A Study of Identities and Academic Space in Thai Society: Case Studies of Thai Students in GED Preparation Program in Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this research is to study the identities and academic space of Thai students in a GED preparation program in Thailand. The research comprises the observation, the in-depth interviews of 39 Thai students in the GED preparation program in 1 Tutoring School in Bangkok. The purpose of this research is to study the overview and the reason of becoming GED students. The Snowball Sampling method was used to categorize 9 case studies which all of them are different in terms of educational background. In-Depth Interviews were used to sort out each one of them and the people surrounding them in order to present the identities and academic space of GED students in Thai society.

According to this research, first, it is found that the identities of GED students are incorporating both inconsistency and flexibility as a result of the power of discourse and social space. These identities will be manifested through making negotiations and creating their own identities by means of proposing both the distinctive and collective identities at the same time.

According to certain studies, GED students will give more importance to social values and internationalization. They prefer both expensive goods and services. In addition, they also have the different goals from those of the students from formal schools in terms of time, classes, and academic goals through the collective identities of being “international,” “rich,” “quick,” but “happy-go-lucky” students. Second, there is a strong correlation between the academic space of GED students and their identities. The academic space of GED students comprises both the physical space and the technology-based space. The academic space will have a direct impact on the learning behavior, the meaning of education, and the identities of GED students. GED students are not willing to share the same public space with the conventional students from formal schools, but they are willing to share this space with international students and high society consumers.