Guidelines for Academic Administration of Private Elementary Schools in Bangkok and Metropolitan Areas Based on the STEAM Approach

Abstract

This article has three objectives: 1) to study the academic administration of private elementary schools in Bangkok and surrounding areas using the STEAM concept, 2) to study approaches for academic administration of private elementary schools in Bangkok and surrounding areas according to the STEAM concept, and 3) to evaluate approaches for academic administration of private elementary schools in Bangkok and surrounding areas according to the STEAM concept. The research design employed a mixed-methods approach, using the concepts of school curriculum development, learning management, media and innovation development, learning resources, and measurement and evaluation as the research framework. The research area consisted of private elementary schools in Bangkok and metropolitan areas. The sample group included 368 school administrators, teachers, and personnel involved in academic administration, selected using multi-stage random sampling. Three types of research instruments were used: 1) Questionnaires for studying current conditions and needs, 2) In-depth interviews for experts and administrators, and 3) Evaluation forms for assessing the appropriateness of the developed approaches through focus group discussions with qualified experts in educational administration. Data analysis employed both basic statistics and inferential statistics, while qualitative research utilized content analysis, followed by descriptive narrative writing. The research findings revealed that: 1) Academic administration of private schools according to the STEAM concept, based on mean (M) and standard deviation values, showed that aspects of teaching and learning resources, management, learning system reform, curriculum development, research for educational quality development, capacity development, learning resource promotion, and adaptive management processes were at a high level. Teaching and learning management and philosophy and goals aspects were at the highest level. These results were synthesized to 2) identify academic administration approaches according to the STEAM concept, comprising 5 main components: teaching and learning resources, STEAM learning system reform, research for educational quality development, learning resource promotion, and adaptive management processes. 3) The evaluation results of the developed approaches showed appropriateness at the highest level, with experts and practitioners agreeing that they could be effectively applied for developing STEAM academic administration, integrated curriculum development, creative learning management, teacher and personnel development, procurement and utilization of learning resources, and diverse assessment methods.