DECODING ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN MULTICULTURAL THAILAND: A SECOND-ORDER SEM ANALYSIS OF PERSONALITY, FAMILY, AND ECOLOGICAL DRIVERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/aisr.2025.40Keywords:
Academic Achievement, Second-Order SEM, Big Five Personality Traits, Family Support Systems, Multicultural EducationAbstract
A complex interplay of internal dispositions and external ecological systems shapes academic achievement in multicultural environments. This study investigates the multi-dimensional determinants of higher education success in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces, a unique Muslim-majority context. Grounded in the Big Five Personality Model, Self-Determination Theory, and Ecological Systems Theory, the research employed a rigorous second-order Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach to analyze data from 1,475 undergraduates and 164 lecturers. The empirical results reveal that family support exerts the most profound influence on achievement (beta=0.77), significantly overshadowing individual learner traits. Critically, the analysis uncovered a suppression effect: learner personality traits initially had a negative direct impact but produced positive outcomes when mediated by effective lecturer engagement and instructional quality. Conversely, rigid adherence to cultural communities presented a modest constraint on performance. These findings challenge trait-centric views, suggesting that academic resilience is socially constructed through family dynamics and pedagogical alignment rather than solitary effort. Consequently, this study offers a strategic roadmap for sustainable educational development, advocating policies that synergize family involvement with culturally responsive pedagogy to advance United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 across diverse Southeast Asian educational landscapes.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Kwanrutai SAELIM, Tatchalerm SUDHIPONGPRACHA, Rachada KONGAKCHANDRA
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