THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPPLEMENTARY CURRICULUM TO DEVELOP LIFE SKILLS FOR SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS GIFTED UPPER SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a supplementary curriculum to enhance life skills among upper secondary students with special abilities in science and mathematics, and to examine the effectiveness of the supplementary curriculum. The research was conducted in two phases. Phase 1: Development of the supplementary curriculum. This phase involved collecting opinions from nine experts, after which the curriculum was developed and pilot-tested with the target group of 30 Grade 10 students at Princess Chulabhorn Science High School, Pathum Thani. Phase 2: Examination of the effectiveness of the supplementary curriculum. The sample consisted of 60 Grade 10 students at Princess Chulabhorn Science High School, Pathum Thani, in the 2023 academic year, selected through simple random sampling and randomly assigned to a control group and an experimental group, with 30 students in each group. The research statistical instruments used a life skills assessment form and a behavioral observation record of life skills. The statistical analyses used were mean, standard deviation, and the independent-samples t-test. The findings were as follows 1) The curriculum development resulted in 10 activity plans comprising a total of 20 class periods, equivalent to 0.5 credit. The curriculum content focused on developing three areas of life skills: leadership skills, emotional and stress management skills, and self-planning and self-regulation skills. 2) The results of the effectiveness study were as follows, 2.1) A comparison of life skills scores of students in the experimental group showed that their life skills significantly increased after participating in the supplementary curriculum compared with before participation, at the .05 level of statistical significance. 2.2) A comparison of life skills scores between the control and experimental groups after participation revealed that students in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher life skills than those in the control group, at the .05 level of statistical significance.