PhD student Graduate School of Human Resource Development, National Institute of Development Administration
Abstract: The higher education sector in Thailand is undergoing considerable changes as universities are transforming from being public universities to more market-oriented organizations. This is necessarily impacting the institutional business models and management systems, as well as the working conditions of employees. This creates a huge impact on employee contracts, job responsibilities, and the professional development of Thai lecturers. Drawing on the phenomenological study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data from twelve full-time lecturers of the English language from six different autonomous public universities throughout Thailand. This study highlights the perceptions of Thai novice lecturers of the English language on their experiences with professional development. The data suggest that issues regarding workload and time pressure, different needs, publishing, psychological support, and Thai culture appear to be the contextual factors for a deeper understanding of young lecturers’ lived experiences of professional development activities in the rapidly changing higher education context in Thailand. This study also sheds light on the recommendations for the design of well-focused professional development programs to better support novice lecturers’ career advancement.
