Youngsters 'fail behavioural tests'

The development of Thai children aged 3-5 has worsened, with many failing standard tests on early childhood behavioural competency, a study has found.

The tests on children’s development in seven areas -- social, emotional, cognitive, language, morals and creativity -- were jointly carried out by Books for Children Foundation (FFC), the Education Ministry and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF) and UNICEF Thailand.

They were performed on 457 children in youth development centres belong to 16 local administrative organisations in six provinces including Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Loei, Chanthaburi, Uthai Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The research began in August last year and is due to be completed in March next year.   

FFC manager Ruangsak Pinprateep said the test results showed certain behavioural aspects of Thai children had been largely neglected.

For example, none of the children participating in the study passed tests in cognitive development, showing lack of basic memory skills such as telling their home telephone numbers and emergency numbers. In other countries, Mr Ruangsak said, young children had been taught to remember such important information so that they could help themselves when they get lost without their parents. 

The "appalling result" of the study was that all youngsters in the three age groups were not able to describe the basic features or characteristics of objects such as hot, long, heavy, big -- and were not able to use words like "yesterday", "today" and "tomorrow" correctly, showing a lack of concept formation.

On moral development, the children were asked to demonstrate behaviour reflecting understanding of morality in which one of the tests used the concept “not to take other people's possessions as their own”. Mr Ruansak said 74.62% of 3-year-olds and 68.75% of 4-year-olds could pass, but none of 5-year-olds did. The results could reflect a thorough picture of morality among the young. He warned such habits could burrow into the children’s behavioural patterns until they grow up unless their consciences were trained to know right from wrong.  

On adaptive social behaviour, he said, children aged 3 and 5 failed to describe how their behaviour affects other people's feelings and behaviour. Just 1.04% of 4-year-olds passed the test. 

Also on demonstrating strength and movements using small muscles, all aged groups were not able to “fold paper into simple shapes without assistance”. This was because many young children had not been encouraged by their parents or teachers to use their small muscles during play and other physical activities, the FCC manager claimed.

Mr Ruangsak said the first five years of a child's life are fundamentally important for developing their behaviour, personality and intellectuality. Parents should encourage their children to regularly do activities deemed useful to their brain development as well as design extra ones to activate new skills in them.  

Thailand currently has about 17 million young children, or 22% of its total population, said Penpan Jittasaenee, director of THPF’s healthy child, youth and family promotion bureau.

According to Public Health Ministry statistics, the development of behavioural competency among Thais in their early years had fallen from 80% in 1992 to 70% last year, she added.   

Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 06/12/2012 at 11:10 AM
agree with 23 but it is creeping in too western society as well. the kids think they know it all but children in my day were seen and not heard. if parents were having a discussion the kids were out of earshot. now parents air everything in front of them which their child brain is not able to understand. along with the do gooders telling parents not to disaplin kids as it will effect their developement. imagine how this generation will raise their kids ?
Discussion 2 : 15/11/2012 at 11:48 AM
How does parents teach when the parents need teaching themselves?
Discussion 3 : 29/10/2012 at 07:02 AM
With all the family glued to the TV watch ing soap oprea's, where shouting at everyone to get your way, gun violence and allround cheating is the norm, you expect that these kids will develop into rational and productive adults? D:16 (Phaethon) says it all, and how true too!
Discussion 4 : 29/10/2012 at 04:48 AM
An archaic education system breeds submissive people, easily manipulated and controlled into believing that the Thai method of doing things is superior to everything else. Ask any Thai and they will tell you this. The Thai propaganda machine is well oiled it that keeps the majority of wealth where it is, its masters abusing the culture for its own means...appalling behavior by those who are meant to lead by example.
Discussion 5 : 29/10/2012 at 04:04 AM
Give them more Pepsi, TV, GMO, junk food, and iPad knock-offs. I'm sure it will all work itself out. And by the way, kids in the West are equally, if not more screwed up, and I don't think we can blame that on the Thai education system.
Discussion 6 : 29/10/2012 at 02:00 AM
Since the result showed failing grades for children between 3 – 5 years olds in 16 local administrative organizations in six provinces, this should give the Education Ministry a good reason to reform the education system before the situation gets worse; there is no such thing as a poor student, only poor teachers. Hopefully, the private education institutions can do a better job than those low paid uninspiring “civil servant” who followed the traditional teaching curriculum zealously. “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose” Lyndon Johnson 36th
Discussion 7 : 29/10/2012 at 01:55 AM
“For example, none of the children participating in the study passed tests in cognitive development, showing lack of basic memory skills such as telling their home telephone numbers and emergency numbers.” Who expects children of 3-5 years old to remember telephone numbers ?!
Discussion 8 : 29/10/2012 at 12:35 AM
Give them another 25 years they will sit in Thai parliament.
Discussion 9 : 29/10/2012 at 12:16 AM
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! The CHILDREN have not failed in anything - the ADULTS responsible for the children's social, emotional, cognitive, language, moral and creative development are the ones who have failed.
Discussion 10 : 28/10/2012 at 11:52 PM
D12 : I imagined anyone could spot the sarcasm of my comment,but I fully agree with you. As I wrote my previous comment,a fight erupted amongst 2 gangs of teens in the soi outside. Around 20 youngsters(12-18 years old)assaulted each other with sticks,clubs and bottles because of an online game they played. The government tablet scheme seems to be working out as planned.
Discussion 11 : 28/10/2012 at 11:24 PM
These results are not surprising. Most Thai parents are largely dullards incapable of critical thinking and problem solving because they are products of the abysmal Thai education system. They don't know anything about modern parenting and actively and creatively engaging their children. When the children reach school-age, their parents divest themselves of what little responsibility they have and expect the schools and the teachers to take over baby-sitting with disastrous results. It's a clear case of arrested development.
Discussion 12 : 28/10/2012 at 11:17 PM
The Thai people need to get Education upgraded to the present day and away from the politics. from what I see the children are not being taught what they need to learn. The system is 20 years behind time and teaches things that don't make any sense and instill knowledge to help them in real life. It's really ashamed that only the Elite who ae sent to school out of Thailand get the education needed to rulew the Country in the future. That is what greed does.
Discussion 13 : 28/10/2012 at 10:58 PM
bangmodken: Actually, what's looking bright is the future of the ruling class in Thailand. They're guaranteed another generation of sheep they can manipulate into keeping them in power with minimal effort and expense.
Discussion 14 : 28/10/2012 at 10:43 PM
Sounds like they're well prepared for a life as followers.
Discussion 15 : 28/10/2012 at 10:26 PM
no sweat..the tablet PCs will fix all this
Discussion 16 : 28/10/2012 at 10:13 PM
'he said, children aged 3 and 5 failed to describe how their behaviour affects other people's feelings and behaviour. Just 1.04% of 4-year-olds passed the test.' Has 'he' ever taken a course in Human Development?! Children that age have no idea how their behavior affects others because their brains haven't developed enough to understand it. That's why they are called 'children.' I would be shocked if any 3 year-old passed the test! It sounds like these people are trying to capitalize on their research. Next, they'll be selling a 'funny' program to solve this 'problem.'
Discussion 17 : 28/10/2012 at 09:28 PM
Thailands future is looking bright.
Discussion 18 : 28/10/2012 at 09:25 PM
The majority of Thai voters voting in a fugitive says a lot about where our morals are .
Discussion 19 : 28/10/2012 at 08:47 PM
So it's official... And it's going to get worse as these kids grow up.
Discussion 20 : 28/10/2012 at 08:42 PM
At least this is something people can't blame on the Thai education system. Maybe the trouble lies at home?
Discussion 21 : 28/10/2012 at 08:41 PM
C’mon! Is anybody surprised by this already well known finding? How many times must the ministry of indoctrination/education/ behavior be exposed as archaic? Yet nothing ever changes to bring it out of the dark ages. And as far as behavior is concerned, just look at the models the youth has to emulate and learn from, basically law-breaking criminals in high government positions with no responsibility or accountability to anybody. Does Thailand honestly expect an advanced future with role models like these?
Discussion 22 : 28/10/2012 at 07:54 PM
And the adults in parliament are passing it...? The youngsters naturally imitate on what they see the adults are doing. So, don't blame them!
Discussion 23 : 28/10/2012 at 07:54 PM
So am I supposed to be surprised? Just look around at the 30 year old Thai children that are everywhere. They all act the same. If Thai parents are too lazy to teach their children then they get misbehaved idiots... which is what most of them have today.
Discussion 24 : 28/10/2012 at 07:47 PM
Building a new generation of retards...just what the establishment wants, people who can't think or question what they're told.

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