Call for papers

The Faculty of Education (Chiang Mai University) has called for papers to be published in its Journal.

These articles can be based on personal research or be compiling from readings.

Publication schedule:

• First issue: December 2010
• Second issue: March 2011
• Third issue: June 2011
• Fourth issue: December 2011

Articles' submissions are welcome from now on. Writers will receive hard copies as a token.

Please send your manuscript to the editor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phasina Tangchuang at: phasina@yahoo.com or phasina@hotmail.com

Visit of Pr. Akir Hossain

13th November 2010

JEAI CELS invited Professor Dr. Zakir Hossain (Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Geography).
He is from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (USA).
The aim of his visit was to listen, share views and reflections upon the works of PhD students that will later develop into dissertation proposal.
This was an exciting occasion to stimulate PhD students and to entice them to work harder in order to be able to present quality concept papers to a foreign exepert.

JEAI CELS stimulates PhD students by Organising in-house activities

6th November 2010

First and third-year PhD students in HRD stream met with 4th-year PhD student, Supat Chupradit.
Supat recently spent one month in Europe and wanted to share his experience. This was also the opportunity to motivate those younger students to use the ressources and facilites available at CELS.
All of this will be useful for them to develop and finish their concept paper, an important step before preparing the PhD dissertation proposal.
Supat noticed that in Europe PhD students were more willing to share knowledge between themselves and other scholars. They do not hesitate to spend time talking about their dissertation, and learning from each other. This is then very useful to nurture and fulfill their dissertation.
This workshop was a starting point and future workshops have been scheduled.

CELS Activities - update - 2

On September 6^th-10th, Ms. Ratana, a PhD candidate from Columbia University, USA visited the CELS and interviewed Dr.Phasina Tangchuang and Dr Alain Mounier as editors and authors of the book “Education and Knowledge in Thailand: The Quality Controversy”.

On September 18^th, Dr.Alain Mounier, CELS expert, delivered his comments regarding PhD research proposals.

On September 21^st-24^th, Drs.Alain Mounier and Phasina Tangchuang visited the National University of Laos and Udon Thani Rajabhat University to plan future activities.

On September 27th, Mr.Ben Kittikhun, PhD candidate and CELS researcher, was invited to present his paper at the ASAIHL Conference, held in Bangkok.

CELS Activities - update - 1

From 23rd August to 27th September 2010, Supat Chupradit, PhD candidate and CELS researcher, expanded his experience by a research trip to Europe.

Supat presented a scientific paper at the 5th EARLI SIG 14 Conference Learning and Professional Development Conference. This event was centred around the Diversity in Vocational and Professional Education and Training. It was organized by the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, in Germany. He seized this opportunity to explore the well-known library of Heidelberg University, in Germany.

In France, he met Dr Xavier Oudin at his laboratory DIAL in Paris, and visited the library of Sorbonne University, Paris.

Before heading back to Thailand, Supat met several researchers and PhD candidates at Adapt centre, hosted by Bergamo University, in Italy.

Presentation at Earli SIG Conference (Germany)

From 25th to 27th August 2010, the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) held a conference at the University of Munich in Germany.

More details on the conference.


This conference was an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to discuss current issues centered around the overall topic: Diversity in Vocational and Professional Education and Training.


Supat Chupradit from CELS made a poster presentation on the current situation of vocational and cooperative education in Thailand.

CELS new office

The CELS has moved to a new office located at the 4th Floor of Building 4 of the Faculty of Education.

Do not hesitate to come and visit us!

สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์ - Happy Songkran

Best Wishes from CELS for Thai New Year

Presentation at ASAIHL Conference

On 5th February 2010, the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) in Bangkok hosted the Association of Southeast Asia Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) Conference.

Dr. Phasina presented a paper entitled "Total System Quality Development is a Way of Higher Education Quality Improvement: A recommendation from Research Study".

Workshops in January 2010

The CELS conducted workshops in schools located in Petchaboon and Sakon Nakhon provinces.

The sessions were held from 12th to 22nd January 2010, and dealt with VCD observation to reflect upon teaching practices.

Coming Events in February and March 2010

From 15th-25th February and 2nd-5th March 2010, the CELS team will visit schools in Petchaboon, Sakon Nakhon and Chiang Mai provinces.

The CELS will interview teachers, students, parents and school administrators on how they perceived the teaching performance of those who took part in the "Reflective teachers project".

Conference in Phnom Penh / 8-10th January 2010

Phasina Tangchuang and Phetcharee Rupavijetra were invited by GSID (Graduate School of International Development) , Nagoya University to take part in and present their papers at the Second ANDA (Academic Network for Development in Asia) International Seminar on Skills Development for the Emerging New Dynamism in Asian Developing Countries under globalization.

The seminar was held in Phnom Penh from 8th to 10 January 2010.

Dr. Phasina presented a paper on Labour Capacity Preparation in Thailand and Vietnam.

Book release

The CELS is proud to announce that its book "Education & Knowledge in Thailand. The Quality Controversy", edited by Alain Mounier and Phasina Tangchaung, has been released.

More details are avalaible on the publishing house website : Silkwormbooks.

Conference in Phnom Penh

Dr. Phasina Tangchuang attended the 2nd annual conference of the Academic Network for Development in Asia (ANDA) at Phnom Penh Hotel, Cambodia, from 8th to 10th January 2010.

He was invited by the Graduate School of International Development (GSID), Nagoya University, and presented a paper on Labour Capacity Preparation in Thailand and Vietnam.

Research project on education in Laos

The JEAI-CELS team visited the Ministry of Education of Laos PDR. They met the Director of the Education Standards and Quality Assurance Centre, Mr. VanhSay Noraseng, and his staff.

The Director wants the JEAI-CELS to give advice on how to improve education quality in Laos, from primary up to higher education.

This will be the purpose of a forthcoming project that will take place in 2010.

Transana Training Sessions / Pictures

Visit of IRD Representative - Pictures

The representative of the IRD in Thailand, Dr. Régine Lefait-Robin, visited the CELS on Friday 13th November 2009.

Some figures regarding the blog

This blog was launched one year ago.

Every month, the CELS blog is in average visited by 120 persons.

Every day, the blog welcomes 4 readers.

The most uploaded publication is CELS Working Papers No5.

Thanks for following up the CELS activities!

Coming soon...

Silkworm Books will soon be releasing the result of a long-lasting, fascinating CELS research programme: the book "Education and Knowledge in Thailand. The Quality Controversy".

Their website presents it with the following details:

If an observer asked today whether Thailand is becoming a “knowledge-based society”, the reply might be yes—provided that the country continues to invest in the education of her citizens.

Yet the authors of this book take a strongly critical view of Thai education. Investing more money in education is certainly essential, but it will not automatically lead to a knowledge-based society. On the contrary, they say, current changes in policy and approach are actually moving Thai education away from transmitting and producing knowledge and scholarship, away from developing and honing individual abilities to think and learn. This failure parallels world trends: the uncontrolled and unbalanced increase in enrolment; the interference by political and economic interests in the orientation and management of educational institutions; and the commodification of education—in particular, privatisation, internationalisation and vocationalism. These symptoms are diagnostic of the so-called diploma disease which pervades the system. Public policymakers in Thailand are unfortunately too quick to compromise and may be unable to reverse this trajectory.

To overcome obstacles to a quality education, a society must place the transmission and production of knowledge at the core of the educational endeavour, genuinely and authentically, without making concessions to lesser aims and rationales. This commitment would give present and future Thai students the skills and abilities they need to master their own future and contribute to the destiny of the nation.

The book is a lively interplay between theory and well-documented facts. It offers a quantitative and qualitative analysis which is fundamental to understanding the overall situation of Thai education, to advancing the debate on educational quality and to charting a course for the future. It will appeal widely to educators, students, parents, academics, researchers and policymakers who are concerned about the state of education in Thailand.

Highlights

• An original and critical scientific analysis of the Thai education system in historical and comparative perspectives
• A critical look at the 1999 Education Reform
• A comprehensive survey of education theories
• The first study of education in Thailand using field data from the last half-century
• A detailed analysis of the determinants of educational quality
• An analysis of current impediments to educational quality
  

Visit of IRD Representative

On Friday 13th Nov. 2009, the representative of the IRD in Thailand, Ms.Régine Lefait-Robin, will visit the CELS regarding the JEAI research programme (JEAI stands for "Jeunes Equipes Associées à l'IRD" - Young research teams associated with IRD).