Happiness of Preclinical Students: Evaluating Factors Influencing Happiness of Preclinical Students

This study aimed to determine factors influencing happiness in preclinical students especially in aspects of teaching and learning, students’ motivation, study habits, and academic achievement. This study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was validated and approved for clarity, readability, rational analysis, and comprehensiveness by the experts. Questionnaires were sent to all second and/or third-year medical students of the 2018 (328) and 2019 (329) classes, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.886. The data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Science version 18. From open-ended questions, the top 5 ranking factors increasing students’ happiness were teaching of instructors, content satisfaction, content understanding, free time, and handouts. Factors that had positive influences/associations with happiness of preclinical students were happiness in learning subjects taught in a particular year; satisfaction of content, study outcomes, materials, handouts, teaching motivating desire to learn, and applicability of content to medical profession; high motivation to study medicine, expected score, and the percentage of achievement of study targets; less amount of time spent on recorded-e-lecture study and internet for non-academic use; and low stress. Happiness of preclinical students was influenced by satisfaction in teaching and learning, their attitude, study habits, and academic achievement. Further studies on determining students’ happiness after improvement of teaching and learning environments, augmenting activities that enhance students’ motivation, and promoting good study habits among medical students, are required to prove whether enhancement of these factors could effectively increase students' happiness.

Core Self-Evaluation, Writing Motivation, and Business Writing Performance of College Third Year Students of Occidental Mindoro State College

This predictive cross-sectional study explored core self-evaluation, level of writing motivation, and their influence on the business writing performance of junior business students at Occidental Mindoro State College. One hundred fifty junior business students of Occidental Mindoro State College Main Campus in Academic Year 2020-2021 selected through a simple random sampling technique were the respondents in the study. It was found that the student’s level of core self-evaluation was moderate considering their results in the locus of control, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. However, the students are highly motivated in performing their writing activities. Therefore, the improvement in core self-evaluation may slightly improve writing motivation and writing performance. Likewise, improving writing motivation may slightly improve the writing performance of business students. The positive beta coefficients indicate that if the indicators of writing motivation are improved, the students’ writing performance becomes better. Thus, core self-evaluation and writing motivation affect students’ business writing performance.

Quality Distance Education for Early Childhood During the Corona Pandemic: The Perceptions of Female Teachers

The corona (Covid-19) pandemic caused the closure of kindergarten institutions and schools around the world which forced higher authorities to shift focus towards online distance education. The impact of the pandemic was so severe that it affected almost a quarter of the people lives, public health and above all the education sectors. The present study was designed according to the Servqual Model using sample perceptions of early childhood parameters in Saudi Arabia and Jordan utilizing online questionnaires to collect the responses from 157 teachers. The quality of the online education services provided for primary school children due to Covid-19 suffered greatly as the teachers were not accustomed to the technology of distance learning. The present study recommends the need to explore the research of the high level for primary school children’s study tool where teachers and parents will be able to deal with online platforms effectively. During the present unavoidable crisis, the article presents an easier and equitable platform for every child in the family.

Personal Knowledge Management to Enhance the Effectiveness of Teacher Learning Management in Lao PDR

This study was intended to search the vital factors and indicators of personal knowledge management and the effectiveness of teacher learning management for primary school teachers in Lao PDR. A survey research design was employed to 600 teachers with the purpose of testing the goodness-of-fit of the identified vital factors and indicators with the empirical data. The results revealed that an entire of 30 indicators were recognized from 10 vital factors. The structural relationship model of personal knowledge management to enhance the effectiveness of teacher learning management indicators was found to be in parallel to the empirical data, with χ2 =382.319, df=342, χ 2/df=1.117, CFI=0.997, TLI=0.996, RMSEA=0.030, and SRMR=0.030. The results contribute significantly to knowledge with orientation to recommending a measurement model which can be referred by primary school teachers in Lao PDR in particular on how to utilize personal knowledge management skills to enhance their learning management capabilities.

Policy Recommendation for Educational Management to Promote Occupations in the Community Learning Centers for Non-Formal and Informal Education

This study was planned to investigate the current and desirable conditions of educational management to promote occupations in the community learning centers for non-formal and informal education using needs assessments. A sum of 423 respondents encompassed 184 school administrators and 239 teachers participated in the survey using a stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire consisted of 47 items was used as the research instrument. Data were analyzed using mean scores, standard deviation, and priority needs index modified. The study results showed that the overall current state was at a high level (mean score=3.53) while the desirable condition was at the highest level (mean score=4.41), respectively, for educational management to promote occupations in the community learning centers for non-formal and informal education. Finally, the needs assessment results indicated that the highest priority was the change management factor (PNImodified=0.403), followed by curriculum development and learning activities in promoting occupations factor (PNImodified=0.254), promotion of educational partners’ networking factor (PNImodified=0.247), and being a lifelong learner factor (PNImodified=0.206). The lowest priority index of needs was digital literacy for occupations (PNImodified=0.161). The results contribute significantly to knowledge with regard to needs assessments which will be the reference for educational managers and teachers to understand how to promote occupational education.

Developing Factors and Indicators of Growth Mindset for School Administrators in Thailand

The sustainability of educational administration is depending on school administrators’ growth mindset. A growth mindset is detected to have a direct relationship with school achievement and success. Despite being an integral part of school leadership, the growth mindset of school administrators has been ignored by past researchers. Hence, this research is designed to investigate the growth mindset’s significant factors and indicators of high school administrators in Thailand. The researchers employed a quantitative approach survey design. A total of 460 school administrators and teachers participated in a survey using a multi-stage sampling technique. The researchers intended to test whether the identified factors and indicators are fitting with empirical data as the ultimate research outcome. The results revealed that there are a total of 17 indicators derived from the six factors in a growth mindset model. The measurement model of growth mindset is corroborated to the empirical data, with χ2=64.875, df=50, χ2/df=1.2975, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99, RMSEA=0.02, and SRMR=0.01. In conclusion, the developed growth mindset model for high school administrators has a goodness-of-fit with the attained data. Finally, the results of this research have successfully proposed a measurement model that would be guidelines for school administrators to grow their positive mindset as our major contribution to the educational administration field.

Needs Assessment of Internal Supervision in Secondary Schools under the Office of Basic Education Commission

The purpose of this research was to study the need assessment of internal supervision in secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the Office of Basic Education Commission, Thailand. A total of 944 teachers participated in the survey using multistage random sampling. The five scopes of internal supervision were investigated, namely, academic in curriculum development, development of learning process, evaluation and comparison of grades transfer, development of innovative media and digital technology, and educational supervision using a 43-items questionnaire. The need assessment results showed that the development of innovative media and digital technology (PNImodified=0.373) is the most essential scope of internal supervision according to respondents’ perceptions. This is followed by the development of the learning process (PNImodified=0.267), educational supervision (PNImodified=0.262), and evaluation and comparison of grades transfer (PNImodified=0.257). The least capacity scope is academic in curriculum development (PNImodified=0.246). The overall results imply that supervisors or school principals should attempt to ensure that internal supervisions are regularly operated to improve the teaching and learning process by paying more attention to the scope of development of innovative media and digital technology without ignoring the other four scopes.

Mathematics Educators’ Perspective on Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Competencies

This research was designed to study pre-service mathematics teachers' professional competencies to assist student learning by using Lesson Study and Open Approach innovations from mathematics educators' perspectives. A total of 35 mathematics educators have more than three years of experience not only in terms of utilizing the Lesson Study and Open Approach innovations but also in providing training to the pre-service mathematics teachers were selected. The researchers employed three data collection methods, namely document analysis, a survey using a questionnaire, and interviews. The obtained data from three sources was designed with the principle of triangulation. The findings of this research were presented under the three steps of the Thailand Lesson Study Model. In the first step, “Collaboratively Design Research Lesson Plan”, pre-service teachers can create problem situations that associated with the students' real world, can analyze the context of the problem situations, can analyze keywords that initiate students' ideas, can anticipate students' ideas, and can prepare teaching materials to support students' ideas. This is followed by the second step as “Collaboratively Observe Research Lesson”. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers can observe students’ ideas when their students were solving mathematical problems, can notice students’ difficulties in their learning, can give feedback using words that match with students’ proficiency level, give students opportunities to show how to think and present their ideas, listen to and accept students’ opinions, and taking notes on students’ ideas or pieces of learning evidence. The findings of the final step namely “Collaboratively Reflect on Teaching Practice” showed that pre-service teachers could reflect the learning outcomes by correlating students’ ideas with the instructions.

Core Values of Graduate Students in the Context of Lesson Study Process

The purpose of this research was planned to explore graduate students’ core values in the context of the Lesson Study process. The selected research institute is a Faculty of Education of a public university in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. A total of 59 samples were purposively selected to participate in a survey. The target group was selected based on the condition that they are studying Mathematics Education Graduate Program for not less than one year and have practiced several cycles of the Lesson Study process during their studies. The target group consisted of 40 and 19 samples who are currently doing their master’s and doctoral studies, respectively. This research utilized the Thailand Lesson Study Model (Inprasitha, 2010) consisting of three steps, namely (i) collaboratively design a research lesson (Plan); (ii) collaboratively observe the research lesson (Do), and (iii) collaboratively discuss and reflect on the research lesson (See) in terms of the four core values, namely building collaboration, open-minded attitudes, public concern, and emphasis on product-process approach (Inprasitha, 2015). Data were collected using a questionnaire and reflection online blog. The survey results revealed that there are different levels of practicing the four core values at each step of the Lesson Study process in different training activities. In conclusion, the results of this research have successfully contributed to our recognition of the importance of core values while graduate students in the context of the Lesson Study process.

Using Classroom Video in Designing Open-ended Problem Situations

Teacher and teacher trainees have been introduced to practice Thailand Lesson Study incorporated Open Approach Model as the problem-solving-based teaching approach for the past two decades. The problem-solving-based teaching approach has to begin with posing open-ended problem situation in order to encourage students to solve the problem independently using their own method. Therefore, open-ended problem situation design is considered a key factor for teachers or teacher trainees to provide sufficient opportunities to students’ learning experiences in solving the problems (Inprasitha, 2017). As a result, this research was aimed to use video recordings of classroom teaching and experts’ reflection practice to analyze teacher trainees’ abilities in designing open-ended problem situations. A total of 10 teacher trainees were selected from the Department of Mathematics (English Program), Faculty of Education, Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University under the Royal Patronage using a purposive sampling technique. A multi-cases study survey research design was employed using a qualitative approach. There were four research instruments used, namely lesson plan, video and audio recording, field notes, and interview protocol. Data were collected using various sources such as research lesson plans, audio, and video recording as well as interviewing. The results revealed that teacher trainees utilized classroom teaching videos to support them in clarifying indecisive problem situations, revising the sequence of teaching, and modifying appropriate words used in giving the direction of the problem situations. On the other hand, the experts’ reflection video has successfully assisted them to have a better understanding of mathematical contents in problem-solving teaching approach and teacher trainees’ intention of each action in the learning activities.