Problem behavioral between Thailand and American children in school.
Children in Thailand and American did not differ dependably in total under controlled problems but American showed higher levels of direct, overt, and interpersonal aggressive under control such as fighting and bullying. But in Thailand showed more indirect and subtle under controlled that was not interpersonal aggressive such as sulking and sullenness.
The population of Thailand is 95% respect Buddhist. Children are exposed to Buddhist training at home, school, and temple. Consistent with Thailand Buddhist precepts children are reared to be non aggressive, obedient, and respectful of others particularly authority figures such as teachers and others who are older than they and to avoid expressing anger or other strong emotions. Children are taught to strive for an attitude of humility and self-effacement intended to avoid disturbing or inconveniencing others. The attitude is embodied in the wai a respectful bow with hands pressed together in a prayerful position with which social interactions in Thailand begin and end.
American children should show unusually high levels of self-control and deference, and unusually low levels of problem behavior, particularly in the presence of their teachers at school. In both Thailand and the American classes involved a mixture of lecturing, questions, from the students, and projects for groups of students to work on together. Most classrooms in both countries were laid out with combinations of group tables, work stations, individual, paired, or joined desks. School days in both countries included some time at desks and some time at tables or work stations, or sitting on the floor with groups.
The observational findings revealed a pattern of Thailand and American differences quite from the pattern shown by culture-linked values and expectations about child behavior. And in the present study, reported levels of problem behavior that were twice as high for Thai children as for their American age-mates. By contrast, direct observations in the present study showed the reverse pattern. First Thailand 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 American may be reflected in the findings discussed here. A third possibility is that Thailand 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 Thailand and American 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.