Background
The British Council’s work in English aims for transformational change in English language policy and practice. We believe that better teaching and learning of English increases academic and career opportunities and enables people to participate actively in a global society. Our research and innovation with UK and overseas partners provide evidence of 'what works' in English language teaching and learning and contribute to the development of English language teaching and learning worldwide. We support language teaching and learning in a multilingual world, helping to ensure inclusive and equitable quality language education in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Initial English Teacher Education at Rajabhat Universities in Thailand
Teachers are central to responding to a changing world as they are responsible for enabling children and young people to live with and tackle the global challenges of both today and tomorrow. Therefore, the education of such teachers is also of upmost importance (Darling-Hammond, 2017), as is high quality research to inform practice (Tatto, 2021). This applies equally to English language pre-service teacher training in Thailand. However, by working closely with the ministries, teachers and teacher educators at both school level and HE level, it has become apparent that there are some issues surrounding the quality of teachers, the connection between their theoretical understanding and practical application, and the type of support system available for student teachers before entering into the in-service teaching system.
In 2022, British Council and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) conducted international collaborative research in order to have a better understanding of the situation of initial English language teacher development in Thailand.
The research findings aim to study the content of curricula at Rajabhat Universities, how the curricula are implemented, and the impacts of Rajabhat’s teacher education programmes in English Language Teaching on graduating teachers and their students throughout Thailand and providing further recommendations to Rajabhat Universities.