Factors Affecting the Decision-Making Ability of the Basic Educational Institution Committee in Secondary Schools

Abstract

     The purposes of this research were to study the level of group decision-making ability and analysis, and factors affecting the group decision-making ability of the Basic Educational Institution Committee in secondary schools. The samples for this research were 97 committees of the Basic Educational Institution with 388 members from five provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Pra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Ang Thong. The research instrument was a questionnaire on opinions of personal trait factors, task-team factors and decision-making ability. Path analysis was employed and structural equation model analyzed. The results indicated that the overall group decision-making ability of the Basic Educational Institution Committees was high and in all six sub-factors including situation analysis, objective specification, alternative exploration, alternative evaluation, alternative selection and decision-making evaluation. In addition, taskteam factors: communication and human resource development as endogenous variables showed significant direct effects on group decision-making ability of the Basic Educational Institution Committees. The leadership and attitude towards decision-making ability were significantly affecting the group decision-making ability indirectly through other factors. Additionally, work experience as an exogenous variable directly and significantly affected the group decision-making ability. The final model could explain 46 percent of variance of group decision-making ability. Based on the findings, communication and human resource development should be improved in order to increase the effectiveness of group decision-making ability of the Basic Educational Institution Committees.