Development of Integrated Learning Resources in the Area Between School with the Community to Enhance Life Skills According to the Philosophy of the Sufficiency Economy: Ban E-Na School (Ratprachanukul) DOI:

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) investigate current problems and needs for developing integrated area-based learning resources through school-community collaboration to enhance life skills based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), 2) develop integrated area-based learning resources through school-community collaboration to enhance life skills based on SEP, and 3) evaluate the development of integrated area-based learning resources through school-community collaboration to enhance life skills based on SEP. The study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) with two cycles of development, each consisting of four phases: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Cycle 1 involved data collection through planning meetings for learning resource development with 27 research participants, in-depth interviews with 17 key informants regarding current problems and needs, study visits, participatory observation in development activities, and reflective documentation to improve plans for the next cycle. Cycle 2 included meetings with the Basic Education School Committee and 27 research participants to plan new implementation strategies, action implementation according to the revised plan, observation of changes, and final reflection. The research participants included 1 researcher, 17 teachers from Ban E-Na School (Ratprachanukul), and 9 local wisdom leaders from the community, totaling 27 participants. Additionally, a sample of 233 individuals was selected from a total population of 304 (comprising teachers, school committee members, parents, and students) using stratified and simple random sampling to provide quantitative data for evaluating satisfaction with the development. The research instruments included meeting records, interview forms, observation forms, reflective journals, and satisfaction questionnaires. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to draw conclusions.

The research findings revealed that:

The significant problems included teachers' lack of knowledge about implementing SEP, lack of learning resources based on SEP, deterioration of existing learning resources, discontinuity in implementation, low participation between the school and community, lack of motivation and appreciation for learning based on SEP, and limited opportunities for teachers to participate in managing learning resources. The needs for development included study visits, improvement of learning resources within the school, collaboration development, opportunities for teacher participation, and the development of students' life skills based on SEP.

The development of learning resources involved study visits to schools with best practices, organizing workshops, improving learning resources both in the school and community, coordinating collaboration with the community, collaborating with Rasi Salai Technical College to offer short-term vocational courses, and organizing camps to develop life skills based on SEP.

The evaluation results showed that students were able to connect the knowledge learned through lesson learned activities in each life skill based on the philosophy of sufficiency economy in all life skills. The satisfaction with the development of the sample group, which consisted of 233 people including teachers, school committee members, parents, and students, was overall at a high level ( = 4.11). The results of interviews with 17 relevant individuals revealed that they were satisfied with the implementation.