The specific problem with which this investigation is concerned is training for public administration in Thailand. Of particular importance are the Western-style training programs developed since 1956, when Indiana University began the Institute of Public Administration in conjunction with the Thai government.

After World War II most governments in the world made economic rehabilitation the most important objective of their policy. The war destroyed not only material things but also cultural and spiritual values. Many countries faced serious unemployment problems as the soldiers returned to their homes. Crime increased enormously, establishing new records.

International trade theory suggests that trade can be advantageous to the industrial as well as to the underdeveloped countries. For the latter, specialization and exchange brings about an increase in total productions. Thailand, an underdeveloped country, has for the past decade experienced an unfavorable balance of trade. A primary producing country, Thailand principally exports rice, rubber, tin, and teak. Her principal imports are manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, mineral fuels, lubricants and chemicals. The thesis is intended to investigate the causes of this adverse balance of trade. Thailand's four principal exports accounted for an average of 74.7 percent of the total export income during the past decade, while the four major import items comprised an average of 77.1 percent of the total imports. Attempts will be made to examine Thailand's potential in agricultural and non-agricultural resources as well as in human resources and to examine the possibility of expanding agricultural export commodities in order to correct the unfavorable balance of trade.

The purpose of this project was to explore the relationship between culture and biology through the analysis of human skeletal remains. Particularly, I seek to investigate how economic changes can affect the presence of childhood and adulthood stress indicators. After the end of World War II, Thailand experienced many economic changes, which led to increased access to healthcare and agricultural technology. Because of these post-war changes, I predicted that: 1) there would be less evidence of childhood stress after WWII, 2) there would not be a difference in childhood stress between males and females due to equal access to resources, 3) there would be no difference in adult stress (in the form of joint degeneration) after the war because of slow agricultural change, and 4) there would not be a difference between sexes in joint degeneration because of shared work activities. Assessment of these hypotheses involved the analysis of 172 individuals housed in the Human Skeleton Research Centre at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Each individual was observed for the presence of childhood stress indicators (linear enamel hypoplasias, cribra orbitalia/porotic hyperostosis, and comparatively short statures) and adult stress indicators (degenerative joint disease). Comparisons where then made between the birth year groups (pre-WWII and post-WWII) and sexes to assess the effect of post-WWII changes. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in the frequencies of childhood stress indicators for both birth-year group and sex. The significant differences between joint degeneration and birth-year groups were significant in the shoulder, elbow, knee, and hip, but they were confounded by the unexpected age difference between the birth-year groups. In the comparisons between joint degeneration and sex, there were significant differences in the knee, which were attributed to biological differences, and temporomandibular joint. The temporomandibular joint difference between post-WWII males and females is of particular interest because ethnographic records of Thai village life do not suggest a reason for why males have more degeneration in their temporomandibular joint than females. These findings provide new information about the individuals in the collection and supply a stepping-stone for understanding how economic changes affect the experience of stress within a population.

The Thai government has strongly advocated for the learner-centered education for the past decade. Success For Life Thailand (SFLT), a brain-research-based early childhood education program blended with the theories of the developmentally appropriate practices and child-centered philosophies, has been implemented in Thailand for over 8 years. The purposes of the present study were to: (a) describe the current statuses of the Thai early childhood educators' learner-centered beliefs and practices, (b) identify if the SFLT training workshop affects teachers' learner-centered beliefs and practices, and (c) examine if other variables, along with familiarity with the SFLT program, predict teachers' learner-centered beliefs and practices. Ninety-three preschool and kindergarten teachers participated in the study. Among them, 17 were SFLT trainees in 1999 and 2000 (i.e., the previously trained group), 43 were trained in Year 2006 (the currently trained group), and the others were comparable to the currently trained group by matching the key personal and school variables. The Teachers Beliefs and Practices Survey: 3-5 Year Olds (Burts et al., 2000) and the Learner-Centered Education: the Assessment of Learner- Centered (ALCP) for K-3 (McCombs, 2001) were used to collect data on the various domains of the learner-centered beliefs and practices. Findings reveal that: (a) Thai teachers highly endorse learner-centered beliefs, (b) Thai educators demonstrate relatively low levels of developmentally appropriate practices and high levels of developmentally inappropriate practices (DIP) in comparing with the American early childhood educators, (c) the previously trained SFLT teachers score higher on the DAP domains and lower on the DIP domains than the other two groups, and (d) familiarity with the SFLT program, along with teacher's education level, years of teaching experience, and the total number of students in the classroom do not predict variations on the different domains of the DAP and learner-centered learning questionnaires. Future studies need to use indigenous measurement instruments appropriate to Thai education to evaluate the impacts of the SLFT program on teachers' learner-centered beliefs and practices when more trainees become available, and possibly to include other teacher, student, and school variables.

The purpose of this study was to develop and field test an approach based upon soft systems methodology for assessing constraints and anxieties faced by farmers utilizing recession farming. The approach in this study was based on soft systems methodology with the intent of constructing root-definitions for recession farming systems. The field testing of the approach utilized three recession farming systems in northeast Thailand. The root-definitions obtained using this approach, characterized two of the recession farming systems as capitalistic using an intensive, high input mode of production with limited land and labor. The third system was characterize as subsistent agriculture with few inputs. It was concluded that the approach developed in this study accurately identified constraints and differences between recession farming systems. The rich picture developed from the farmer's information was adequate to construct the root-definitions. It is recommended that this approach be tested in another region, using indigenous personnel trained to conduct group interviews.

"November 2003" / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 307-334) / xvi, 334 leaves : ill., maps, photos (col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2004

Changing demographics and lifestyles in Thailand are eroding traditional patterns of family support for the elderly. Caring for the elderly within the family structure is no longer assured. However, the concept of living in retirement housing is unfamiliar to most senior Thai citizens. The purpose of this study was to examine the acceptance of nontraditional retirement housing by pre-retirees in Thailand. The study was based on Rogers' (1995) theory on diffusion of innovations. Personal innovativeness toward housing and acceptance of nontraditional retirement housing of an age-stratified sample of 423 faculty pre-retirees at selected Thai universities, representing metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, were examined. Four types of housing, perceived as new options to Thai people, were considered: the universal designed single detached house (SD); Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity or "granny flat" (ECHO); congregate housing (CH), and the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Independent variables were demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, education, and income) and housing characteristics (tenure status, dwelling expenditure, current housing type, and location). Data were collected during February 2002 through a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analyses of the independent variables were presented in frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and t-tests and ANOVA were conducted for comparison of variables. Stepwise multiple regression and nonparametric correlation were utilized to test seven null hypotheses. Results dictated rejection of six of the seven null hypotheses. A relationship between personal innovativeness toward housing and gender, income, and education level were found. Males and those with higher income had higher mean innovativeness scores. However, those with higher education levels had lower innovativeness toward housing. Females had higher mean acceptance scores for combined non-traditional housing types. Of the four housing types, the universal designed single detached house (SD) was the most acceptable, followed by Continuing Care Retirement Housing (CCRC). Metropolitan respondents were more accepting of the CCRC than non-metropolitan. A positive correlation was found between personal innovativeness toward housing and acceptance of non-traditional housing types. Personal innovativeness also mediated the effect of demographic and housing characteristics on acceptance of all non-traditional retirement housing types. Respondents showed a medium level of personal innovativeness and a medium to high level of acceptance of non-traditional housing types. Mass media communication was suggested to promote awareness and knowledge of non-traditional housing types to prospective elderly housing consumers. Research on cultural aspects of retirement housing for Thai housing consumers was recommended for further study. / Graduation date: 2003

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 440-478). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xxi, 478 leaves, bound col. ill., maps 29 cm

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, Dept. of International Communication, 2008. / Bibliography: p. 348-366. / Introduction -- Globalisation and network society -- Digital television -- Communication policy and development of Thai TV -- Research design -- Results : DTV: Thailand at the crossroads -- Results: National DTV policy and trends -- Results: Thai TV stations in technological transition (part 1) -- Results: Thai TV stations in technological transition (part 2) -- Discussion and conclusion. / The evolution of television and broadcasting technology from analogue to digital brings about changes in the global television industry. This technological transition is related to a political push which is highly concerned with national public interest in relation to socio-economic forces. Thailand's TV industry has also adopted and used digital television (DTV) technologies since the late 1990s in its TV production and broadcasting. The Thai government broadcasting regulators are expected to play a key role in launching and issuing national DTV policy. However, they seem to be involved in a conflict of interest which has negatively impacted Thailand's DTV transition. --This study selects Thailand's TV industry as a case study of a developing country in response to global technological transition. The thesis aims to explore major drives influencing Thai broadcasting in the shift from analogue to digital. It provides recommendations vis-à-vis the establishment of national DTV policy, and the current use of DTV technologies by Thai TV stations. The research project was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand, between October 2006 and October 2007, after the September coup in 2006. Two research methodologies employed in the study are (1) in-depth interviews with 26 experts (TV station administrators and mass communication scholars), and (2) observations of the nine TV stations. --Theoretical concepts in globalisation of communication echnologies and communication policy are reviewed. The research reveals two major pushes significantly forcing Thailand's TV industry into a newly administrative sphere. These are: (1) global push, and (2) domestic push; both are extensively addressed in this thesis. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xv, 366 p. ill. (some col.)