Integrating Local Knowledge and Formal Pedagogy: A Community-Based Model for Rural Teacher Competencies in Thailand

This study reports an educational design research (EDR) effort to develop and iteratively refine a community-based teacher education model addressing the persistent shortage of qualified teachers in rural schools. Grounded in Community-Based Learning, Transformative Learning, and Competency-Based Teacher Education theories, the study employs an educational design research approach with convergent mixed methods (N = 50 pre-service teachers; 30 community stakeholders). Across two academic years in Northeastern Thailand through the “Kru Rak Thin” project, participants reported large pre-post gains in self-perceived competencies, especially in Community Engagement (d = 1.07) and Cultural Responsiveness (d = 1.02). Distinctive within the Thai context, our systematically integrated six-component framework links community knowledge to formal teacher preparation. Because the study used a single cohort without a comparison group, these findings are interpreted as exploratory and formative rather than causal, and retention is reported as intention to serve rather than observed retention. Theoretically, the study advances a relational-epistemic account of rural teacher competence—showing that such competence is constituted through community recognition and the co-construction of local knowledge, not individual skill alone—thereby extending, rather than merely combining, established traditions. Practically, it provides an adaptable model for policymakers and educators seeking sustainable solutions to rural educational inequities. These findings yield context-grounded design principles that may be adapted, rather than directly replicated, in other culturally diverse rural settings.