A Comparative Study on Civic Consciousness between Pre-service Teachers in Thailand and Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the civic consciousness of pre-service teachers in Thailand and Korea to understand the educational culture of each country and to obtain implications for teacher education. As a result, the following results were obtained. First, Thai pre-service teachers considered the advantages of Thailand's education system providing good educational opportunities, and Korea is gaining the effects of good education. The disadvantages were Thailand's unchanging conservative education system and excessive learning, and Korea's entrance exam-oriented education system and simple teaching methods. According to the opinions of prospective teachers, both countries should make efforts to utilize the advantages and improve the disadvantages. Second, in terms of perception of the government and law, Korean pre-service teachers are more obedient to the government's authority than Thai pre-service teachers, and are also obedient to adults, teachers, and parents. On the other hand, Thai pre-service teachers thought that the judicial system was more fair than Korean pre-service teachers. In the case of Korea, the conservative and progressive regimes change frequently, so the results are likely to vary at each point of investigation. This is thought to be the same for Thailand. Third, when it comes to Asian traditional culture and identity, Thai and Korean pre-service teachers showed an attitude of empathy, and Korean pre-service teachers generally emphasized relatively higher morality and mental maturity as citizens. Fourth, when it comes to public services, Korean pre-service teachers were more critical of politicians' morality, corruption of co-authored services, and connectionism than Thai pre-service teachers. Considering the impact of teachers on students' attitudes and behaviors as democratic citizens, it is expected that the two countries will have many implications for the direction of teacher education in relation to democratic civic education if they expand the scope of investigation.