Development of Area-Based School Management Strategies in a Multicultural Society to Enhance Vocational Student Competencies under Nan Provincial Office of Vocational Education

Abstract

This research aimed to develop area-based school administration strategies in a multicultural society to enhance vocational learner competencies under the Office of Vocational Education, Nan Province. A mixed methods research design was employed, comprising four steps: 1) examining the contextual background of educational institutions under the Office of Vocational Education, Nan Province, through document analysis and the application of SWOT Analysis and SOAR Analysis techniques; 2) developing strategies through focus group discussions with 20 purposively selected experts, including academics, qualified specialists, vocational education administrators in Nan Province, and school practitioners, followed by strategy verification through an expert-based seminar involving 10 purposively selected participants comprising vocational education administrators and government education executives; 3) constructing a strategy manual and evaluating it by 10 experts in an expert-based seminar using a 5-level rating scale, with data analyzed through descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation; and 4) assessing strategy quality by 10 experts in an expert-based seminar using a 5-level rating scale to evaluate accuracy, appropriateness, utility, and feasibility, with data analyzed through descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the area-based school administration strategies in a multicultural society for developing vocational learner competencies under the Office of Vocational Education, Nan Province, consisted of 3 core strategies and 7 key strategies encompassing area-based network administration toward excellence, curriculum and competency development grounded in local identity, and the enhancement of personnel capacity and learner quality of life in a multicultural society. The overall evaluation of the strategy manual appropriateness yielded a mean score at the highest level. The overall quality assessment of the strategies in terms of accuracy, appropriateness, utility, and feasibility also yielded a mean score at the highest level.

Keywords: School Administration Strategy, Area-Based Management, Multicultural Society, Learner Competency