Thai education system needs to embrace “Big 5 Model” to reverse the decline
Instilling a growth mindset in Thai children, fostering resilience, and the belief that they can improve are shared responsibilities of both homes and schools. Together, they must cultivate skills in Thai children to prepare them for the broad competency assessment of PISA 2025.
There have been numerous questions raised about the Thai education system following the release of the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The assessment evaluates the performance of 15-year-old students in participating countries every three years. The findings revealed a decline in Thai students' scores across all subjects, reaching the lowest point in 20 years. The average scores were 394 in mathematics, 409 in science, and 379 in reading.
The Equitable Education Fund (EEF), through the Equitable Education Research Institute, examined a database comprising over 8,000 Thai students from the OECD. The analysis revealed that 68.3% did not meet the basic level or pass the criteria (Level 1) in mathematics, 65.4% in reading, and 53% in science. In contrast, the intelligent or high-performance group (Levels 5 and 6) constituted only 1% in mathematics, 0.2% in reading, and 0.6% in science.
Students from low-income families tend to have lower average scores. In all three subjects, the wealthiest group achieved a passing rate of 52%, while the poorest group had a higher non-passing rate of 77.43%.
Upon deeper analysis, it is evident that the group of students showing the highest potential is the most economically disadvantaged group. This group, comprising the top 25%, includes 260 individuals who scored higher in all three subjects than the average of the wealthiest group in the country. Additionally, they exhibit a higher growth mindset score, indicating a belief in their ability to develop. Notably, students with higher growth mindset scores tend to achieve higher PISA scores.
The EEF proposes that the PISA should be viewed as a health check, emphasising prevention by fostering a learning cycle in schools. This involves assessing learning outcomes while students are actively engaged, providing insights into areas that need improvement.
Thai students should develop the "Big 5 Model" with five characteristics that can be explored and cultivated, including a positive world view, empathy, continuous enthusiasm for self-improvement, self-discipline, and a desire to learn and explore.
