Enhancing Academic Leadership Among School Administrators: Development of a Program for Schools Under Provincial Administration Organizations

This research aimed to identify, develop, and validate the components and indicators of an academic leadership enhancement program for school administrators in institutions under Provincial Administration Organizations, using a mixed-method approach. The study employed document analysis, examining principles, concepts, and theories from domestic and international literature, textbooks, and related studies from both Thai and international researchers. The research process consisted of 1) developing and refining components and indicators using qualitative content analysis, 2) validating content validity using the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC), 3) assessing the appropriateness of components and indicators using a 5-point rating scale, and 4) analyzing data using descriptive statistics and calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Seven experts validated the findings. These key informants were selected based on specific criteria, including: 1) holding a doctoral degree in educational administration, 2) having at least 5 years of experience in educational administration in higher education institutions, 3) having at least 5 years of experience in educational administration in basic education institutions or related agencies, and 4) having published research or academic articles related to academic leadership. Experts met at least two of these four criteria. The findings revealed that the program comprises five key components: 1) Commitment establishment, 2) Teaching and learning management development, 3) Curriculum development, 4) Academic atmosphere promotion, and 5) Teacher development. All components and indicators were rated as most appropriate, with mean scores ranging from 4.52 to 4.90 out of 5.00. The components of teaching and learning management development and teacher development received the highest ratings. All components demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.70 to 0.92. This research presents a comprehensive and validated framework for an academic leadership enhancement program, which can be further utilized in developing school administrators under Provincial Administration Organizations.