Development of Early Childhood Teachers’ Competency to Strengthen Executive Functions of Private Preschool Children in Thailand

Thanachaporn Wathirunwong; Saowanee Sirisooksilp; Nuchwana Luanganggoon; Keow Ngang Tang

doi:10.61707/nmmrxz96

Authors

Thanachaporn Wathirunwong Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, 40002 Khon Kaen, Thailand
Saowanee Sirisooksilp Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, 40002 Khon Kaen, Thailand
Nuchwana Luanganggoon Postgraduate Program in Education, Faculty of Business, Hospitality and Humanities, Nilai University, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Keow Ngang Tang Postgraduate Program in Education, Faculty of Business, Hospitality and Humanities, Nilai University, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61707/nmmrxz96

Keywords:

Early Childhood Teachers, Executive Functions, Need Assessment, Private Preschool Children

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the need assessment of early childhood teachers’ competency to strengthen executive functions of private preschool children in northeast region of Thailand. A total of 514 administrators and teachers participated in the survey using multi-stage random sampling. The five scopes of early childhood teachers’ competencies were investigated, utilizing a 52-items questionnaire. The need assessment results indicated that the curriculum and learning management (PNImodified = 0.27) was the most essential scope of competency. This was followed by promoting child development (PNImodified = 0.22), leadership and professional development (PNImodified = 0.16), and classroom management (PNImodified = 0.15). The least capacity scope was ethics, morality and professional ethics (PNImodified = 0.09). The overall results imply that early childhood teachers can develop the competencies by focusing on these five scopes to effectively strengthen the executive functions of young children, thereby supporting their overall cognitive and social-emotional development.