Effects of school policies toward competitive and collaborative approaches on teachers' instruction and students’ learning in schools in southern Thailand

Abstract

The benefits were studied of school policies toward competitive and collaborative approaches to enhance student-centered instruction and student achievement. In con-ceptual models, competition and collaboration at school level affect the teacher level and then the student level, as well as instruction, and finally student achievement. The dataset consisted of survey data collected from a sample of 243 public basic schools in 4 southern provinces, Thailand. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the models and verify cause-effect relationships among the variables. The research findings confirmed the effectiveness of the competition and collaboration on the instruction, but not student achievement. Particular models of competition and collaboration relationships in the Thai context were proposed. The key findings were critically discussed to reflect Thailand's educational issues and their rationales, and then policy implications were proposed to improve Thai education and society toward the global standard.