Literacy and Competency in Thai Education: A Crosswalk Framework for Curriculum Design and Assessment

Abstract

This article aims to analyze and position the relationship between literacy and competency in the context of Thai education. It employs conceptual analysis and purposive document synthesis based on relevant international and Thai frameworks, including PIAAC, PISA/OECD, UNESCO, ACRL, the Council of the European Union, DigComp, UNESCO-UNEVOC, PISA Thailand, and CBE Thailand materials on core competencies and learning assessment. The analysis indicates that literacy and competency are related but cannot be used interchangeably. Literacy emphasizes domain-specific abilities to understand, evaluate, use, create, or communicate texts, data, media, symbols, or information in meaningful contexts. Competency, on the other hand, emphasizes the integrated ability to apply knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and other resources to perform tasks or solve problems in real-world contexts. The analysis also shows that the relationship between the two concepts is not a fixed hierarchy, but depends on the reference framework, definition, and the purposes for which the terms are used.
The article therefore proposes a Literacy–Competency Crosswalk Framework for examining the relationship between the two concepts through learning outcomes, tasks, evidence, and assessment criteria without prescribing fixed mappings between specific literacies and competencies. The framework helps curriculum developers and teachers distinguish evidence of domain-specific literacy from evidence of integrated competency and use these relationships to improve coherence in learning and assessment design.