Rattana Lao
Rattana Lao (Amp) is interested in understanding the influences of westernization, globalization and marketization in education policy. Trained in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, Rattana's work has used the politics, economics and culture of borrowing to analyze Thai higher education. Prior to Thammasat, Rattana worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Hong Kong exploring the phenomenon of private tutoring in Asia.
Subjects: Asian Studies, Education, Sociology & Social Policy
Biography
I have an interdisciplinary training in Development Studies, Comparative Policy Studies, Globalization Theory and Higher Education Studies with a research focus on Thailand. After receiving the first class honor from Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Rattana received the Anandamahidol Foundation scholarship to pursue graduate studies abroad. She spent two years in London and obtained the Masters of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a Masters of Research in Social and Educational Research at the Institute of Education. At Teachers College, Columbia University, she had the privilege to work with and learn from Professor Gita Steiner-Khamsi and developed a theoretical interest in the politics, economics and culture of borrowing.Books
Articles
Lifelong learning and Thailand's higher education: Challenges and options
Published: Nov 30, 2015 by Asia Journal of Public Affairs
Authors: Rattana Lao
Subjects:
Education, Asian Studies
Drawing from the literature on lifelong learning and a qualitative case study in Thailand, this article argues that there is a "glocalization of lifelong learning policy." Currently, the lifelong learning concept is a compelling policy discourse in Thailand's higher education sector. It is a unique blend between the economic-centric perspective of the human capital approach and the humanistic aspiration of the "self-sufficiency" development paradigm.
The limitations of autonomous university in Thailand
Published: Feb 07, 2015 by Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia
Authors: Rattana Lao
Subjects:
Education, Asian Studies
This paper discusses the challenges facing Thai universities making the transition to "autonomous" status. While current policy discourse is focused on the legal and financial aspects of this transition, attention to questions of leadership, uneven resources and the obsession over international ranking is overdue. The universities must be regarded as places for higher learning.
Analyzing the Thai state policy on private tutoring
Published: Dec 12, 2014 by Asia Pacific JOurnal of Education
Authors: Rattana Lao
Subjects:
Education, Asian Studies
Private tutoring in academic subjects, which is provided for a fee and which takes place outside standard school hours, has become a global phenomenon. It is also visible in Thailand. This paper draws on qualitative method including documentary analyses and semi-structured interviews with Thai policy elites and private tutoring providers, to understand the Thai state policy on the issue.