State and Problems in Learning Management Competency of Preschool Teachers in the Child Development Centers under the Local Administrative Organization Muang District, Chonburi

Abstract

Background and Aims: Providing early childhood education is an important mission of local administrative organizations that must manage and carry out child development work in the local community to be of quality and appropriate for their age. As well as relieving the burden on parents, which is a necessary basis for education in the next stage. Child development centers are the first step in learning environments and learning management, so they are important for child development and require teachers who have knowledge, skills, and the ability to understand the local context in which children live. Therefore, the purpose of this survey research was to study the state and problems in the learning management competency of preschool teachers in the child development centers under the Local Administrative Organization Muang District, Chonburi, in two aspects: 1) learning experience design and 2) child-centered learning management.

Methodology:  The population consisted of 168 preschool teachers in the child development centers under the Local Administrative Organization Muang District, Chonburi. The research instrument included a questionnaire, an interview form, an observation form, and a survey. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and content analysis.

Results: The research findings found that the learning management competency of preschool teachers was at a high level. The highest courses were for child-centered learning management, a learning experience design, respectively. The problem in the learning management competency of preschool teachers was the learning experiences design in the issue of the activity design that considers the diversity of language and cultural context, followed by the child-centered learning management in the issue of the developmentally appropriate practice for the child's individual.

Conclusion: Research findings indicate that preschool teachers in early childhood development centers demonstrate the highest competency in learning management, particularly in organizing learning experiences that prioritize students. However, the most significant challenge lies in designing activities that consider linguistic and cultural diversity. Additionally, there is a need for improvement in designing learning experiences that are suitable for the individual development of each child.