THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOCAL CURRICULUM ON "GEOTOURISM" FOR SCHOOLS IN THE PHACHAN-SAMPANBOK GEOPARK AREA, UBON RATCHATHANI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research aims to 1) Study the problems and needs related to the development of a local curriculum, 2) Develop a local curriculum on "Geotourism" for schools in the Phachan Sampanbok Geopark area, Ubon Ratchathani Province, and 3) Evaluate, improve, and disseminate the curriculum. The research design uses a research and development (R&D) approach. The pilot group for curriculum implementation consists of 4 classrooms of Grade 10 students, selected through cluster sampling. The research tools include lesson plans, a curriculum quality evaluation form, and a satisfaction survey. The statistical methods used for data analysis include percentage, mean, standard deviation, content analysis, and t-tests. The study's results revealed the following: 1) The overall condition of problems and needs for the development of the local curriculum was at the highest level. 2) The local curriculum consists of six components: background and significance, principles, objectives, content structure and time, teaching management, and assessment and evaluation. The content includes four learning units, with 20 hours of study. The draft curriculum was found to be highly appropriate. The pilot study showed that students' knowledge and understanding of Geotourism significantly improved, surpassing the 70% criterion and with statistical significance at the .05 level. 3) The evaluation of the local curriculum in terms of feasibility, accuracy, appropriateness, and usefulness was at the highest level in all aspects. Students were highly satisfied with the curriculum overall. Suggested improvements include greater involvement of knowledgeable and experienced individuals in each unit's content and increased use of community learning resources.