THE MANAGEMENT SKILLS OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IN THE 21st CENTURY UNDER THE SURIN PRIMARY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AREA OFFICE 1

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) examine the management skills of school administrators in the 21st century; 2) assess the level of management skills of school administrators in the 21st century; and 3) identify guidelines to develop the management skills of school administrators in the 21st century. The research process involved interviewing three key informants to develop the research instruments. The population consisted of 3,000 school administrators and teachers. A sample of 341 participants was randomly selected based on Krejcie and Morgan’s table (Krejcie & Morgan, 1970). The collected data were analyzed for the mean and standard deviation. A draft of the guidelines was developed from a focus group discussion involving nine experts. The suitability and feasibility of the guidelines were then evaluated by five experts. The research instruments used included an interview form and a questionnaire.

          The research findings revealed that: 1) The management skills of school administrators in the 21st century comprised five skills: (1) adaptability skills; (2) academic leadership skills; (3) transformational leadership skills; (4) modern supervisory skills; and (5) coaching skills. 2) The results of the interviews with school administrators from schools under Surin Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, who are recognized for their best practices, indicated that the overall level of leadership skills of educational administrators in the 21st century was at a high level (x ̅= 4.42, S.D. = 0.56). 3) The study of guidelines for enhancing the management skills of educational administrators in the 21st century resulted in a total of 26 approaches. The evaluation of these approaches indicated that their overall suitability and feasibility were rated at the highest level.