(Re)conceptualizing Teacher Agency under the Network of New Actors in the Knowledge Space of Education

Abstract

This study examines how teacher agency is being reconceptualized within emerging educational practitioner networks in Thailand, particularly the Kor Karn Kru community of practice. Through qualitative research involving 20 participants, including in-depth interviews, field observations, and focus group discussions, the study explores how new forms of teacher agency are transforming Thai education’s knowledge space. Research shows that institutional constraints and reform momentum have unexpectedly facilitated these networks’ emergence. The Kor Karn Kru community challenges traditional hierarchies through critical education perspectives and networking, creating channels for bottom-up influence. Teachers are expanding their agency beyond the classroom, positioning themselves as knowledge creators, cultural workers, and change agents through contextual knowledge production, transdisciplinary approaches, and cultural capital creation. While this transformation faces resistance from established structures and policy misalignments, requiring teachers to navigate dual identities within the system, the study provides insights into cultivating teacher agency within centralized educational systems. The findings contribute to understanding educational reform and innovation in Thailand and similar contexts, highlighting teacher agency as a dynamic concept shaped by the interaction between emerging networks and established educational structures.