Paper short abstract:

The study examines how critical civic engagement can tackle social injustice in Thailand’s education. The National Core Curriculum and interviews with two social studies teachers were discourse analyzed. Findings show possibilities, but with sociopolitical, curriculum and implementation constraints.

Paper long abstract:

Contemporary civic education aims to promote civic engagement among citizens, either through active participation or by demonstrating interest in public issues. Recently, social educators in Western education have emphasized the idea of critical civic engagement (CCE), which involves the reflective, informed participation of individuals to promote social, political, and economic change to address social injustice. This approach has great potential to address inequality, particularly the severe levels witnessed in Thailand. This research addresses two questions: how can CCE be integrated into Thai education to address social injustice and offer solutions, and what factors promote or hinder CCE in Thailand? Data was gathered from the 2008 National Basic Education Core Curriculum and semi-structured interviews with two Thai social studies teachers. The curriculum and interview content were analyzed using discourse analysis. The findings indicate that, while the curriculum's progressive ideology can potentially support the incorporation of CCE, there are numerous restrictions, including hidden values of the curriculum that reflect the nation’s expectations towards its citizens, a multitude of expected learning standards that influence its implementation in classrooms, and the sociopolitical climate of the country. Two teachers in the study expressed their strong desire to use their work as teachers to tackle social injustice and inequality issues in Thailand in different ways that related to their socio-economic and political backgrounds. In addition, the study suggests the potential role of various forms of teacher professional development in improving pedagogical quality and empowering teachers to believe in their ability to make significant societal changes.