ended questions. The semantic differential scales were used to

measure degree of product knowledge and understanding, attitude as well as purchase

intention of the respondents towards code mixing (Thai-English) and Thaimonolingual statements in print advertisements. Furthermore, the data from this part

were analyzed in the form of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation). The

semantic differential scales were ranged from 1 to 7 (1 strongly disagree to 7 strongly

agree). The larger numbers indicated more positive responses to the advertisements.

3.3.3 Moreover, there was comparison between the result of code-mixing

(Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisement towards product knowledge and

understanding, attitude towards language, product image and advertisement as a

whole as well as purchase intention to examine the overall effects of the use of code-


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mixing in print advertisement according to first three objectives of the study.

Furthermore, to investigate the relationship between code mixing and consumers

educational background on the above mentioned aspects, there was comparison

between the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual

advertisement by using respondents educational background as a moderator. The

results will be described and revealed in the next chapter.


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CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS

This chapter is divided into three sections: (1) Demographic data of the

respondents, (2) The effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in print advertisements on

product knowledge and understanding, attitudes as well as purchase intention, and (3)

The effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in print advertisements on product

knowledge and understanding, attitudes as well as purchase intention by using

consumers educational background as a moderator.

4.1 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF THE RESPONDENTS

The first part of the questionnaire focuses on the respondents demographic

data: age, nationality, place of residence, educational background, status of reading

magazines, name of magazine(s), frequency of reading magazines, interest in

advertisements of the respondents when they read magazines and attention to

advertisements in magazines.All of the respondents in this study are Thai. With respect to their place of

residence, 87.5% live in Bangkok, while the rest live in the neighboring provinces,

i.e., 5% in Nondhaburi, 4.2% in Pathumthani and 3.3% in Samutprakarn. Half of the

respondents (50%) hold qualifications lower than a bachelor's degree, while the rest

obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, with college graduates accounting for 37.5%

and those who have a postgraduate degree at 12.5%.

All other information was displayed in the form of frequency and percentage

of the respondents as following:

Table 1. Status of Reading Magazines of the Respondents

Read magazines Frequency Percentage

Yes 112 93.3

No 8 6.7

Total 120 100.0

Table 1 indicates that the respondents read magazines (93.3%),while theremaining respondents dont read magazine (6.7%).


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Table 2. Frequency of Reading Magazines of the Respondents

Frequency of reading magazine(s) Frequency Percentage

More than once in a day 7 6.3Once in a day 8 7.1

More than once in a week but not every day 50 44.6

Once in a week 21 18.8

Less often 26 23.2

Total 112 100.0

As shown in table 2, 44.6% of the respondents read magazines more than once

in a week but not every day, followed by less often (23.2%), once in a week (18.8%),

once in a day (7.1%) and more than once in a day (6.3%).

Table 3. Interest in the Advertisements of the Respondents When They Read

Magazines

Interest Frequency Percentage

Very interested 2 1.8

Interested 35 31.3

Moderately interested 36 32.1

Of little interest 34 30.4

Uninterested 5 4.5Total 112 100.0

Table 3 shows 32.1% of the respondents were moderately interested in the

advertisements when they read magazines, followed by interested (31.3%), of little

interest (30.4%), uninterested (4.5%) and very interested (1.8%).

Table 4. Attention of the Respondents to Advertisements in Magazines

Attention Frequency Percentage

Always 1 .9

Very Often 8 7.1

Sometimes 68 60.7

Rarely 30 26.8

Never 5 4.5

Total 112 100.0

As shown in table 4, 60.7% of the respondents sometimes paid attention to

advertisements when they read magazines, 26.8% rarely, 7.1% very often, 4.5%

never, 0.9% always.


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According to the result from table 1-4, the majority of respondents tended to

not pay much attention to advertisements in magazines. Moreover, the chance of

reading magazines also was not so often, only more than once in a week but not every

day; however, most of them seemed to be interested in the advertisements when they

read magazines.

4.2 THE EFFECT OF CODE-MIXING (THAI-ENGLISH) IN PRINT


UNDERSTANDING, ATTITUDES AS WELL AS PURCHASE INTENTION

This section focuses on the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in print

advertisements on knowledge and understanding, attitudes towards language, product

image and advertisements as a whole as well as purchase intention by comparing

them with Thai monolingual advertisements. Closed-ended questions with a semantic

differential scale were used to measure the degree of attitude with the factor

components. The findings show in the form of mean and statistic deviation.

Table 5. Overall Effects of Code-Mixing in Print Advertisements on Product

Knowledge and Understanding, Attitude Towards Language, Product Image and

Advertisements as a Whole as well as Purchase Intention

Description Code-mixing(Thai-English)advertisements

Thai monolingualadvertisements

t df P

x S.D. Level of

agreement x S.D. Level of

agreement

1. Knowledge andunderstanding

4.74 1.02 SlightlyAgree

4.02 1.02 Neutral 5.118 119 .000*

2. Attitude towardlanguage

4.45 1.08 SlightlyAgree

4.18 1.13 Neutral 2.054 119 .042*

3. Attitude towardsproduct image

4. Attitude towardadvertisements as awhole

4.23

4.11

0.98

1.09

Neutral

Neutral

3.85

4.23

1.06

1.12

Neutral

Neutral

4.048

1.129

119

119

.000*

.261

5. Purchase intention 3.58 1.08 SlightlyDisagree

3.58 1.20 SlightlyDisagree

.089 119 .929

*p < 0.05.


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Table 5 indicates that the use of code-mixing in print advertisements caused

better knowledge and understanding than Thai monolingual advertisements. The

respondents slightly agreed that code-mixed language in advertisements conveyed

messages effectively evidenced by the mean of 4.74, while they had neutral opinion

toward Thai monolingual advertisement ( x =4.02).

In addition, the respondents gave their opinions that the use of code-mixed

statements in advertisements could create more positive attitude toward language,

evidenced by the mean of 4.45 on attitude toward code-mixed language scale. The

mean for product image is 4.23, more than the absence of code-mixed statements

(3.85). On the other hand, as revealed by table 5, the use of either code-mixed or Thai

monolingual statements in advertisements had no significant impact on a consumers

attitude toward advertisement as a whole. The respondents had neutral attitude toward

both code-mixing and Thai monolingual advertisements. The means for code-mixing

and Thai monolingual are 4.11 and 4.23 respectively.

Lastly, table 5 indicates that the use of either code-mixed or Thai monolingual

statements in advertisements generally had no significant impact on customers

purchase intention. The respondents slightly disagreed with overall statements testing

purchase intention evidenced by the mean of3.58 of both code-mixing (Thai-English)

and Thai monolingual advertisements.

4.3 THE EFFECT OF CODE-MIXING (THAI-ENGLISH) IN PRINT


UNDERSTANDING, ATTITUDES AND PURCHASE INTENTION BY USING

CONSUMER EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AS A MODERATOR

As one of objectives of the study is to explore the relationship between code

mixing and consumer educational background on knowledge and understanding,

attitudes and purchase intention, there was comparison between the effect of code-

mixing (Thai-English) and Thai monolingual advertisements. In addition, the

respondents were divided into two groups according to their educational level: Low

educational background respondents held qualifications lower than a bachelor's


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degree while high educational background respondents obtained a bachelor's degree

or higher. The findings show in the form of mean and statistic deviation.

Table 6. Product Knowledge and Understanding When the Respondents Read

Code-Mixing (Thai-English) and Thai Monolingual Statements in Advertisements

Low educational background High educational background

Item Code-mixing(Thai-English)advertisements

Thai monolingualadvertisements

Code-mixing(Thai-English)advertisements

Thaimonolingual

advertisements

x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement

1. I understand messages clearly. 4.17 Neutral 4.82 Slightly

Agree

5.65 Moderately

Agree

3.73 Neutral

2. I think the language in this printadvertisement is informative.

4.20 Neutral 4.52 Slightly

Agree

5.45 Moderately

Agree

3.50 Slightly

Disagree

3. I think the language in this printadvertisement gives me knowledgeabout the product.

4.48 SlightlyAgree

4.67 SlightlyAgree

5.47 ModeratelyAgree

3.58 SlightlyDisagree

4. I think the language in this printadvertisement gives me moreunderstanding about the product.

5. If some Thai translated words inthis print advertisement are changedinto English it gives me moreunderstanding about theproduct.(Thai monolingual ad) / Ifsome English translated words in

this print advertisement are changedinto Thai it gives me moreunderstanding about theproduct.(Code-mixing ad)

4.35

4.43

Neutral

Neutral

4.52

3.92

SlightlyAgree

Neutral

5.35

3.45

Moderately

Agree

SlightlyDisagree

3.55

5.27

SlightlyDisagree

SlightlyAgree

6. The language in this printadvertisement does not confuse me.

3.80 Neutral 4.65 SlightlyAgree

5.22 SlightlyAgree


7. The language in this print

advertisement can be read smoothly.

3.75 Neutral 4.58 Slightly

Agree

4.83 Slightly

Agree

3.38 Slightly

Disagree

Product knowledge andunderstanding (overall)

4.17 Neutral 4.52 SlightlyAgree

5.32 SlightlyAgree


Note. Low educational background respondents hold qualifications lower than a

bachelor's degree while high educational background respondents obtained a

bachelor's degree or higher.


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From table 6, the relationship between code-mixing (Thai-English) statements

in print advertisements and consumers educational background on product

knowledge and understanding of the respondents shows as following:

Low Educational Background

The low educational background respondents had neutral opinion with overall

statements testing on product knowledge and understanding towards code-mixing

(Thai-English) advertisements evidenced by the meanof 4.17. For the details, 36.7%

of them slightly agree that the language in code-mixed print advertisements gives

them knowledge about the product ( x = 4.48), followed by if some English

translated words in this code-mixed advertisement are changed into Thai makes them

more understanding about the product ( x = 4.43). However, they gave neutral

opinion that the language in code-mixed advertisement can be read smoothly. ( x =

3.75).

In addition, they slightly agreed with overall statements testing on product

knowledge and understanding towards Thai monolingual advertisements evidenced by

the meanof 4.52. For the details, 31.7% of low educational background respondents

slightly agreed that they understood messages clearly ( x =4.82), followed by the

language in the print advertisement gives them knowledge about the product ( x

=4.67). Nevertheless, they had neutral agreement with if some Thai translated words

in this print advertisement are changed into English makes me more understanding

about the product at the lowest score, evidenced by the meanof 3.92.

High educational background

The high educational background respondents slightly agreed with overall

statements testing on product knowledge and understanding towards code-mixing

(Thai-English) advertisements evidenced by the meanof 5.32. For the details, 31.7%

of them moderately agreed with understanding messages clearly ( x =5.65), followed

by they think the language in this print advertisement gives them knowledge about the


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product ( x =5.47). On the other hand, they slightly disagreed if some English

translated words in this print advertisement are changed into Thai makes me more

understanding about the product ( x =3.45).

In addition, they slightly disagreed with overall statements testing on product

knowledge and understanding towards Thai monolingual advertisement evidenced by

the mean of 3.52. For the details, 31.7% of the respondents slightly agreed that if

some Thai translated words in this print advertisement are changed into English

makes me more understanding about the product ( x =5.27), followed by

understanding messages clearly ( x =3.73). Nevertheless, they slightly disagreed that

the language in Thai monolingual advertisements can be read smoothly ( x =3.38).

Table 7. Paired Sample T-Test between Code-Mixing (Thai-English) and Thai

Monolingual Advertisements on Product Knowledge and Understanding

Respondents Code-mixing

(Thai-English)

advertisements

Thai

monolingual

advertisements

Paired

Differences

t df P

x S.D.

xS.D.

xS.D.

Low education 4.17 0.83 4.52 0.94 -0.35 0.92 2.978 59 .004*

High education 5.32 0.85 3.52 0.83 1.80 1.27 10.981 59 .000*




*p< 0.05.

As shown in table 7, when paired sample t-test was used, a significant impact

on product knowledge and understanding was found between code mixing (Thai-

English) and Thai monolingual advertisements (t>0 and p


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Table 8. Attitude towards Language When the Respondents Read Code-Mixing

(Thai-English) and Thai Monolingual Advertisements



Thaimonolingual

advertisementsCode-mixing

(Thai-English)advertisements

Thaimonolingual

advertisementsx

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement

8. I feel comfortable with the

language used in this print

advertisement.

3.95 Neutral

4.58

Slightly

Agree

5.02

Slightly

Agree

4.23 Neutral

9. I feel at ease with the

language used in this printadvertisement.

3.92

Neutral 4.20 Neutral 4.88

Slightly

Agree

4.12 Neutral

10. The language used in this

print advertisement is not

irritating.

3.83

Neutral

4.53 Slightly

Agree

4.82

Slightly

Agree

4.13 Neutral

11. I think the language used

in this print advertisement is

good.

4.02

Neutral 4.25 Neutral 5.03 Slightly

Agree

4.03 Neutral

12. I think the language used

in this print advertisement is

favorable.

3.95 Neutral 3.98 Neutral 5.05

Slightly

Agree

3.78 Neutral

13. I feel positive about the

language used in this print

advertisement.

4.10


Slightly

Agree

4.22 Neutral

14. I like the language used

in this print advertisement.

3.88


Slightly

Agree

4.07 Neutral

Attitude toward language

(overall)

3.95 Neutral 4.29 Neutral 4.95

Slightly

Agree

4.08 Neutral




As shown in table 8, the result of respondents attitudes towards code-mixing

(Thai-English) language used in advertisements compared with the use of Thaimonolingual shows as following:


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Low educational background

The low educational background respondents had neutral attitude towards

using code-mixing (Thai-English) in advertisements evidenced by the meanof 3.95.

For the details 53.3% of the respondents had neutral attitude towards feeling positive

about the code-mixed language used in advertisements ( x =4.10), followed by the

language used in this print advertisement is good ( x =4.02). But they gave neutral

attitude towards code-mixed language used in this print advertisement is not

irritating at the lowest point ( x =3.83).

Furthermore, they had neutral attitude towards using Thai monolingual in

advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.29. For the details, 43.3% of the

respondents slightly agree with I feel comfortable with Thai monolingual used in this

print advertisement ( x =4.58), followed by the language used in this print

advertisement is not irritating ( x =4.53). However, they gave neutral attitude towards

the language used in this print advertisement is favorable at the lowest point ( x

=3.98).


The high educational background respondents slightly agreed towards using

code-mixing (Thai-English) in advertisements evidenced by the meanof 4.95. For the

details, 26.7% of the respondents slightly agreed with I feel positive about the code-

mixed language used in this print advertisement ( x =5.07), followed by the

language used in this print advertisement is favorable ( x =5.05). Nevertheless, they

slightly agreed with the code-mixed language used in this print advertisement is not

irritating and I like the language used in this print advertisement as the lowest

point ( x =4.82).

On the other hand, they had neutral attitude towards using Thai monolingual

in advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.08. For the details, 33.3% of therespondents gave neutral attitude towards I feel comfortable with the language used


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in this print advertisement as the highest point ( x =4.23), followed by I feel positive

about the language used in this print advertisement ( x =4.22). However, they had

neutral attitude towards the language used in this print advertisement is favorable as

the lowest point ( x =3.78).


Monolingual Advertisements on Attitude toward Language


(Thai-English)advertisementsThai

monolingualadvertisementsPaired

Differences

t df P

x S.D.

xS.D.

xS.D.

Low education 3.95 0.95 4.29 1.17 -0.34 1.24 -2.097 59 .040*

High education 4.95 0.96 4.08 1.09 0.87 1.35 4.983 59 .000*

Note. Low educational background respondents held qualifications lower than a



*p< 0.05.

From table 9, when paired sample t-test was used, a significant impact on

attitude towards language was found between the use of code-mixed (Thai-English)

and Thai monolingual statements in advertisements (t>0 and p


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Table 10. Attitude towards Product Image When the Respondents Read Code-

Mixing (Thai-English) and Thai Monolingual Advertisements


Item Code-mixing(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual


(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual

advertisementsx

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement

15. The language used in this print

advertisement makes me interestedin the product.

4.05 Neutral 4.03 Neutral 4.00 Neutral 3.92 Neutral

16. I think the language used in thisprint advertisement is attractive.

4.08

Neutral 4.00

Neutral 4.02

Neutral 3.80 Neutral

17. I think the language used in thisprint advertisement has strongappeal.


18. I think the language used in thisadvertisement makes me believe inthe quality of the product.


19. I think the language used in this

print advertisement is persuasive.


20. I think the language used in thisprint advertisement makes theproduct image good.

4.65 SlightlyAgree

4.07 Neutral 4.33 Neutral 3.62 Neutral


print advertisement makes theproduct image modern.

4.78

Slightly

Agree

4.02 Neutral 4.50

Slightly

Agree3.50 Slightly

Disagree

22. I think the language used in thisprint advertisement makes theproduct image premium.

4.43


SlightlyAgree

3.73 Neutral


print advertisement makes the

product image satisfactory.


Attitude towards the product image(overall)





From table 10, the attitudes towards product image when the respondents read

code-mixing (Thai-English) advertisements comparing with Thai monolingual

advertisements shows as below:


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The low educational background respondents had neutral attitude towards

product image when code-mixing (Thai-English) was used in advertisements

evidenced by the mean of 4.30. For the details, 45% of the respondents had neutral

attitude towards the code-mixed language used in this print advertisement makes the

product image modern ( x =4.78), followed by the language used in this print

advertisement makes the product image good ( x =4.65). However, they gave neutral

attitude towards the code-mixed language used in advertisement has strong appeal

at the lowest point ( x =4.02).

Moreover, they also gave neutral attitude towards product image when Thai

monolingual was used in advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.00. For the

details, 45% of them had neutral attitude that the language used in this advertisement

makes me believe in the quality of the product ( x =4.12) as the strongest point,

followed by the language used in this print advertisement makes the product image

good ( x =4.07). However, they gave neutral attitude that the language used in this

print advertisement makes the product image premium ( x =3.85) at the lowest point.


Table 10 indicates that high educational background respondents gave neutral

attitude towards product image when code-mixing (Thai-English) was used in

advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.16. For the details, 26.7% of the

respondents slightly agreed that the code-mixed language used in this print

advertisement makes the product image modern ( x =4.50), followed by the code-

mixed language used in this print advertisement makes the product image premium

(4.45). At the lowest point, they had neutral attitude towards the code-mixed

language used in this print advertisement has strong appeal ( x =3.90).

In addition, they also had neutral attitude towards product image when Thai



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details, 40% of the respondents had neutral attitude towards Thai monolingual used

in this print advertisement makes them interested in the product the most ( x =3.92),

followed by the language used in this advertisement makes them believe in the

quality of the product ( x =3.82). At the lowest score, they slightly disagreed with

the language used in this print advertisement makes the product image modern ( x

=3.50).


Monolingual Advertisements on Attitude toward Product Image


(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual

advertisementsPaired

Differences

t df P

x S.D.

xS.D.

xS.D.

Low education 4.30 0.82 4.00 1.04 0.30 0.92 2.530 59 .014*

High education 4.16 1.13 3.70 1.06 0.46 1.14 3.153 59 .003*




*p< 0.05.

As shown in table 11, when paired sample t-test was used, a significant impact

on attitude towards product image was found between code-mixing (Thai-English)

and Thai monolingual advertisements (t


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Table 12. Attitude towards Advertisement as a Whole When the Respondents Read

Code-Mixing (Thai-English) and Thai Monolingual Advertisements


Item Code-mixing(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual


(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual

advertisementsx

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement

29. I understand this print

advertisement as a whole.

4.20

Neutral

4.67 Slightly

Agree

4.28 Neutral 4.30 Neutral

30. I like the overall of this

print advertisement.


Attitude towardadvertisement as a whole





From table 12, the attitude towards advertisement as a whole when the

respondents read code-mixing (Thai-English) advertisements by comparing with Thai

monolingual advertisements shows as following:


As can be seen in table 12, the low educational background respondents also

gave neutral attitude towards advertisement as a whole when code-mixing (Thai-

English) was used in advertisements evidenced by the meanof 4.08. For the details,

they had neutral attitude towards understanding code-mixing print advertisement as a

whole more than like the overall of the print advertisement ( x =4.20, 4.17).

In addition, they also had neutral attitude towards advertisement as a whole

when Thai monolingual was used in advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.42.

For the details, they slightly agreed with understanding Thai monolingual print

advertisement as a whole more than like the overall of the print advertisement ( x

=4.67, 3.97).


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As shown in table 12, the high educational background respondents had

neutral attitude towards advertisement as a whole when code-mixing (Thai-English)

was used in advertisements evidenced by the meanof 4.14. For the details, they also

had neutral attitude towards understanding code-mixed print advertisement as a whole

more than like the overall of the print advertisement ( x =4.28, 4.00).

Furthermore, they also had neutral attitude advertisement as a whole when

Thai monolingual was used in advertisements evidenced by the meanof 4.05. For the

details, they gave neutral attitude towards understanding Thai monolingual print

advertisement as a whole more than like the overall of the advertisement ( x =4.30,

3.80).

Table 13. Paired Sample T-Test between Code-Mixing (Thai-English and Thai

Monolingual Advertisements on Attitude towards Advertisement as a whole


(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual


Differences

t df P

x S.D.

xS.D.

xS.D.

Low education 4.08 1.07 4.42 1.15 -0.34 1.18 -2.179 59 .033*

High education 4.14 1.11 4.05 1.06 0.09 1.13 .629 59 .532




*p< 0.05.

From table 13, when paired sample t-test was used, no significant impact on

attitude towards advertisement as a whole was found between code-mixing (Thai-

English) and Thai monolingual advertisements (t>0 and p


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attitude toward advertisement as a whole with Thai monolingual advertisements than

code-mixing (Thai-English) advertisements.

Table 14. Purchase Intention When the Respondents Read Code-Mixing (Thai-

English) and Thai Monolingual Advertisements



Thaimonolingual


(Thai-English)advertisements

Thaimonolingual

advertisementsx

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement x

Level ofagreement

24. I would consider buying

the product advertised.

3.87

Neutral 3.92 Neutral 3.83 Neutral 3.63 Neutral

25. It is probable that I will

buy the product advertised.

3.67 Neutral 3.80 Neutral 3.70 Neutral 3.53 Slightly

Disagree

26. It is very likely that I will


3.60 Neutral 3.98 Neutral 3.63 Neutral 3.40 Slightly

Disagree

27. I would seek out the

product advertised.

3.35 Slightly

Disagree

3.55 Slightly

Disagree

3.53 Slightly

Disagree

3.28 Slightly

Disagree

28. I would definitely like to


3.18 Slightly

Disagree

3.47 Slightly

Disagree

3.47 Slightly

Disagree

3.18 Slightly

Disagree

Purchase intention

(overall)

3.53 Slightly

Disagree

3.74 Neutral 3.63 Neutral 3.41 Slightly

Disagree




As shown in table 14, the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English) in

advertisements on purchase intention of the respondents by comparing with Thai

monolingual shows as below:


The low educational background respondents slightly disagreed with purchase

intention when code-mixing (Thai-English) was used in advertisements evidenced by


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the meanof 3.53. For the details, 56.7% of the respondents gave neutral opinion that

they would consider buying the product advertised ( x =3.87), followed by it is

probable that they will buy the product advertised ( x =3.67). However, they slightly

disagreed that they would definitely like to buy the product advertised ( x =3.18).

Moreover, they had neutral agreement with purchase intention when Thai


details, 40% of the respondents gave neutral opinion towardit is very likely that I

will buy the product advertised as the highest point ( x =3.98), followed by they

would consider buying the product advertised ( x =3.92). For the lowest point, they

slightly disagreed that they would definitely like to buy the product advertised ( x

=3.47).


The high educational background respondents had neutral opinion about

purchase intention when code-mixing (Thai-English) was used in advertisements

evidenced by the meanof 3.63. For the details, 38.3% of the respondents had neutral

opinion that they would consider buying the product advertised ( x =3.83), followed

by it is probable that they will buy the product advertised ( x =3.70). And they slightly

disagreed that they would definitely like to buy the product advertised ( x =3.47).

In addition, they slightly disagreed with purchase intention when Thai


details, 31.7% of the respondents gave neutral opinion that they would consider

buying the product advertised ( x =3.63), followed by it is probable that I will buy the

product advertised ( x =3.53). At the lowest point, they slightly disagreed that they

would definitely like to buy the product advertised ( x =3.18).


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Monolingual Advertisement on Purchase Intention


(Thai-English)

advertisementsThai

monolingual


Differences

t df P

x S.D.

xS.D.

xS.D.

Low education 3.53 0.97 3.74 1.10 -0.21 0.84 -1.933 59 .058

High education 3.63 1.19 3.41 1.27 0.22 1.14 1.537 59 .130




*p< 0.05.

As shown in table 15, when paired sample t-test was used, no significant

impact on purchase intention was found between code- mixing (Thai-English) and

Thai monolingual advertisements (p>0.05). Therefore, in the opinions of both

respondents having high and low educational background, code-mixing (Thai-

English) advertisements did not have effect on their purchase intention more than

Thai monolingual advertisements.


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CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This research paper has provided a preliminary study of the effect of

code-mixing (Thai-English) in print advertisements on product knowledge and

understanding, attitudes toward advertisements and purchase intention. It aims to

examine the relation between code mixing and consumers educational background,

attitudes and purchase intention. A total of 120 self-administered questionnaires were

collected from Thai females living in Bangkok and neighboring provinces and

selected by using stratified random sampling. The present study helps to understand

the effects of using code-mixing (Thai-English) and the relationship between code

mixing and consumers educational background in product knowledge and

understanding, attitudes toward advertisements and purchase intention.

5.1 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY5.1.1 Objectives of the Study

The study aims to investigate the effect of code-mixing (Thai-English)

in print advertisements on product knowledge and understanding, attitudes and

purchase intention. The sub-objective of this study was to explore the relationship

between code mixing and consumers educational background in product knowledge,

attitudes toward advertisements and purchase intention.

5.1.2 Subjects, Data Collection and Procedures5.1.2.1 The subjects of this study were 120 Thai females living in

Bangkok and neighboring provinces including Nondhaburi, Pratumthani,

Nakornprathom, Samutprakarn, Samutsakorn and Samutsongkram. The subjects

consisted of 60 respondents holding qualifications lower than a bachelor's degree, 45

people obtained a bachelor's degree and 15 respondents had a postgraduate degree.

They were selected by using stratified random sampling which was a combination of

randomization and categorization.


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5.1.2.2 The study was conducted using a self-administeredquestionnaire with 69 closed-ended questions. The questionnaire consisted of two

parts: demographic information and information about the effect of code-mixing

(Thai-English) in print advertisements on product knowledge and understanding,

attitudes toward advertisements as well as purchase intention. In addition, two facial

skincare whitening products were selected as samples for this study. Both of them

were adjusted into two types of language used in advertisements: Thai monolingual

and code mixed (Thai-English) language.

5.1.2.3The data obtained from questionnaires were analyzed using theStatistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 12.0 for frequency,

percentage, mean and standard deviation. Moreover, the hypotheses were tested by

using Paired Sample t-test.

5.2 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

5.2.1 Demographic Information of the Respondents

The total number of respondents was 120 Thai females. The majority

of the respondents lived in Bangkok. Half of the respondents (50%) hold

qualifications lower than a bachelor's degree, while the rest obtained a bachelor's

degree or higher. The majority of respondents seemed to not pay attention to

advertisements in magazines much. Moreover, the chance of reading magazines also

was not so often; only more than once in a week but not every day. However, most of

them tended to be interested in the advertisements when they read magazines.

5.2.2 The Effect of Code-Mixing (Thai-English) in Print Advertisements

on Product Knowledge and Understanding, Attitudes as well as Purchase

Intention.

39.2% of the respondents believed that advertisements containing

code-mixing could convey messages effectively and created better knowledge and

understanding than Thai monolingual advertisements evidenced by the mean of 4.74.

40% of the respondents thought that the advertisements containing code-mixing


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created positive attitude toward language in advertising ( x = 4.45) and 40.8% of them

had positive attitude toward product image when mixed English terms were used in

advertisements ( x = 4.23). On the other hand, they believed that the use of code-

mixed statements in advertisements did not have an impact on their attitudes toward

advertisement as a whole.

Furthermore, 43.3% of the respondents generally gave opinions that

advertisements containing code-mixing could not convince them to buy the product

and had no influence on their purchase intention.

5.2.3 The Effect of Code-Mixing (Thai-English) in Print Advertisements

on Product Knowledge and Understanding, Attitudes as well as Purchase

Intention by Using Consumer Educational Background as a Moderator

5.2.3.1 It was found thatadvertisements containing code-mixing could

convey messages to the audience effectively better than Thai monolingual for

respondents with high educational background, but the respondents with low

educational background had product knowledge and understanding when code-mixed(Thai-English) statements were used in advertisements less than Thai monolingual

advertisements. 35% of high educational background respondents agreed that they

had product knowledge and understanding towards code-mixing (Thai-English)

advertisements evidenced by the mean

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