Program Development for Enhancing Teachers’ Competencies in Creation of Innovations and Inventions in Technical Colleges under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission in the Northeast

This research aims to develop a program for enhancing teachers’ competencies in creating innovations and inventions in technical colleges under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission in the northeast. The research methodology is based on research and development (R&D). The study is divided into four phases: Phase 1: Study the components and indicators of teachers’ competencies in creating innovations and inventions in technical colleges; Phase 2: Study the current states, desirable states, and necessary needs for enhancing teachers’ competencies in creating innovations and inventions in technical colleges. Phase 3: Designing and developing the program to enhance teachers’ competencies in creating innovations and inventions in technical colleges. Phase 4: Study the results of the program implementation. The instruments used for data collection were an appropriate assessment form, a 5-point rating scale questionnaire, a focus group discussion form, an assessment form, a knowledge test form, a competency measurement form, and a satisfaction assessment form. The statistics used for data analysis included percentages, means, standard deviations, and the Modified Priority Need Index. The research findings revealed that: 1)The components and indicators of teachers’ competencies in creation of innovations and inventions in technical colleges consist of 5 components and 28 indicators, validated by experts and found to be highest appropriateness, 2) The current state was found to be at a moderate level, while the desirable state was at a highest level, and The developmental needs, in order of priority, were: (1) Creative thinking (2) Inventor characteristics (3) Successful innovation creation (4) Inventor skills (5) Working creatively with others, 3) The program designed to enhance teachers’ competencies in creating innovations and inventions in technical colleges includes: (1) Program principles (2) Objectives (3) Subject content consists of 5 modules, (4) Development activities consisting of 4 steps, (5) Methods, technology, tools, (6) Evaluation, and (7) Conditions for success. The evaluation results of the appropriateness, feasibility, and benefits of the teacher competency enhancement program in innovation and invention creation, conducted by nine experts, revealed that it is at the highest level. and 4) The results of the program implementation showed that: (1) The participants’ knowledge improved from 52% before the development to 88% after, with all participants meeting the 80% criteria. (2) The participants’ skills were moderate before and at the highest level after development. (3) The inspection of work progress showed that participants in the pilot study had the highest overall progress evaluation results.