What do Thai policy makers think about education?

Richard Watson ToddKing Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi

Some recent history

• Some positive moves– National Education Act of 1999

• “an ideal law that upholds the philosophy of education [and] makes the process of learning a priority” (Bangkok Post, 2002)

• The learning process should include accounting for individual differences, training in thinking skills and problem solving, learning from authentic experience, using technology, and promoting lifelong learning

Some recent history

• Some positive moves– First National Education Standards in 2004

include foreign language learning• “Use English language in searching for knowledge

relevant to other subjects to widen world knowledge”

• “Use English specifically for communication, management in learning, further education and careers”

• “Use English to work with other people harmoniously”

Some recent history

• Some positive moves– Plans to decentralise decision making in

education• Local initiatives in materials design• Initiatives shared in conferences

• But little real decentralisation

A quick test

• How many Ministers of Education have there been in the last 10 years?

• How old does a book need to be before it is removed from the MoE list of recommended textbooks?

• What was the average score on the English section of the multiple-choice based university entrance exam (O-NET) this year?

Some recent history

• Some less beneficial developments– 12 Ministers of Education in the last 10 years

• Ministers promote their own initiatives (e.g. brain-based learning in 2005)

• With a change of Minister, initiatives are dropped

– Recommended textbooks• Ministry provides list of textbooks to use at

different levels• While some books are valuable, in 2003 the

audiolingual Kernel (published in 1971) was still recommended

Some recent history

• Some less beneficial developments– Impact of multiple-choice tests

• Influence of University Entrance system• O-NET and A-NET are multiple-choice• 50% of secondary school marks come from

multiple-choice• This year, the average score on the English O-

NET was 19.22%

The current situation

• Some promising developments

• Very little impact on education nationally

• English language education in Thailand still lacks quality with poor results

Making beneficial changes

• Many potentially beneficial local initiatives, but top-down decision making restricts their impact

• For initiatives to have an impact beyond the local, Thai policy makers need to be on board

• Need to understand the thinking and beliefs of Thai educational policy makers

Methodology: The data

• Critical analysis of Thai policy makers’ statements

• Data = newspaper articles from the last 6 years either written by or extensively quoting policy makers

• Policy makers = Ministers of Education, high-ranking civil servants, university presidents

Methodology: The analysis

• Search for shell nouns with educational implications (e.g. goal, method)

• Examine specific context of use

• Identify a theme

• Only themes discussed at length by 3 policy makers are judged important themes

Theme 1: Curriculum ideology

• 4 main curriculum ideologies:– Learner-centredness (inspiring personal

development)– Academic rationalism (increasing knowledge for its

own sake)– Social and economic efficiency (serving country’s

needs)– Social reconstructionism (developing society to be

fairer)

• Which ideology do Thai policy makers follow?

Theme 1: Curriculum ideology

• “Education is important to Thailand because quality education will produce a valuable workforce that could serve the demand in the globalised world and improve the country’s competitiveness” (Wijit Srisa-arn)

• “Top level companies only hire the best, and if the institutes or universities are not producing graduates who match the market requirements, chances of them getting hired are remote.” (Tej Bunnag)

Theme 1: Curriculum ideology

• Strong emphasis on social and economic efficiency as the curriculum ideology

• Conflict with the National Education Act that emphasises learner-centredness (“The substance of the curricula shall aim at human development”)

Theme 1: Curriculum ideology

• “This instrumental need for education viewed people as tools for economic growth. Children were supposed to learn how to become efficient and obedient workers and subjects. The goal was not for most of those children to enjoy the fruits of development during their lifetime but rather for them to work for the good of the “nation” which truly meant the growth of Bangkok and the interests of the elite.” (Feigenblatt et al., 2010)

Theme 2: Promoting morals

• “The ultimate goal is producing capable people with good morality, not just capable people¨ (Wijit Srisa-arn)

• “[The goal is for students to] have knowledge in their brain and also have good social skills and moral virtues in their heart” (Virachai Techavijit)

• “Parents and school staff are placing too much emphasis on exams and competition between students, despite the fact that fostering virtue, social skills and a positive attitude towards learning is the most important thing for children.” (Abhisit Vejjajiva)

Theme 2: Promoting morals

• 3 stages in moral development:– Preconventional morality (based on obedience)– Conventional morality (based on interpersonal harmony)– Postconventional morality (based on the social contract)

• Thai policy makers appear to promote preconventional morality

• “Students were and are still taught mostly about how to behave and what to believe in primary school ... The ideal is to shape children into submissive workers who are satisfied with what they have and who do not question authority” (Feigenblatt et al., 2010)

Theme 3: Promoting critical and analytical thinking

• “The first pillar is a new generation of Thai people who will be able to think critically and analytically ... I assigned all MoE agencies to design methods whereby students can develop increased critical thinking skills and analytical acumen ... OBEC will be instructed to adopt methods which focus on critical thinking.” (Jurin Laksanavisit)

Theme 3: Promoting critical and analytical thinking

• Use of aptitude tests in university entrance• Evidence of the effectiveness of tuition classes

in increasing scores on aptitude tests• Teaching of thinking becomes a set of skills to

learn to pass an exam• “In other countries, they define analytical

thinking of students as far broader than forcing them to practise analytical skills in class and only as specified by the school curriculum” (Khunying Kasama Voravan Na Ayudhaya)

Theme 4: Reforming teaching methods

• “English language teaching methods should be changed from learning by rote and grammar to communication with a focus on speaking, writing and comprehension ... Teachers should not “force-feed” students but devise spontaneous methods of conducting classes to make lessons interesting.” (Chaturon Chaisaeng)

Theme 4: Reforming teaching methods

• “The second pillar comprises highly trained teachers who are able to teach our children using modern teaching pedagogies ... Almost all of Thailand’s 500,000 existing and long-serving teachers, administrators and managers will need to be retrained to use modern teaching methods ... all 500,000 teachers will be trained to a single standard, using a single high-quality curriculum” (Jurin Laksanavisit)

Theme 4: Reforming teaching methods

• ‘Modern’ teaching methods are necessarily better than traditional methods

• There is a single best method to be followed

The beliefs of Thai policy makers

• The goal of education is to produce a workforce

• A set of predetermined morals needs to be instilled in students

• There is a single best modern teaching method

• Critical and analytical thinking should be promoted

Implications for teachers

• A cynical implication– Where work requires consent from senior

figures, pay lip-service to the policies– E.g. when designing a new curriculum,

include an objective concerning morals

Implications for teachers

• A slightly more positive implication– Teachers have good ideas for innovations– If innovations are to have a wide impact, they

need to be marketed– Traditionally, marketing innovations involves

conference presentations– For a wider impact, marketing should involve

blogging, writing newspaper articles– In such marketing, including reference to

policies may help

Overall argument

• ELT in Thailand is not very effective• Developing ELT relies on top-down decision

making• Policy makers’ beliefs are problematic• Teachers have good ideas and should influence

decision making more• Awareness of policy makers’ beliefs can help to

influence decision making• The balance in developing Thai ELT needs to be

redressed to involve more bottom-up input