Reconfiguring initial teacher education accreditation in Thailand: Policy transfer, tensions, and contextual adaptation

This study examines initial teacher education (ITE) accreditation in Thailand through a comparative, theory-informed analysis. Using document analysis and an expert-connoisseurship seminar, it compares Thailand's accreditation system with those of Japan, South Korea, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Australia. Policy transfer theory frames the analysis as a process of selective adaptation rather than direct replication. The findings indicate that while Thailand's system shares structural similarities with the selected systems, important differences emerge regarding evidence-informed decision-making, transparency, institutional partnerships, and outcome-oriented evaluation. Stakeholder perspectives further highlight tensions between regulatory control and institutional flexibility, as well as concerns about feasibility and system capacity. The study identifies recurring principles that characterise ITE accreditation across the selected systems, including evidence-informed decision-making, transparency, continuous improvement, partnership, flexibility, diversity, and innovation. It contributes to research on educational policy transfer by showing how accreditation reforms are shaped through reinterpretation, as global policy ideas are adapted to local institutional and socio-cultural conditions. The study highlights the importance of contextual factors in shaping how accreditation systems evolve and are understood in practice.