The Strategies for Competency Empowerment of Teachers in Schools under Local Administrative Organizations in Upper Northern Region

Abstract

   The objectives of this study were: 1) to examine the current state and needs in competency empowerment of teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper northern region; 2) to formulate the strategies for competency empowerment of teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper nothern region; 3) to implement the strategies in empowering competency of teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper nothern region; and 4) to evaluate the strategies for empowering competency of teachers in schools under local administrative organization in upper nothern region.
   The research procedure was devided into four steps: 1) Investigating the current state and needs in competency empowerment of teachers by questionnaires and interview. The samples used in responding to the questionnaire were 180 participants from 90 schools that included school administrators and teachers in schools under sub-district administrative organizations and municipalities in provinces of upper northern region. There two sample groups in the interview. First, 60 participants from 30 schools that included school administrators and teachers in schools under sub-district administrative organizations and municipalities in Chiang Rai Province. Second, five school administrators from schools under local administrative organizations selected by purposive sampling. The research instruments were questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed by mean, standard deviation, want and needs index, and mode. 2) Formulating the strategies empowering competency of teachers by means of strategic planning teamwork using focus group discussion of 11 experts. 3) Implementing the strategies empowering comptency of 52 teachers in 10 schools under local administrative organizations by using participatory action research. 4) Evaluating appropriateness, feasibility, comprehensiveness, and practicality of the strategies empowering competency of teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper northern regions by using expert panel discussion. The findings showed that:
   1. The current state and needs of core competency for teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper northern region, the overall and all apects were found at the high level in which personal development and achievement in working performance were ranked by the urgency index. The functional competency, in overall and all aspects, was found at the high level in which analysis/synthesis and research in developing learners, curriculum and learning management were also ranked by the urgency index.
   2. The strategies empowering competency of teachers in schools under local administrative organizations in upper northern region comprised four main strategies: 1) Strategies developing teachers to researchers; 2) Strategies for personal development using learning network; 3) Strategies developing curriculum and learning management; and 4) Strategies developing job performance for desirable achievement.
   3. The implementation of the developed strategies in empowering competency for teachers in job performance, in overall and individual strategies, was found at the high level. The knowledge gained in descending order were strategies developing teachers to researchers, strategies developing job performance for desirable achievement, strategies for curriculum development and learning management, and strategies for personal development by using learning network. The level of satisfaction found at the high level and outlined in descending order were strategies developing job performance for desirable achievement, strategies for personal development using learning network, strategies developing teachers to researchers, and strategies for curriculum development and learning management. The teachers’ competency evaluated by school administrators, in overall, found at the high level and outlined in descending order were personal development competency, analysis/synthesis and research competency for developing the learners, curriculum and learning management competency.
   4. Evaluation results on appropriateness, possibility, comprehensiveness, and practicality by means of expert panel discussion indicated the appropriateness and comprehensiveness at the highest level, possibility and practicality at the high level. The results on revising the strategies empowering competency of teachers in schools under local administrative organization evolved four main strategies consisting of 10 sub-strategies, 33 operational mechanisms, and 27 activities.