Abstract:
The objectives of the research were to develop and examine the congruence between a linear structural equation model of factors affecting the effectiveness of schools under the Offices of Primary Educational Service Area, Loei Province, and empirical data. The study was divided into two phases; the first phase on identification of the conceptual framework through the analysis of related documents and research reviews, and the second phase on the examination of congruence between the developed hypothetical structural model and the empirical data. The sample group was a total of 500 participants: thirty-two school directors and 468 teachers. The instrument used for data collection was a five-level rating scale questionnaire with the indices of item objective congruence (IOC) between .80 and 1.00, the discrimination indices between .390 and .909, and the overall reliability value of .988. The data analysis was engaged in the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences. The results of the research were found as follows: 1.The linear structural equation model of factors affecting the effectiveness of schools under the Offices of Primary Educational Service Area, Loei Province, comprised three variables; namely, 1) academic leadership with three observed variables; 2) school climate with three observed variables, and 3) learning process management with four observed variables. 2.The linear structural equation model of factors affecting the effectiveness of schools under the Offices of Primary Educational Service Area, Loei Province, demonstrated the congruence with the empirical data with the Chi-square value (χ2) at 45.06, the degree of freedom (df) at 34, the p-value at 0.09731, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) at 0.026, the goodness of fit index (GFI) at 0.987, and adjust goodness of fit Index (AGFI) at .961