Tertiary education reform in Thailand : a case study of the reform at a Rajabhat Institute

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with tertiary education reform at a Rajabhat Institute. The reform has been fiamed by the National Education Act of 1999. The specific focus of this thesis is on six areas critical to the process of reform of tertiary education and to the successfid conversion of Rajabhat Institutes fiom teachers' colleges to university status. The principle of excellence has been an inherent and integral part of tertiary education. The rapid progress and changes in technology, politics and the economy have raised questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of tertiary education institutions worldwide, thus reform in tertiary education is a world wide phenomenon and Thailand is no exception, particularly in the case of Rajabhat Institutes. In the move to become a university and to remain competitive, crucial reform measures had to be initiated by the institution. This research has been undertaken to understand the developments as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the reform process in a Rajabhat Institute. Suggestions and recommendations are made to support the pursuit of further improvements at one Rajabhat Institute and possibly at other Rajabhat Institutes as well. The study is contextualized through focusing on three issues, namely: the history of educational reform in Thailand, the impact of globalization, and legislative and political reform in Thailand. Early chapters provide deep analysis of the political and educational reforms in Thailand since King Chulalongkorn's reform movement, which began in 1892, until the recent reform in 1992, which resulted in the proclamation of the Constitution in 1997 and the National Education Act in 1999. The methodology for this research is qualitative inquiry through a case study which focuses on six research questions pertaining to tertiary educational reform in one Rajabhat Institute. The fiamework is derived fiom the provisions pertaining to educational reform in the National Education Act of 1999. The case study is conducted through two specific data sets, interviews and documentary analysis, made richer by personal observation and local knowledge as an insider researcher. After collecting the data fiom the institute, the interview data are analyzed and managed into the form of transcripts, then composed into the narrative report while the documentary data are analyzed, managed and represented in the form of tables in many cases, before composing the final narrative report. Findings from the documentary analysis supported findings from the interview data in the areas of the six research questions with the feeling that in all cases a great deal more needs to be done: (1) Reform of teaching and learning, particularly the learner-centered approach, has started at RIKP; (2) Educational administration and management is beginning to change in the direction of academic freedom, institutional autonomy and accountability; (3) The institute will need to develop further their internal quality assessment methods and tools, and ensure that they are consistent with its own directions. All action should be taken in accordance with the recommendations from the Office of National Education Standard and Quality Assessment in order to improve the quality of education; (4) There is an urgent need to improve the levels of education of the faculty staff with more incentives needed to encourage faculty staff to conduct research in order that more staff may be promoted to the rank of assistant professor, associate professor and full professor; (5) The tertiary educational reform process requires that multiple sources for hding be found. This will need to include requiring students to bear greater costs for their own education while not forgoing the equity principle of ensuring access to all; (6) The leadership of RIKP promotes and supports the use of technology for education. The institute has committed major h d s to procuring computers but there are still shortfalls in this area, both where teaching and administration are concerned, and the Institute will need to work on creative ways of managing this problem. The conclusion indicates that reform in line with the 1999 National Education Act is still in the early stages. There is progress but to become an internationally competitive university RIKP still has a long way to go. It is hoped that this thesis will be useful in this journey.