[RETRACTED ARTICLE] A DEVELOPING AND THE INVARIANCE STUDY OF STUDENT ETHICAL LEADERSHIP NEEDS ASSESSMENT MODEL, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, THAILAND NATIONAL SPORTS UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This research aimed to 1. Examine ethical leadership among students at the National Sports University, comparing their expected and actual states; 2. Analyze the differences between these two conditions; 3. Develop a needs-based model for ethical leadership; 4. Test the model’s invariance across campuses in different regions; and 5. Assess the quality and informational value of the developed model. The quantitative phase employed secondary data from 6,525 students in the Faculty of Education, academic years 1–4, during the 2021 academic year. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, second-order confirmatory factor analysis, and multigroup analysis to examine model invariance across regions. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 17 instructors, with data analyzed through content analysis and synthesis.

The findings revealed that: 1. the variables in each component of ethical leadership were rated at a high level; 2. there were statistically significant differences between the actual and expected levels of ethical leadership components; 3. the developed needs-based model of ethical leadership demonstrated a good fit with empirical data (chi-square=159.208, degrees of freedom=134, P=0.06775, GFI=0.963, AGFI=0.936). 4. The model showed significant variance across student groups from different regional campuses (Global Goodness of Fit Statistics showed that chi-square =2207.14, df=777, P=0.0, GFI = 0.710, AGFI = 0.936). and 5. The developed model was found to be suitable and aligned with the current context. The findings provided valuable insights for student development and served as useful information for planning and enhancing ethical leadership among university students.