Community-based water management competencies of agriculture and technology college teachers: A needs assessment

Abstract

This research aims to study, assess, and prioritize the needs regarding learning
competencies in community-based water management programs in Thai
agriculture and technology college (CAT) instructors. The sample group
was CAT teachers who participated in a training project to promote knowledge
and learning competency in community-based water management. This
Activity was part of the 2023 Royal Initiative Community-based Water
Management Project. The sample group of 36 CAT water management
instructors was obtained by purposive sampling. The research tool used was
a needs assessment questionnaire. It is a 5-rating scale consisting of three
aspects including knowledge (K), attitude (A), and practice (P). The index
of item objective congruence (IOC) was 0.88, and the reliability of the
questionnaire was 0.97. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, including
the mean and standard deviation (SD), and analysis needs assessment with
the modified PNI index value (PNImodified
). The research results found that
teachers have high expectations regarding learning competencies in water
management, both individually and overall. In contrast, the Actual condition of
both individual aspects and the overall picture is moderate to high. Moreover,
for the needs assessment regarding teachers’ competencies in learning about
water management, the aspect with the highest PNI value was cognitive
competence (0.21), followed by practical competence (0.16) and affective
competence (0.10).