‘We still have bombings’: school principals and insurgent violence in Southern Thailand

Abstract

This study explored how principals in Southern Thailand lead schools in areas of violent conflict. In order to better understand principals’ perspectives on working in such a context, the study was guided by Lynn Davies’ Drivers of Fragility Framework, which identifies five ‘drivers’ of conflict in communities: (1) problems of governance; (2) lack of security; (3) weak economy; (4) cultures of power; and (5) environmental degradation. Data were collected through 30 interviews and 6 school site observations. We used Davies’ Drivers of Fragility Framework as a priori analytic codes. Then, using analytic induction, we gathered additional data to identify and then refine emergent categories. Two themes emerged from the analysis of the findings, specifically the misalignment of national education policies to the local context and poor teacher quality. The findings suggested that principals were able to influence local governance, community-based security, and environmental sustainability, but were limited in their ability to influence the weak economy or cultures of power in their communities. This study is a unique contribution to research focused on how leadership is enacted in non-Western cultural contexts and sheds light on what influence principals may have in alleviating social fragility.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie Carol Brooks

Melanie Carol Brooks, is an assistant professor at Monash University, 168C, Building 902, Berwick Campus, 100 Clyde Road, Berwick, VIC 3806, Australia. Email: [email protected]. She has conducted research in Egypt, Thailand and the United States using sociological theories as a way to understand issues related to religion, conflict, and multicultural education. Her work is published in Religion & Education, Teachers College Record, Educational Policy, Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, and Planning and Changing. She was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award for 2015–2016 to The Republic of the Philippines.

Ekkarin Sungtong

Ekkarin Sungtong is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the Faculty of Education, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Thailand. Email: [email protected]. His research interests include multicultural education, leadership, educational policy analysis, and ethno-religious conflict.