Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the current conditions, desirable conditions, and needs assessment for enhancing executive function skills of early childhood teachers under Local Administrative Organizations. A quantitative research methodology was employed. The sample consisted of 377 early childhood teachers under Local Administrative Organizations in the 2024 academic year, selected through multi-stage random sampling using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size table. The research instrument was a five-point Likert scale questionnaire assessing both current and desirable conditions. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI_modified) The findings revealed that: 1) the current condition of executive function skills was at a high level (x̄ = 3.60), while the desirable condition was at the highest level (x̄ = 4.63); and 2) the overall PNI_modified was 0.29, indicating a moderate level of developmental need. Ranked by priority, working memory demonstrated the highest need for development (PNI_modified=0.33), followed by inhibitory control (PNI_modified=0.28) and cognitive flexibility (PNI_modified=0.26), respectively. These findings suggest that although early childhood teachers demonstrate a relatively strong level of executive function skills, a noticeable gap remains between the current and desirable conditions. Therefore, systematic enhancement of executive function competencies should be integrated into professional development programs and teacher training curricula for early childhood educators under Local Administrative Organizations.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.