Students' interest in physics seems to be decreasing at all levels of education in most countries including Thailand. This problem is likely to be influenced by physics teaching and learning processes. Instructors' beliefs influence teaching strategies whereas students' beliefs, goals and motivation influence learning strategies. The investigation of factors influencing teaching and learning will provide useful information for improving the teaching and learning of physics. This research aims to explore physics instructors' beliefs about teaching and learning physics, students' beliefs, goals and motivation for studying physics in Thai Rajabhat universities. A questionnaire was administered to instructors who teach introductory physics courses in Rajabhats throughout Thailand at the beginning of second semester in 2002. Questionnaires were administered to first year students who enrolled in introductory physics courses at two Rajabhat universities in the south of Thailand at the beginning and the end of that semester. Four case studies were conducted with instructors and students at the two Rajabhats during the semester.

Responding to globalization and its effects on education and research development, the Thai government decided to push all public universities to become autonomous and establish a system of quality assurances. The establishment of quality assurances has had a large impact on many Thai instructors, especially in new public universities. Thai instructors are now forced to more focus on conducting research because the number of research publications is regarded as one of the main criteria for quality universities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the key factors, at the individual and university levels, which impact on the instructors' behavior in conducting research of the full-time instructors in the faculty of Management Science from the Rajabhat Universities in Thailand. The current study will help explain how and why the instructors accept or refuse to conduct research and provide insight into the salient factors motivating the instructors to produce more research by conducting HLM. Data were collected from 694 participants at 37 institutions via a questionnaire survey. The findings revealed that there was no difference among these 37 universities on behavior in conducting research. The key factors statistically influencing behavior in conducting research of the instructors were facilitating conditions, academic degree, social influence, and usefulness as well as ease of conducting research that the instructors perceived. This study gained 46% of effect size.

The purposes of this study were to analyse the learning environment, teacher-student interactions and educational outcomes in physical chemistry laboratory classrooms inThailand. In addition, the validation of the Chemistry Laboratory EnvironmentInventory (CLEI), the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and Attitude Scale was examined. The sample was composed of 100 physical chemistry students in four Rajabhat Universities who responded to both Actual and Preferred Forms of the CLEI and QTI. Also, interviews and written stories were used with twelve students.Students' learning outcomes were investigated using a cognitive test, a practical test and the Attitude Scale. Before the questionnaires were used with the 100 students sample, the reliability and validity of the CLEI, QTI and Attitude Scale were confirmed with 198 tertiary science students in seven Rajabhat Universities. In addition, the results of students' interviews and written stories supported the validityof both the CLEI and QTI, and students improved their achievement outcomes. Thestudy found that there were differences between the students' preferred learningenvironments and what they perceived to be actually present. Associations were also found between students' perceptions of the classroom environment and student outcomes.