The School as Learning Community (SLC) Implementation in Secondary Schools Based on Manabu Sato’s Concept

Abstract

Background and Aims: The School as Learning Community (SLC) concept views schools not merely as knowledge transmission centers but as living-learning ecosystems that create participatory learning spaces involving teachers, students, parents, and community members. This facilitates collaborative learning through exchange, creation, and knowledge enhancement. Singburi province presents an interesting case study for examining school development towards learning communities due to its diverse school sizes and continuous policy support for SLC implementation, coupled with strong social and cultural capital. This study aimed to 1) examine the implementation of SLC in secondary schools in Singburi Province and 2) compare the implementation of SLC across different school sizes.

Methodology: This quantitative research study examined a population comprising 410 administrators, teachers, and educational personnel from secondary schools in Singburi Province. The sample size was determined utilizing Taro Yamane's formula at a 95% confidence level, yielding 241 participants selected through simple random sampling methodology. The research instrument consisted of a two-part questionnaire: Part 1 comprised six demographic items in checklist format, while Part 2 contained 35 items employing a 5-point rating scale to assess the School as a Learning Community (SLC) implementation. The instrument underwent content validation by three experts, achieving an Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) index ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, and demonstrated high internal consistency reliability with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.99. Data analysis incorporated descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Due to the non-normal distribution of data, the Kruskal-Wallis Test was employed to analyze differences across school sizes at the .05 significance level.

Results: The overall implementation of SLC in Singburi secondary schools was at a high level. The philosophy dimension showed the highest level of implementation, followed by the vision and activity system dimensions, respectively. When comparing school sizes using the Kruskal-Wallis test, no statistically significant differences were found at the 0.05 level, indicating that school size did not significantly impact SLC implementation. Small schools demonstrated the highest implementation levels, followed by medium, large, and extra-large schools, respectively.

Conclusion: While the overall SLC implementation was at a high level, the comparison of SLC implementation across different school sizes revealed that school size did not significantly affect SLC implementation. Small schools showed advantages in implementing SLC, demonstrating the highest operational efficiency, particularly in participation and learning exchange dimensions. While extra-large schools exhibited strengths in teacher professional development, they faced greater limitations in community engagement compared to small schools.