Collaborative Practices to Empower Teachers’ Capacities for the 21st Century

Abstract

The objective of this research is to conduct an operation within the project entitled "Collaborative Practices for Empowering Teachers' Capabilities for the 21st Century in Benjamitra Wittaya School," which is one of the research project series related to the 21st century education under the Doctoral Program in Educational Administration, Mahamakut Buddhist University, Isan Campus. It employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology and consisted of two cycles of Planning, Acting, Observing, and Reflecting (PAOR) in each academic semester in the 2022 academic year. The expected outcomes of this study included changes in learning and knowledge acquisition resulting from the practical application of the research findings. Moreover, 12 teachers participated both as co-researchers and as the target group for development in this study. The results of the study were evaluated and compared across three phases: before and after the first cycle of PAOR and after the second cycle of PAOR. The findings revealed the followings: 1) a positive change had occurred where a teacher-researcher practiced self-empowerment to develop greater capabilities for the 21st century and both the teacher and their students demonstrated an increased ability to meet the demands of the 21st century. 2) the researcher, co-researchers, and school personnel gained an understanding of the benefits of utilizing the principle of collaborative work, which resulted in more effective outcomes compared to individualistic approaches. This confirmed the significance of the Participative Leadership Theory, which is founded on the idea that combining the thoughts of multiple individuals leads to better decision-making compared to relying solely on an individual's perspective. 3) a grounded theory emerged from practical experience referred to as the "Collaborative Practices Model for Empowering Teachers' Capabilities for the 21st Century in Benjamitra Wittaya School" in this research work.