Development of a Learning School in Wat Srichan School, Khon Kaen Province: A Participatory Action Research

Abstract

This research was conducted in order to develop a learning school system at Wat Srichan School. This monk school has experienced problems related to quality due to the students’ low proficiency as evidenced in the unsatisfying O-net Test score. This research was framed around the participatory discipline in which both critical social theory and theory of post-modernism were integrated in order to assure the attainment of information from collobaration between the researcher and the research participants. Thirty research participants were engaged in different processes of the research, including planning, acting, observing, and reflecting upon the results. These research processes were deployed in 2 semesters between the academic year 2015-2016. The development was aimed at creating positive changes in the student’s learning. The research created three developmental projects: 1) Creating an environment that promoted learning, 2) Developing teachers to foster teaching skills that promote critical thinking and creativity among the learners, and 3) Developing critical thinking skills and creativity for the learners. The projects were found to be effective for the promotion of learning at the school because the overall scores of all of the projects’ indicators and the score for each individual project were both averaged above 3.50. The project helped to create awareness among the researchers and the participants regarding the importance of collaborative and democratic measures as crucial means for success. Particularly in this research, it was observed that in order for the learning environment to be created the three projects mentioned above should be implemented.