Establishing a System of Standards for the Training Process of New Thai Government Officials during the Work Trial Period
1Wiladlak Chuawanlee 2 Ungsinun Intarakamhang 3 Wirin Kittipichai 4 Numchai Supparerkchaisakul 5 Chutima Hanpachern 6 Abstract
The objectives of this research and development were to 1) establish a system of standards for the development process of new government officials during the work trial period in all parts of Thailand 2) monitor and evaluate the training processes according this system of standards for new government officials based on CIPP Model. Using stratified random sampling, 271 new government officials from 3,000 population from 3 universities were participants in this study. They were 96 officials trained in Northern, 93 trained in Northeastern and 82 trained in Southern part. The research process was divided into 3 phases as formulating a system of standards draft, examining the quality of standards draft by 25 experts and evaluating a system of standards in order to improve the standards. Instruments in this research were knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors measures (Alpha Coefficient =.82to .99). Data were analyzed by utilizing t-test. The results indicated that 15 standards with 30 criteria and 148 indicators as guides to training practice as follows 1) institute and development
team,2)development curriculum, 3)lectures/trainers, 4)manual of the development curriculum and manual for lecturers, 5)office of new officials’ original affiliation, 6)document used in training, 7)training environment, and facilities, 8) evaluation instruments, 9)management of the development processes, 10) socializing process of the lecturers, 11)learning and
participating of new officials,12)evaluation during training 13) new officials after
participating the development processes 14) report of the development program evaluation and 15)advisory channels for new officials were approved. In addition, after the training, it was found that the participants were better in knowledge, work performance during the training and behaviors based on government creative values after one month training than those before the training (p< .001). However, there was no significant increment of attitude towards being good government officials.
Keyword: training process, system standards, new government officials, CIPP model, research and development
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1 Research was funded by the Office of the Civil Service Commission, Thailand
2 Assistance Professor, retired official in Behavioral Science Research Institute
3 Associate Professor in Behavioral Science Research Institute, Srinakharinwirot University corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]
4 Assistance Professor in Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University
5 Lecturer in Behavioral Science Research Institute, Srinakharinwirot University
6 Director of Senior Executive Service Center, the Office of the Civil Service Commission
Introduction
The Section 59 of the Civil Servant Act, 2008, states that every government official has to be trained during the work trial period. Since each year approximately 3,000 new government officials have been appointed and trained, in order to standardize the training process offered by different institutes, the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) constructed a development curriculum which contained information and procedures about which each new government official had to be instructed. The OCSC serves as the secretariat of the Civil Service Commission and is the central agency in managing human resource and protecting merit system practices of the civil service. Furthermore, it evaluates and advances work quality, environment, and quality of life for government officers from recruitment until retirement. This is to enable government officers to achieve their professional performance based on the principle of merit, good governance aiming at the benefit of the people and sustainable development of the nation (OCSC, 2005). In order to make the training and development programs for new government officials effective and have the same standards throughout the country, a system of development standards had to be established, the standards of which should involve regulations and criteria as guides to practice. Moreover, standards to monitor and evaluate the training and development processes should also be set up. An advisory team from the Behavioral Science Research Institute, Srinakharinwirot University, was assigned by the Office of the Civil Service Commission to establish a set of standards for the development curriculum and monitoring the processes.
Objectives
1. To establish standards of new government officials’ development processes proposed by the College of the Civil Service, the Office of the Civil Service Commission, so that the standards can be applied to all parts of Thailand.
2. To construct instruments to measure knowledge and behaviors of new government officials in all learning activities.
3. To monitor and evaluate the development processes offered by academic institutes which are networks of the Office of the Civil Service Commission.
Research Methodology
1. Population: The new government officials from 3,000 population and 3 universities were participant setting in this study; Mae Fah Luang University in Northern, Prince of Songkla University, in Southern and Mahasarakham University in Northeastern part of Thailand.
2. Samples: They were 96 officials trained in Northern, 93 trained in Northeastern and 82 trained in Southern part, the total of 271 new government officials .
3. Process: Research design was R&D (research and development) The research process was divided into 3 phases as formulating a system of standards draft, examining the quality of standards draft by 25 experts and evaluating a system of standards in order to improve the standards.
4. Instruments : Questionnaire in this research were knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors measures by Cronbach ’s alpha coefficient =.82 to .99.
5. Statistic analysis: Data were analyzed by utilizing t-test.
6. Research framework : The researchers applied the CIPP Model proposed by Stufflebeam &
Shinkfield (2007) and the Kirkpatrick approach (2006) and reviewed literature about training course for New Government Officials in the many countries. (Canada School of Public Service, 2008; Singapore Public Service Commission, 2008; Taiwan National Civil Service Institute, 2008; Crawford, 1995 and Mitchell, 1993). And then set up the standards by monitoring and valuating all academic institutes (3 universities) which offer training to new government officials and to study the learning actions of the trainees as the following in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Conceptual framework related to the evaluation of new government officials training program
Results
Evaluation of knowledge and behavior scores showed that
1. After training by Mac Fah Luang University, 96 trainees got total knowledge mean score of 4 modules = 71.85% and 69.53% training by Songkhanakarin University . All 4 modules had scores more than 50% as Standard 13 ( New government officials after participating the development processes) as shown in table 1.
Context
Consistency with core and local area problems & needs
Input Process Product
Supporting from commander of new government
officials Reaction of
trainers and trainees Problem, need
/Understanding in the rule and policy
Feasibility of program conduction Training curriculum analysis and other factors
Strong curriculum philosophy and Sufficiency of equipment
Potential of training teams and Instructors Enough documentation arrangement
Clearly objective of program, agenda , Activity lessons in the program
Criteria of trainees selected and recruited Training rooms and environment
Training arrangement process
Being role model and socialized of Instructors
Learning of trainees and participated in class Giving an opportunity to get into the program Problem solving during program implementation Satisfaction of trainers and trainees
Number of new government officials
participated in all 5 activity lessonsIncrease knowledge, attitude,
competency and behaviors
Result
- Satisfaction of commander of new government officials - Outcome indicators
- Requirement for next training Feedback
- Body of knowledge - Key factors and barriers of program success
- Presentation of activities
Table 1 showed that range, mean and standard division of knowledge scores Conducted by
Module
Mae Fah Luang University N=96
Prince of Songkla University N=97
Min – Max % S.D. Min – Max % S.D.
1.Cultivated philosophy of the government officials
33.33 - 91.67 68.58 12.24 8.33 - 91.67 67.99 14.49 2. Bureaucracy
system and The new public administration
30.00 -100.00 68.65 15.94 10.00 -100.00 78.66 20.23
3. Basic knowledge about government service job
30.30 - 96.97 81.44 9.48 27.27 - 93.94 73.54 14.25 4. Improved core
competencies and required skills
6.67 - 80.00 55.49 16.06 25.0 - 86.67 55.85 21.56 Total 34.29 -87.14 71.85 8.60 35.71 - 85.71 69.53 12.55
2. The result of the analysis by t-test showed the new government officials trained by Mac Fah Luang University had total mean knowledge score in 4 modules of after training significantly higher than before training(p<.001) and after training especial module 4th showed no significant improvement of score after training (p<.05). For the new government officials trained by Songkhanakarin University showed that significant improvement of the score of total 4 modules (p<.001).
3. The new government officials trained by Mac Fah Luang University in followed phase, after training 1 month , evaluated the work behaviors based on creative value found that increasing of mean behavioral score (mean = 101.58, S.D. = 8.20) significantly higher than before training (mean = 96.58, S.D.=6.70) (p<.001). However the new government officials trained by Songkhanakarin University after training showed no significant higher behavioral score than before training.
4. For evaluating 5 Core competencies of new government officials found that after training almost of the trainees had both remained no change score and higher than before training as shown in table 2
Table 2 Percentage of the number of trainees who had 5 core competencies, increased, no change and decreased scores after participating in the training program.
Core competency of new government
officials
Mae Fah Luang University N=96
Prince of Songkla University N=97
Increased (%)
No change (%)
Decreased (%)
Increased (%)
No change (%)
Decreased (%) Achievement
Motivation
43.7 44.8 11.5 50.6 35.8 13.6
Service mind 32.2 49.0 18.8 38.3 45.7 16.0
Expertise in their work
22.1 61.1 16.8 35.0 51.2 13.8
Integrity 22.5 69.8 17.7 32.1 63.0 4.9
Teamwork 4.2 84.3 11.5 19.5 76.6 4.9
5. The 93 new government officials trained by Mahasarakham University in Northeastern part of Thailand. But the completed questionnaires both before and after training had 81 from 93 trainees. It’s showed that 1) after training, 44 trainees as 54.32% of 81 trainees had higher knowledge score than before training, no change knowledge score 8 trainees as 9.88% and lower knowledge score 29 trainees as 35.80% 2) After training, 78 trainees (89.66% of total 81 trainees) had higher knowledge score than 60% of total scores. And 9 trainees (10.34% of total 81 trainees) had lower knowledge score than 60% of total scores. 3) The 57 from 83 trainees (68.67%) had higher attitude score, 5 from 83 trainees (6.02%) had the score attitude score and 21 trainees (25.31%) had lower attitude score. 4) The 83 from 86 trainees (96.51%) had higher attitude score than 75% and 5) all of 87 trainees (100%) had working behavior score more than 60% of total scores that met standard 13th : New government officials after participating the development processes.
Conclusions
1. The advisory team set 15 standards for the development processes proposed by the Office of the Civil Service Commission as follows:
Standard 1: Institute and development team Standard 2: Development curriculum Standard 3: Lectures/trainers
Standard 4: Manual of the development curriculum and manual for lecturers/trainers Standard 5: Office of new government officials’ original affiliation
Standard 6: Document used in the development processes Standard 7: Training places, environment, and facilities Standard 8: Evaluation instruments
Standard 9: Management of the development processes Standard 10: Socializing process of the lecturers/trainers
Standard 11: Learning and participating processes of new government officials Standard 12: Evaluation during the development processes
Standard 13: New government officials after participating the development processes Standard 14: Report of the development program evaluation
Standard 15: Advisory channels for new government officials after attending the development processes
2. The advisory team constructed instruments to measure new officials’ knowledge and behavior which consisted of 1) Knowledge Measure, 2) Attitude Towards Being Good Government Officials Scale, 3) Measure of New Government Officials’ Work Performance During the Training and Seminar, 4) Work Performance Scale, government officials version, 5) Work Performance Scale, original affiliation version. Moreover, a set of instruments for evaluating the development processes/program were also constructed.
3. A system of sending-receiving information about new government officials and development processes between the Office of the Civil Service Commission and the institutional networks was created so that the related offices and personnel can efficiently prepare sending and receiving necessary information.
4. A system of monitoring and evaluating the development program was set up with guides for the monitoring team and also for the training team.
5. An appropriate model for development program/processes was consisted of 3 consecutive processes: 1) an orientation provided by the officials’ original affiliation, 2) a distant learning or electronic learning offered by the Office of the Civil Service Commission, 3) a session for training and seminar among new officials for 2 weeks which can enables new officials to be good and efficient.
Recommendations
1. Officials’ original affiliated institutes should give advice about the development program to their new officials before attending the program.
2. If training institutes would like to emphasize a positive attitude towards being good government officials and providing direct experience to them, the institutes should put in more efforts on managing the training through arranging extra activities, guiding officials to attend, or create activities which enable fostering good relationships among them, promote building of networks amongst them, and encourages self-directed learning in the officials.
3. The Office of Civil Service Commission and training institutes should emphasize the importance of the output and outcome of the training and seminar sessions at the beginning of the training so that the new officials would have set high expectations and would have the right motivation for attending the training and seminar session.
4. The training institutes should encourage the learner-centered and self-directed approaches in the training and seminar session. Thus, extra resources or related activities should be provided.
5. The training institutes should create activities which can enhance important competencies of new officials, such as creative values.
6. Learning activities should be more on action learning which encourages new officials to brainstorm and plan by utilizing their knowledge, experience, and expertise in their work.
7. Religious activities should be neutral so that officials who have different beliefs can participate.
8. The Office of Civil Service Commission should regulate the perceptions of the training institutes about their roles in managing the training, whether they put only the curriculum into practice or whether they are socializing agents who have an important role in building good government officials. If the purpose is the latter, the training institutes should set a framework and plan to train so that the purpose could be achieved. Institutes can have different
frameworks but the frameworks should lead to the main common goals.
9. The Office of Civil Service Commission should establish the whole system of the
development program from setting the period of appointing new officials, informing about the program to new officials, providing distant learning or electronic learning, and giving
schedules of training and seminar sessions offered by academic institutes in all parts of Thailand. If the Office of Civil Service Commission is not the host in managing and
monitoring the training and seminar sessions arranged by training institutes as it was in 2008, the trainers of those institutes as well as the new officials may be confused about the
development processes and practice and they may not attend the program in an appropriate order.
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