Approaches To Developing A School-Based Curriculum Through Stakeholder Participation For Expanding Educational Opportunities In Ban Tak District Tak Province

Abstract

This study investigated the development of a stakeholder-participatory curriculum for opportunity expansion schools in Ban Tak District, Tak Province, Thailand. The research aimed to examine the current status, desired conditions, and priority needs for participatory curriculum development, as well as to design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive framework tailored to local educational contexts. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, comprising two phases. In the first phase, quantitative data were collected from 242 school administrators and teachers using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire to assess current practices, desired outcomes, and priority needs, analyzed through descriptive statistics and the modified Priority Needs Index (PNI_modified). In the second phase, qualitative methods were employed, including in-depth interviews with six key informants and expert evaluation by five curriculum specialists, to inform the design and validation of the participatory curriculum framework. Results indicated that the current level of participatory curriculum implementation was generally high, with curriculum implementation and design being more advanced than school readiness preparation. Desired conditions were rated very high across all domains, emphasizing stakeholder aspirations for structured, collaborative curriculum development. Priority needs were highest in quality oversight and supervision, followed by school readiness preparation, highlighting areas requiring targeted support. The developed framework comprised five components: principles, objectives, operational mechanisms, curriculum development guidelines, and success conditions, encompassing 39 actionable strategies. Expert evaluation confirmed the framework’s high appropriateness and feasibility, particularly regarding objectives and enabling conditions. The findings underscore the importance of systematic, evidence-based, and stakeholder-driven approaches to curriculum development, suggesting that institutional capacity, quality monitoring, and active stakeholder engagement are critical for sustainable implementation. The study provides practical implications for enhancing participatory curriculum practices in opportunity expansion schools, promoting both educational quality and equity.