Sid attempts to compare the relationship between teachers and their students in Thailand and the UK. He likens the culture of the Thai classroom to that of a close family, positioning the teacher in the role of the caring parent. He describes being scolded by the teacher for not
145 paying attention in class; just as a caring parent would scold his child for misbehaving. However, in the UK he notes that from his observations, students are not chastised by their teachers for being inattentive. He appears to value the close relationship with his Thai teachers and comments:
‘Thai teachers usually … care more about the students. I think … it’s more like a parent and child thing like they…they scold you … if you are not listening. While here [in UK] the teacher sometimes they don’t care if someone’s not listening or someone’s playing something, using their iPhones or iPods in class.’ Sid [interview: Term 1]
This viewpoint is not supported in a response received in the bilingual questionnaire [n=63]: ‘There isn’t much interact between students and teacher in Thailand’
[Questionnaire respondent: M36 Term 1]
Student M36 stated that in his experience the relationship between teachers and their students in Thailand is distant, commenting on the lack of interaction which is at odds with Sid’s analogy to a close-knit family. However, it does illustrate the varied and individual experiences of the participants in this study.
The notion that the teacher is a respected figure of authority in Thailand is well illustrated during my interview with Wendy in Term 3. She is unable to conform to the familiar classroom culture adopted in the UK of referring to lecturers by their first names. She explains in detail how she feels more comfortable with Thai etiquette; where students refer to their teacher by a special title, ‘Ajahn’ [teacher] which overcomes any awkwardness
‘In my class [in UK] we just say the first name [of the teacher] for example Mike … and I I don’t I don’t like this this kind of thing at all… I I always put some word before for example Professor … I have to have a title because I don’t want to call him by name because I think he not my friend’. Wendy [Interview Term 3: Reflections]
146 She describes how she negotiates her positionality in relation to her teacher by a strategic compromise. Instead of conforming to the cultural etiquette of the UK classroom she compromises by referring to the teacher’s academic title before their first name e.g. Professor Mike. She also makes an interesting distinction when she describes levels of friendship. She comments that the teacher is not her friend so she feels it is inappropriate to refer to him by his first name which from her perspective would denote a closer relationship. Wendy explains that in Thailand the position of the teacher is higher than the student. In the UK this distinction is not as clearly defined, which is why she struggles with this particular difference in UK classroom culture:
‘…here [in UK] the lecturer and you is like we are the same level in the class and they open for your answer and but in Thailand it’s hard because the lecturer is always higher than student…’ Wendy [Interview Term 3: Reflections]
Yet if we examine Wendy’s response in more depth; on one hand Wendy respects the authority of the teacher within the culture of the Thai classroom yet she also recognises the advantages of the more relaxed relationship between students and teachers within a UK classroom which encourages dialogue and the sharing of ideas ‘…they open for your answer’. The notion of the teacher as a figure of authority is also supported by a respondent to the questionnaire who comments that in his opinion there is a lack of respect shown by UK students towards their teachers.
‘Seniority is not taken into account for most students in UK. They don’t respect their teachers’. [Questionnaire respondent: M5 Term 1]
The position of the teacher in Thailand was also commented on during an interview with a European lecturer who was fluent in Thai and who had taught at a prestigious private
147 university in Bangkok. His personal experience was at variance with what he understood to be the Thai tradition of respect for teachers
‘For the first five minutes I talk in English… and then switch to Thai. So the first five minutes they were “ah” in awe but then they start to get their mobiles out, they talk, you know, on the mobile; they go out, come in; something we would regard as disrespectful, you know, to the teacher.’ [Interview: Lecturer L09]
He was very surprised by this behaviour and spoke to a colleague who commented: ‘Yes that’s normal, which is the reason they [teachers] use microphones in order to be louder’.
He then explained how these same students who had, in his opinion, shown him disrespect, then participated in the ceremony of ‘wai kru’ when students kneel to pay tribute and respect to their teachers:
‘There were sixty students in this room and they had prepared this golden tray with flowers, with an envelope and presented it to me; high respect, hierarchy, you know.’ [Interview: Lecturer L09]
He found it difficult to reconcile the two experiences:
‘…so that’s quite interesting! What we regard as disrespectful here [in UK] seems to be, at least at that [Thai] university, erm normal.’ [Interview: Lecturer L09]