The balanced scorecard for school management: case study of Thai public schools

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop and empirically test the balanced scorecard for public schools in Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from 3,351 public schools in Thailand. Structural equation modelling was used as a statistical tool to analyse the data.

Findings

The results showed that there are cause-and-effect relationships between students, internal processes and learning and growth perspectives in the balanced scorecard. Nevertheless, a relationship with the resources perspective was not found.

Research limitations/implications

The sampled schools in this study might be different from normal public schools because these schools get some support from the private sector. Thus, the generalisation of the findings should be made with caution.

Practical implications

The proposed balanced scorecard model that has been empirically tested in this study can be used in public schools to help manage their organisation. These schools can start with a generic model and modify it to suit their organisation.

Originality/value

Most of the studies on the application of the balanced scorecard for schools did not test the validity of the framework because of the lack of available data. This study was among the first to empirically test the relationships between perspectives in the balanced scorecard model for public schools. Additionally, the balanced scorecard can be a useful tool for non-managers who work in public schools.

Citation

Rompho, N. (2020), "The balanced scorecard for school management: case study of Thai public schools", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 285-300. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-02-2019-0012