Higher Education Studies, Issue: Vol.16, No.2

Scenarios for Educational Administration to Reduce Inequality in Primary Schools in Special Areas of the Southern Border Provinces under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in the Next Decade (2025 - 2035)

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 03:55:21 +0000

This research is a futures study aiming to investigate and create management scenarios for reducing educational inequality in primary schools in special areas of the southern border provinces under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in the next decade (2025-2035). It is an ethnographic futures research using the Ethnographic Delphi Futures Research (EDFR) method. The study examined the opinions of 22 experts selected through purposive sampling. The informants included senior administrators, educational administrators, and educational academics. The research instruments were interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis involved calculating the median, mode, and interquartile range. The results with high consensus were then used to analyze the relationships between factors using cross-impact analysis to construct future scenarios.

The research found that the future vision for managing educational inequality in primary schools in special areas of the southern border provinces in the next decade consists of 7 aspects as follows: (1) policy and management, (2) curriculum and learning processes, (3) teachers and educational personnel, (4) community cooperation and networks, (5) educational opportunities and equity, (6) technology and innovation, and (7) potential impacts. Important factors include area-specific policies, teacher and administrator competencies, technology use, and community participation. The cross-analysis of impacts to create scenarios from the most desirable scenario to the least desirable scenario resulted in 4 scenarios: Scenario 1 “Light of Equality”: sustainable multicultural education; Scenario 2 “Digital Leap Forward”: smart technology for equal opportunities; Scenario 3 “Hope on a Limited Path”: equity still awaiting fulfillment; and Scenario 4 “Shadow of Inequality”: crisis of faith and educational decline. These scenarios serve as both a compass and a policy warning system for reducing educational inequality in primary schools in special areas of the southern border provinces. Affiliated with the Office of the Basic Education Commission in the next decade.

Development of Local Curriculum for Healthy Food Recipes from Elderly Wisdom in Hang Chat District, Lampang Province Northern of Thailand

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:31:53 +0000

The purpose of this research is to develop a healthy recipe curriculum based on the wisdom of the elderly in Hang Chat District, Lampang Province. The method used is participatory action research, starting with identifying food identities from the wisdom of 30 local scholars selected purposively. This information was then used to create a local curriculum and a manual for basic education. The quality of the curriculum was then assessed by 5 experts, purposively selected based on their expertise in curriculum, measurement and evaluation, and local food. The curriculum was then piloted and its effectiveness studied at one school, with volunteers participating. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, questionnaires, group meeting records, and tests. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, E1/E2, E.I., Nonparametric Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and content analysis. The results showed that there was a total of 80 healthy food identities based on wisdom. The curriculum received a quality assessment score from experts ranging from 0.67 to 1.00. The pilot study found that the curriculum had an E1/E2 value of 84.50/89.50 and E.I.=0.77 Post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores at a statistical level of .001 (Z = -3.18, p < .001), and overall satisfaction assessment results were at a high level.

High Acceptance, Low Adoption? Professional Identity, Accountability, and the Boundaries of Digital Adoption in Internal Auditing

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:13:33 +0000

This study investigates the persistent gap between technology acceptance and actual technology adoption among internal auditors in Thai public universities. While digital technologies are widely promoted as essential to contemporary audit practice, favorable perceptions do not consistently translate into meaningful integration. Drawing on qualitative data from ten in-depth interviews, this study explores how auditors interpret and negotiate digital technology within high-accountability professional environments. The findings reveal that adoption is shaped not only by perceived usefulness but also by professional identity preservation, perceived redistribution of authority, accountability-driven anxiety, cognitive demands, and constrained self-efficacy. Digital tools are not encountered as neutral instruments; rather, they are evaluated in relation to professional legitimacy, risk exposure, and confidence under scrutiny. The study argues that prevailing technology acceptance models overemphasize cognitive determinants while underestimating identity-mediated and emotion-mediated mechanisms. By analytically distinguishing acceptance from adoption, this research advances a more critical and context-sensitive understanding of digital transformation in expert professions. Sustainable adoption requires not only technical readiness but alignment with professional identity, authority structures, and psychological safety.

Strategic Management Model for Internationalization of Specialized and Professional Higher Education Institutions

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:50:41 +0000

In a world of globalization and intensified competition in higher education, internationalization has become a significant policy and institutional strategy for advancing educational quality and enhancing global competitiveness. However, prior studies conducted in Thailand show that specialized and professional higher education institutions still face structural constraints, fragmented implementation, and a lack of systematic strategic management frameworks. Internationalization of such institutions continues not to align with their specific organizational missions and national policy contexts. This research aimed to develop a strategic management model for the internationalization of specialized and professional Higher Education Institutions in Thailand, drawing on theories of higher education internationalization and strategic management. A Research and Development approach to examine and analyze the components and indicators of internationalization in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and to develop and evaluate a strategic management model for the internationalization of specialized and professional Higher Education Institutions. A conceptual model comprising 5 components and 30 indicators of internationalization has emerged, with 4 steps and 4 strategic directions. A comparative analysis of highly internationalized and general institutions reveals 2 distinct patterns of policy implementation and institutional practice: proactive and defensive strategies that lead to differential impacts on educational quality and international competitiveness. This research contributes to comparative and international education discussions by demonstrating how national policy environments and institutional capabilities shape internationalization.

School Management Model in the Pracharath School Project in the Southern Border Provinces to Improve the Quality of Life of Students

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 03:39:40 +0000

This research aimed to study the current state of school administration in the Pracharath School Project in Southern Border Provinces. This aim was to develop a school administration model and improve the quality of life of students, and to evaluate the school administration model. The study was divided into three phases. Eight key informants were interviewed in-depth. Data was analyzed according to the objectives. The results revealed that: First, in the current state of school administration, most Pracharath school administrators in Southern Border Provinces employ participatory administration principles, which have received excellent cooperation from network agencies, including community participation and external agencies that have participated in school operations in various aspects. Secondly, the results of the development of the school administration model to improve the quality of life of students consisted of three key issues: (1) characteristics of school administrators, (2) administration techniques, and (3) quality of life of students. Thirdly, the evaluation of the administration model to improve the quality of life of students consisted of three key issues: (1) administration model and methods, (2) quality of life of students, and (3) expectations regarding skills or characteristics desired in students.