A New Learning Path with GPAS 5 Steps: Fusing Innovation and Thai Soft Power

Abstract

Over the past half-decade, the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has implemented innovation development projects to enhance the quality of education through active learning for teachers and educational personnel across all regions of the country. These initiatives have resulted in innovations addressing various student-related problems, emerging from learning management using the GPAS 5 Steps for Innovation. At present, the project has been further developed and implemented in District Quality Schools in the central and lower northeastern regions. Its key goal is to create innovations aligned with Thailand’s soft power. Consequently, the instructional use of the GPAS 5 Steps for Innovation has evolved. This article aims to present a conceptual framework for utilizing the GPAS 5 Steps for Innovation and integrating Thai soft power into basic education. The key content of the article consists of: (1) The GPAS 5 Steps for Innovation constitute a learning management process developed from the original GPAS 5 Steps, which were used for instructional purposes in various subjects. It now integrates innovation processes, enabling students to develop innovative thinking skills alongside subject-based learning outcomes; and (2) The approaches for integrating soft power with the GPAS 5 Steps for Innovation include three approaches: the first is developing innovation into soft power, the second is utilizing soft power to foster innovation, and the third is creating innovation from the context of soft power challenges.