THE MODEL OF PRIVATE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN THE 21st CENTURY

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) examine the components, current conditions, desirable conditions, priority needs, and guidelines for private school management towards excellence in the 21^st century, 2) develop and validate a management model for private schools toward excellence in the 21^st century, and 3) evaluate the management model for private schools toward excellence in the 21^st century. This study employed a mixed methods research design. The participants included 134 private school directors and deputy directors from private schools with at least 300 students in six provinces in the Upper Central Region of Thailand, using the total population for data collection, and seven key informants. The research instruments consisted of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, with content validity (IOC) ranging from 0.80 to 1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.98. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI Modified), while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The model was developed and validated through a focus group discussion with nine experts and subsequently evaluated by 73 participants, including school directors and heads of supervision, monitoring, and evaluation units, using the total population and analyzed by mean and standard deviation.

The findings revealed that 1) the overall current condition of private school management towards excellence in the 21^st century was at a high level, whereas the desirable condition was at the highest level. Curriculum development and the promotion of collaborative networks showed the highest priority needs, 2) the developed model comprised five components: principles, objectives, content, management processes, and evaluation guidelines, and was found to be appropriate, and 3) the evaluation results indicated that the model was highly feasible and had the highest level of usefulness.