Negotiating learner-centred education as a national mandate: a case study of EFL teachers in Thai universities

ABSTRACT In 1999, the western concept of ‘Learner-Centred Education’ (LCE) was nationally mandated for schools and universities across Thailand. Most early research into this mandate portrayed Thai teachers in deficit terms, suggesting they were unwilling or unable to implement government policy. Such studies often underappreciated the range of cultural, institutional, and historical factors that were mediating the teachers’ practices. This narrative-based qualitative case study reflexively investigates how four university teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) from three contrasting universities in Thailand negotiated socio-cultural and institutional factors to successfully implement the national mandate of LCE. The study analyses a range of narrative-based qualitative data to show how the teachers were able to differentiate teaching approaches, respect student diversity and independence, and promote dialogic teaching and learning. It also argues for the importance of ongoing professional learning to support teachers’ implementation of LCE.