The Strategy of Empathic Communication Development of School Administrators under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office Maha Sarakham

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) examine the components and indicators of empathic communication among school administrators under the Maha Sarakham Secondary Educational Service Area Office; (2) verify the goodness-of-fit of the empathic communication component and indicator model with empirical data; and (3) develop and evaluate strategies for enhancing empathic communication among school administrators. A mixed-methods evaluation design was employed, comprising three phases. Phase 1 involved a qualitative study to synthesize the components and indicators of empathic communication and to examine their appropriateness through reviews by five experts. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form and analyzed using content analysis. Phase 2 confirmatory factor analysis to examine the goodness-of-fit of the model with empirical data using the Mplus program. The sample consisted of 360 school administrators and teachers selected through multi-stage random sampling. The research instrument was a five-point rating scale questionnaire, with content validity indices ranging from 0.60 to 1.00 and an overall reliability coefficient of 0.931. Data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis to examine the construct validity and goodness-of-fit of the hypothesized model with the empirical data. Phase 3 involved the development and evaluation of strategies by five experts. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form and an evaluation form assessing the appropriateness, feasibility, and utility of the strategies. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative evaluation data were analyzed using the mean and standard deviation. The findings were as follows: (1) The empathic communication of school administrators comprised five main components and 13 indicators: (1) Active Listening (4 indicators); (2) Understanding Messages from Others’ Perspectives (2 indicators); (3) Emotional Awareness (3 indicators); (4) Creating a Psychologically Safe Communication Climate (2 indicators); and (5) Mutual Interaction Based on Understanding (2 indicators). All components and indicators were rated by the experts as appropriate. (2) The empathic communication indicator model demonstrated an excellent fit with the empirical data (χ² = 69.474, df = 60, p = 0.1885, χ²/df = 1.158, RMSEA = 0.021, SRMR = 0.016, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.997). The standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.746 to 0.928, and all were statistically significant at the .001 level. (3) The strategies for developing empathic communication among school administrators consisted of five strategies, each comprising four key elements: strategy name, objective, success targets, and techniques for achieving success. The expert evaluation indicated that the strategies were rated at the highest level in all three aspects: appropriateness, feasibility, and utility.