This article reviews the history of world university rankings and their large-scale impact. It then analyzes some of the criticism of the world ranking systems before exploring their impact in the context of Thai universities. The authors' assertions centre on the premise that much of the criticism of these ranking systems can be divided into…

Due to the lack of attention to including early childhood education in the compulsory education system, some families are even unaware of the option to enroll their children at this level. This study aims to estimate the chances of access to early childhood education and to analyse the advantages that pre-primary education offers in terms of child…

Within international development greater income is assumed to lead to greater need fulfilment, which increases subjective wellbeing. The Wellbeing in Developing Countries ESRC Research Group's dataset provides an opportunity to test these relationships using measures of income, expenditure, perceived and "objective" need satisfaction and…

The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of wellbeing among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people's perceptions and experiences. Some of these come…

This article examines the role of the World Bank in advancing higher education sectors in the developing world, considering in particular the increasing power and strength of a global knowledge-based economy. Given the powerful role that intergovernmental organizations such as the World Bank play in shaping global economic policies, the authors…

The literature is replete with studies about the importance of context in relation to teaching and learning. Major international studies such as PISA, among others, attempt to develop an understanding of achievement in science learning in a variety of educational contexts. Here we explore the influence of educational context itself on science…

The proceedings of the sixth regional workshop consist of a description of the project and the workshop; a description of the field survey, preparation, and field testing of materials by the group; five papers presented at the workshop; and notes on planned follow-up activities in the participating countries. The workshop culminated a project on…

This booklet provides an introduction to the educational policy-making process for both experienced and new planners. Policy is defined as decisions designed to guide future decisions or to initiate and guide the implementation of previous decisions. Case studies of Burkina Faso, Jordan, Peru, and Thailand show how educational policy has played…

This report documents the work of a study group which reviewed the distance education activities undertaken during the Third Cycle of the Asia and Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID), as a basis for the further development and utilization of distance learning systems and structures. Reports on distance education…

Thailand has dramatically increased access to education in the past 25 years; however, like many other developing nations, the country now faces the pressing need to improve educational quality--especially at the primary level. To improve Thailand's primary school quality, the quality of teaching and school administration must be improved. Some…

The use of qualitative evaluation methods is explored as a means of overcoming constraints and complexities of evaluation of development programs. A case study demonstrating the application of qualitative analysis to monitoring and evaluation of the Basic Minimum Needs program in Thailand is presented. (SLD)

This report evaluates the increasing use and adaptations of the academic credit system by developing nations in an attempt to improve quality and cost-effectiveness of their higher education systems. Chapter 1 offers an overview of the credit system and explains how it works in breaking down the curriculum into measurable units that can be accrued…

Although Western research has identified principal leadership as a necessary condition for school improvement, little is known about how principals provide instructional leadership in developing countries. This problem was addressed by translating and administering the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) to 10 secondary…

In Thailand, the need for skills in the labor force will become even greater in the next decade as the country's industrial and service companies seek to increase productivity through technological and organizational change. Historically, the limited provision of secondary education was a major bottleneck in skills development in Thailand. Major…

This report reviews Thailand's campaign for education for all, which is supported by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). By focusing on two specific projects, the report attempts to discern how well this elaborate system of cooperation is working. The first case study in the report highlights two responses to the need to promote early…