Understanding Migrant School-Aged Children’s Education in Public Schools Thailand: Teachers’ Perspectives and Classroom Narratives

Abstract

Despite Thailand’s popularity as a destination for migrant laborers from neighboring Southeast Asian countries, little research has been conducted on the education of migrant school-aged children in Thailand’s public schools. However, knowledge in this area is important for improving Thailand’s education policy and curriculum for migrant children and addressing issues related to Thailand’s migrant education. As a response, framed by a phenomenological approach, this study conducted classroom teaching observations and interviews with Thai public-school teachers in the provinces, which are well-known for their large migrant populations. Presented in classroom narratives and teachers’ perspectives individually, the findings revealed teachers’ intentional misperceptions of ethnicity, pedagogical strategies to integrate migrant children into classrooms with Thai students, barriers that teachers must overcome to aid the educational advancement of migrant children, and non-governmental organizations’ support for teacher training (NGOs). Since Thailand has implemented a policy allowing migrant and stateless children to freely enroll in public schools, this study calls for the implementation of non-discriminatory, integrative efforts at the school level, beginning with the provision of training for teachers on multilingual education and ending with the enhancement of school participation in the integration of migrant children into the educational environment.