First, Thai instructional procedures and classroom management practices appear to be somewhat more strict, authoritative, and controlling than the American norm. A second possibility is that broad cultural differences between Thailand and the United States may be reflected in the findings discussed here. A third possibility is that Thai children differ from American children in temperament manifesting a more behaviorally and emotionally inhibited style that makes them more attentive and less likely to show behavior problems. Data from other Asian groups at least raise this.
Thus, the Thai-U.S. differences observed in the study may reflect such diverse influences as instructional styles and classroom management practices, cultural traditions (including respect for teachers) and child temperament. These causal possibilities warrant attention in future research.