Study of lifelong learning and civic science literacy of youth in Thailand

Author: Ganigar Chen – National Science Museum, Thailand, Thailand

Co-authors:
Archanya Ratana-ubol – Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Pichai Sonchaeng – Burapha University, Thailand

Thailand is one of many countries striving for economic development through science, technology, and innovation. Regardless of the strong government policy and support in science and formal education, the national competitiveness index including science literacy continues to be ranked below the average OECD countries, for many years. It is obvious that in the past, efforts have been focused on promoting science education and science was often considered as an important subject to study to get into a good College, rather than as part of knowledge in cultivating quality and well-informed citizens. It is likely that after compulsory education, people who did not study science or have left school for the workforce will have fewer chances and interest to be engaged in science unless there are appropriate motivation and mode to do so. This group account for 10% of the population and will become the major workforce in Thailand in the next 20 years. This study tried to investigate how the youth in different regions of Thailand have been engaged in science and technology in the lifelong learning context. It also investigated which media have the strong influence in people’s informal learning settings. It also looked at their perception and interest in modern science and technology to see how well these learners are prepared for the changing world and their awareness of sustainability. The study looked at how the promotion of lifelong learning strategies in science can be adapted and be adopted for these learners in the different regions of Thailand to stimulate interest in and develop insight into the value of science in every facet of life. This will promote the development of a learning community and society.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Influencing policies through science communication