CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS IN LITERACY INSTRUCTION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS[

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) examine the conditions, problems, and needs in instructional management for promoting literacy among primary school students, and 2) propose guidelines for promoting literacy among primary school students. A qualitative research methodology was employed through the synthesis of 50 related documents and research studies, and a focus group discussion with 10 participants comprising the school director and teachers from kindergarten levels 1–3 and primary school levels 1–6 at Khlong Phra Udom School, Pathum Thani Province. The research instrument was a structured interview form, with content validity verified by three experts yielding an Index of Item Objective Congruence (IOC) above 0.5 for all items, ranging from 0.70 to 1.00. The research findings revealed that 1) the conditions and problems of illiteracy stemmed from three main factors: (1) learner factors, including linguistic and cultural diversity, learning disabilities, and lack of motivation; (2) teacher factors, including teachers whose educational backgrounds did not match their teaching subjects and who lacked appropriate instructional techniques; and (3) family factors, including poverty and migration, resulting in inadequate supervision and discontinuous learning among students. 2) The guidelines for promoting literacy comprised four main approaches: (1) systematic administrative management, (2) instructional management using an innovative instructional package integrated with the Storytelling technique, (3) support for students with special needs, and (4) building family collaboration.