A CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHER

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study the desirable characteristics of preschool teacher according to the teachers’ views and to analyze the confirmatory factors of the desirable characteristics of preschool teacher. A sample used in the research included 161 preschool teachers in schools under the office of the Phitsanulok Primary Educational Service Area Office 1. The instrument used in the research was a 5 - level – rating scale opinion questionnaire with a confidence level at 0.904. To Analyze the data based on descriptive statistics and reference statistics used basic statistical analyzing package software and used LISREL 8.8 for confirmatory factors analysis. The findings found that 1) Overall of the desirable characteristics of the preschool teacher according to the teachers’ views was rated in most important level and by aspects consideration found that the 3 - highest ranked desirable characteristics of the preschool teacher were morality and ethics, personality and academic. 2) The confirmatory factor analysis result of the desirable characteristics of preschool teacher was shown the consistency with the empirical data while the fitted measurements were Chi - square = 0.96, df = 2, p – value = 0.61894, RMSEA = 0.000, GFI = 0.998, AGFI = 0.982 with positive significance weights of factors by statistically significant level at 0.01 in every aspect and the range between 0.655 to 0.972. The factor with highest significance weight was academic, followings were work readiness, learning management skills, morality and ethics and personality respectively. As a result, the 5 factors of the desirable characteristics of the teacher effect to efficiency of early childhood development and learning skills in order to achieve quality population.