Asia Social Issues

Podcasting as a Pedagogical Intervention for English Vocabulary Development among Senior High School Students in the Philippines

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0700

The Education First (EF) English Proficiency Index has consistently reported a decline in the English proficiency of Filipinos. This emphasizes the need to strengthen students’ vocabulary development. In response, this study examined the effectiveness of podcasting as a pedagogical tool and channel to improve English Proficiency of Senior High School students. The study employed an experimental method with a non-randomized pretest–posttest control group design. Two sections of Grade 12 students under Humanities and Social Science strand from Nueva Ecija High School in Nueva Ecija, Philippines were assigned as the control group (traditional teaching) and the experimental group (podcast intervention). The intervention lasted for three sessions over one week, with vocabulary-focused podcasts developed by English teachers of 3–5 minutes in duration, and were made available through Spotify. Data were gathered using pretest and posttest quiz-type questionnaires. This was supported by a Likert-scale survey on students’ interest in podcasts, and validated through a focus group discussion. Results revealed that students in the experimental group showed significant improvement in vocabulary acquisition compared to the control group. Moreover, their level of interest significantly increased after the podcast intervention, with overall responses shifting from “Agree” to “Strongly Agree.” The findings suggest that podcasts are not only effective in enhancing vocabulary but also serve as engaging, accessible, and enjoyable learning tools. This study recommends integrating podcasting into classroom instruction as a modern approach to enrich students’ vocabulary learning and support language proficiency.

Highlights
● Podcast-based instruction significantly improved English vocabulary acquisition among students compared to traditional teaching methods.
● Vocabulary podcasts proved to be an engaging and accessible learning tool, increasing students’ interest.
The study demonstrates that podcasting is an effective pedagogical intervention that could contribute to improving vocabulary learning and supporting language proficiency in the Philippines.

Policy Impacts of Community Liquor Liberalization: A Case Study of Residents and Entrepreneurs in Ranot District, Songkhla Province

Phennapha Chandaeng , Sadanon Wattatham — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

The study examines public knowledge and understanding of Thailand’s community liquor liberalization policy, community expectations of becoming model communities, the association between knowledge and expectations, and the policy’s impacts on local communities. The study also proposes guidelines to strengthen the promotion of local liquors as a form of soft power. A mixed-methods design was used, combining survey data from 400 residents in Ranot District with semi-structured interviews involving six purposively selected liquor entrepreneurs and one scholar. The findings indicate a fairly good level of policy knowledge and strong expectations of becoming model communities. A positive correlation was found between knowledge and expectations. The policy affects the community in three key areas: economically, by stimulating the local economy and enhancing quality of life; in relation to natural resources, by improving resource use and management; and culturally, by integrating liquor into tourism initiatives. Promotion should emphasize legal support and public relations, particularly local liquor competitions, to develop liquor as a Thai soft-power product.

Highlights
In 2025, the government revised the Excise Tax Act (No. 2), B.E. 2568. The amendment removed earlier restrictions on market entry for new entrepreneurs, strengthened fair competition, and expanded economic opportunities at the grassroots level. The change matters for community liquors because they have been identified as part of Thailand’s Soft Power agenda and carry potential for local income generation and tourism development. The study builds on the reform by proposing policy measures to support the liberalization of community liquor. The proposed measures aim to develop local alcoholic beverages as Soft Power products while aligning with the government’s strategic direction.

Primordial Violence, Chance and Probability, and Political Reason: Applying Clausewitz’s Paradoxical Trinity to the 2025 Thai–Cambodian Border Conflict

Wasan Pounpunwong — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article analyzes the 2025 Thai–Cambodian border crisis through Carl von Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity to (1) reinterpret the clashes not as isolated skirmishes but as a limited war structured by emotion, chance, and policy, and (2) propose a spatialized framework for contemporary border disputes in Southeast Asia. The conflict is situated within a longer history of colonial boundary-making, the Preah Vihear dispute, and rival temple claims, while also engaging ASEAN’s non-interference norm, U.S.–China rivalry in the Indo–Pacific, and enduring tensions in Thailand’s civil–military relations. Clausewitz’s three dimensions are systematically applied. Primordial violence appears in mutually reinforcing Thai and Cambodian nationalisms, grounded in memories of territorial loss and historical victimhood. Chance and probability emerge in landmine incidents, misperceptions, domestic political instability, and the contingent moves of external powers. Political reason is shown to be structurally fragile, particularly in Thailand’s fragmented security governance and the absence of coherent political objectives. The article concludes by advancing a framework that embeds Clausewitz’s triad within concrete borderland and regional institutional settings. This framework explains both the escalation and management difficulties of the 2025 crisis and offers scenarios for Thai–Cambodian relations and other Southeast Asian border disputes: unmanaged rivalries, controlled competitive dyads under ASEAN, or genuinely cooperative border regimes.

Highlights
This article analyzes the 2025 Thai–Cambodian border conflict through the lens of Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity of war. The analysis indicates that the crisis was influenced by nationalist hostility, strategic uncertainty, and inadequate policy control, rather than being solely a result of isolated battlefield incidents. The findings indicate that Thailand's primary weakness was the lack of a defined civilian strategic direction. The article presents a novel framework for comprehending escalation and border conflict in Southeast Asia.

Structural Relationships Between Classroom Culture, Motivation, Carrer interest, Self-Efficacy, and Career Planning in Chinese Secondary Vocational Education

Huan Huang, Lin Li, Zheyun Zheng — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study aimed to construct and validate a structural model that explains the influence of Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, Carrer interest, and Self-Efficacy on Career Planning among secondary vocational students in mainland China. A total of 807 valid questionnaires were collected from a provincial demonstration vocational school using a combination of stratified cluster sampling and convenience sampling. Established measurement scales were adapted for the Chinese vocational education context, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Structural equation modeling results indicated that Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, and Carrer interest had significant positive effects on Self-Efficacy, which subsequently exerted a significant positive effect on Career Planning, demonstrating its mediating role in linking contextual and motivational factors with career outcomes. Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, Carrer interest, and Self-Efficacy all demonstrated significant positive effects on Career Planning, with Learning Motivation showing the strongest predictive strength among all variables. Differential analysis revealed that gender, grade level, and academic self-evaluation produced significant differences in some of the core variables. By integrating classroom environmental factors with individual psychological resources within a unified framework, this study extends existing career planning models that primarily emphasize personal traits and highlights the combined influence of educational context and internal motivation on students’ career development. The study highlights the importance of cultivating supportive classroom culture, enhancing learning motivation, fostering carrer interest, and strengthening self-efficacy to improve students’ career planning.

Highlights
• Learning motivation was the strongest predictor of career planning among secondary vocational students.
• Classroom culture construction significantly enhanced self-efficacy and career planning.
• Self-efficacy partially mediated the effects of classroom culture, learning motivation, and career interest on career planning.

Symbolism of White Colour and the Gender Transformation of Avalokiteśvara

Juntao Zhao, Lele Huang, Weizhu An, Zhenghua Li — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

One of the most significant transformations in the visual and literary representation of Avalokiteśvara (Kuan-yin) in China is the gradual shift in gender identity. While early depictions followed Indian iconographic conventions that presented the bodhisattva in a male form, Chinese sources increasingly emphasized the color white in textual prescriptions concerning the making of Kuan-yin images. This emphasis later crystallized in the emergence of the “White-robed Kuan-yin,” a distinctly feminized manifestation that came to be widely revered as a goddess. Taking into account the differing criteria for gendered iconographic markers in Indian and Chinese artistic traditions, this paper argues that the association of Kuan-yin with the color white resonated deeply with Chinese aesthetic sensibilities and cultural symbolism. In the Sui–Tang period, this chromatic and symbolic alignment facilitated a gradual yet profound feminization of Kuan-yin in both literature and visual art, marking a pivotal moment in the Sinicization of Avalokiteśvara.

Highlights
This paper argues that the textual emphasis on the color white in representations of Avalokiteśvara resonated with Chinese aesthetic and cultural conventions, thereby contributing to the feminization of Kuan-yin in Sui–Tang literature and visual art.

A Structural Model of Factors Influencing AI Adaptation and SME Performance in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, Thailand

Pattarapon Chummee — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption plays a critical role in enhancing SME performance in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, Thailand. Based on the extended Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, this study investigates how technological readiness, organizational capability, and environmental pressures influence AI adaptation and performance outcomes. Using simple random sampling, data were collected from 360 SME owners and managers and analyzed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The model demonstrated good fit (χ²/df = 1.94, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.053, SRMR = 0.044). Technology (β = 0.36, p < 0.001), Organization (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), and Environmental factors (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) significantly influenced AI adaptation. AI adaptation strongly affected SME performance (β = 0.67, p < 0.001) and mediated the relationships between contextual factors and performance outcomes. SME performance was measured consistently with the SEM indicators (SME1–SME6): productivity, cost efficiency, product quality, market expansion, profitability, and long-term sustainability. The findings confirm that strengthening technological, organizational, and environmental readiness enhances AI-driven performance among Thai SMEs.

Highlights
This study provides empirical evidence on how Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) factors shape AI Adaptation and subsequently enhance SME performance in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, demonstrating that organizational readiness exerts the strongest influence on AI integration, technological readiness significantly facilitates both adoption and performance outcomes, and environmental pressures positively drive adoption behavior; the validated CFA and SEM models confirm robust measurement and structural relationships, showing that AI Adaptation substantially mediates the effects of TOE factors on revenue growth, productivity, and employment gains, offering policy-relevant insights for strengthening SME capabilities and accelerating AI-driven economic growth in Thailand’s metropolitan region.

Examining the Roles of Women in the Armed Resistance Movement in Karen State, Myanmar

Naw Eh Min, Tanuwat Rinnanont — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study explores women’s participation in the 2021 armed resistance movement in Karen State, Myanmar—an area deeply affected by ongoing conflict. While armed struggles are often portrayed through a male-dominated lens, the extent of women’s involvement, motivations, and struggles remains underexplored. This research seeks to address that gap and highlight women’s unique experiences in conflict-affected areas to promote more inclusive and effective post-conflict solutions. Using qualitative research methods, the study draws on in-depth interviews and observations of key participants, including members of the Karen National Union, civil society members, and individuals involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement. These methods were employed to gain an understanding of women’s roles, motivations, and the socio-cultural challenges they face in the resistance movement. The findings reveal diverse and challenging roles of women—from supporters and community organizers to leaders—highlighting a remarkable shift in traditional gender norms. Women in Karen State have increasingly taken public and political responsibilities, redefining their roles from passive victims to active agents of change. The study underscores the transformative impact of women’s participation in shaping local governance and advancing gender equality within conflict and post-conflict settings.

Highlights
This study offers empirical insight into the participation of women in Karen State in Myanmar’s armed resistance movement, highlighting their roles beyond conventional support functions. It shows how women’s engagement challenges gender hierarchies, reshapes power dynamics, and contributes to renegotiating social norms. The findings also provide practical implications for gender-responsive peacebuilding and inclusive post-conflict governance.

Cultural Mapping Based on Community Capitals for Participatory Governance of Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of Sukhothai, Thailand

Punjaphut Thirathamrongwee; Watcharaphong Chumduang, Nuchjarin Sriwiset — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article addresses the challenge of top-down intangible heritage management in Sukhothai, Thailand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Creative Cities Network member. It examines Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) through the Community Capitals Framework (CCF), focusing on cultural, human, social, financial, and built capitals. The study draws on qualitative fieldwork in four key communities along the Phra Ruang corridor in Sukhothai Province and is based on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Findings identify three linked patterns. First, cultural capital and built capital serve as the operational base of ICH, allowing cultural practices and ritual traditions to remain active in communities. Second, human capital and social capital enhance the quality and continuity of transmission through intergenerational teaching and locally rooted learning networks. Third, visible outcomes in learning, livelihood, and local recognition of ICH assets attract financial support and policy attention. On this basis, the study develops a community capital map through participatory discussion with community leaders. The map makes local assets visible, allows communities to compare and reflect on their own and others' strengths, and helps set shared development priorities. This process provides an applied basis for participatory heritage management and for community-based heritage governance in Sukhothai.

Highlights
• This article proposes the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to analyze Sukhothai ICH as an interconnected system of capitals, as mutually reinforcing components of a community’s capital system, rather than siloed safeguarding efforts.
• Comparative evidence from four communities along Phra Ruang Road shows (1) cultural and physical capital provide the material and spatial base for ICH practice, (2) human and social capital enable continuity via learning networks and collective participation, and (3) demonstrable outcomes help catalyze financial resources and policy recognition.
• Reframes ICH spaces (temples, ritual grounds, heritage sites, knowledge homes/centers, kilns) as learning infrastructures linking ritual calendars with iterative skill formation in a practice ecosystem.
• Methodologically, the research integrates qualitative fieldwork, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participatory community capital mapping to make capital interrelations explicit and collectively validated.
• An applied output delivers a Community Capital Map, co-discussed with community leader groups, to prioritize actions, benchmark strengths across communities, and enable participatory ICH governance in Sukhothai.

Task-Based Language Teaching and EFL Oral Skills: A Pre-Post Study at Djelfa University

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) necessitates effective communication in English; unlike in the global context, most learners struggle with fluency, accuracy, and confidence in addressing English speakers. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a practical approach to improving oral proficiency, with potential outcomes depending on the strategies employed. This paper explores how TBLT affects the process of the acquisition of oral communication in first-year EFL students enrolled in Djelfa University. Employing a one-group experimental design, 33 students were tested using pre- and post-tests, during which their scores were measured in relation to six criteria of oral communication: fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, interaction, and comprehension. The integration of qualitative classroom observation methodology with quantitative data provided a comprehensive understanding of student engagement and language use during the intervention period. Despite a limited sample size and the absence of a control group, the study demonstrates significant improvement across all examined dimensions, with the most pronounced advancements shown in fluency and interactive competence. The findings indicate that the application of communicative, meaningful activities enhances the facilitation of linguistic correctness and fluency, in addition to allowing learners confidence and autonomy in spoken English. The study paper contributes to the growing interest in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, advising curriculum architects to integrate the task-based technique directly into the oral communication course to promote the acquisition of practical and functional language skills.

Highlights
• Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) significantly improved first-year Algerian EFL students’ oral communication skills across all six measured dimensions, with vocabulary showing the largest gains and fluency and grammar demonstrating substantial improvement.
• A mixed-methods approach combining pre-post testing with systematic classroom observation and error analysis revealed that immediate corrective feedback during task cycles, particularly recasts and clarification requests, effectively reduced morphological, syntactic, and lexical errors while enhancing interactive competence.
• The study documents a comprehensive taxonomy of 30+ recurring communicative errors among novice EFL learners (including cross-linguistic interference from Arabic and French), providing empirical evidence for targeted pedagogical interventions within TBLT frameworks.
• Findings demonstrate that meaning-oriented tasks (role-plays, problem-solving, debates) foster both linguistic accuracy and fluency in under-researched North African higher education contexts, though pronunciation gains remained modest, suggesting the need for supplementary phonetic training alongside communicative tasks.

Thailand’s Strategic Role in Advancing the Thailand-China Community with a Shared Future: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Regional Development

Amorn Wangukkarangkul — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article analyzes Thailand’s strategic role in advancing the Thailand-China Community with a Shared Future (CSFM), focusing on sustainable regional development within evolving bilateral relations. Through qualitative documentary analysis of bilateral agreements, policy frameworks, and cooperative projects, the study examines the development, concepts, and implementation of the CSFM strategy. Despite the growing body of scholarship on Thailand-China relations, existing literature has focused predominantly on bilateral economic and trade dimensions, with limited analytical attention to Thailand’s proactive agency in shaping and operationalizing the CSFM framework as an emerging middle power. This article addresses this gap by providing a systematic analysis of Thailand’s strategic positioning across multiple cooperation dimensions. The findings reveal that Thailand-China relations, rooted in strong historical and cultural foundations, have evolved into a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Thailand demonstrates a proactive role in aligning its national development strategy with China’s global initiatives, particularly the Belt and Road Initiative, through concrete cooperation in economics, trade, investment, infrastructure, security, and socio-cultural exchanges. However, significant challenges emerge, including concerns over Chinese influence from large-scale investments, maintaining balanced relations with major powers, and political system differences. Simultaneously, substantial opportunities exist in economic growth, infrastructure and technological advancement, regional connectivity, and promoting regional stability. The article recommends Thailand enhance transparency in cooperative projects, diversify risks, maintain strategic equilibrium, proactively promote national interests, and leverage its ASEAN role. Successfully managing these relationships is crucial for Thailand’s sustainable development and strengthening its leadership as an influential middle power regionally and internationally.

Highlights
• Analyzes the strategic evolution of Thailand-China relations from a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to a formal joint Community with a Shared Future.
• Examines the proactive integration of Thailand’s national development strategies with China’s multidimensional global initiatives, including BRI, GDI, GSI, and GCI.
• Identifies the Thailand-China high-speed rail project as a key catalyst for the development of the Thailand-Laos-China Economic Corridor.
• Evaluates critical challenges for Thailand, specifically regarding the management of Chinese economic influence and the maintenance of a diplomatic balance among major powers.
• Proposes a policy framework for Thailand to strengthen its regional leadership as an influential middle power through sustainable and transparent cooperation.

A Structural Model Assessing the Impact of the Service Marketing Mix on the Decision to Enroll in an Open University, Mediated by Brand Image

Narubodee Wathanakom, Nhatphaphat Juicharoen, Niranjan Devkota — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study examines the determinants influencing the decision to enroll in an open university by evaluating the model fit and the causal relationships among key variables. The main objective is to validate the empirical goodness of fit of the proposed causal model and to investigate the direct and indirect effects of influential factors, with brand image serving as a mediating variable. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 500 students from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). The results showed that the model demonstrated acceptable fit indices (P-value = 0.000, N = 500; χ²/df = 3.29; CFI = 0.928; TLI = 0.910; RMSEA = 0.068; SRMR = 0.038). Findings revealed that the components of people and physical evidence had both direct and indirect effects on enrollment decisions through brand image at the 0.01 significance level. Brand image and process also exerted significant direct influences on the decision to enroll. Although the study was limited to students from a single open university, the findings provide practical implications for improving enrollment strategies by strengthening brand image, enhancing service personnel, and upgrading physical facilities. Overall, this research contributes important insights to the limited literature on decision-making behavior in open university settings.

Highlights
This study validates that brand image is the strongest driver of enrollment decisions in open universities, with people and process components also playing crucial roles. Brand image mediates the influence of marketing mix elements on enrollment, providing strategic insights for open university recruitment.

Advancing Performance Management through Digital Transformation in Human Resource Practices

Boon-Anan Phinaitrup — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study proposes a conceptual framework to explore how human resource (HR) practices influence effective performance management through the mediating role of digital transformation. Drawing on a structured literature review of studies published between 2015 and 2025 in databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, and Thai Journals Online, the paper synthesizes theoretical and empirical work on performance management, HR roles, and digital transformation in private‑sector organizations. Grounded in Ulrich’s HR role model, the framework identifies strategic partnering, administrative efficiency, employee advocacy, and change agency as core dimensions of HR practices. Digital transformation is conceptualized as a mechanism that enables these practices to translate into improved performance outcomes by integrating digital tools, aligning strategy, enhancing employee competencies, and promoting agile work processes. The review highlights a theoretical gap in understanding how HR can leverage technology to drive employee engagement, goal clarity, and productivity in the digital era, particularly in developing economies. This study contributes to the HRM and digital transformation literature by clarifying the relationship between strategic HR functions and technology in performance systems and by offering a review‑based foundation for future empirical research on digitally enabled performance management.

Highlights
Here are five highlights for “Advancing Performance Management through Digital Transformation in Human Resource Practices”:
• Develops a conceptual framework linking HR practices and performance management via digital transformation.
• Identifies four key HR roles—strategic partner, administrative expert, employee advocate, and change agent—that drive digital-enabled performance improvement.
• Reveals how AI and analytics enhance real-time feedback, employee engagement, and agile work processes.
• Integrates HR management and digital transformation theories to address research gaps in developing economies.
• Provides actionable insights for HR leaders and policymakers to align technology with human-centered performance strategies.