Program to Enhance in Creative Leadership of School Administrators

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) examine the current conditions, desirable conditions, and priority needs for enhancing the creative leadership of school administrators under the Mahasarakham Primary Educational Service Area Office 1; and (2) develop a program to promote creative leadership among these school administrators. The research employed a two-phase methodology.

In Phase 1, the current and desirable conditions, as well as the needs for creative leadership development, were investigated among school administrators under Mahasarakham Primary Educational Service Area Office 1. A total of 313 administrators were selected through stratified random sampling, and data were collected using a rating-scale questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, as well as the Essential Demand Index (EDI) and the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI_modified).

In Phase 2, a creative leadership development program for school administrators was designed based on the findings from Phase 1. The program was evaluated for appropriateness and feasibility by five experts selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included interviews and evaluation forms assessing the suitability and feasibility of the program.

The results indicated that the overall current level of creative leadership among school administrators was moderate, with flexibility and adaptability receiving the highest mean score. In contrast, the desirable level of creative leadership was rated at the highest level overall, particularly in teamwork. The priority needs for creative leadership development, ranked from highest to lowest, were teamwork, individual consideration, creativity, vision, and flexibility and adaptability.

The developed creative leadership enhancement program comprised five key components: (1) principles, (2) objectives, (3) content, (4) development methods, and (5) measurement and evaluation. The program content consisted of five modules: Module 1 – Creativity; Module 2 – Teamwork; Module 3 – Flexibility and Adaptability; Module 4 – Vision; and Module 5 – Individualized Differences. The overall evaluation results indicated that the program demonstrated the highest level of appropriateness and feasibility.