Evaluating competency-based education: divergence in implementation challenges among primary school English teachers in Thailand’s Deep South

In Thailand, recent curriculum reform has positioned competency-based education (CBE) as a major direction for basic education. However, after its pilot testing in primary schools, evidence of how teachers understand and implement it remains limited, especially in marginalized, conflict-affected, and multilingual contexts such as Thailand’s Deep South. This study examines primary school teachers’ subjectivities regarding the challenges of implementing CBE in English education in this region. Using Q methodology, the study explored how English teachers perceive the major barriers to translating CBE policy into classroom practice. Forty-seven primary English teachers sorted 37 statements onto a forced-distribution grid and participated in follow-up interviews. Inverted factor analysis divided participants into two clusters based on shared standpoints. Cluster A emphasized students’ limited exposure to English, memorization- and grade-oriented learning, and the position of English within multilingual realities, whereas Cluster B emphasized insufficient subject-specific preparation, limited mentoring, and uncertainty about aligning core competencies. The study contributes to CBE and language-policy research by demonstrating how teachers interpret national reform through different combinations of local multilingual conditions, schooling practices, professional readiness, and policy clarity.