Community network development for integrating non-formal education and informal education in schools

Abstract

This research aimed to build a community network for developing and proposing guidelines for integrating a non-formal education and informal education program in schools. The target groups were school administrators, school committees, teachers, representatives from the communities, and faculty members from Department of Lifelong Education, Chulalongkorn University. This research was conducted with Research and Development (R&D) process: (1) exploring collaboration in schools and analysing school context contributing to the integration of a non-formal and informal education approach; (2) developing guidelines for integrating a non-formal and informal education approach in schools; (3) validating the guidelines; and (4) synthesizing and developing a community network to promote the guidelines for integrating a non-formal and informal education approach. The results found that the community network development was composed of the family, schools, community and social support groups. The guidelines for integrating a non-formal education and informal education in schools included: (1) creation of school clusters; (2) changing roles of the university and educational institution; and (3) creation of policy conditions that enhances integration of non-formal and informal education.