A Study of School Education Environment under the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand: Comparison of Four Schools in Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify what kind of distance learning (online class) has been implemented in Thailand in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what kind of impact distance learning has had on Thai students. This paper focuses on differences in educational environments and issues of educational quality. This paper examines four different types of schools. The research target of this paper is lower secondary students, and the research target schools are one each from a general secondary school, an educational opportunity expansion school, a Suksasongkhro school, and a Buddhist school. This paper examines the differences between those schools. This research was conducted through interview surveys of school principals and student questionnaires in Chiang Mai province.

As a result of this survey of those schools, it became clear that there were differences in students’ ICT environments between schools. In this paper, I found that the format of online classes that each school can adopt differs depending on the condition of the ICT environment in the homes of their students. However, children find it difficult to attend classes in either learning format, and it can be concluded that the quality of education is not being maintained sufficiently with online classes under the COVID-19 pandemic.