Development of the Extremely Poor Students Selection Process for Receiving the Teacher Production Project Scholarship for Protected Schools in Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a systematic process for selecting scholarship recipients to participate in the Krurakthin project at Kalasin University. To gather insights into the selection process, stakeholders from five distinct groups, including the director of the educational service area, the director of the destination school, community leaders, lecturers, and scholarship recipients, were interviewed. This study represents the preliminary stage of analysis and process development. The research instruments consisted of (1) an opinion interview form on the scholarship recipient selection process and (2) a form for evaluating the appropriateness of the selection procedure for scholarship recipients. The data were analyzed statistically by comparing the means and standard deviations. The research findings prompted the development of a procedure for selecting scholarship recipients. Regarding the appropriateness of the scholarship recipient selection process, it was found that the appropriateness of the advertisement process was scored at 4.55 ± 0.50 points, which was at the highest level. The appropriateness of the finding process was scored at 4.73 ± 0.45 points, which was at the highest level. The appropriateness of the screening process was scored at 4.58 ± 0.50 points, which was at the highest level. Additionally, the appropriateness of the selection process was 4.54 ± 0.64 points, which was at the highest level. Each process had a total appropriateness score of 4.61 + 0.32 points, which is considered to be at the highest level. These results led to the production of a manual for choosing scholarship candidates to enroll in the Krurakthin project at Kalasin University and to prepare for the field test of the selection process of 4th-year Krurakthin students.

1. Introduction

The United Nations (UN) has 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1] to lead development that serves the requirements of the present generation without hampering the ability to meet the demands of the next generation [2]. To accomplish sustainable development, three main factors must be incorporated: economic expansion, social inclusion, and environmental protection. At the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at the United Nations Headquarters on 25 September 2015, Thailand and 193 other UN member states signed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a global framework for tackling mutual social, economic, and environmental sustainable development without leaving anyone behind by the year 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), officially known as Transforming Our World, require action from all nations, both developed and developing, as part of a global collaboration. Ending poverty and other forms of deprivation must be combined with strategies that enhance health and education, lessen inequality, and promote economic growth, while still working to protect the environment and promote peace.

Thailand has endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as guiding principles at the national, municipal, and local levels. The cabinet resolution of 25 October 2016 assigned the Ministry of Interior to drive forward the SDGs at the local level. Moreover, the cabinet resolutions of 24 March 2020 acknowledged the results of the Sustainable Development Committee Meeting No. 1/2019 on 19 December 2019, which agreed the principles of the plan to drive the SDGs for Thailand [3] and included it in the plan of the National Strategy [4] government agencies and organizations of foreign countries to use the aforementioned goals to formulate an action plan in line with the country’s development plan.

The Equitable Education Fund (EEF), following the government’s policy, is an organization that applies the SDGs as a strategic plan by focusing on solving poverty, SDG 1, and improving the quality of education. This organization was established according to the recommendation of the Independent Education Reform Commission, which appears in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, 2017, Section 54 of the Equitable Education Fund Act B.E. 2018 [5], promulgated on 14 May 2018. This organization strives to achieve equality in education, alleviate poverty, reduce educational inequality, and improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers by allowing the state to allocate funding. Furthermore, this organization can operate independently [6].

The EEF manages various sub-projects, one of which is the Krurakthin project. The original basis of the Krurakthin project is based on the need to solve the educational disparity of schools in remote areas. In Thailand, there are about 2000 schools that are remote and cannot be merged (protected schools or standalone), according to a study by the World Bank Research Team in collaboration with the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) database [7]. These schools must be administered in order to provide educational opportunities for the children in the area [8]. However, it was discovered that the issue with rural schools is that teachers frequently ask to relocate because they are not locals and there are no substitute teachers in the schools. Therefore, there are not enough teachers for these schools [7,8,9,10], especially primary school teachers. This corresponds with an EEF survey on the situation of special needs students, which revealed that the number of exceptionally poor students in compulsory education has steadily increased since the school years 2020–2022. In semester 1 of the academic year 2020, there were 994,428 students in special poverty. This number increased to 1,174,444 in semester 2 of the 2020–2021 academic year, 1,244,591 in semester 2 of the academic year 2021, and 1,301,366 in semester 2 of the same academic year. In the first semester of the academic year 2022, the number further increased to 1,307,152.

Previous research conducted has calculated that, if every child in Thailand achieves international standards, the country’s GDP will grow by 5.5% throughout the 21st century. Encouraging exceptionally poor students (corresponding to SDG 1) to continue their education and return to teachers in schools close to home will eliminate poverty and promote education (corresponding to SDG 4). Thus, it is crucial to address the issue of exceptionally poor students in order to achieve these sustainable development goals [11].

The Krurakthin project aims (1) to provide opportunities for students in remote areas who have a passion for the teaching profession and have the potential to complete their studies until graduating with a bachelor’s degree; (2) to create the spiritual teacher, a teacher who has the dedication and the basic competence of the teaching profession; (3) to engage learning of 21st century skills; and (4) to promote the ability to be a community developer. After graduation, these students will return to their hometown to work as teachers in remote schools, helping to build their local community [12].

The goals of the EEF correspond with SDGs 1. “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” and 4. “ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and supports lifelong learning opportunities for all” [1]. If the project is successful, it will reduce inequality in schools in remote areas. Through these efforts, more students from the most impoverished families will have access to quality, affordable education (learning access and learning outcome). Shortly after graduating, they can strive to support local students in efforts to end the cycle of inequity in rural areas.

Over the past three years, the Krurakthin project has been underway, but the previous selection processes have been deemed inadequate in identifying students from underprivileged backgrounds. This may have resulted in less effective public relations, searches, screening, and student qualification processes. In addition, this project is intended to create opportunities for students with strong academic performance and a feeling of being a spiritual teacher—a person who expresses themselves as a good teacher. They should possess a framework of morality, ethics, customs, and culture, which consists of having responsibilities in duties, love and faith in the profession, treating students with goodwill, giving love and kindness, helping, sacrificing, patience, perseverance, collective care, being a good role model, and knowing how to always improve yourself. Within ten years, this project aims to create 300 graduates annually for five generations and to ensure there are new teachers working in rural locations in about 2000 small schools at the sub-district level to meet the demand for the teaching profession [13]. In selecting students to obtain such scholarships, it is crucial to possess the necessary instruments to meet the initial goal of seeking, screening, and selecting applicants who possess the fundamental credentials to enter the teacher education system at the higher education level.

The objective of this research is to develop the selection process for Krurakthin scholarship recipients to be role models in the process of public relations, search, screening, and student qualification.

2. Background

The selection of scholarship recipients is the first stage in preparing them to be role models as teachers in accordance with the project’s goals. Therefore, to achieve the goal, the process must be effective and efficient so that it may be used as a significant instrument in selecting scholarship candidates who meet the nine conditions for scholarship recipients [14]: (1) having Thai nationality; (2) studying at Mattayom 6 level or equivalent and will graduate; (3) living in a family with an average income of less than THB 3000/person/month or less than THB 36,000/person/year; (4) regarding domicile, the applicant and their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must have resided in the school’s subdistrict for at least three years prior to the application date; (5) having a grade point average of five semesters at the upper secondary level or a cumulative GPA before the last semester not lower than 2.50; (6) having a positive attitude about the teaching profession and a desire to teach in a rural area where they live; (7) having experience in performing creative activities for the public, (8) not demonstrating behavior that is implied to be an obstacle to study during the scholarship period; and (9) showing neither dishonorable behavior nor lack morality during the selection process. The process for finding candidates to receive the scholarship in the project is divided into five main activities, including searching, screening, selecting, and preparing activities [15]. The objective of public relations activities is to generate awareness and comprehension about the project, and to encourage students to enroll in the courses offered by the scholarship program. Additionally, communication with the target students, schools, parents, and communities in the service areas of educational institutions is the goal of this activity. Moreover, the goal of the searching and screening processes is to find qualified students who can obtain scholarships based on the goals of the project. This is carried out with the aid of stakeholders who can show valid considerations in case of objections with regard to the process.

According to the application of the aforementioned conceptual framework, Kalasin University is one of fifteen Thai institutions that has been considered to be an institute producing students in the Krurakthin project, early childhood major, from the first to the third generation starting from the academic years 2020–2022 [14]. In the first year, a learning-by-doing approach was used in the recruitment process to identify the qualified students who would be awarded the scholarship. In that academic year, the goal was to identify 32 scholarship recipients. A total of 54 students participated in the selection and preparation process. In the second year, the objective was to identify 26 scholarship recipients, and 43 applicants participated in the selection process. The target for the third year was 26 scholarship students, and 45 students were involved in the selection and preparation process.

While providing five activities to scholarship students from the first to the third year, the project team members consistently designed and enhanced the processes for selecting scholarship students. In the first year, field trials were conducted so that lessons could be learned, and the process could be designed for efficient application in different locations until the number of pupils achieved the desired standard. The university combined the outcomes of the performance of the five activities when being considered as a scholarship graduate production institute in the second year in order to extract lessons for process design and fix deficiencies from previous operations. Then, processes were developed so that team members could effectively apply them in the third year.

From the results of the operation in the third year, it was found that the operation process in the past was efficient and productive and can be used as a model for operations. On these grounds, the working group can apply the selection process until they search for and screen students who meet the qualifications of scholarship recipients. When entering the selection process, they can select scholarship recipients who are suitable, i.e., those with quality that reflects the results of their work arising from such a process.

However, while these three years of work have been accomplished results, it is still inconclusive whether the process can act as a model that includes public relations, search, screening, student qualification process, and preparation for other institutions operating under the Krurakthin program as there are details of the process that still require lessons to be learned, reflection, and repeated practice [15] to ensure that developed processes are reliable under any situation. An exchange of learning with other production institutes, therefore, took place to confirm that the guidelines for the implementation of the above process would receive scholarship recipients according to the project’s goals.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Research Process

This research is classified as developmental research type I [16] as a systematic study for designing, developing, and evaluating the selection process of Krurakthin recipients. It is divided into 4 phases: the analysis phase, design phase, development phase, and try-out and evaluation phase. Thus, this research project deals with the design and development of a selection process which is implemented in stages to examine the suitability of the process as Prototype in a specific context. At the end of the initial stage, the process can be used in other universities to study its limitations in their context and adapt it for future process improvements. However, this research provides the information regarding the analysis phase, design phase, and development phase, as shown below (Figure 1).

The analysis phase is a preliminary analysis of data to identify the objectives of the EEF for the Krurakthin project. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the qualifications of the Krurakthin scholarship students, including the duration of the process for selecting the scholarship students. After that, there must be in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the process of selecting Krurakthin, including experts from universities that have received the Krurakthin project scholarships. The experts chosen to participate in the in-depth interviews are representatives of stakeholders from various regions of Thailand. In addition, the specialists, including the Head of the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and/or Elementary Education program, also deal with the in-depth interviews as well.

The design phase involves the utilization of the data from the analysis phase and the data collected from the discussion about the results of Krurakthin recipients from the first to third years to develop Prototype I. Prototype I was sent to experts in the Krurakthin recipient selection process from various universities and stakeholders for consideration, followed by in-depth interviews with the researcher. Finally, in the development phase, the data obtained from the in-depth interview analysis were used to improve Prototype I, which was then reviewed and validated by experts in the selection process for Krurakthin recipients. The result was a revised and internally validated selection process [17].

3.2. Research Process

Total study populations of 107 and 136 participants were obtained using purposive sampling in the analysis phase and design phase, respectively. Both populations were divided into 2 groups. In detail, 87 and 114 samples were selected from the analysis and design phases, respectively [18]. In addition, during the analytical and development phases, the five experts were selected as representatives from the southern, northern, northeastern, and central regions of Thailand. Four of them were experts in the field of Krurakthin selection process development, while one was an expert in the field of developmental evaluation research. On the other hand, during the design phase, five specialists were involved and in charge of each step of the Krurakthin selection process, including public relations, search, screening, and student qualification processes. These specialists were obtained from other universities, and they were the Heads of the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and/or Elementary Education programs (

Table 1. Research participants in the developmental model of the selection process for Krurakthin recipients.

Phase	Type of Participant	No. of Participants
Analysis phase	1. Experts in the selection process of Krurakthin scholarship recipients	The group of five experts consisted of an expert in the selection process, an expert in early childhood education curriculum, an expert in primary education curriculum, a research expert, and a community expert. In detail, four of them were experts in the field of Krurakthin selection process development, while one was an expert in the field of developmental evaluation research.
	2. Stakeholders in the selection process for Krurakthin scholarship recipients	- Thirteen targeted terminal school directors; - Twenty-one high school students who participated in the selection process; - Fourteen community leaders; - Twenty-two provincial education officers and directors of primary school educational Service Areas (PESAs); - Twelve university lecturers that took part in the selection process.
Design phase	1. Specialist in the selection process for Krurakthin recipients	In detail, five specialists were involved and in charge of each step of the Krurakthin selection process.
	2. Stakeholders in the selection process for Krurakthin scholarship recipients	- Seven targeted terminal school directors; - Ten junior scholars (1st-year students); - Fifty-five senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students); - Eight community leaders; - Seventeen PESA staff; - Twelve university lecturers that took part in the selection process.
Development phase	An expert in the selection process for Krurakthin recipients	The group of five qualified people consisted of four directors of early childhood departments or their representative who previously received Krurakthin scholarships from various universities. All experts used were the same group as in the analysis phase.

).

3.3. Research Instruments

The research tools used in each research phase comprise the following.

3.3.1. Analysis Phase and Design Process

• Five interview forms with five different stakeholder groups were used. These included the administrators of the province’s educational service areas, community and local leaders, the directors of the schools where the scholars will be placed for public service, students who engaged in the process, and lecturers who participated in the process. The interview questions were divided into four categories: previous public relations, former student finding, former student screening, and former student selecting process. The participants were given the opportunity to share their experiences and express the realities that arose during the selection of the scholarship recipients by using open-ended questions [19]. Each interview format placed a strong emphasis on needs, wants, challenges, and recommendations. All interview forms were sent to five experts, including a selection process expert, an early childhood education curriculum expert, a primary education curriculum expert, a research expert, and a community expert, in order to verify and evaluate the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC);
• Five IOC assessment forms of each stakeholder interview were sent to the previously mentioned experts.

3.3.2. Development Phase

• Five interview forms with five different stakeholder groups were used, which included the administrators of the province’s educational service areas, community and local leaders, the directors of the schools where the scholars will be placed for public service, students who engaged in the process, and lecturers who participated in the process. The interview questions were divided into four developed categories: public relations, student searching process, student screening, and student selecting phases. Questions in each step were focused on needs, wants, and incomplete process details. Similar to the first phase, each interview format placed a strong emphasis on needs, wants, challenges, and recommendations. All interview forms were sent to five experts, including a selection process expert, an early childhood education curriculum expert, a primary education curriculum expert, a research expert, and a community expert, in order to verify and evaluate the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC);
• Prototype I, which expressed the frameworks for selection processes, was established. It included an overall designed framework as well as four fraction-developed frameworks: public relations, student searching, student screening, and student selecting;
• The handbook was revised by providing details of the guidance and the information of stakeholders that needed to be contacted in each step. In addition, this handbook also offered various important online documents that were used in the field work. Users could assess the documents via scanning the QR code presented in each step.
• The IOC assessment forms of each stakeholder interviews were sent to the experts previously referred to;
• The evaluation forms assessed the effectiveness of the created framework;
• The evaluation forms assessed the suitability of the handbook.

In accordance with the above method, the IOC assessment forms were scored in a range from 1 (obviously measuring), −1 (clearly not measuring), or 0 (the content area is unknown), while suitability assessment forms were scaled as follows: 5 represented strongly suitable, 4 represented suitable, 3 represented neutral, 2 represented not suitable, and 1 represented strongly not suitable [20].

3.4. Data Analysis

The data obtained in the quantitative phase were statistically analyzed by the mean, standard deviation, and percentage. In addition, qualitative results which were collected from the interviews of stakeholders and all suggestions from experts were grouped. The repetition of qualitative results was selected and verified as an important issue using the Triangulation method. Data synthesis and summary were performed on these important issues [19].

4. Results

The results of the developmental research, which aimed to develop the Krurakthin project selection process at Kalasin University, were as follows.

4.1. Analysis Phase: Finding Problems

The data obtained from the interview with stakeholders regarding their needs in the public relation process were synthesized [21]. The interview process involved continuously gathering information from relevant individuals until sufficient data were obtained, resulting in some data redundancy. Next, the identified problems and gaps were investigated and analyzed to determine potential solutions to address them. In addition, problems and obstacles, as well as suggestions on the process of selecting grantees for the Local Teachers Program, are shown in

Table 2. The results of the project’s public relations process for entering the Krurakthin program, based on the general needs, problems, and obstacles.

Issues	Contextualization of the Needs, Problems, and Obstacles of the PR Process (The Stakeholders Who Gave the Opinions)
1. Needs	- Books or documents about the project should be sent earlier before the staff arrive (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - The staff from the university or EEF guidance counselors should begin the process by organizing meetings with the targeted populations (provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - A LINE group should be created in order to organize meetings with directors of the schools where the scholars will be placed for public service, directors from schools where the target group is studying, directors of primary school educational service areas, and provincial education officers (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers).
2. Problems and obstacles	- Some places did not receive documents/books about the project (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - The project’s announcement was made slowly (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - School guidance counselors who had students who would qualify for the scholarship did not advertise to them (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - The director who had just relocated did not know the community members well. Lack of familiarity with the community leaders made the collaboration less efficient than it could have been (targeted terminal school directors and community leaders); - Public service announcements were constrained due to the community members needing to go out for gardening and farming. They were not always at home (high school students and community leaders); - Sending information to other affiliations was delayed (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The public relations campaign did not reach all target groups (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Time for the public relations campaign was constrained (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Some points of the information might not have been clear (high school students, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - Some points of the information were difficult to understand (high school students and community leaders); - The information about the Krurakthin project that had been issued was delayed (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The public relations campaign did not reach all target places, so few people received information about the project (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers).
3. Suggestions	- In addition to distributing public relations materials, the EEF should host meetings to enlighten and increase project awareness among provincial education officers and directors of primary schools in the instructional service area (targeted terminal school directors, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Senior scholars and teachers who have previously been given scholarships should notify students who are eligible about this program (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - The institution should initially hold meetings with local leaders for the directors who have recently relocated since they still have little interaction with the locals (community leaders and university lecturers); - The university staff should visit the schools where targeted students are studying to deliver information. The knowledge might then be spread around the neighborhood through the schools (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - Destination schools, schools where the scholars will be placed for public service, should be designated as project public relations centers (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - In order to share information and help with follow-up, destination schools should be encouraged to enhance public relations via networking at school meetings (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - As this group was actively engaged with students, community leaders should contact them through that channel. As a result, this could help students to receive direct messages (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, and university lecturers); - To ensure that residents are aware of the information for at least one month prior, the advertisement should be posted as a sign in various locations, such as the boards at temples and schools (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, and university lectures); - Community leaders should educate staff about qualified students. Additionally, the project’s goals must be clear to leaders from the beginning of the public relations process (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - Community leaders should work closely with schools to determine the number of students interested in the Krurakthin project and other information (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - Community leaders should collaborate with the directors of the schools where the scholars will be assigned for public service, as well as the schools where the target students are enrolled (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - Community leaders should inform students about the personnel who may give them additional information about the project (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The guidelines for public relations should be clearly defined (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - In order to obtain further and relevant information, the destination school should be contacted (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - It would be better to first investigate the potential publicity locations to learn details regarding the samples and how to reach the target audience as effectively as possible (targeted terminal school directors and university lecturers); - Once the target audience is identified, stakeholder interviews with locals and directors from the school where the scholars will be assigned for public service will help to develop a model for public relations that can quickly and effectively reach the target population. Although less time was lost on seeking and screening, the necessary qualifications were not reflected (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - A process or contact channel should be added to contact the personnel who can provide more information (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The materials should be delivered to the homes or schools of eligible students (high school students and community leaders).

,

Table 3. The results of the scholar search process for admission to the Krurakthin program, based on the general needs, problems, and obstacles.

Issues	Contextualization of Needs, Problems, and Obstacles of the Scholar Search Process (The Stakeholders Who Gave the Opinions)
1. Needs	- Stakeholders wanted to participate in the scholar search process (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers).
2. Problems and obstacles	- Cooperation did not occur in all locations since information was delayed (targeted terminal school directors, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The project was not met with cooperation from community leaders (targeted terminal school directors and university lecturers); - As some cases had issues with local authorities, they might have declined to support candidates or take part in the search process (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - Some of the students who applied for scholarship did not meet the qualifications required by the EEF (targeted terminal school directors and university lecturers); - Some qualified students did not have the passion to be teachers (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - There were no extremely poor students who met the criteria for being teachers in the destination school (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Due to the delayed information, students were unable to prepare for the application (high school students and community leaders).
3. Suggestions	- Concerning the scholar search process, the EEF should host meetings to inform and raise project awareness among provincial education officers and directors of primary school instructional service areas (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The most important requirements of eligible students should be acknowledged in order to select the most suitable grantees (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The search procedure should include participation from the directors of the destination school where the scholars will work (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - Teachers from the destination school where the scholars will work should attend in fieldwork to identify the qualified students (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Before the trip, personnel from the schools where the students will go should check in-depth information to find out which students are eligible for scholarships (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, and university lecturers); - The directors and teachers from the schools where the children were enrolled should take part in the fieldwork (high school students, community leaders, and university lecturers); - All parties should be involved in the search process (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Community leaders should review the students who send in LINE applications to identify those who are not eligible for the scholarship (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - Besides financial status, the search process should consider a prospective student’s volunteer activities and community service (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Other aspects such as lifestyles, family income, behavior, talent, learning, and passion for being a teacher should be taken into account (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - The counselors should join in the search process as they know their students’ background well (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - I would like to have a disambiguation page. The school they were studying at joined the search (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers).

,

Table 4. The results of the grantee screening process for admission to the Krurakthin program, based on the general needs, problems, and obstacles.

Issues	Contextualization of Needs, Problems, and Obstacles of the Grantee Screening Process (The Stakeholders Who Gave the Opinions)
1. Needs	- Information gained from the fieldwork should be verified (community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers); - The screening procedure should take the students’ behaviors and enthusiasm for the scholarship into account (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs);
2. Problems and obstacles	- After sixth or ninth grade, extremely poor students frequently leave for work. Students who applied for the scholarship might not have met the requirements because they may be capable of taking care of themselves (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - Some documents were difficult to grasp and were confusing. Additionally, because the document’s instructions were unclear, several mistakes may have been made when filling out the form (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers, and university lecturers).
3. Suggestions	- The household income and attitudes towards the teaching profession should be considered (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The outstanding activities and other volunteer activities should be added to the criteria in the screening process (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Household debt should be taken into account (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and community leaders).

and

Table 5. The results of the scholarship recipient student qualification process for admission to the Krurakthin program, based on the general needs, problems, and obstacles.

Issues	Contextualization of Needs, Problems, and Obstacles of the Scholarship Recipient Qualification Process (The Stakeholders Who Gave the Opinions)
1. Needs	- Directors from the schools where the scholars will be assigned to work would like to be involved in every part of the student qualification process (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - The camp should involve activities to develop 21st century skills, such as teamwork (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The lesson learned should be identified once all activities for a day are completed (high school students and university lecturers); - Community leaders were not required to participate in the student qualification process since they were not involved in the previous search. Additionally, teachers should participate in identifying potential candidates because they are knowledgeable about the field (targeted terminal school directors, high school students and community leaders); - Duration of the camping should be extended to one week (high school students and university lecturers).
2. Problems and obstacles	- The duration of the interview session was constrained. Therefore, it could not observe students’ behavior (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and directors of PESAs); - The online interview provided little opportunity to observe student behavior. Additionally, in comparison to the period of the interview, the score ratio was excessive (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - There were some interview questions that were either too hard or too simple. This was inappropriate for students from diverse backgrounds. Consequently, some students were unable to respond to the interview questions (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The interview had to be well-organized, and the committees had to be on the same page (targeted terminal school directors and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, activities at the camp were ineffective (high school students and university lecturers); - Students felt pressured and slept less at night due to time constraints in completing their portfolios (high school students and university lecturers); - Due to insufficient materials for portfolio design, the information presented, when completed, was difficult to comprehend (high school students and university lecturers); - The preparation time for interviews was limited (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers).
3. Suggestions	“I want to be an early childhood teacher camp”
	- The camp should be organized at the destination school where students will be assigned to work (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - The duration of the camp should be extended (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - Volunteer activities should be included in the camp (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - A teaching demonstration should be included as one of the camp’s activities, and a score should be provided (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The directors of the schools where the scholars will be working should be involved in sharing work experience at those schools (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - Students should take part in evaluating the behavior of their peers who are attending the camp (targeted terminal school directors and high school students); - The scoring criteria should be adjusted to give 20 points for camp participation, 30 points for the exam, 20 points for the portfolio, and 30 points for the interview session (high school students); - The camp should be held in a rural region near the destination schools where the scholars will be working to enable them to become familiar with the cultural context (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and community leaders); - Storytelling should be added to be the activity at the camp (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and university lecturers); - Basic childcare skills should be added as an activity at the camp (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The length of the seminars should be reduced because they caused attendees to feel sleepy. Activities requiring physical mobility should be intensified (high school students); - The activities related to teamwork should be encouraged and the working time should be lengthened (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, community leaders, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Teachers from the school where the students will be working should attend the camp and participate in the monitoring of the candidates’ behavior (targeted terminal school directors and high school students).
	Interview
	- The duration of the interview should be extended so that committees have sufficient time to question and evaluate qualified applicants (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - The committees should be allowed to ask other questions which are not directly related to the topic (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - The committees should be allowed to create the questions used in the interview session (targeted terminal school directors and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - The score ratio for the interview has to be decreased. On the other hand, the score ratio from either the portfolio or camp participation should be increased (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - According to the online interview, the scoring ratio should be altered to 20–30%, with the remaining points based on camp attendance (targeted terminal school directors); - The directors from schools where the students will be placed for public service should take part in designing the interview questions (targeted terminal school directors); - The chosen students should demonstrate the following qualities: humility, patience, spiritual teaching, a passion for community development, a passion for assisting the underprivileged, and involvement in neighborhood activities (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - These elements, such as attitudes about being an early childhood teacher and critical thinking, should be measured throughout the interviews. Additionally, questions about neighborhood and readiness for a career as an early childhood educator teacher should be addressed (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, and provincial education officers and directors of PESAs); - An activity question that measures volunteerism should be added (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers); - Interviews should evaluate a candidate’s capacity for problem-solving, creativity, teacher ethics, and proficiency with early childhood teaching methods (targeted terminal school directors, high school students, provincial education officers and directors of PESAs, and university lecturers).

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4.2. Design Phase: Prototype Generation

The findings from phase 1’s data analysis are illustrated in Figure 2.

4.3. Develop Phase: Prototype I Revision

As indicated in more detail in

Table 6. Synthesizing the needs of the public relations process, search, screening, and student qualification process of scholarship recipients for admission to the Krurakthin program from various stakeholders.

Issues	Issues Raised by Synthesizing the Needs of Stakeholders in the Scholarship Student Selection Process (The Stakeholders Who Gave the Opinions)
Public relations	- The project’s team should have contacted the government agencies to which the public relations materials were issued (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - A LINE announcement was required prior to entering the location (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Before the project team arrived at the site, the government agencies required a preliminary screening form and a list of the target students (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Infographics and VDO clips were required to make public relations more understandable (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and PESA staff).
Searching	- Neighborhoods should be investigated at the same time in order to prevent unqualified students from being accepted (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, and university lecturers); - The duration between the public relations and search processes should be indicated (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, and PESA staff); - The stakeholders wanted to discover and pre-interview the target students from the name list provided in order to become acquainted with each other first (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, and university lecturers); - The target students’ names should be provided to community leaders for pre-screening (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, and university lecturers); - School guidance counselors should participate in the search process (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers).
Screening	- There should be more than one qualified student who passed the initial screening (targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Class instructors and guidance counselors at the school should participate in the screening process and give behavioral data on voluntariness, morality, ethics, and talent (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, and PESA staff).
Student qualification	“I want to be an early childhood teacher camp”
	- The score ratio on participation at the camp should be emphasized, since the committees can observe the students’ patience, adaptability, and cooperation with the others (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Learning management and activity organization should be emphasized (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Hosts and speakers may share their knowledge at the community camp (targeted terminal school directors, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Camping should boost teachers’ motivation to teach preschool students (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Camping should clearly reflect the job of an early childhood teacher (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - As an early childhood teacher, students should be given opportunities to practice their abilities through activities such as teaching and child care. This could be accomplished by allocating students to network schools and giving a score after the activity is completed (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Camp activities should take place off site, such as in the schools where students will be placed to work in the future (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), community leaders, PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Due to a number of activities in the camp, there was not enough time for students to practice their communication and expression skills (junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and university lecturers); - Assertiveness and storytelling abilities should be enhanced, while computer skills should be reduced because they are currently unnecessary (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and university lecturers).
	Examination
	- Instead of dividing skills into several segments, the exam should combine all skills at once (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Testing for early childhood skills in distant locations should be maintained, since it informs students about their responsibilities as future teachers (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Future skills should be tested (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - Teamwork and coexistence skills should be tested (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - IQ/EQ tests should be given, and the results should be incorporated into camp participation (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and PESA staff); - A spiritual teacher exam should be taken separately from the camp participation (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and PESA staff); - A practical exam should be added to the camp that is held continuously (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - A score ratio for creative skills should be included (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and PESA staff); - The interview session should provide a chance for students to demonstrate their abilities (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), and PESA staff); - After the teaching demonstration, it is critical to evaluate the candidates’ capacity for problem-solving in a classroom setting (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - The interview questions should not focus on true or false answers, but rather on students’ capacity to respond critically (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - The interview committees should consist of early childhood teachers, lecturers teaching in that field, and community leaders (targeted terminal school directors and PESA staff); - The interviews should be held on site so that the committees may observe the interviewees’ performances (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers); - The score ratio should be divided into subsets, such as Set A = 50:30:20, Set B = 50:20:30, and Set C = 50:10:40. The score received in the screening process was involved in the camp participation (50 points) (targeted terminal school directors, junior scholars (1st-year students), senior scholars (2nd- and 3rd-year students), PESA staff, and university lecturers).

, these findings prompted the creation of the Krurakthin program’s scholar selection procedure, which is illustrated in Figure 3. The prototype was developed by extracting lessons learned and verifying the information using the triangulation method. This process seeks to gather the consensus opinion of experts or individuals with experience in a specific field to assess the quality of the tool, ensuring that the obtained data are consistent, reliable, and trustworthy. These data serve as evidence for further research and data collection.

The results of the stakeholders’ recommendation (Table 6) led to the improvement of the scholarship selection process in Figure 3. Five experts and five specialists were assigned to provide guidance and evaluate the appropriateness of the process, respectively. It was found that the appropriateness of the public relations process was found to be at the highest level, scoring 4.55 ± 0.50 points, followed by the appropriateness of the search process, which scored 4.73 ± 0.45 points, the appropriateness of the screening process, which scored 4.58 ± 0.50 points, and the appropriateness of the selection process, which scored 4.54 ± 0.64 points. Overall, all processes received the appropriate score at 4.61 ± 0.32, which was at the highest level.

As indicated previously, we proposed a selection process that would take place before the 1st-year Krurakthin scholarship was awarded. The original selection process comprised four steps: public relations, searching, screening, and qualification. However, the details of each step differed from those for Prototype I revision of the Krurakthin section process (Figure 3), as shown in

Table 7. Comparison of original and Prototype I revision of the Krurakthin selection process.

Selection Process	Original Selection Process	Prototype I Revision Process
Public relations	Channel: Offline, online, active (OOA) via sending the documents and website.	Channel: Reactive and proactive public relations via using the phone and LINE group.
	Procedure: The process occurred in series.	Procedure step: The process occurred in parallel.
	Time limitation: None.	Time limitation: There was a specified processing time for each step.
	Delivered documents: Scholarship details and application form.	Delivered documents: Scholarship details, preliminary student screening form, application form, and targeted student name list.
Searching	Performed when the officer received the application forms.	PR, searching and screening of the student were performed in parallel, even if there were no applicants. Student searching and finding were performed in targeted schools and other affiliated schools, by visiting community areas, and via targeted student home visits.
Screening	Performed after the application form was obtained from the applicant if they met the verification criteria. Students who met the scholarship criteria were screened through student home visits.	Screening process: school guidance counselors were additionally involved in the screening process.
Student qualification	Committees: Targeted terminal school directors, community leaders, provincial education officers, directors of PESAs, and university lecturers who took part in the selection process.	Committees: Targeted terminal school directors, provincial education officers, directors of PESAs, and university lecturers that took part in the selection process.
	Score: The score ratio included two categories: exam and camp attendance. The scoring ratio was 85:15.	Score: The score ratio included three categories: camp attendance, exam, and interview. The scoring ratios were as follows: set A, 50:20:30; set B, 50:10:40; and set C, 60:10:30. The selection of any set was based on the committee’s decision.
	Exam: Teacher effectiveness assessment test, IQ/EQ test, and evaluation of the workpiece evaluation score, which accounted for 85%.	Exam: Essay writing test score accounted for 20%, 10%, or 10% corresponding to the score ratios of set A, set B, or set C, respectively.
	Interview exam: On site.	Interview exam: Flexible (chosen according to the situation, on site and/or online).
	I want to be an early childhood teacher camp: The activities included inspirational activities, King’s science, building a workpiece, and early childhood caring, which accounted for 15%. All the activities were held on site at Kalasin University.	I want to be an early childhood teacher camp: The activities included inspirational activities, King’s science, building a workpiece, early childhood caring, future skills, and competency-based activities, which accounted for 50%, 50%, or 60%, corresponding to the score ratios of set A, set B, or set C, respectively. All activities were held inside and outside at Kalasin University.

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5. Discussion

Kalasin University is one of the most important universities for producing early childhood teachers in the northeast of Thailand. Therefore, the university has been awarded Krurakthin scholarships from the EEF for three consecutive years and has received funding for the fourth and fifth rounds that will occur in the near future. The selection process for extremely poor students is the key factor for the receipt of this scholarship, which targets students who meet the qualification criteria set by the EEF. The process includes public relations, searching, screening, and student qualification. The original public relations process consists of three channels: offline, online, and active (OOA). The important activities include sending the scholarship information document and application form to the relevant organizations. After the public relations process is complete, the searching process is conducted. University officers verify the applicant’s qualification based on the criteria, and students who meet the scholarship criteria are screened through student home visits. Only extremely poor students are invited to attend the camp, which includes inspirational activities, King’s science, building a workpiece, and early childhood caring, the score from which accounts for 15% of the final score. The examination, the score of which accounts for 85% of the final score, includes a teacher effectiveness assessment test, IQ/EQ test, and workpiece evaluation. All the activities are held on site at Kalasin University. Students who score at least 60% are announced and those who do not pass can raise any objections within seven days (Table 7).

Throughout the public relations, search, screening, and student qualification processes, some issues were discovered. Public relations is a type of applied communication that focuses on building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders [22,23]. The findings of this research indicated that the public relations process has some limitations, including the delayed delivery of public relations information, documents that were difficult to understand, and incomplete and confusing information. These results yielded a lack of understanding and commitment on communication [24]. For instance, the project did not cover technical colleges, vocational schools, and the department of non-formal education, etc. Additionally, some problems were discovered throughout the search procedure. Firstly, there was a problem with team members’ understanding of their roles throughout the preparation for the search process. This result may have been affected by a lack of communication, as it is important to build trust by following through on commitments and to ensure that everyone understands decisions and their roles in implementing them [24]. Both experienced and inexperienced team members should be open to sharing knowledge. Team knowledge sharing was also found to significantly impact team performance [25]. These findings suggest that leaders who build their team’s expertise and engender trust can increase knowledge sharing, which can improve team performance. By understanding the root causes of poor communication, it is possible to address and resolve underlying issues. Secondly, school guidance counselors with targeted students were suggested to participate in the search process. Thirdly, the community leaders should search for students who are eligible to apply for scholarships in advance. Lastly, the search for students to receive scholarships should emphasize volunteering and helping society. When focusing on the screening process, these issues were pointed out. For example, filling out the form in the screening process was complicated as the information was not clearly stated. Consequently, this led to discrepancies in the information. Stakeholders also suggested that in addition to collecting data on household debt, the screening process should place an emphasis on students’ volunteerism and positive attitudes regarding the profession. We collected all points raised by stakeholders and discussed them with the EEF. It was found that some points could not be used to amend an application form (EEF 01 form); for example, “the scholarships should emphasize on volunteering and helping society”. Thus, we decided to use those points in the student qualification process (an interview exam which was equipped with portfolio presentation).

Neeraj and Ruchi [26] suggest that better recruitment and selection strategies lead to improved organizational outcomes. With reference to the student qualification process yielded from this research, it was divided into two stages, which included attending the camp and having an interview. The first issue that was raised during the attendance phase was that the camp needed to be hosted close to the destination schools where the scholars would be assigned to work so that they could become familiar with the local contexts. The camp experience provided a sense of community and a break from the isolation. It also helped the campers develop independence and a new understanding [27]. Activities emphasizing practical skills and encouraging teamwork should be included. Candidates should also be able to grade one another or rate other group members. In addition, the duration of time for attending the camp should be lengthened. Ferrari and McNeely [28] and Garst et al. [29] found that the length and intensity of the camp experience can significantly impact the outcomes for children and adolescents. This is especially true for camps that involve a longer duration of participation compared to other youth programs. Regarding the interview problems, the majority of participants agreed that the committees should be allowed to determine and create the interview questions used to evaluate candidates’ attitudes and critical thinking abilities toward the early childhood teaching profession. In addition, questions on readiness to be early childhood teachers and questions about community volunteer activity should be included. For this reason, the duration of the interview session should be extended in order to give the committees more time to evaluate the behavior of the students.

Data gathered from the aforementioned issues led to developing the procedure for choosing scholarship recipients (Figure 2). The researchers enhanced the public relations process, which was divided into reactive and proactive public relations. Reactive public relations emphasized sending documents through the government system and advertising through the website and Facebook for Krurakthin KSU. Additionally, proactive public relations involved the process of sharing project information with the target students through the people who were involved in publicizing the project. This was carried out by following up via phone calls to see whether the students had received the public relations materials, to clarify the requirements for applicants and how to apply, and to address any concerns about the project. Such methods were used along with communicating via the LINE group channel to send missing documents, the name list of target students, the preliminary screening forms, and the application forms, etc. Moreover, the lecturers who were involved in the projects also went to the local area to advertise the project and recruit interested students along with preliminary student qualification screening. If there were no qualified students to apply, the team members visited the sub-district area in the destination schools where the scholars will be assigned for working to recruit applicants, or they would have expanded the recruitment to the neighborhood area. When the recruitment was expanded to the neighborhood, the students’ qualifications also had to be preliminarily screened. This procedure solved the problems of delayed public relations, not receiving public relations documents, and not comprehending the project.

Students who met the initial criteria participated in an in-depth interview with the lecturers and then a home visit was conducted to verify the information received from their parents, family members, and neighbors. House visits included participation from the director of the destination school, the school guidance counselor working with the targeted pupils, and local leaders. After that, the team members filled out the information in the Information System for Equitable Education (iSEE) system to further analyze the results of student poverty. If the results from the iSEE indicated that students were poor, the team that took part in the search process held a meeting to update or review the students’ data. Then, the information in the iSEE system was verified again. Students who passed the screening procedure were chosen to participate in the camp and assessment process. In order for students to learn from the actual setting or realistic learning resources, the camp was developed to combine several contexts both inside and outside the university. Attending the camp also provided students with the knowledge and essential skills that they would need to become teachers in rural communities through activities focused on the King’s philosophy; King Rama IX’s development approach was deep, well-rounded, and far-sighted, and emphasized long-lasting sustainability before the international community became alert to this. The elements of the King’s approach are education and health, increasing production productivity, and researching risk management. Each of the following components contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of all people, especially the poor: a study trip to develop early childhood teachers’ learning management; future skills training; early childhood teacher competency-based activities in a small school and remote community contexts; and activities to promote the inspiration of early childhood teachers.

The exam was divided into two parts: a test and an interview. With regard to the test, the researchers divided the test into three parts, focusing on early childhood teacher professional testing, future skills, and skills for being a teacher in remote areas. The committees responsible for the examination decided the circumstances related to the necessary characteristics of an early childhood teacher. For the interview session, the researchers modified the procedure based on prior information from the stakeholders that emphasized the presence of external examiners. The interviewers consisted of three lecturers from each group that participated in the search process and served as chair, member, and secretary. Experts included provincial officers, the director of the primary school educational service area, and directors of the destination schools. The interview process could be performed both on site and online as necessary. The time of interview could be adjusted according to the resolution of the committees. The percentage of participation in the camp was used to calculate the student qualification process score. The score ratio was separated into three categories: camp attendance, exam, and interview. There were three different sets of the scoring ratio: set A was 40:30:30; set B was 40:40:20; and set C was 30:40:30. The selection of any set was based on the committee’s decision.

After the researchers revised the diagram of the scholarship recipient selection procedure, the updated procedure was provided to the stakeholders for additional feedback. The issues gathered throughout the public relations, search, screening, and student qualification processes were analyzed. Firstly, those involved in the public relations process should strengthen coordination with government agencies via phone calls to confirm whether or not the materials have been sent. Furthermore, the name list of target students and preliminary screening forms should be provided to the government agencies. Secondly, the neighborhood should also be used as the search area to avoid having students who did not qualify. There should be a period of time between the public relations process and the search process. Additionally, a name list of students and the form of a preliminary checklist should be provided to the community leaders to screen students who met the requirement in advance. Thirdly, there should be more than one student per position at the destination schools. Furthermore, school guidance counselors were responsible for screening students and providing crucial behavioral information, such as volunteerism, morality, ethics, and talents. Finally, throughout the student qualification process, testing should not be divided into three parts, but every skill should be tested. During camp attendance, both IQ and EQ should be evaluated. In addition, the interview session should include questions that allow students to demonstrate their abilities and presented ideas or solutions for the problems that possibly occurred in the classroom when they become a teacher in the future. Moreover, the score ratio should be emphasized on attending the camp. Most of the stakeholders, with different ideas, suggested that the ratio of camp participation scores, test scores, and interview scores be divided into three sets: set A = 50:30:20, set B = 50:20:30, and set C = 50:10:40.

After that, the researchers used the information from the stakeholders’ recommendations to improve the selection process again (Figure 3). To summarize, in the public relations process, reactive and proactive public relations should be carried out concurrently to cope with the challenges associated with the project’s slow announcement. The timeline for each activity would be described in detail after submitting documents to the government agencies that were relevant to public relations. The team members would make contact via phone calls to confirm whether or not the materials had been sent to all government agencies and to address any concerns about the project. The faculty members would visit the local communities to promote the project after sending the public relations materials for one month. After that, one month later, the faculty members would return to the area to recruit the qualified students to join in the project. To improve convenience and speed in receiving data that would assist in making a decision on whether the team members should visit the neighborhood or not (if none of the students satisfied the requirement), the researchers devised an applicant pre-qualification checklist that was distributed to community leaders so that they could help to discover qualified students in advance. The faculty members who had participated in the search were required to input the important data into the iSEE system within one week of returning from the fieldwork. According to the testing method, the researchers incorporated stakeholder ideas to improve the testing process by changing the test into a writing essay on a topic related to early childhood teachers. Improving the testing method had an effect on the score ratio of camp participation: test scores: interview scores, divided into three sets which include set A= 50:20:30, set B= 50:10:40, and set C= 60:10:30. Furthermore, the researchers improved the process of summarizing scores and announcing scholarship recipients by allowing other candidates to appeal their results within seven days after the name of the scholarship recipients were announced (Figure 3). After completing the improvement of the scholarship recipient selection process, the researchers invited experts to critique the process that had been improved from the research. Then, experts were asked to evaluate the appropriateness of the scholarship recipient selection process. It was found that the appropriateness of the overall processes had a total appropriateness score of 4.61 ± 0.32 points, showing the most appropriate level. This study highlights the process of promoting enrollment and assisting all stakeholders in selecting poor and extremely poor students [30] to receive scholarships. These targeted students often face challenges in access, attendance, and academic performance in education [31,32]. Therefore, we believe that our demonstrated selecting process might be a good practice for universities that receive the Krurakthin scholarship in the future [33].

6. Conclusions

This research is a part of the research project involved in the development of the teacher’s improvement process in the Krurakthin project by implementing a new paradigm in the context of the northeastern region of Kalasin University. This research was categorized as developmental research since it was conducted to accomplish the project’s objectives, i.e., to design a method for selecting scholarship winners to study in the Krurakthin project at Kalasin University. The study was divided into two phases. Regarding the analysis phase, the research was conducted to analyze the problems and limitations of the scholarship selection process in previous years from various stakeholders, which include the provincial education officers, directors of the primary school educational service area, directors of the destination schools where the scholars will be assigned to work, community leaders, lecturers, and students. The results gained from the interview session led to the conducting of research on the design and development phases of a process for selecting scholarship recipients. The researchers used a model of the process that was developed to ask the stakeholders’ opinions again before improving the process on the second occasion and presenting the revised process to experts for evaluation. The evaluation results reported that the scholarship selection process was most suitable. Furthermore, the researchers prepared various documents that would facilitate the selection of additional grantees. Additionally, the handout for selecting scholarship recipients of the Krurakthin project, Kalasin University, was completed in order to prepare for evaluating the process in future fieldwork. The study will be conducted in the implementation and evaluation processes.

7. Limitations and Future Work

The choice of choosing stakeholders depended on the context and cultural differences of each area; for example, in the south of Thailand, some important religious leaders were stakeholders. In contrast, the tribal leaders had to be involved when searching for candidates in the northern area because the population in this area is made up of several tribes;

Each region had different areas. This affected the time of the selection process, as the southern search area consisted of flat areas and islands, whilst the northern search area consisted of flat and hilly areas. In addition, the northeast was a plateau region. As a result, the team members responsible for the selection process had to arrange the timeframe while taking into account the challenges of getting through the area;

The camp’s activities were created to meet the requirements of each institution, which led to a range of activities with distinct characteristics. However, the main activities organized in the camp were carried out in accordance with the EEF’s goals, such as engaging the inspiration of early childhood teachers in remote areas and the learning of the King’s philosophy, etc. [11].

Further research into the model’s application, with an emphasis on other institutions’ usage of the model, may help to discover new information that will aid in improving the quality of the selection process. Additionally, it is advised that future researchers in this field conduct developmental research, including university lecturers in charge of the Krurakthin scholarship program, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the efficiency of the Krurakthin scholarship student selection process. This will help to improve the quality of the selection process for scholarship recipients with all nine qualifications as specified by the EEF.