Guidelines of Educational Leadership In Program Management: The Factors Enhancing Effectiveness Of Chinese Language Programs

Abstract

Increasingly leaders are recognizing the rise of Asia as one of the central facts of the twenty-first century. China, with its tremendous economic growth and emergence as a social and political leader in the region, is fundamental to this shift. Given these changes, the task of increasing the number of Thai students who can demonstrate a functional proficiency in Chinese is undeniably urgent. Interest in learning Chinese is steadily growing among Thai youth, but the number of existing school programs is small and the present infrastructure to meet this demand is weak. There are plenty of Thai schools at a basic education level, especially in Bangkok, which are willing to have a Chinese program in their schools according to the demand from students and parents; but the professional teachers of Chinese are inadequate and unorganized. Few schools have gained experience from their struggling for many years in managing their Chinese program; unfortunately, there are still many school administrators who are seeking good practices in starting and running their Chinese program effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the understanding of the nature of Chinese teaching and learning; the knowledge and skills in Chinese program management are crucial for success of Chinese programs.