Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to study 1) the current condition, desirable conditions, priority need indexes of developing professional learning communities in small primary schools, and 2) to propose development guidelines for professional learning communities under Loei Primary Educational Service Area Office 1. The research was conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 was to study the current conditions, desirable conditions, and priority needs index. The population was 480 school administrators and teachers from small primary schools. The sample group were 214 school administrators and teachers from small primary schools by using Krejcie and Morgan table to obtain a sample group. Than, regional sampling and random sampling were undertaken to obtain the sample group. The research was a 5-level rating scale questionnaire with a whole reliability of 0.97. Phase 2 was focused on proposing development guidelines for professional learning communities through semi-structured interviews with 15 key informants, including school administrators, teachers, and stakeholders small primary schools under Loei Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 by using purposive selection. The statistics for quantitative data analysis were by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Modified Priority Needs Index: PNI. Qualitative data analysis was done through the content analysis method.
The results were as follows.
1) The developing professional learning communities in small primary schools under Loei Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 found the overall level of the current conditions at a high level. The overall level of the desirable conditions was at the highest level. and the priority needs index was supportive structure ranked 1 (PNI = 0.26).
2) The result of proposed guidelines for developing professional learning communities in small primary schools under Loei Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 included 1) the name of the guideline, 2) the guideline's principle and significance, 3) the guideline's purpose, and 4) the guideline's element, which consisted of six indicators 5) the guideline to be used, which consists of the following twenty four operational methods, seventy activities, or practice methods: 5.1) four operational methods and twelve activities or practice methods for share value, 5.2) four operational methods and twelve activities or practice methods for supportive structure, 5.3) four operational methods and eleven activities or practice methods for shared leadership, 5.4) four operational methods and twelve activities or practice methods for collaborative teamwork, 5.5) four operational methods and twelve activities or practice methods for caring community, 5.6) four operational methods and twelve activities or practice methods for learning and professional development, as well as 6) success conditions.