TEACHERS AS KEY ENABLERS AND THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ENGAGEMENT FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS: EVIDENCES FROM THAILAND

Abstract

Although the concept of engagement has been established as a mean to build successful businesses, the concept hasn’t been applied to private school literature. The author conceptualizes a theoretical model explaining the relationships between parental engagement, loyalty, and perception of school facilities, staff, tuition, and place, utilizing marketing mix theory. Data are collected from 191 Thai parents using survey. A structural equation modelling technique is employed to assess the direction and strength of the constructs. It is found that there is strong support for parent engagement as a significant predictor of school loyalty. However, contrary to the general notion, there is insufficient statistical evidence to support that improvement in facilities, place and tuition will improve school
engagement. Only teachers and staffs had a statistically significant positive association with parent engagement. The finding suggests managerial and policy implications, pinpointing teachers as key aspects for successful private schools.