Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the components and indicators of teachers’ entrepreneurial competencies, 2) study the current conditions, desirable conditions, and priority needs for enhancing entrepreneurial competencies among vocational teachers, 3) develop an entrepreneurial competency enhancement program for teachers, and 4) evaluate the results of implementing the developed program. A Research and Development (R&D) methodology was employed, consisting of four phases. Phase 1 involved document analysis and content synthesis to identify the components and indicators of teachers’ entrepreneurial competencies, which were approved by seven experts, as appropriate. Phase 2 studied the current and desirable conditions, as well as priority needs for competency enhancement. The sample was 186 participants, including 64 college administrators, 61 heads of commercial and entrepreneurial promotion units, and 61 vocational teachers under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission in Northeastern Thailand. Phase 3 focused on program development through in-depth interviews with five experts and administrators from best-practice institutions, followed by focus-group discussions and expert evaluations of the program's appropriateness, feasibility, and utility. Phase 4 evaluated the results of program implementation with a purposively selected group of 30 teachers from Kalasin Industrial and Community Education College. Research instruments included semi-structured interview forms, 5-point rating scale questionnaires, focus group discussion records, and evaluation forms. Data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI_modified), and content analysis. The findings revealed that: 1. Teachers’ entrepreneurial competencies comprised three major components with fourteen indicators: (1) knowledge competency (general business knowledge, financial and accounting management, business operations, business plan development, and business law and taxation); (2) skills competency (communication and negotiation, teamwork, problem-solving, planning and management, and marketing); and (3) personal attributes (business ethics, risk-taking, responsibility, and achievement orientation). 7 Experts were approved as appropriate, and all components and indicators were appropriate at the highest level. 2. The current condition of teachers’ entrepreneurial competency enhancement was rated at a high level, while the desirable condition was rated at the highest level. Priority needs were ranked as follows: knowledge competency, skills competency, and personal attributes, respectively. 3. The developed program consists of the following components: program principles, program objectives, program contents, model and methods of competency development, competency development activities, and program evaluation. The 9 experts' assessment of the program revealed the highest levels of appropriateness, feasibility, and usefulness. 4. The post-implementation results showed that teachers’ entrepreneurial competencies significantly improved from a moderate level before development to the highest level after development. Participant satisfaction with the program was also rated highly.

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