Abstract

This qualitative case study investigates the persistent “policy-practice gap” in Thailand, where the national reforms centred on competency-based curricula and 21st-century skills could not effectively reach the classroom level. This study employed a case study design where semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted in the first semester of 2025. The participants included 19 teachers across early childhood, primary, secondary, and special education levels to evaluate implementation fidelity. Thematic analysis reveals a systemic breakdown in policy execution driven by three critical barriers: overwhelming non-teaching administrative burdens that disrupted pedagogical time, a misalignment between curriculum goals and stakeholder expectations such as parental demand for rote academicism, and chronic resource deficiencies. Specifically, the findings revealed a critical absence of dedicated funding for classroom-level implementation, rendering mandates, particularly in special education as unfunded policy fictions. The study concludes that implementation fidelity is structurally impossible under current conditions and argues that Thai educational policy must shift to focus more on effective service delivery and the restoration of teachers’ professional autonomy.

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