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The development of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about new opportunities for improving the learning experience in education. ChatGPT, a large language model trained on a vast corpus of text, has the potential to revolutionize education by enhancing learning through personalized and interactive conversations. This paper explores the benefits of integrating ChatGPT in education in Thailand. The research strategy employed in this study was qualitative, utilizing in-depth interviews with eight key informants who were selected using purposive sampling. The collected data was analyzed using content analysis and the software NVivo. The study's results indicated that ChatGPT can provide personalized learning experiences by adapting to individual student needs and preferences. Its ability to understand natural language and context can also facilitate more meaningful interactions between students and the system. Additionally, ChatGPT can assist with administrative tasks such as grading and feedback, allowing educators to focus on more personalized and meaningful interactions with students. Furthermore, ChatGPT can serve as a valuable tool for remote learning, providing students with the ability to access educational resources and support outside of traditional classroom settings. The paper also discusses potential ethical considerations in utilizing AI in education, such as data privacy and bias. Overall, this paper argues that the integration of ChatGPT in education has the potential to enhance the learning experience for students by providing personalized, interactive, and efficient support.

Thailand 4.0 is an ambitious reform strategy that seeks to offset the impact of the Thai aging population by transitioning the economy towards a knowledge-based society skilled in advanced technology. Education reforms are paramount for Thailand 4.0 to succeed; however, significant challenges exist that draw into question the capabilities and quality of the nation's higher education institutions. The low perceived quality can be attributed to government inefficiencies, pronounced education inequality between rural and urban students, declining K12 students' core curriculum performance, and a growing dependence on international students to support higher education institutions' financial stability. This paper discusses the numerous challenges limiting higher education institutions from achieving an improved perception of academic quality both domestically and abroad. The recommendations proposed highlight the need for additional government oversight and educational funding. National and regional education policies must be promoted in a clear, consistent, and measurable method, emphasizing short, medium, and long-term goals. Improved national examinations and institutional collaboration will further support the necessary step to address festering conditions limiting any meaningful transition towards a knowledge-intensive workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the developments in educational attainment and education returns of wage earners in Thailand over the period 1994-2002. In so doing, several potential weaknesses of previous studies on the topic -- as well as, more generally, applied econometrics analyses -- are addressed. One contribution of this paper is to gather and re-emphasize the importance of several important estimation issues frequently overlooked by researchers. The results imply that the returns to education in Thailand over the period are substantial, peaking in 2000. Taking into account the possible endogeneity of education using household fixed effects, education returns are substantially dampened, relative to the baseline ordinary least squares estimates. This indicates that previous studies for Thailand and elsewhere -- when not taking endogeneity into account -- may have overestimated the returns to education substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper results from a pilot study in a Thai academic context testing two hypotheses. First, blended e-learning required by an institution can motivate learners extrinsically to learn EFL. Second, blended e-learning can enhance learners' positive attitudes toward learning EFL. The hypotheses were constructed based on an implication that Thai students generally needed extrinsic motivation in learning driven by their authoritative teachers and past relevant studies that showed positive results. Although the quantitative outcomes support the hypotheses, they are not generalizable. Additionally, required blended e-learning may not be the best teaching tool for this group of EFL learners, for they tend to identify themselves better with social media, especially Facebook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of industry in the higher education system is becoming more prevalent, as universities integrate a practical element into their curricula. However, the level of development of cooperative education and work-integrated learning varies from country to country. In Germany, cooperative education and work-integrated learning has a long tradition, due to vocational institutions having strong links with industry. In contrast, the work-integrated study models in Asia, such as in Thailand, offer limited levels of practical experience, as part of the higher education curricula. In addition, Thailand continues to experience a lack of skilled graduates, who are exposed to work-integrated learning during their studies. The study on which this paper is based seeks to benchmark study models in Thailand, against the German Duale Hochschule Baden-Wuerttemberg (DHBW) study model, in order to identify development opportunities in the Thai model, focusing on the aim of meeting the needs of industry. The Office of Higher Education Commission in Thailand hopes to address the inherent issues, through implementing the recommendations made in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the ways in which the availability of family planning program outlets influences the likelihood of contraceptive use in rural Thailand. It focuses on a village-level measure of actual availability of sources rather than respondent perceptions of availability. Individual-level and village-level data collected as part of the second Thailand Contraceptive Prevalence Survey are used to test three hypotheses about the effects of actual availability: that (a) availability of family planning outlets increases the likelihood of contraceptive use; (b) it enhances the effect of a desire for no more children on the likelihood of use; and (c) it weakens the positive relationship between education and the likelihood of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After fifty years of almost continuous economic growth in Thailand, it is now possible to re-evaluate the developmental process of the education system. Until now, the structural indicators of education development that have been mainly used are the level and pace of the increases in public expenditure on education, the effect of increasing enrolment on social mobility, and the private and public distribution of investment in education. The impact of these factors undeniably offers a better understanding of the quantitative advances in education. However, the dynamics of the education system nowadays encounter structural limits related to both the integration of what is now widespread education within the social structures and Thailand's contribution to globalization. As a result, the contribution of education to the growth regime is increasingly questioned. The aim of this paper is to use a historical approach to explore this evolution. Theoretical and historical perspectives are combined within a quantitative history methodology, drawing on new time-series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased education affects market and non-market outcomes. This paper investigates the causal impact of the extension of compulsory education from 6 to 9 years on females' education, marriage, and fertility outcomes in Thailand. Using data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and a donut-hole Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, we show that the new law increases lower secondary school completion in girls, leading to decreased probabilities of giving birth in the school-age years (14–17 years). The policy primarily affects the marginal child leading to the postponement of the timing of their fertility to after-school years. We also document heterogeneity and show that the fertility effects are stronger for Muslim women. The policy leads to a consistent drop in the probability of marriage and cumulative births for Muslim women, which sustain beyond the completion of schooling years. The results hold with alternative empirical model specifications and falsification tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is minimal data of health outcomes for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in Southeast Asia (SEA) where government funding of insulin and blood glucose monitoring either do not exist or is limited. The full impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the national economies of SEA remain unknown. In the midst of the pandemic, in 2021, HelloType1 was developed by Action4Diabetes (A4D), a non-government organisation charity in collaboration with Southeast Asia local healthcare professionals as an innovative digital educational resource platform of T1D in local languages. HelloType1 was launched in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia in 2021 to 2022 with Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs) signed between A4D and each country. Internet data analytics were undertaken between the 1st of January 2022 to 31st of December 2022. Aims: The aims of this study were to explore the usability and internet data analytics of the HelloType1 online educational platform within each country. Methods: The data analytics were extracted Google analytics that tracks data from the website hellotype1.com and Facebook analytics associated with the website. Results: There was a 147% increase in the number of HelloType1 users between the first 6 months versus the latter 6 months in 2022 and a 15% increase in the number of pages visited were noted. The majority of traffic source were coming from organic searches with a significant increase of 80% growth in 2022. Conclusions: The results of the analytics provide important insights on how an innovative diabetes digital educational resource in local languages may be optimally delivered in low-middle income countries with limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The paper analyzes the household factors that determine the investment decision on youth's education. [•] The paper also decomposes the school enrollment rate gap between municipal and non-municipal areas. [•] Family background significantly affects youth's school decisions. [•] Household income and parental education account for municipal/non-municipal gap in school enrollment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to problematize education in Thailand. Jan Nederveen Pieterse's model of ethnic domination is used as the theoretical framework to reveal the important and often ignored role of education in perpetuating socioeconomic and political elite dominance in Thailand. Ethnic domination is complemented with Paulo Freire's liberation pedagogy. The paper shows how ethnic and economic domination of a small Central Thai elite over the vast majority of the population is achieved through a concerted propaganda effort integrating primary and secondary education with tight control over religious practices and strict censorship of the media. Case studies are provided of the role of Ministry of Education in the central government's attempt to forcefully integrate the Muslim Malay population in the Southern Provinces and the Lao (Isan) region in the North. Finally, the contested role of private education is discussed in relation to central control over education. The paper concludes that civic and religious education in primary and secondary schools is part of a broader strategy for the perpetuation of a narrow ethnocracy, and that the recent growth of the private education. An education model based on Freire's concept of "conscientization" is proposed as guiding principle to empower the peoples of Siam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study conducted to analyze the perceptions of the Thailand school teachers regarding competencies and training needs as it states the Thailand government recognizes the human resource development of teaching professionals. It states the study is conducted to analyze the and rank the training needs as perceived by the teachers. It provides information on a questionnaire that helps to evaluate the teachers perception of training.

We investigate whether there are green returns to education, where formal education encourages pro-environmental behaviours using nationally representative surveys on environmental issues in Thailand. To establish the causal relationship between education and green behaviours, we exploit the instrumental variables strategy using the supply of state primary schooling i.e. the corresponding number of teachers per 1000 children, which varies over time and across regions as the instrument, while controlling for regional, cohort and income effects. We find that more years of schooling lead to a greater probability of taking knowledge-based environmentally-friendly actions a great deal, but not cost-saving pro-environmental actions. In addition, the paper finds no significant impact of formal education on concern about global warming nor the willingness to pay for environmental tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aims to critically examine the present status of educational provisions and facilities for students with disabilities in Thailand, in accordance with the enforcement of various laws over the past decade (1992-2008). The legal essence of laws such as the Constitution of The Kingdom of Thailand 1997, the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act 1991, and the National Education Act 1999, was typologically compared to actual situations, in terms of educational provisions and facilities, by reviewing a total of 25 research papers. The findings showed that there had been no further educational provisions and facilities for students with disabilities, despite indications within the laws. There are discrepancies between legislations and practices due to the ineffectiveness of law enforcement, and the negative attitudes of service providers and society towards students with disabilities. Therefore, positive attitudes of stakeholders have to be promoted, alongside the new laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Thailand has had significant experience regarding built heritage conservation, it is only recently that more formal, institutional efforts have occurred in this regard. This article will explain those efforts in greater depth and will also root general trends around an important, specific issue that Thailand is experiencing related to citizens' demands for the conservation of a newly recognized urban heritage: early twentieth-century shophouses. While the government pays most attention to the preservation of temples, palaces, and archaeological sites, the early shophouses are neglected and deteriorating; or worse, being demolished. The rise of citizen concern for this heritage has incited researchers and educational institutions to study the history and construction of these houses and propose solutions for their preservation and maintenance. This paper presents two cases of community-based conservation projects in two shophouse communities located in Bangkok's historic district. In both cases, the research was conducted as class fieldwork towards a master's degree within the urban and regional planning department of a university. Course instructors, students, and residents worked together to propose an alternative conservation programme to responsible government agencies. The research findings illustrate that the shophouse tenants have a certain capacity to repair and restore their premises but that the government needs to provide opportunities and tools to guide and support conservation initiatives for this vernacular urban heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from Thailand’s National Labor Force Surveys, this paper describes changes in the distribution of educational attainment among young men and women, and assesses changes in the returns to schooling. The results show that the average educational attainment of the population increased between 1985 and 1998, and that the inequities in educational attainment between rural and urban areas declined. The analyses show that the impact of education on earnings fluctuates widely depending on the level of schooling completed and gender. While the value of years of schooling is generally stable over time, the impact of completing secondary or higher education depends on the time and gender. The policy implications of this research focus on the importance of adopting a diversified strategy to educational investments at the national level, rather than simply using rates of return evidence to make decisions about how to expand education. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the broad patterns, trends and characteristics of child labor in Thailand in the last decade. It then undertakes an empirical analysis which suggests that the determinants of education and child labor, and policies to address them, are sensitive with respect to the age of the child and income of the family. Education subsidies are found to be justified from a social policy point of view. The cost benefit simulations suggest that private considerations make children withdraw from school and join the labor market earlier than is socially desirable. However, subsidies alone will not reduce child labor/increase education by much: the econometric results suggest that the education/child labor response of such incentives is small, albeit statistically significant. Therefore, public support to basic education should continue along with policies that enhance growth and reduce poverty. These measures are very much preventive and unable to improve the working conditions of those children who will keep working or unlikely to make many children withdraw from the labor force. Those children that will remain at work will benefit from a combination of a more rigorous enforcement of regulations against exploitative forms of child labor, targeted schemes (for example, for boys in the construction sector and girls in prostitution), awareness campaigns and greater participation of local organizations, communities, unions and employers in the design and implementation of these programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Adolescents living with perinatal HIV often experience difficult living circumstances that can impact educational achievement and thus their transition to adult life. We explored their school trajectories and evaluated the contribution of perinatal HIV-infection, in Thailand, where education is free and compulsory until the age of 15.Methods: We used data from the Teens Living with Antiretrovirals (TEEWA) study, a cross-sectional case-control study conducted from 2011 to 2014 in Thailand. Participants were 707 adolescents living with perinatal HIV (ALPHIV, cases) aged 12-19 receiving antiretroviral therapy in 19 hospitals throughout Thailand and 689 HIV-uninfected adolescents (controls) living in the same institutions or, for those living in family settings, randomly selected from the general population and individually matched for sex, age, and place of residence. School trajectory disruption was defined as ≥1 year of academic delay or as early school dropout (before 15 years of age). Logistic regression models were used to assess factors independently associated with disrupted school trajectory and to estimate the proportion of school disruption attributable to HIV-infection. We used multivariate imputations by chained equations (MICE) to manage missing data and performed two sensitivity analyses to evaluate the main model's reliability.Results: The study population's median age was 14.5 years (58% female). School trajectory disruption was experienced by 37% of ALPHIV and 12% of the controls. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, ALPHIV were 5 times more likely to experience disruption than controls (ORA =5.2 [3.7-7.2]). About 50% of school trajectory disruption was attributable to HIV-infection. Males and adolescents living in institutions were more likely to experience school trajectory disruption (ORA =1.8 [1.3-2.4] and ORA =11.0 [7.7-15.8], respectively). Among ALPHIV, neurocognitive difficulties and growth delay were significantly associated with disruption (ORA =3.3 [2.1-5.2] and ORA =1.8 [1.3-2.6], respectively). For those living in families, disruption was also associated with having a caregiver who had less than a secondary-level education (ORA =2.1 [1.1-3.9]) or having experienced stigmatization (ORA =1.9 [1.2-3.1]).Conclusions: HIV and contextual factors combine to aggravate the educational disadvantage among ALPHIV. The impact of this disadvantage on their life prospects, especially regarding access to higher education and professional achievement, should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causes of outdoor air pollution are multifactorial, with significant human health and environmental impacts. According to WHO guidelines only 8 per cent of people in Asia live with air quality that is good enough to not pose a significant health risk. UNEP recommends 25 achievable solutions, yet public knowledge and understanding of the air pollution are influenced by media headlines. To assess the general public awareness of the main causes, some health and environmental impacts as well as opinions towards initiatives to tackle air pollution a survey was conducted in three locations in rural Thailand. Generally, there are broad similarities in the responses from all the locations in this survey. Firstly, the majority of the rural participants underestimate the severity of the consequences of air pollution, although there was a greater awareness of this in the SISKY sample. Secondly, with the exception of the responses from Mae Hong Song, most respondents apportioned blame for PM2.5 primarily on agricultural sources. This could indicate a prejudice or bias influenced by media reports regarding hill tribe agricultural practices. A general lack of knowledge of the effects of ozone on human health and on crops is a concern. It suggests that a vital ingredient in education programmes should be to clarify that not only primary but also secondary sources of air pollution are harmful to health, the economy and the environment. Regarding attitudes towards improving air quality, with the exception of the remote Mae La Noi villages, there was very little support for increased fuel taxes but far greater support for having more indoor houseplants and trees in cities. Collectively the results demonstrate a need for greater education regarding the nature, source, flow and impacts of air pollutants. The impacts on human health include lung cancer, lung disease, strokes and heart disease to name a few. There are economic and environmental effects on crops and ecosystems as a whole. UNEP (2018) recommends 25 clean air measures, yet for successful implementation education is a vital ingredient. The results of the survey show that support for more community education ranked highly compared to other suggested options, indicating that instituting such programmes would have positive benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has only nine neurologists for seven million people; none have formal training in Parkinson's disease (PD). Medical specialists require sufficient PD knowledge to provide high-quality care. Methods: This study outlines a Centre-to-Centre programme for developing PD expertise in underserved regions through a tailored two-year educational enterprise between an established movement disorder mentor centre at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and mentee centres in Lao PDR. Background knowledge of 80 Laotian physicians was assessed using a validated PD knowledge questionnaire containing 26 questions divided into 3 sections (diagnosis, therapeutic options, disease course) before and immediately after one-day kick-start training. Responses were compared across physicians' demographic groups. Results: Of 80 respondents, 50 (62.5%) were board-certified physicians, of which 27 (54%) specialised in internal medicine. Apparent knowledge gaps were shown by a 51.2% correct response rate for total score, 52.8% for diagnosis, 50.6% for therapeutic options, and 48.2% for disease course. No significant differences in total score or any domain sub-scores between neurologists and other specialties were found. Many did not know which non-motor symptoms could occur as prodromal symptoms or late in course of PD. Incorrect responses mainly reflected a lack of knowledge of the impact of medication on disease. Total and domain sub-scores significantly improved after the course (p < 0.05, each). The size of difference of the means was significant for the total score (d = 0.82), therapeutic option (d = 0.56), and disease course (d = 0.68) sub-scores. Conclusions: Significant improvement of PD knowledge amongst Laotian physicians is demonstrated after a training course, focusing on practical management of PD. Our findings highlight the importance of continued medical education, especially PD-specific training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aimat1,31International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand; 2Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand; 3Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand Background: School health plays a vital role in lifelong health outcomes. Migrant children are a vulnerable population that seem to have inadequate health promotion interventions, and limited studies have assessed their health status and personal hygiene at schools. This study aimed to evaluate school health promotion and health outcomes of migrant children in Thai public schools (TPSs) and migrant learning centers (MLCs). Methods: A cross-sectional study was applied. Data were collected from questionnaires focusing on health care access, nutritional status, and personal hygiene of migrant children in two MLCs and four TPSs, along with Thai children in the same TPSs. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression model were used to compare access to health promotion and the health status of migrant children with the Thai counterparts. Results: Blended school health services were generally found in TPSs, which led to indifferent vaccination rates between Thai and migrant children in TPSs (odds ratio [OR] 0.457 (0.186–1.120)). However, vaccination rates of migrant children in MLCs are noticeably around fourfold lower. Overall, migrant children received fewer dental health services than Thai children, both in TPSs (OR 0.198 (0.076,0.517)) and MLCs (OR 0.156 (0.004,0.055)). Other personal hygiene behaviors and nutritional statuses saw no significant difference between Thai children and migrant children in either TPSs or MLCs. The uninsured status among migrant children posed another challenge to health care access, as 81.7% of the migrant children in MLCs and 56.6% in TPSs were uninsured. Conclusion: Migrant children in MLCs received a lower rate of essential vaccinations compared to those in TPSs. Dental services appeared to be the most neglected area of care in migrant children. The findings indicate the necessity of supportive policy for MLCs, while regulating quality and standards concurrently. Multisectoral collaboration is critically needed for sustainably improving the quality of life of migrant children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of learning and communication strategies (LACS) instruction on economics students' oral communication ability in Thailand and explores their perceptions toward the instruction. The study involved 23 third-year economics undergraduates at a public university in Thailand who were explicitly taught 13 learning and communication strategies in class. The impacts of the LACS instruction on oral communication ability were assessed by the participants' pre- and post- oral presentation tests, and the perceptions of the participants as well as their strategy use were obtained from students' reflective journals (SRJ), semi-structured focus group interviews, and the teacher's observation notes. The findings reveal that all students' oral presentation test scores significantly improved and confirm that teaching a combination of different LACS could enhance oral communication ability. The qualitative results indicate that all 23 students had positive perceptions of the strategies instruction. Furthermore, it is revealed that strong students used a combination of all three types (cognitive, metacognitive, and affective) of learning strategies (LS) and a communication strategy (CS) of self-repair, while moderate and weak students employed a combination of two types (cognitive and affective) of LS and self-repair. Nonetheless, this study would argue that strong, moderate, and weak students did apply metacognitive strategies, as evidenced by their reflections on their strategy use in the journals and the self-assessment form, but some students were not aware of it. Consequently, future studies should emphasize raising students' awareness of their metacognitive strategy use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thailand has one of the world’s highest prevalence of cervical cancer, mainly caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infections can successfully be prevented by vaccination, which is available at a cost but not yet implemented in the national vaccination program. Parents play a critical role in deciding whether to vaccinate their child against HPV. Thus, the aim was to examine the association between parents’ knowledge, beliefs, and acceptance of the HPV vaccination for their daughters, considering their socio-demographics and religious beliefs. A cross-sectional design was used among three schools in Thailand: Nakorn Phatom province (suburban) and Bangkok (urban). Parents of 9–12-year-old daughters completed the questionnaires, guided by the Health Belief Model. In total, 359 parents completed the questionnaires; of those, 301 were included in the final analyses. The ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis showed that background knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccine was positively related to knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer. For beliefs, knowledge was positively associated with susceptibility (i.e., parents’ perceived risk of an HPV infection/ related disease), severity, and benefit. However, knowledge was not significantly related to barriers. For acceptance, higher susceptibility and benefit were related to higher acceptance, and greater knowledge was associated with higher acceptance. Thus, we found associations between parents’ knowledge, beliefs, and acceptance of the HPV vaccination for their daughters, considering their socio-demographics and religious beliefs. Parents, who reported religion as important, as opposed to those who did not, were more favorable toward the HPV vaccination. Four out of ten mothers had never undergone a cervical cancer screening, but most had accepted previous childhood vaccinations for their daughters. The overall acceptance of the vaccine was high, and we believe our results are promising for future implementation of the HPV vaccination in the national childhood vaccination program in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new status of the English language as an international language (EIL) in the age of globalisation has contributed to a cultural change of focus in English language teaching (ELT). Instead of paying attention to cultural aspects of native English speakers as in traditional English instruction, cultural diversity now plays a key role in the teaching of culture in order to enhance leaners' intercultural awareness. To fill this need, this study aims to document EFL learners' and teachers' attitudes towards local community instruction in which young Thai students learned English whilst being encouraged to take pride in their local culture. In this study, a set of local community-integrated lessons for elementary English education were constructed and subsequently implemented in Grade 4 classes at schools in the northern region of Thailand. Questionnaires were then administered to the students, and semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the school English teachers to elicit their attitudes towards the integrated lessons. The results indicated that young Thai students, along with their English teachers, have highly positive attitudes towards the local community based instruction. This lead to significant implications related to integrating aspects of local cultural identity into ELT practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through decentralization, via national legislation since 1999, Thai municipal schools have become responsible for all areas of education, including educational facilities and infrastructure, health and lunch programs, pedagogy and teacher training, and curriculum and educational programme development. However, little research has been conducted on this process or on the results of the devolved municipal educational system. This article describes a survey of parental attitudes towards multiple aspects of the educational offering of the department of education in in one of the largest municipalities in Northeast Thailand, Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM). A large-scale mixed-methodology survey investigated parents' reasons for placing their children in KKM schools and their perception of the transport of students to and from schools. It also investigated the perceived factors of quality of education. The survey found that proximity, no tuition fees, and a good environment were the principal reasons, with cost and safety being issues for transporting students. Principal Component Analysis revealed the pedagogy, education program structure, school lunch program, and educational facilities to be important to parents, with a comparison showing differences by school, some critical. The article suggests KKM institute a citizens' dialogue process for educational strategic management to implement the recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sanephong is a matriarchal Karen community located in western Thailand. The community benefits greatly from the availability of local foods, such as cereals, tubers, wild vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, and animals. In the first phase of this project, 387 distinct local foods were identified, which were shown to be good sources of energy, protein, and vitamins. Despite the availability of a variety of nutritious local foods, the majority of households surveyed expressed concern over a decline in local foods due to changing socio‐economic and environmental conditions. This study used a qualitative research approach to look at the dual influences of matriarchy and Buddhism on food security in the community. Through this approach, matriarchal values central to the community were adopted as a framework; these included care, consensus, collaboration, and cosmological respect. In Sanephong, women are central to life in the community, and matriarchal cultural practices reflect a nurturing spirit—for both the earth and family. The community practices Buddhism, which is very complementary to the matriarchal system. A type of gift economy within the Buddhist context, known as dhana, transfers food from the wealthy to the poor with no expectation of reciprocity. Consequently, matriarchy and Buddhism jointly promote food security in the community. Studies of matriarchal societies help society‐at‐large to understand the potential benefits of systems that contrast the current patriarchal paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a family-based intervention delivered to Burmese migrant families displaced in Thailand on parenting and family functioning. Participants and procedures: Participants included 479 Burmese migrant families from 20 communities in Thailand. Families, including 513 caregivers and 479 children aged 7 to 15 years, were randomized to treatment and waitlist control groups. The treatment group received a 12-session family-based intervention delivered to groups of families by lay facilitators. Adapted standardized and locally derived measures were administered before and after the intervention to assess parent-child relationship quality, discipline practices, and family functioning. Results: Compared with controls, intervention families demonstrated improved quality of parent-child interactions on scales of parental warmth and affection (Effect size (ES) = 0.25 caregivers; 0.26 children, both p < 0.05) and negative relationship quality (ES = -0.37, p < 0.001 caregivers; -0.22 children, p < 0.05). Both children and caregivers also reported an effect on relationship quality based on a locally derived measure (ES = 0.40 caregivers, p < .001; 0.43 children, p < .05). Family functioning was improved, including family cohesion (ES = 0.46 caregivers; 0.36 children; both p < 0.001) and decreased negative interactions (ES = -0.30 caregivers, p < 0.01; -0.24 children, p < 0.05). Family communication also improved according to children only (ES = 0.29, p < 0.01). Caregivers, but not children, reported decreased harsh discipline (ES = -0.39, p < 0.001), and no effects were observed on use of positive discipline strategies. Treatment attendance was high, with participants attending a mean of 9.7 out of 12 sessions. Conclusion: The intervention increased protective aspects of family well-being for migrant children and caregivers in a middle-income country. The strongest effects were on parent-child relationship quality and family functioning, while results were mixed on changes in discipline practices. Results suggest that a behavioral family-based approach implemented by lay providers in community settings is a promising intervention approach for strengthening families in highly stressed contexts. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes 1) the educational ideology, educational operations and the effects on life of the elderly; 2) the conditions leading to a review and a question about education that has never been available for the elderly making them "the other" in society; and 3) the unfolding that shows a process of constructing and looking at education with a new dimension known as "education for the elderly" that creates a learning Thai society based on a thinking framework for education that recognizes human value. The results of the analysis with critiques based on modernistic paradigm reveal that the perceptions of the elderly are only representations of negative views and because the educational ideology focuses on producing human resources valuable for the economic system and it turns the elderly into "the other". Consequently, the elderly are looked at as disabled persons who no longer need learning or education. As a result, a question about the lack of learning society in which the elderly is the important part arises. Thus, a new dimension of education for the elderly to construct a learning society in Thailand is proposed with the following implications. 1) A review of the myths about education, knowledge does not occur only in school where the age ranges are specified, 2) A change of status and position of the elderly to being co-creators of knowledge who can utilize knowledge to be are self-dependent, and 3) Opening of an area of freedom for the elderly to express the value of self-identity and to contribute to providing others in society with life literacy. In this respect, education for the elderly does not have a fixed meaning as aimed by the state, and it does not refer to any one particular series of knowledge. Rather, it can change according to interaction, criticism, or negotiation to enable people who are made "the other" to remain their existence in society with dignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The rural areas of Northern Thailand are home to a large cultural diversity of ethnic minority groups. Previous studies have shown that young people in rural Thailand have low levels of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and high sexual risks. We compared sexual behaviors between the lowland Thai youth and the youth from ethnic minority groups. Methods and findings: This is a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted among high-school Thai and ethnic students in Chiang Mai. From a total 1215 participants, 487 (40.1%) were lowland Thai and 728 (59.9%) were from ethnic minorities. Overall, 17.9% of respondents reported “ever had sex.” Lowland Thai adolescents were more likely to have ever had sex compared with ethnic minority adolescents (AOR, 1.61; CI, 1.06–2.45; P< 0.01). A higher proportion of lowland Thai respondents reported having ≥ 2 lifetime sexual partners (51.9% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.003), or currently having a boy/girlfriend (59.9% vs. 45.3%, P< 0.001) compared to ethnic minority adolescents. Consistent condom use was low in both groups (22.6%). The common significant factors associated with "ever had sex" in both groups were "ever drunk alcohol in the past year" and "currently having a boy/girlfriend." Specifically, for lowland Thai youth, being around the age of 17 or 18 years and "ever used methamphetamine in the past year" were associated with increased odds of “ever had sex”. For ethnic minority adolescents, being female and belonging to religions other than Buddhism were associated with decreased odds of “ever had sex”. Conclusion: A substantially higher proportion of lowland Thai engage in risky sexual behaviors when compared to ethnic minorities. However, both groups remained vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. To minimize sexual risks, education program and school-based interventions are warranted to increase awareness of young people about risky behaviors and to promote essential life skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explored student readiness for online learning in the Northeast of Thailand, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The survey also explored students' self-regulation, computing devices ownership, and level of familiarity with education-related technologies. The responses imply that students have a slightly positive perception toward e-learning. They use mobile technologies extensively, and have experience using social media; but are unfamiliar with other collaborative e-learning tools. A discussion includes recommendations for cultural context and the design of e-learning in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thailand continues to attract an increasing number of migrant workers (MW) from neighboring countries including mainly Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos; however, little is known about the extent to which MWs from these countries have access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services. We used data from the baseline survey of the Prevention of HIV/AIDS among MWs in Thailand (PHAMIT-2) project to document the prevalence of, and factors associated with, HIV testing among MWs from Myanmar, the largest group of MWs in Thailand. Methods and Findings: The baseline survey of PHAMIT-2 was conducted in 2010 among MWs from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos in 10 purposely-selected provinces of Thailand. Of the 1,034 participants who qualified for the analysis to identify correlates of HIV testing, only 5.3% reported ever having been tested for HIV. Factors associated with HIV testing included having a secondary or higher education level (AOR, 2.58; CI, 1.36–4.90; P = 0.004), being female (AOR, 1.96; CI, 1.05–3.66; P = 0.033), knowing someone who died of AIDS (AOR, 1.81; CI, 1.00–3.27; P = 0.048), working in the fishery sector (AOR, 2.51; CI, 1.28–4.92; P = 0.007), and not having a work permit (AOR, 3.71; CI, 1.36–10.13; P = 0.010). Conclusion: Our study, in addition to revealing significantly low HIV testing among MWs from Myanmar, identifies important barriers to HIV testing which could be addressed through interventions that promote migrants’ culturally-sensitive and friendly service, for example by facilitating flow of information about places for HIV testing, availability of language assistance, and ensuring confidentiality of HIV testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small schools in remote areas throughout Thailand need to utilize effective management approaches to enable them to tackle problems that result in low educational quality. This study aimed to develop a participatory strategic management (PSM) model for small school groups, known as Collaborative Educational Provision (CEP) schools that are under the Office of the Basic Education Commission of the Ministry of Education. The methodology used was research and development (R&D) with quantitative and qualitative mixed methods. The PSM model developed was tested utilizing purposive sampling of a group of 4 CEP schools in a district of Chiang Mai and including 4 administrators, 22 teachers, 10 school committee members, 20 parents, and 10 community leaders. The PSM model developed consisted of 4 components with 65 indicators. The four components were participatory in character, and consisted of strategic analysis, strategic planning, strategic implementation, and strategic control and evaluation. After implementation of this PSM model, findings showed that all five of the CEP personnel sampled agreed to a higher level of work practice. They also expressed strong satisfaction with the implementation of the trial model. In particular, this model, focusing on a participatory approach, was able to solve many problems related to small schools, especially teacher shortages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The double burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) is an increasing trend in low- and-middle income developing countries. Rural and minority populations are underserved and likely to be affected severely by these burdens. Knowledge among young people could provide immunity to such diseases within a community in the long term. In this study we aimed to assess the knowledge of several highly prevalent NCDs (diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) and several highly incident communicable diseases (malaria and diarrheal diseases) among Karen high school students in a rural district in far northwest of Thailand. The aim of the study is to explore information for devising life-course health education that will be strategically based in schools. Method: A cross-sectional survey approved by the ethics committee of Boromarajonani College of Nursing Nakhon Lampang (BCNLP), Lampang, Thailand was conducted in Thasongyang, Tak province, from September 2011 to January 2012. Questionnaires for assessing knowledge regarding diabetes, hypertension, COPD, malaria, and diarrheal diseases were delivered to all 457 Karen high school students attending Thasongyang high school. A total of 371 students returned the questionnaires. Experts' validation and split-half reliability assessment was applied to the instrument. Results: Students' main sources of health information were their teachers (62%), health care workers (60%), television (59%), and parents (54%). Familial risk factors of diabetes and hypertension were not known to more than two thirds of the students. Except obesity and physical inactivity, lifestyle-related risk factors were also not known to the students. Though living in a malaria-endemic area, many of the Karen students had poor knowledge about preventive behaviors. Half of the students could not give a correct answer about the malaria and hygienic practice, which might normally be traditionally relayed messages. Conclusion: Health education and knowledge about common NCD and communicable diseases are yet to be prompted among the Karen students. A broader and more comprehensive school-based health education strategy for prevention of double burden diseases would benefit the rural minority population at the Thai-Myanmar border [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thailand's national exam, the Ordinary National Educational Test ("O-Net"), is explicitly intended to standardize education, but it has also become the producer and product of what the test writers consider ordinary knowledge in Thailand -- the knowledge of the dominant class. While branches of the Ministry of Education claim to use exam results as a means of objectively measuring students' and schools' capacity, a closer inspection of O-Net exam questions reveals that the test perpetuates biases in the Thai education system. Through the ritual of taking the exam at the same time in the same formation, students across the country are indoctrinated into an "imagined community" and convinced of the exam's equalizing power, with the result that the exam is spared a social critique. Thus, through an illusion of objectivity, the exam is successful in depoliticizing the preferential access to higher education enjoyed by Bangkok's middle class and elite and in reinforcing the myth of meritocracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from rural Thailand, we examine the determinants of educational attainment of school-age children. We organize our analysis around three central principles of the life course perspective: the embeddedness of lives in historical time and place, linked or interconnected lives, and the timing of lives. We examine these principles using comparisons within cohorts and between cohorts. We find that educational attainment is related to a combination of factors related to each of these principles. Specifically, despite a serious economic downturn occurring midway through our study, we nonetheless found that educational levels were higher following the downturn than preceding it. Interconnections to parents and siblings also affected educational outcomes, as did the timing of life events such as migration, marriage, and childbearing. For the latter, mother's education and migration both positively affected educational attainment. For the former, having more siblings, both those in the household and those migrating, reduced education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents a study which examined the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and its relationship to urban or rural residence and education in Thailand. The study analyzed the results of the Third National Health Examination Survey, which looked at the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Thailand in 2004, and compared it to the results of the Second National Health Examination Survey conducted in 1997. It also looked at the association among overweight, obesity and socioeconomic status.

Most investigations into the effects of funding changes on higher education systems have been carried out in developed economies. This article focuses on the Thai higher education system, applying theoretical arguments and empirical analyses to the case of a newly industrialising country. One goal of the Thai higher education funding reform is to cut public spending and to stimulate university–industry cooperation as a means to obtain additional university income. This article presents empirical data based on an investigation into the cooperation activities of five Thai universities. The results show that both individuals and organisations react to changes in university funding: university–industry relations are becoming more frequent and are promoted by university administrations. The financial benefits for the universities as well as the technological benefits for the cooperating companies are, however, both very limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a survey on evaluating the required levels of mastery in core public health competencies and relevant skills in Thailand. Respondents were made to assess whether the 70 public health skills was a core or non-core skill. Each core skill was assigned a three-level ranking of awareness, knowledge and proficiency. Inconsistencies in the degree of detail in skill descriptions and lack of distinction among attitudes, skills and knowledge were noticed. Findings show that the core competency model needs to be refined further.

The usual lessons drawn from East Asia's striking experience of health and fertility transition concern the efficacy of well-designed government programs catering to an existing or ideationally stimulated demand. An alternative interpretation sees the demographic change—and the uptake of services—as a byproduct of social and economic development together with, in some cases, strong government pressures. This article probes more deeply into this experience, seeking to identify common features of development design and administration that underlay it. The broad sequence entailed, initially, establishment of an effective, typically authoritarian, system of local administration, providing (sometimes incidentally) a framework for promotion and service delivery in health, education, and family planning. Subsequent economic liberalization offered new opportunities for upward mobility—and greater risks of backsliding—but along with erosion of social capital and the breakdown or privatization of service programs. The study is mainly focused on seven countries: Taiwan and South Korea (“tiger” economies), Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia (“second wave” countries), and China and Vietnam (“market-Leninist” economies). The period is roughly from the 1960s to the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares how elite music was classicized as part of the process of constructing national culture in India, Indonesia and Thailand. Role of the middle class; Issues on homogeneity and heterogeneity in national culture; Rise of mass education and innovative forms of musical transmission; Institutionalization of music theory and music scholarship; Influences of the West.

A community-based programme for motorcycle rider education was provided for motorcyclists in all villages of 3 randomly selected subdistricts in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, northern Thailand, between January and March 1995. To determine the extent of changes in risk-taking behaviours, we conducted an interview survey of motorcyclists in 3 villages selected by systematic sampling from the 3 intervention subdistricts and in 3 control (without intervention) villages for comparison in March 1997, 2 years after the programme. Motorcyclists in the intervention villages (69.7%) were significantly more likely to have valid licences than those in the control villages (46.5%). The proportion of motorcyclists who always or often wore helmets was significantly greater in the intervention sample (46.0%) than in the control sample (20.5%). In 1994, the annual incidence rate of motorcycle-related injuries was slightly higher in the intervention areas than in the control areas Following the education programme, the injury rates for 1995 and 1996 were significantly lower in the intervention than in the control population. The annual number and rate of fatal motorcycle injuries decreased after the intervention although there was no significant difference between the two populations. Motorcycle rider education may be a promising intervention for prevention of motorcycle-related injuries in rural areas where road safety measures, particularly enforcement activities, are commonly limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the disappearance of long standing gender gap in educational attainment favoring boys over girls in Thailand. Information about Thailand's gender, class and education; Modern Thai educational system; Gender differences in educational attainment; Popular views about gender and schooling; Conclusion about Thailand's gender gap in education.