DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS COMPETENCIES IN DIGITAL AGE OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS CHIANG MAI EDUCATION SANDBOX

Abstract

Abstract

            The objectives of this mixed-method research were to synthesize the components of administrators' competencies in the digital age of private schools in the Chiang Mai education sandbox, to investigate the practice contexts and problems in management to develop the competencies, to develop and examine the administrative process, guidelines, and manual for the development of the competencies, and to assess the administrative process, guidelines, and manual. The research framework was based on the concepts of school administrators' competencies, the administrative process, and human resources development in the digital age. The informants were 48 experts and specialists for focus group discussions, interviews, workshops, connoisseurship, and public hearing, and they were obtained by applying the purposive sampling method; and 388 school administrators and their deputies for answering the questionnaire and they were derived by applying the simple random sampling method. The research instruments comprised the component verification and examination form, the questionnaire, the interview, the workshop summary form, the propriety and accuracy verification form, and the feasibility and utility assessment. The quantitative data were statistically analyzed for frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The content analysis and descriptions were used to analyze the qualitative data. The results are summarized as follows.

1. The components of the core competencies were divided into four aspects: creative academic leadership, team innovative creation, educational partnership building, and professional administrators' potential development. There were three functional competencies: aerial administration, personnel's potential development for professionalism, and communication and motivation.
2. The overall mean of the practice contexts was at a high level, while the overall mean of the problems was at a low level.
3. The development and verification of the administrative process, guidelines, and manual revealed that the process comprised the principles and methods for planning, organizing, controlling, and leading. The guidelines consisted of the goals and activities for developing the core and functional competencies. The manual was composed of the introduction, administrative process and competency development guidelines, and appendices. The verification results revealed that, overall, all items were accurate and appropriate.
4. The assessment of the process, guidelines, and manual revealed that all items were feasible and beneficial with the mean at the highest level.