Adaptable by Design: Comparative insights into Karen teacher professional development

This qualitative study employs a comparative case study approach (Vavrus & Bartlett, 2022) across two contexts: Mae La Refugee Camp in Thailand and Hpa-An District in Karen State, Myanmar. Data was collected between May and July 2023 and included 60 participants representing six stakeholder groups: 18 teachers working directly in classrooms, 16 teacher trainers, 6 school leaders, 6 local education authorities, 8 organizational senior leaders, and 6 donors.

This study seeks to understand teacher profession development by employing complexity theory as a theoretical lens as it has been shown to identify elements of adaptability in dynamic settings both within teacher education (Cochran-Smith et al, 2014; Ell et al., 2019) and development and humanitarian efforts (Mitchell et al., 2022; Ramalingam & Jones, 2008). This study found that the continuity of Karen TPD was enabled through leveraging key elements of complex adaptive systems, namely: adaptation, feedback loops, emergence, and decentralization. Taken together, these bottom-up features culminated in dynamic programming that has been able to withstand contemporary challenges on both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border.

Recommended Citation: 

Tyrosvoutis, G. (2025). Adaptable by design: Comparative insights into Karen teacher professional development. TeacherFocus Education Consulting.