In today’s educational landscape, many Thai teachers face burnout. Teacher development must therefore move beyond technical training to embrace the “valuable life” concept, emphasizing positive attitudes, meaningful experiences, and societal contributions. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study aimed to: (1) examine the developmental needs of teachers under Thailand's Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) regarding this concept, and (2) propose relevant development approaches. Phase 1 surveyed 384 teachers to assess needs using descriptive statistics and the modified priority needs index (PNImodified). Phase 2 involved in-depth interviews with five experts. Results revealed teachers perceived their current valuable life at a very high level (M=4.708, S.D.=0.300), with a near-ceiling desired state (M=4.935, S.D.=0.169). Despite narrow gaps, the PNImodifiedidentified experiential value as the highest priority (PNImodified=0.065)—specifically achieving ‘flow at work’ (PNImodified=0.103). This indicates even highly fulfilled teachers seek further intrinsic energy. Consequently, development approaches focusing on fostering professional attitudes, enriching lived experiences, and enhancing societal contributions were proposed to sustain teachers’ professional growth.
Pimjai et al. (Tue,) studied this question.