The Development Of Digital Skills Among Teachers Under The Udon Thani Primary Educational Service Area Office 4

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: 1) to investigate the current state, desirable state, and priority needs for digital skills development of teachers under Udon Thani Primary Educational Service Office Area 4; and 2) to establish guidelines for developing these digital skills. This study employed a mixed-methods research design, conducted in two phases. Phase 1 focused on assessing the current and desirable states, as well as the priority needs. The sample consisted of 317 school administrators and teachers under Udon Thani Primary Educational Service Office Area 4, selected using a questionnaire. Phase 2 involved identifying development guidelines through semi-structured interviews with 6 purposively selected experts in educational administration. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and the Modified Priority Needs Index  (PNI_modified). The research findings revealed that the current state of teachers' digital skills was at a moderate level (X = 3.08, S.D. = 0.29), while the desirable state was at the highest level (X= 4.88, S.D. = 0.15). The most significant development need was digital media creation skills (PNI_modified = 0.615). Furthermore, the research established 24 development guidelines across six key areas, with four guidelines for each area: digital tool usage, office software application, digital media creation, online digital tool application, internet usage, and digital safety.