Participatory action research for the development of the curriculum to promote the identity of chitralada school among the upper primary students

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) investigate the needs essential for designing and developing a curriculum to enhance the identity of Chitralada School for upper primary students, and 2) develop and evaluate the quality of the identity-enhancement curriculum for Chitralada School's upper primary students. A mixed-methods approach was employed. The research population included: the Director of Chitralada School (1 person), the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the primary level (1 person), the Deputy Director for Student Affairs at the primary level (1 person), and 27 homeroom teachers of Grades 4–6 during the academic year 2024. Additionally, seven experts participated in evaluating the draft version of the curriculum. The research instruments consisted of: 1) a document analysis form, 2) interview protocols for school administrators, 3) interview protocols for homeroom teachers, 4) focus group discussion guidelines for curriculum review, and 5) curriculum evaluation forms. The findings revealed that: The needs for curriculum design and development, based on data synthesis, identified five core components of the identity of Chitralada School to be integrated into the curriculum: loyalty to the monarchy and royal family, patriotism and preservation of Thai culture, good manners and proper conduct, public-mindedness, and the ability to maintain positive interpersonal relationships. The developed curriculum, entitled "Darunpat Curriculum of Chitralada", is to be implemented during the weekly homeroom activity period, with a total of 45 instructional hours. The curriculum’s overall appropriateness was rated at a high level. Its feasibility for implementation was also rated at a high level.