A Comparative Study of Secondary Teacher Education in the United States and Thailand

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare American and Thailand education for secondary school teachers, with an attempt to gain insight into the practices of the teacher education in the two countries, for the benefit of improvement of secondary teacher preparation in Thailand. A survey of literature pertaining to secondary teacher education was made. Supplementary information was obtained through a questionnaire from six secondary schools in Thailand. In addition, a number of bulletins from colleges in the United States were utilized to corroborate information gleaned from the literature. The findings were (1) professional education in the teacher preparation of Thailand was more emphasized than that in the United States, (2) a number of educational agencies in the United States contributed to the development of secondary teacher education while teacher education in Thailand developed solely through the work of the Ministry of Education, (3) teaching requirements in Thailand were not as rigid as in the United States, (4) the Thailand government appropriated a large portion of the national budget for educational development, but more and better trained personnel was needed, (5) in the United States at least a bachelor’s degree was required for secondary teaching, but a minority of secondary school teachers in Thailand had a degree. The generalizations were (1) the welfare of the nation depended upon the education of its people; and the progress of education, in terms of quality and quantity, is a consequence of good education programs; (2) the preparation of secondary school teachers was as essential as secondary education itself; (3) a good teacher education provided for teaching competence; (4) education, like other branches of social science, needed improvement which call for experimentation and research; and it was also true in teacher education; (5) teaching as a profession was promoted through the works of professional organizations; (6) the heart of a teacher preparation program was the curriculum which comprised general education, specialized education, and professional education, or, non-professional education and professional education; (7) pre-service education and in-service education were necessary for the prospective teacher and the teacher who was teaching; (8) teachers and prospective teachers needed assistance and supervision; and (9) a good teacher education program should be cooperatively planned by professional educators, teachers, students, and the public. The recommendations were (1) more cooperative effort should be given to teacher education programs; (2) requirements for teachers at secondary level should become more rigid, especially in the area of professional education; (3) prospective teachers should become much more familiar with educational research; (4) relationship of the public with the teacher education program should be encouraged; (5) teaching as a profession should be raised to a higher standard through the strengthening of professional organizations and the strengthening of teacher preparation programs; (6) supervision of instruction should be expanded to provide assistance to all teachers in all areas of secondary teaching; and (7) the improvement of teacher education should be recognized as a crucial factor in making the teaching profession more attractive to capable young men and young women.