Assessment of Priority Parental Anxiety Index for School Zone Improvement during Drop-off and Pick-up Time around Primary Schools in Thailand

Abstract

Road accidents and environmental hazards around school zones cause anxiety to parents when
dropping-off and picking-up their children and affect behavioural problems, traffic congestion in cities
that lack public facility plans. Improving the school environment as an urgent problem is one of the
problem-solving methods. 1,466 questionnaires were distributed to parents by teachers. The probability
was evaluated by simple random sampling and selected by teachers on the class numbers of students.
The 6 schools were the representatives of 6 regions of Thailand, considered by schools with the highest
accident rate among children. The Priority Parental Anxiety Index (PPAI) was developed from the Priority
Needs Index (PNI) to prioritize guidelines for improving the school environment based on current anxiety
compared to the anxiety improved. The parental anxiety was at a moderate to a high level especially
regarding the danger of road accidents at the school zone. The PPAI was at -0.427. This showed that
environmental improvement guidelines can be applied to child safety especially an improvement
connecting paths between parking lots and student drop-off and pick-up zones, road crossings and roofs
as well as facilities, management, and security policy. Finally, the parents are concerned about assisting
children more than planning, safety measures, and equipping children’s skills.