THE TEACHERS ROLE ON LIFE SKILL DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY STUDENT LEVEL UNDER THE OFFICE OF THE BASIC EDUCATION COMMISSION IN CHONBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

          The purposes of this research were to 1) study the teachers’ role on life skill development of primary student level under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in Chonburi Province, 2) compare of those teachers’ role on life skill development with respect to gender, age, teaching experience at primary education level, number of students responsible for the room and the location of the school, and 3) examine the way to develop the role of those teachers. Quantitative research and interview were used to collect the data, which were then analyzed using a qualitative method. The research instruments included questionnaire. The samples, proportionately selected by stratified sampling method (Stratified Random Sampling), consisted of 370 primary teachers in Chonburi Province. In-depth interviews with 25 key informants were conducted. The research tools included a questionnaire with an index of Item Objective Congruence (IOC) at .97 and a reliability at .94 and the structured interview, the questions of which were reviewed and approved by 3 experts. Statistics used to analyze quantitative data included average, percentage, standard deviations, average comparison statistics, one-way variance analysis and qualitative data to triangulation data validation.
            The results showed that: 1) The level of teachers’ roles in developing primary school student life skills of the Basic Education Commission in Chonburi Province was overall and by aspect at a high level. The highest level was the life skill development integrated with teaching and learning in the subject matter group, followed by roles in encouraging the learners to gain life skills based on 4 components and roles in organizing learning activities that promote student life skills by various techniques. 2) Teachers with different genders, ages, work experiences, number of students per class showed no difference in their roles in the students’ life skill development. However, the location of the school affected the role of teachers in the development of student life skills. Those working in the municipality area had more roles in developing student life skills than those working outside the municipality area. 3) Guidelines for the development of teachers’ roles in developing primary school students’ life skills under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in Chonburi Province included student-centered teaching; active learning activities, in which the students participated in activities or had as many practices as possible; class atmosphere enhancement; class anxiety reduction; and various role plays to have students express their opinions freely.