Abstract:
This research aimed to: 1) study the current and desired states as well as the priority needs index (PNI) of creative leadership among school administrators under the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, and 2) explore the approaches to developing effective creative leadership qualities of school administrators under the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1.
The research sample consisted of teachers in the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, totaling 320 individuals, selected through a stratified random sampling. The key informants included five school administrators. The research instruments involved a dual-response format questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale with considerations to the consistency and content validity based on the index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) which ranged between 0.6-1, and a structured interview process. Statistical methods used for data analysis encompassed frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, the priority index of needs (PNI modified), and content analysis.
Results of the research have shown that: 1) the current state of creative leadership qualities of school administrators under the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 were overall at its high level, while the desired state of creative leadership qualities of school administrators under the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 were at the highest level, and 2) the approaches to developing effective creative leadership qualities of administrators under the Pathum Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 entailed the following outcomes: (1) Flexibility: school administrators must provide opportunities for teachers and stuff to express their opinions and use them as guidelines for jointly developing the school, (2) Imagination: school administrators must bring trust and confidence among personnel into taking and collaborating on initiatives that benefit the school, (3) Teamwork: school administrators must be willing to learn and plan ways to co-operate in a group task effort; and (4) Vision: school administrators must be ready to adapt and modernize strategies to catch up with the changing world.