Basic Education Core Curriculum Research Articles

TIGA-Based English Learning Platform for Language Learner Competency Development in a Digital Environment

This study aimed to develop and implement a digital learning platform (DLP) for English language learners at the junior high school level in Thailand. The study emphasizes the necessity of customizing digital tools to individual needs and behaviors for effective implementation. The successive approximation model (SAM) (Herrholtz, 2020) was used for instructional design, focusing on rapid prototyping and continuous feedback. The DLP was meticulously designed to align with the Basic Education Core Curriculum 2008, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and reading literacy under the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The architecture of the platform prioritized open standards and web services to ensure seamless integration and data exchange, although integration challenges were noted. Content and activities were acquired from the TIGA English teaching model, fostering various language skills through tasks (T), language input (I), genre (G), and authentic assessments (A). The TIGA-based DLP was implemented in 8 schools involving 7 teachers and 212 students. Questionnaires and group discussions were used to obtain participant feedback. The questionnaire data were analyzed quantitatively using means and standard deviations. The discussion data were analyzed qualitatively to identify themes. Positive feedback and challenges were revealed. Identified limitations include the need for additional learning activities, clearer teacher guidelines, and enhancements to the graphical user interface (GUI). These findings highlight the potential of the DLP to enrich English language learning and guide future enhancements in digital learning environments.

Multilingual and multicultural events for children: university students’ and primary school pupils’ perspectives

ABSTRACT Language education is a lifelong journey that aims to provide learners with the linguistic and cultural skills needed and develop their plurilingual and global competencies. This study investigates two main areas: 1) the perceptions of university students regarding multilingual and multicultural events designed for children, and 2) the experiences of pupils aged 9–11 who participated in events organized by these students. The data were collected as part of the “Multilingual and Multicultural Events for Children” course. The data consists of posters created by students who participated in the course, student interviews, and feedback from pupils participating in the events. Qualitative content analysis revealed that when planning linguistically and culturally diverse events, it is essential to consider the event’s goals, contents, activities, materials, and environments. The students’ conceptions of the goals of the events are supported by the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014. Findings benefit teachers planning multilingual and multicultural events as well as their pupils.

A Comparative Analysis of Social Studies Curricula for Enhancing Global Citizenship: A Case Study of New York State, the United States, and Thailand

This research aims to compare the social studies curricula of Thailand and New York State, USA, analyze their similarities and differences, and propose guidelines for improving the Thai social studies curriculum. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, using documentary analysis of the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum B.E. 2551 (Revised B.E. 2560) in the social studies, religion, and culture learning area, and the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework. The findings revealed that the social studies curricula of Thailand and New York State differ in many aspects, including their fundamental philosophies, goals for student development, curriculum structures, learning content, and instructional approaches. The Thai curriculum emphasizes cultivating morally good citizens with a love for the nation, while the New York curriculum focuses on developing knowledgeable, skilled citizens who actively participate in a democratic society. In today's rapidly changing world, the development of Thailand's social studies curriculum should foster 21st-century skills, digital citizenship, and a sense of global citizenship among learners while maintaining Thai identity and values. Policy-level recommendations include creating a new vision, designing a flexible curriculum, developing online platforms, and integrating artificial intelligence. At the practical level, suggestions include creating community learning innovations, using the city as a classroom, developing a competency-based curriculum, and building learning communities with local partners.

O QUE REVELAM OS DOCUMENTOS OFICIAIS PARA A FORMAÇÃO INICIAL DE PROFESSORES DA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA NO BRASIL E NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

This investigation is part of research in the field of teacher training. It is the result of an ongoing doctoral study and its main objective is to analyze the conceptual guidelines for professional teacher training recommended in the resolutions on teacher training in Brazil. Based on the National Curriculum Guidelines for teacher training, the article asks: what is the professional teacher profile expressed in these documents for working in basic education schools? Documentary analysis was used to answer this question. The documentary corpus of this research comprises the following public documents available online: a) CNE/CP Resolutions 1/2002 and 2/2002; b) CNE/CP Resolution 2/2015; c) CNE/CP Resolution 2/2019; d) CNE/CP Resolution 1/2006; e) CEE/SP Deliberations 111/2012 and 154/2017; f) Political Pedagogical Project of the Pedagogy Course at São Paulo State University, Presidente Prudente Campus. The study signals a profound setback for teacher training. CNE/CP Resolution 2/2019 determines the organization of a standardized curriculum in line with the learning prescribed in the National Common Core Curriculum for Basic Education, with the centrality of practice as its guiding principles. In this way, it imposes a curriculum for the country's degree courses that vehemently affronts the constitutional principle of didactic-scientific and administrative autonomy and the plurality of pedagogical conception of Brazilian universities. In addition, the distance between the university and the school has an impact on the compulsory supervised internship.

Designing the Finnish basic education core curriculum: the issue of gender binarism

ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel process perspective on educational equality policies by examining the relationship between gender equality discourses and gender binary inequalities in the deliberative design process of the Finnish Basic Education Core Curriculum 2014. The analysis applies Nancy Fraser’s theory of three-dimensional justice to feedback comments (n = 73) and the equality statements included in the draft and final core curricula. The study demonstrates how gender equality discourses affirm or transform gender binary inequalities and how they changed statements between curriculum versions. The findings show that transforming gender binarism was possibly a challenge to promoting equality in the curriculum design process: No discourse alone was able to transform binarism, and only discourses affirming binarism changed the final curriculum. This paper argues that a combination of redistributive and recognitive equality discourses can contribute to the transformation of gender binarism to make it a core element of educational equality discourses.

The Effectiveness of Task-Based and Genre-Based Integrated Learning on English Language Proficiency of Thai Rural Secondary School Students

Despite continuous and enormous attempts to improve English language teaching and learning in Thailand, a specifically designed teaching model which responds to low English proficiency students’ needs, interests, and contexts in rural schools was still needed. This study developed an innovative instructional model based on key agents’ voices on problems and needs in teaching and learning English in a rural context. Based on both global and local standards – the Common European Framework for Language References (CEFR) and Thailand’s Basic Education Core Curriculum (2008), the model, so-called TIGA, combined task-based learning approach (T), the input of target language (I), genre-based approach (G), and authentic assessment (A). TIGA-based teaching lessons were empirically designed and developed to facilitate English learning so that students can accomplish real-world tasks. The two-group pretest-post-test design was employed. Participants included 44 secondary school students purposively selected from two seventh grade classes at two Thai rural schools. The TIGA model and TIGA-based lessons were implemented with an experimental group of 28 secondary school students at one school. Pre- and post-tests were used to assess both groups of students’ English proficiency levels, followed by semi-structured interviews to investigate their attitudes towards the model and lesson implementation. The results showed a significant difference between the students’ English abilities in the experimental and control groups. The study also revealed that the instructional model could motivate and engage the low-ability students to improve their level of English proficiency. The present study offers pedagogical implications for relevant educators in similar contexts.

Finnish teachers as adopters of educational innovation: perceptions of programming as a new part of the curriculum

ABSTRACT Background and context In 2016, programming was introduced as part of the revised National Core Curriculum for Basic Education in Finland. Over five years after implementation there has not been substantial increase in teacher or student competencies in programming. Objective This study explored the perceptions, attitudes, and emotions of Finnish pre-primary, primary and secondary school teachers regarding programming being integrated into the national curriculum at the time when it was first introduced. Method The perceptions of Finnish teachers were surveyed via a questionnaire (N =943) administered at the end of a one-day in-service training. The study used a mixed-methods approach, where responses were examined through content analysis and part of the data was quantified for quantitative analyses. Findings Teachers perceive programming as a new part of the curriculum based on the advantageousness, complexity and compatibility of the innovation and various internal and external factors. Their attitudes towards the integration of programming into the curriculum, which range from negative to positive, relate to their emotions. Implications We propose that it is vital, when planning supportive measures, to take into account the holistic and affective nature of educational change and teachers’ perceptions, various factors, and their dependencies that influence the adoption process.

Textbook Series and English O-NET: Alignments of Prepared Knowledge and Secondary School Final Year Assessment

The preparation for English language teaching materials in Thai secondary schools rely primarily on the use of western-published textbooks. Reasons are given by teachers that the books have assured the accuracy of the language (Ulla, 2019), and they provide proper models of language use (Tomlinson, 2008; Ulla, 2019). By using these textbooks, one of the ultimate goals for every school is to prepare students for the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-NET) in the final year of their secondary education (Grade 12). It is therefore interesting to examine whether or not the textbook series equip students with the knowledge and skills of language which align with the secondary school final year assessment. The preliminary investigation of this study (Sritrakarn, 2021) found that the English O-NET test items designed during the years 2016-2019 were partially aligned with the learning domains of the basic education core curriculum. This present study examined further the alignments of the O-NET tests and the school’s equipped knowledge through textbook series. Taking the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) genre-based approach, the texts and discourses used in the textbook series of one school were compared with those found in the O-NET test items. This paper discusses the findings and the implications of how to prepare the sources of input knowledge for the national assessment.

A Comparative Study of Thai and Indonesia High School History Curriculum

This article compares educational systems and high school historical curriculum between Thai and Indonesian. The method used in this article is a qualitative descriptive method. The data referred to in this article are from the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum 2008 and the Indonesian Curriculum 2013. Thailand and Indonesia have the same education system. As for high school history subjects, there are similarities and differences. Both countries emphasize this subject, with all students required to study history. The difference is the content of Indonesian history subject is much more than Thai. The time allotted for studying Thai history is much less than Indonesian history.

A Values Perspective on Ethical Education for Grades 7 to 9 in Finland

The National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 underlined the need to treat each child as unique and valuable, and as a result, students are encouraged to enhance their self-images, self- efficacy, and self-esteem, which contribute to improvement of their learning skills. There is highlighted the emphasis on the joy of learning and promotion of pupil welfare.The main part of the study is thus an analysis of the Finnish National Core Curriculum, based on a review of the literature on secular ethics across grades 7 to 9 and the presentation of values in Finnish basic education

Diversity in CLIL as experienced by Finnish CLIL teachers and students: matters of equality and equity

ABSTRACT This article focuses on how Finnish CLIL teachers and students orient to and experience diversity in CLIL. The data consist of teacher and student interviews that were analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify recurrent themes with regard to diversity. The findings indicate that the theme of equality in the sense of ‘the same for all’ in both teaching, assessing and homework was readily brought up by both groups, reflecting the ethos of equality prevalent in Finnish education. Equity, however, was not similarly highlighted even though it is a guiding principle alongside equality in the Finnish Core Curriculum for Basic Education. Teachers were found reluctant to topicalise diversity, at least in the form of explicit differentiation. This applied especially to academic skills, with students’ different linguistic skills more readily addressed. Both teacher and student interviews construct CLIL students as high-achievers in comparison to peers in regular classrooms. The students, however, also criticised being treated as a homogenous group and expressed wishes for personalised support. In sum, the findings show tensions between maintaining equality and securing equity in that adherence to the same type of education for all may render invisible the varying competences, ways of learning and needs for support.

Using of Game-based learning via Facebook Live to Enhance Distance Learning in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

The use of current and emerging platforms in education is becoming an intriguing topic among educators and educational institutions. Using live-stream media like Facebook lives can provide a more intimate level of engagement with audiences. Besides, the use of games in education plays a vital role in engaging students by encouraging a hands-on approach. This study aimed to investigate implementing a game-like via Facebook live feature as a supportive science learning tool. This study examined how Thai secondary school teachers and students performed and interacted with five live-streaming activities. In each live-stream activity, the participants needed to answer ten questions in the scheduled time. The resource used for posing questions is secondary school science materials related to the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum's learning standard. The participants were required to join the live-stream video as well as answer ten questions in real-time. All participants were provided materials uploaded on the Facebook wall two days before the live-streaming day. The result of this study showed that the number of participants who scored more than the given criteria had steadily increased, suggesting that the Facebook live feature is a useful tool for learner engagement. It indicates that the Facebook live feature increases students' motivation and attention since it can enhance visual skills, improve students' interaction and collaboration abilities with their peers.

English Teachers’ Understanding of Thailand Basic Education Core Curriculum

This qualitative study aimed at exploring English teachers’ understanding of the Basic Education Core Curriculum in Thailand and to investigate the contributing factors. The selected research with triangulation design was used to analyze the data, which was obtained from 66 English teachers. The drawings and questionnaire data showed that most teachers possessed ‘impeding understanding’, which may interfere with the development of a localized school curriculum. No clear trend was found in the present study on how teachers’ professional experiences, teachers’ qualifications, professional development activities, and involvement in curriculum development may contribute to teachers’ comprehension, as suggested in previous studies. The findings on teachers’ lack of understanding of the Core Curriculum after ten years of its implementation indicate the pressing needs to carefully design the implementation of the new national curriculum the Ministry of Education is developing. Effective communication processes and continual in-service professional development activities are recommended. Further investigation on how to effectively provide in-service professional development activities in Thai schools to promote teachers’ understanding of a new educational policy will be needed.

Koulun monet kielet: lähtökohtia, kehityskulkuja ja tulevaisuuden näkymiä

This article introduces the AFinLA-e thematic issue on plurilingualism in the school. Lately, multilingualism has been a buzzword in both sociolinguistic research and applied linguistics. Through the reform of national core curriculum for basic education, multilingualism, alongside language awareness, has also become an inextricable part of public educational discussions and the normative framework of basic education. There remain, however, questions about how all these changes translate into linguistically responsive classroom pedagogy and practices that support achieving learning goals, the process of language socialization, and pupils’ plurilingual identities. Our aim is to give a brief general introduction into the flourishing field of multilingualism research, its developments, approaches and trajectories, and describe the contributions that the articles in this issue make into the growing body of work in the Finnish context. We also identify three future trajectories for research on plurilingualism in the school.

Analysing thai curriculum indicators on the basis of pisa competencies in science and mathematics

A great challenge of Thai students becoming quality global citizens considerably depends on an ability of education to provide sufficient knowledge, skills, and attributes, especially, in science and mathematics, to acquire competencies necessary for their lives in 21st century. Unfortunately, Thai students’ competencies in science and mathematics assessed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) still fall behind other students in several countries. This study analysed Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum indicators based on their relevancy to PISA key competencies in science and mathematics, and the key competencies that the core curriculum focuses on were found. Unfortunately, neither those focused competencies in science nor mathematics resulted in any predominant PISA results. This obviously illustrates that only a well-constructed curriculum cannot ensure quality of student learning, but the core curriculum is also required to be well-understood by teachers, who are responsible for delivering a quality learning to their students. It is anticipated that this study could provide a better understanding for Thai teachers that there is still plenty of rooms for improvement in student learning so that Thai students are well-prepared to confront challenges of the future awaits.

DO PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LIKE MATHEMATICS?

Importance of mathematics as a school subject is evident in a fact that it is a constituent part of core curriculum for basic education in all education systems in the world. First few years of education are of crucial importance to the formation of attitudes towards mathematics. Attitudes are important because they navigate our actions and by doing so, influence our reality and our future as well. Research on attitudes towards mathematics has considerably increased over the past few years, since the importance of mathematics is getting continuously more accentuated. In the context of schools and education, it is emphasized how positive attitude towards mathematics influences students’ relationship with school-work, studying, confidence and behaviour. The aim of the study was to determine primary school students’ attitudes towards mathematics. One hundred and seventy-one students from 3rd to 8th grade from III Primary School Varaždin, Croatia participated in the research. The data were analyzed with t-test and one-way ANOVA for independent samples. The research has shown that there is no statistically significant gender difference in attitudes towards mathematics; however, age difference was confirmed. It was also found that younger students in primary education had a more positive attitude towards mathematics than older students. Practical implications of acquired results could be in providing additional support to 5th and 6th grade students when the change from positive to negative attitude happens.

The Dissemination of Thai Drama’s MADANABADHA of King Vajiravudh

This paper has an objective to study the drama of His Majesty King Vajiravudh in the subject of MADANABADHA which publicly appeared in the Basic Education Core Curriculum and performance in schools. The scope of the study emphasized on teaching management, drama staging on the MADANABADHA and royal writings that appeared in the Basic Education Core Curriculum. The results show that the drama of MADANABADHA is a teaching and learning tool for teachers to disseminate information, knowledge, news, ideas, practices through demonstration, viewing of performances and practices for students to learn democracy, see rights and equality in finding woman's partners to be assertive, good leadership and a good follower. It is to develop one's own skill for both body and mind, intelligence, knowledge and morality with ethics and culture of living and to be able to live happily with others consistent with strategy of the National Education Management Plan and the development of learner’s quality to have competency and desirable characteristics. In addition, the royal writing “MADANABADHA” is regarded by the club literature as a well-written book proposed as the selective literature according to the announcement of Ministry of Education which contains contemporary contents. By using rose as a symbol that most people understand in the meaning of love, it represents the right and equality of women that is an important part of the development of Thailand towards becoming a concrete democracy. It plays an important role in the royal drama “MADANABADHA” in King Vajiravudh to be appeared in the basic education system and became popular in educational institutions from the past to present.

A touchstone of Finnish curriculum thought and core curriculum for basic education: Reviewing the current situation and imagining the future

Pandemics, like other global challenges, are unquestionably curricular issues. They are curriculum issues not only because of the disrupting consequences of Covid-19 and the economic and social crisis alike but also because people have, through their own activities, contributed to global catastrophes and perpetuated injustices. This article attempts to answer the question: How does Finnish curricular thought, including the role of the teacher and the core curriculum for basic education, respond to the various global crises? While reviewing the current situation, the article also imagines a post–Covid-19 curriculum. Reactivating what is still powerful in Bildung/Didaktik and emphasizing the importance of education’s ethical dimension and the teacher’s role as a curriculum theorist offer the means for dealing with the theme. In addition, understanding the structure of the National Core Curriculum document, the political dimension of the Finnish curriculum’s design process, and the educative possibilities in subjects and multidisciplinary modules, the teacher is capable of creating opportunities for educational experiences that are (ethically) significant for students, proactively and in terms of crises.

A Situational Analysis of EFL Textbook Selection in Thai Public Schools

It is undeniable that a textbook is a useful resource for teaching and learning. In English language education, especially in EFL countries, EFL teachers use a suitable EFL textbook to facilitate student learning. The present study, therefore, presents the current situation of how EFL textbooks are chosen as a core material in Thai public schools. An online questionnaire was distributed to 30 participants, who were English language teachers working at Thai public schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC). Interviews were also conducted to elicit more data from some of the participants. The findings of the study reveal that an EFL textbook is chosen based on whether it follows the Basic Education Core Curriculum, the textbook content, the textbook quality approval from the Ministry of Education, and price. However, the analysis shows that a systematic evaluation of an EFL textbook is not undertaken before the textbook is used, which can affect the teaching and learning outcomes in an EFL classroom. This paper proposes some recommendations regarding textbook evaluation criteria for those who are in charge of selecting a proper EFL textbook so that they can systematically evaluate and choose a practical textbook for their EFL classroom. It is also hoped to raise Thai EFL teachers’ awareness of the need for a proper textbook evaluation to be undertaken before a textbook is used in an EFL classroom.

Cooperation Between Home and School in the Finnish Core Curriculum 2014

This article examines, with the help of document analysis, how cooperation between home and school is presented in the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014, which was implemented in autumn 2016. It was found that references to home-school cooperation comprise four themes: cooperation based on values, cooperation as a cultural meeting-point, cooperation to prepare for the future and support through cooperation. The precise guidance provided by the Curriculum on cooperation concentrates on actions performed at the individual level, which in turn steers the focus of cooperation towards the individual. Questions of communality are avoided, and the school as an institution is assumed to have endless resources to act. The multiple faces of cooperation between home and school and the effects and possibilities at the individual and community levels should be discussed more versatilely.