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Procedía - Social and Behavioral Sciences 112 (2014) 842 - 846
International Conference on Education & Educational Psychology 2013 (ICEEPSY 2013)
Soft Skills Development to Enhance Teachers' Competencies
in Primary Schools
Somprach, Kanokorna*, Popoonsak, Pongtorna, Sombatteera, Sujanyac
aDepartment of Educational Administration, Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand bDepartment of Educational Research and Evaluation, Rajabhat Maha Sarakam University 44000, Thailand cSchool of Liberal Arts, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Abstract
Soft Skills were the important skill for teachers and administrators during the 21st Century. Thailand is another country entering into Asian Economic Community. The objective of this research was to develop the teachers' Soft Skills duri ng the first 2 years of their work in Primary Schools in the North Eastern Region of Thailand.
These Soft Skills were: 1) Communication skills 2) thinking skills and problem solving skills 3) teamwork force 4) life-long learning and information management 5) innovation development, 6) ethics and professionalism and 7) leadership skills. There were 4 Phases of this study. Phase 1: Construction of the programme, the contextual study by surveying the need, model, and technique in developing soft skills for teachers. Phase 2: Verifying the programme by experts. The external validity of programme was investigated. The instruments for evaluation as well as materials for development were constructed. Phase 3: the program was tried out in 3 schools under the Office of Khon Kaen Educational Service Area 1. Phase 4: the program was implemented in 15 pilot schools in the North Eastern Region. Data were collected by action research. The improvement and revision had been performed after assessment. After implement the programme found that the teachers improved and modified the lesson plan for more than 80%. They had their own innovation, and more soft skills particularly, their communication and presentation skill, innovation development, and teacher leadership respectively. For the students, they had higher level of learning achievement and were happier with their teachers' learning management.
© 2013 TheAuthors.PublishedbyElsevierLtd.
Selectionandpeer-reviewunderresponsibilityof Cognitive-counselling,research and conference services (c-crcs). Keywords: communication skills; life long learning and information management; innovation development; teacher competencies
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +668-8116-6995 E-mail address: kanoklin@kku.ac.th
1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Cognitive-counselling, research and conference services (c-crcs). doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1240
1. Introduction
The economic, political, social, cultural, and technology changes, had an impact on various countries around the world including the developing countries had to provide educational reform inevitably. Thailand is a country among many developing countries facing with problem of educational reform continuously. (Fly, 2002) The National Education Act was a firmly intention and attempt to organize the great educational reform in Century started from the establishment of Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1997 which was called the People's Constitution as the reform of national development in macro context. The major rationale of educational reform included the teachers, school administrators, educational staffs, curriculum and learning management. (Ministry of Education, 2009).
The National Commission proposed 5 issues for teacher development as follows: 1) the seriousness relating to the standard in both of teachers and students, 2) the preparation of new readiness and development to be professional for the teachers, 3) the focus on teachers to have various kinds of characteristics and quality in classroom, 4) the stimulation and encouragement for teachers in learning management so that they would have necessary knowledge and skill to enter the 21st century, 5) the creation for school with organizational management system for success of students and teachers. (The Institute of Teacher and Educational Staff Development, 2007)
The teacher was a major factor in learning process management for organizing the content material as well as activity to be congruent with the students' need, practicing their thinking skill, management and application of knowledge in daily life. The teacher had to be transformational leader who had to explore the correct knowledge, comprehension, belief, and attitude towards students, teachers' learning process which was called the total changes of paradigm on students. The important thing included: 1) the preparation for readiness in instructional media, library, and learning source, 2) the measurement an evaluation skill as well as teachers' understanding in learning process focusing on student-centred.
Cheng (2009) conducted research in teacher management and development including 4 factors as: 1) to attract the intelligent persons to be teachers, 2) to provide teacher developing in order to obtain necessary knowledge and skill, 3) to empower the teachers, 4) to retain the teachers. This study led to revision in teacher development. Specifically, Thailand was in the period of the preparation for population to enter ASEAN Community which had to be prepared as well as adjust oneself regarding to the body of knowledge, and working technique, lifelong learning, lifestyle, multicultural work practice to be more efficient and effective. The necessary and important skill was not only body of knowledge but also the life skill and soft skills which were both of integral, and indispensable for improving and enhancing the professional of teachers.
The important and necessary skills in the 21st century consisted of: 1) the Connection included the information literacy skill digital literacy skill, and communication skill 2) the Creative included the analytical skill, problem solving skill, and creativity & innovative skill 3) the Cooperation included interpersonal skill, collaboration skill, and teamwork skill (Tinsiri Siribodh, 2002) Besides, Tang (2011) stated that Soft Skills were important and necessary during the 21st century, concluded by Crosbie (2005) including: 1) the thinking and problem solving skills, 2) the good attitude, right value, 3) the knowledge and comprehension in multi cultural culture and race, 4) the appropriate leadership, 5) the communication and presentation skill, 6) the responsibility for society as well as transparency and accountability, 7) the team work in multi cultural culture, and 8) the management of information technology as well as life long learning.
The teachers' competency development in Soft Skills became the crucial factor to improve the teachers' competency in their profession into professional. (Crosbie, 2005) Since the teachers' competencies in Soft Skills consisted of the ethics, morality, different bodies of knowledge, interpersonal skill, and responsibility. Therefore, if we could analyze the teachers' competencies in Soft Skills of staff teachers practicing in the present : How much they had their Soft Skills, we would be able to develop the needed and lacked skills for being perfect and
sustainable professional teachers, and Education Program producing them to be effective professional teachers further.
2. Research Objectives
The main aims of this study were to develop the programme for soft skills development of the teacher and to study the outcomes of the programme
3. Methodology
This research was a continuing development study. It was conducted through four phases in order to build a programme to enhance essential soft skills of the teacher in primary schools in the northeast of Thailand. The four phases included contextual study, model construction, verification of the model, and development of performance and programme assessment tools, and implementation and evaluation of programme.
Phase 1 Contextual Study and Programme Construction
Starting from the survey of teachers who have worked less than 2 years, was performed by using the questionnaire in 180 schools, found that there were 110 schools cannot past criterion of assessment by the Office of Accreditation and Educational Standard and Quality Assessment, these were the target group of soft skills development.
The findings from teacher survey in 110 schools, found that the teachers evaluated themselves regarding to soft skills ranking in order from high to low as follows:
X S.D.
1) Innovation development. 3.59 .80
2) Thinking skills and problem solving skills 3.62 .56
3) Communication skills 3.67 .55
4) Life-long learning, and information management 4.01 .61
5) Leadership skills 4.03 .65
6) Teamwork force 4.24 .49
7) Ethics and professionalism 4.26 .60
In addition, according to the survey of needs, found that the needs for developing soft skills in 110 schools, ranking in order from high to low as follows:
1) Innovation development
2) Communication skills.
3) Life-long learning, and information management
4) Thinking skills and problem solving skills
5) Leadership skills
6) Ethics and professionalism
7) Teamwork force
Phase II Programme construction & developing assessment tools
The information from Phase 1, the policy of new teacher development, conceptual framework and theories, related literature review as well as good practices obtaining from interview, were developed and outlined for soft skills
development programme. The programme assessment instruments as well as supplementary learning document that dealt with the performance were prepared.
Phase III Verification of the programme
The external validity of the programme was investigated by connoisseurship.
• To identify the qualifications of experts and recruit 15 experts.
• To plan seminar, determine related issues, prepare document, set appropriate times and make appointment to meet the experts.
• To establish a suitable program of development according to research plan.
• To improve components and activities of the program development according to the experts' suggestions. Based on the finding above, Figure below showed the framework of the programme.
Phase IVImplementation and assessment of programme
The development programme was used for teacher development in schools. The first group consisted of 3 schools. The second one consisted of 15 schools.
4. Findings
According to the contextual study and needs for target group, 4 modules were constructed for target group development including: 1) innovation development 2) communication and presentation skills 3) thinking and problem solving skills 4) information management, and the technique training as reflection & assessment was also provided.
The findings of programme usage found that:
For more than 80% of teachers, they improved and modified their lesson plans. They had their own instructional innovation for almost 60% of target group. According to the supervision and following up by researcher team after the teachers went back to their work place, found that they met and share in their school as well as between the school groups more. Many teachers volunteered to be leaders in collaborated working.
According to interviewing by questionnaire, found that they improved their problem solving skill very much, and were able to communicate in both of verbal and written forms.
Besides, they had teacher leadership by suggesting how to work for their co-workers, organizing the discussion for sharing knowledge as well as solving some problems together. As a result, they had morale in collaborative action in order to solve the chronic problem, and try to find appropriate solution for both of parents, and students very well.
There were changes in organization wing to the occurrence of teachers' innovation, the school performance; the location was peaceful for living or staying.
The students improved their learning achievement. They were happy with their teachers' new styles of learning management.
5. Discussion & Recommendations
According to this study, found that the new teachers would be able to apply their knowledge, competencies, and potentiality for constructing the innovation. The major soft skills including communication skills were necessary to be based on the important soft skills as both of verbal and written communication skills which were lacked of by the teachers. In addition, the thinking skills & problem solving skills needed to be based on their own and team work's knowledge for being able to use in learning management for children. If the teachers developed themselves in the issue of life-long learning & information management, they would be knowledgeable persons, and know how to search for knowledge to be useful for their own profession efficiently and effectively. However, the supportive environment of organization, and the administrators as another key to be the successful factor which would help the teachers to develop the soft skills quickly and effectively so that they would work for their profession efficiently in the 21st century.
6. Acknowledgements
This project was made possible with funding from Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
References
Cheng, Y.C. (2009). Teacher management and development: Reform Syndrome and paradigm shifts. Paper presented at International Conference on Educational Research : ICER 2009. Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
Crosbie, R. (2005). Learning the soft skills of leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(1), p.45-51.
Fly, G.W. (2002). The Evolution of Educational Reform in Thailand. Retrieved August 1, 2009 from http://www.wordedreform.com/ intercon2/fly.pdf.
Ministry of Education. (2009). The Training Package of Paradigm Modification and School Curriculum Development. (The Revised Issue) Bangkok: Kurusapa Printing.
Siribodhi Tinsiri. (2012). Social Media : A Tool or Threat in Education in the 21st Century. Paper presented at ICER 2012, Faculty of Education,Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
Tang Keow Ngang. (2012). Sharp Focus on Soft Skills. Paper presented at ICER 2012, Faculty of Education,Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
The Institute of Teacher and Educational Staff Development. (2007). Transformational Development Program for serving the Decentralization. Bangkok: the Cabinet and Government Gazette.
