IDENTIFYING AND VALIDATING THE ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP COMPONENTS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS IN THAI HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate and evaluate the appropriateness of the components of academic leadership among English language instructors in the context of Thai higher education. A mixed-methods research design was employed and conducted in three stages: 1) synthesis of relevant documents and research studies; 2) semi-structured interviews with five experts to confirm and refine the components; and 3) evaluation of the appropriateness and feasibility of the components by five experts. The research instruments consisted of a document analysis form, a semi-structured interview protocol, and a five-point rating scale questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, mean, and standard deviation. The findings revealed that academic leadership among English language instructors comprised eight components: 1) vision and goal setting, 2) professional development for English language teachers, 3) leadership, 4) learning community building, 5) motivation, 6) English language instructor skills, 7) curriculum administration and instructional management, and 8) learning environment development. Interviews with five experts revealed that academic leadership should encompass direction setting, professional development, collaboration, and learning promotion, while integrating knowledge of language, teaching, and technology into practice. The expert evaluation indicated that all eight components demonstrated the highest level of appropriateness and feasibility, with curriculum administration and instructional management receiving the highest mean score (M = 4.85, S.D. = 0.34), while motivation received the lowest mean score (M = 4.81, S.D. = 0.38). The findings provided a framework for developing the academic leadership of English instructors and served as a foundation for professional development in higher education institutions