Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1975 Alternatives for Bilingual Education in Thailand: Theory and Practice Charles K. Frederickson Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Frederickson, Charles K., "Alternatives for Bilingual Education in Thailand: Theory and Practice" (1975). Dissertations. 1535. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/1535 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1975 Charles K. Frederickson > ALTERNATIVES FOR BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN THAILAND:· THEORY AND PRACTICE by Charles K. Frederickson A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Loyola Ur1iversity of Chicago in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 1975 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Each man must seek for himself the people who hold the eternal beauty, and each man must eventually say to himself as I do, 'These are my people and all that I have I owe to them. ' --Robert Henri In keeping with Thai tradition, the writer will begin by paying respect to his past teachers who shared their learned expertise: Mr. Kevin Delany, Mr. Kriang lamsakul, Dr. Ekawidya Natalang, and Dr. Roma Rosen. The author wishes to express his appreciation to his Advisor and Committee Chairman, Dr. Gerald Gutek, for his assistance and encourage- ment, as well as to the members of the committee, Dr. Rosemary Donatelli, Dr. Jasper Valenti, and Dr. John Wozniak. He would also like to thank Mr. Gaar Decker, Mr. Matthew McCarthy, Ms. Mary Ann Pollett, and Mr. Thomas Sharp for their critical reading and constructive suggestions, and Ms. Christine Bennett and Ms. Mary Joan Connolly for their assistance in typing. Finally, the writer expresses his deep appreciation to his boss, Mr. James G. Moffat, for his continuous patience and understanding. i i VITA Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. --Robert Frost At Johnson High School, Mr. Charles Frederickson was selected 11 0utstanding Senior•• and at the University of Minnesota, he partici- pated in the 2% club, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, student govern- ment, and campus activities. He majored in Sociology, with minors in art and speech. After graduation, Mr. Frederickson entered the Peace Corps in Thailand, where he taught on every level before joining the Supervisory Unit in the Ministry of Education. He organized and conducted seminars for Thai teachers, lectured at Chulalongkorn University, and appeared on radio and television, utilizing his fluency rating in the Thai language. Returning to the United States, Mr. Frederickson studied for a Master•s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision at Roosevelt University. While working as an evaluator of bilingual programs in the Department of Government Funded Programs of the Chicago Board of Education, Mr. Frederickson coordinated the development of evaluation designs, proposals, reports, and publications and he v1sited more th~n one hundred schools, organizing workshops, auditing programs, and providing technical assistance. i i i Mr. Frederickson has participated in UNESCO regional seminars in Southeast Asia, attended a bilingual program workshop at the United States Office of Education in Washington, D.C., and made a presentation at the International Bilingual Conference in New York. He has lived abroad for more than seven years and has traveled to more than sixty countries. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i i i i i VITA . · • · · · • • • • Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 11. DEFINITION OF TERMS 4 II I. RATIONALE FOR BILINGUAL EDUCATION 12 Underlying Philosophy of Bilingual Learning 17 Psychology of Bilingual Learning . 26 IV. BILINGUALISM, AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: A DESCRIPTIVE SAMPLING 39 V. CULTURE AND LANGUAGE . 54 A Theoretical Orientation 56 Southeast Asia: A Cultural and Linguistic Overview. 60 The Peoples of Thailand and Their Languages 68 VI. BILINGUALISM IN THAILAND . 85 An Historical Analysis . 85 A Linguistic Perspective 97 Political and Societal lmpl ications 108 VII. STRUCTURE OF A BILINGUAL PROGRAM FOR THAILAND 117 Overall Needs and Goals • 118 Interrelated Components of a Bilingual Program 126 Models of Program Designs Jll9 Program Planning ...•.. 159 VIII. ACCOUNTABILITY IN BILINGUAL PROGRAMS 166 Needs Assessment 170 Evaluation ....• 174 I X. SUMMARY AND PROJECTION 184 REFERENCES 188 APPENDIX . 201 v CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The conflict between different approaches to the liberty of man and mind or between different views of human dignity and the right of the individual is continuous. The dividing line goes within ourselves, within our own peoples and also within other nations. It does not coincide with any political or geographical boundaries. The ultimate fight is one between the human and the sub-human. We are on dangerous ground if we believe that any individual, any nation or any ideology has a monopoly on rightness, 1 iberty and human dignity. --Dag Hammarskjold To attempt to develop this dissertation, "Alternatives for Bilin- gual Education in Thailand: Theory and Practice," required certain artibrary decisions as to methodological focus and substantive coverage. With regard to scope, no attempt will be made to try to capture the full range of socio-cultural, linguistic, and educational factors relevant to bilingual education in Thailand. Rather, the various sections will begin with broad, theoretical generalizations narrowing toward specific references and practical orientations for each topic area. This dissertation is a preliminary step toward future in-depth incountry analyses to be conducted cooperatively with Thai educational officials. It is concerned with conceptual and methodological matters. The concept of bilingual education is considered briefly for the purpose of developing a definitional and theoretical basis and philosophical ratJonale for examining bilingual education in selected countries around the world, including Thailand. The concepts of language and culture first throughout Southeast Asia, then in Thailand, are explored in order to provide a framework and a perspective for understanding the contextual setting for establishing bilingual programs. Implications related to historical, linguistic, societal, and political considerations are discussed; overall goals and needs for implementing bilingual pro­ grams are presented; the interrelated components of a bilingual program are described; alternative models of program designs are developed; procedures related to needs assessment and evaluation are reviewed. Finally, a summary and projection are formulated, and a description is offered of the manner in which this dissertation provides for inter- and intra-national adaptation. The general goals of this dissertation follow: (1) ''Alternatives for Bilingual Education in Thailand: Theory and Practice" will provide background information and supportive evidence for schools and local communities; municipal district, provincial, and regional educators; and university/ministerial level program developers in planning and structuring for the implementation of bilingual educa­ tion programs. (2) The dissertation will serve as a resource document and catalyst to be adapted by Thai educators as they plan optional bilingual programs and as a prototype for other group~ or nations as they structure similar programs. (3) The dissertation will suggest steps to follow in planning and organizing a bilingual program, presenting numerous sets of educational alternatives and models, procedures for determining need, and suggestions related to evaluation, needs assessment, and accountability. These are intended to be guideposts for decision making rather than priority statements. 2 (4} The dissertation will formulate a basic philosophy and rationale concerning bilingual education in Thailand, analyzing historical, socio­ cultural, 1 inguistic, and political perspectives. (5} The dissertation will offer flexible needs and goals for each of the interrelated components which would encompass instructional, staff development, community, and management services for Thailand's entire school population, from Pratom one through Matayom Suksa five or the equivalent. The adoption of bilingual education in Thailand will benefit societal and political demands and the needs of individual students, will facilitate students' developmental processes in cognitive and affective areas, and will establish a mechanism for effective utiliza­ tion of students' educational and economic potential. 3 CHAPTER II DEFINITION OF TERMS We are one hunk of ground, water, air, clouds, floating around in space. From out there, it really is •one world. 1 --Astronaut Frank Borman This dissertation is written in the major area, Comparative International Education, and it incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing from a wide range of behavioral and social sciences, including anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology. Noah and Eckstein define comparative education as a part of a wider attempt to explain