The Collaborative Network Management for Developing Gross Motor Skills of Early Childhood Children in Muang 2 Network Schools under Chumphon Primary Educational Service Area Office 1

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the collaborative network management process for developing gross motor skills of early childhood children in Muang 2 Network schools under the Chumphon Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, and 2) study the results of collaborative network management for developing gross motor skills of early childhood children. This study employed action research and was conducted according to the cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The research area consisted of 8 schools in the Muang 2 Network. The target group was selected by purposive sampling and consisted of 8 early childhood teachers and 50 kindergarten level 3 children, totaling 58 participants. The research instruments included a collaborative network management manual and yoga activity plans, an assessment form for early childhood children’s gross motor skills, and activity implementation and focus group discussion records. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, paired-samples t-test, and content analysis. The results showed that 1) the collaborative network management process consisted of 6 steps: planning, organizing, implementation, evaluation, improvement, and reporting; and 2) early childhood children had higher gross motor skill scores after the experiment (M = 18.95, S.D. = 1.80) than before the experiment (M = 12.40, S.D. = 2.15), with a statistically significant difference at the .05 level (t = 12.35, p < .001). The findings indicated that collaborative network management together with systematic activity implementation can be used as an approach to support the development of gross motor skills of early childhood children in schools with similar contexts.