A DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL MODEL FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN INSPECTION REGION 14

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) Study the actual conditions, 2) Develop a democratic school model for primary education, 3) Study the results of the trial implementation of the democratic learning management component, and 4) Evaluate the model in terms of appropriateness, feasibility, and usefulness. The research and development approach was employed and divided into four phases. The samples and informants consisted of 406 school administrators and teachers, three schools with good practices, 11 experts, 15 administrators and teachers from the experimental school, and 21 model evaluators. The research instruments included a questionnaire, an interview form, focus group discussion topics, a model implementation manual, and evaluation forms. The questionnaire had index of item-objective congruence values ranging from 0.60 to 1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.92. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, the modified priority needs index, and content analysis. The research findings revealed that 1) the overall actual condition of democratic schools was at a moderate level ( = 3.48), while the desirable condition was at the highest level ( = 4.52). Democratic learning management had the highest priority need (PN_Imodified = 0.36). 2) The model consisted of five components: principles, objectives, implementation procedures, evaluation, and conditions for success. 3) After the trial implementation of the democratic learning management component, the evaluation results of administrators and teachers increased from 58.00 percent to 92.67 percent, and their satisfaction was at the highest level ( = 4.62, S.D. = 0.50). The trial was conducted in only one school, and students’ behavior was not directly assessed. 4) The overall evaluation of the model was at the highest level ( = 4.74, S.D. = 0.45), indicating that the developed model was appropriate, feasible, and useful for the development of democratic schools.