“School”, A Space for Expression in the Anti-Corruption: Reflection Through the Production of Short Films by Students

Abstract

Background and Objectives: A film is an important communication tool. The Thai government has integrated it into its anti-corruption project through short film media, encouraging public participation, including students by producing and submitting short films for an anti-corruption film competition. It was found that student-produced films tend to reflect school-related narratives and contexts. This research article therefore aims to study the construction of “schools” as spaces for expressing anti-corruption through anti-corruption short films produced by students. Methods: This is qualitative research, collecting data through interviews. The key informants are ten students who have previously participated in a short film competition on anti-corruption organized by a government agency. The participants were selected through purposive sampling. The study incorporates observations of anti-corruption short films and a review of relevant documents. The researcher utilizes thematic analysis as a framework for data analysis. Results: The research results indicated that the construction of “schools” as spaces for expressing anti-corruption through the short films produced by students and by telling stories in the short film media of students show the “good person discourse”, linking the knowledge of anti-corruption discourse in schools, which can be divided into 3 types: 1. “School”, a space for nurturing good individuals for society. 2. “School”, a space for strengthening the ideology of corruption surveillance, and 3. “School”, is a space for expressing societal expectations regarding the cultivation of values against corruption. This set of knowledge often dominates the students who produce short films with the power of knowledge in anti-corruption, which is full of the state ideology that is continuous and reproduced as a result of the anti-corruption discourse. Application of this study: The research findings can be utilized as supporting data for developing guidelines for government agencies or schools. Organizing short film competitions on anti-corruption can make students aware, foster their acceptance of anti-corruption ideologies, and encourage them to create media that contribute to attitude adjustment. This approach integrates educational policies with anti-corruption efforts, not only increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of the issue but also promoting a more transparent and just society in the future. Conclusions: Short films produced by students serve as a medium for disseminating anti-corruption knowledge within school spaces, highlighting the relationship between schools and anti-corruption efforts. The analysis of this relationship indicates that schools can function as spaces for constructing ideologies and knowledge of anti-corruption through the short films produced by students. Students express their perspectives within the school setting, reflecting the idea that schools are arenas for anti-corruption advocacy. Their short films reflect three main narratives: 1) nurturing good individuals, 2) promoting a vigilant anti-corruption ideology, and 3) societal expectation. These themes illustrate students’ desire to express anti-corruption messages through their films within the school context. Therefore, some schools have become spaces for constructing and expressing anti-corruption ideas in the short films produced by students. The findings of this study can be further utilized as supporting information for developing anti-corruption strategies in government or school operations for children and youth, aiming to foster honest and corruption-free Thai society.