In the report by Pitiyanuwat and Siridej, many teaching and learning practices are still directed heavily by the teacher and the main focus is still on content. The reason that, “Process-oriented and student-centered teaching and learning are minimal [is] not just because of the lack of inservice teacher development but also [due to] the lack of appropriate instructional materials” (Pitiyanuwat & Siridej, 1999, p.5).
Also, a finding by Rajchukam Tongthaworn reports that public and private schools “typically have 25-35 and sometime up to 50 four to five year old students with one teacher and one assistant teacher, and in some places there is no assistant teacher” (Tongthaworn, 2003, p.17). With so many kids in the classroom, it is very difficult, if not impossible for one teacher to follow a student-centered approach and teach effectively. Thus we see that the constructivist approach can be limited in its success by external forces. In a third-world country where much of the schools education is found in the urban areas, it is a stretch to expect that a rural school employing a constructivist approach to teaching will be effective. In fact, the problem doesn’t lie in the method of teaching, but by the limitation from resources.
Another major factor leading to the lack of effective implementation of constructivist teaching can be traced to teacher beliefs. In a country where a teacher-centered classroom has been the norm for nearly a century, it is very difficult to integrate a nearly opposite approach to teaching in schools throughout the country. The decisions that a teacher makes is heavily influenced by what he or she has experienced from their own educational experiences and this then affects the learning experiences of his or her students as well. Therefore in the process of switching from a traditional method of teaching to a constructivist method of teaching, teachers need to reexamine their own attitudes and experiences that affect their teaching. (Chongdarakul, 2003, p.19) It can then be inferred that the most successful and comprehensive instantiations of constructivist teaching will occur when the teachers themselves have been schooled in the same manner. Countries like Thailand who are just now integrating this new system of education must be patient and persistent with this new method as it will be sure to produce great improvements in student achievement.
The constructivist theory of learning is a generally new concept for the country of Thailand. Yet, in an effort to conform to the general trend of educational practices, Thailand is working hard to integrate the practice throughout all of its educational institutions. This process of decentralization and globalization has been a greatly debated issue due to both its positive and negative outcomes.