Exploring school-based teacher professional learning practices in Thailand through actor network theory

Abstract

Thai education, being embedded in Buddhist cultural values and hierarchical structures, presents unique benefits and challenges in facilitating effective teacher development. Although substantial research has been conducted to address similar challenges in western contexts, these have not been fully explored in Thai schools. Technology, collaborative work, and professional accountability are now key issues for professional learning. To address these dynamic concerns, this study explores professional learning practices enacted in teachers’ everyday lives in Thailand. This ethnographic case study enrolled the concept of translation within an actor-network theory (ANT) approach to explore the relationships between entities within networks to understand how humans and nonhumans – teachers, administrators, policies, cultures, and materials – enact and influence each other, shaping the power and tension in the practices that produce teachers’ learning. Sixteen teachers and school leaders in three schools participated to gain insights into their professional learning practices. An Interview Toolkit was designed and implemented in combination with ANT sensibilities to gather in-depth qualitative data from humans and nonhumans over two phases, using semi-structured interviews, relational maps, and photo elicitation methods. The tell-listen-retell storytelling technique was developed to unravel the stories of the three schools. The work-learning continuum was found to be integral to teacher professional learning, shaping professional learning to be boundaryless, beyond one-shot workshops. Interactions among actors co-create powers that affect learning, revealing a paradox between traditional rote learning and the push for critical thinking and active learning. The arrival of technology amid COVID-19 balanced asymmetrical connections, creating reciprocal and professional co-productions to extend effects on teachers’ and students’ learning. Other hidden practices were revealed, such as borrowing materials and teaching techniques. This study provides practical contributions with the Interview Toolkit, and its insights have the potential to guide school leaders, policymakers, educators, and researchers in creating more supportive and dynamic environments for teacher development.