Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences

Testing the relationship between democratic accountability and the approved use of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines: Evidence from 194 countries

Poowin Bunyavejchewin — 2023-03-15

Rapidly inoculating populations with efficacious vaccines is key to ending the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study attempts to identify political determinants that could explain how governments worldwide chose the main COVID-19 vaccines used in their countries. Specifically, it provides a quantitative examination of the association between democratic accountability (i.e., democratic regime type and government accountability) and approved usage of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines (namely, CoronaVac, BBIBP-CorV, and WIBP-CorV) in 194 countries. This examination is conducted using the method of binary logistic regression. Results indicate that the use of such vaccines is negatively associated with government accountability. Conversely, democracies have a higher tendency to approve the use of this vaccine type. This implies that governments with greater accountability, regardless of their political nature, tend to have better COVID-19 vaccine policies, viz., procuring higher-quality COVID-19 vaccines for mass vaccination

Procedure Inside Actors for Taking Activities (PIATA): An enabling model to support socio-environmental policy planning process

Marcellinus Mandira Budi Utomo — 2023-03-15

Environmental problems have become more complex and massive. An example of this is high meat consumption culture, which can be categorized as an un-eco-friendly habit according to its contribution to climate change. This research was set up by conducting a sustainability challenge to 50 participants in total in Indonesia and Australia on shifting behavior from un-eco-friendly to eco-friendly culture, viz. becoming a less or zero meat eater. Through the human ecology approach, this research applied a social experiment and an autoethnography approach. At the end of this challenge, all participants were interviewed about their experiences to understand the backgrounds of why people choose to conduct activities or behavior, which are either detrimental to or nurture the environment. Once participants’ responses are tabulated and analyzed, this research ends with a model, called PIATA (Procedure Inside Actors for Taking Activities). It maps the process of each actor to decide on activities to take. This model also explains the relationship between agents, and how they can influence one another. This model can help policymakers to map the establishment process of culture among societies. Actors with the power to set regulations have the most power to steer cultural shifting as it can bind people’s activities and initiate cultural shifts. The same goes for pro-environment cultural shifting.

Natural disasters and household welfare: A case study of rural Vietnam

Hong Thu Nguyen — 2023-03-15

This study aimed to investigate the short–run effects of natural disasters on household’s welfare in rural Vietnam over the period from 2014 to 2016 by exploiting the panel regression (FEM and REM) to analyze the data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey (VHLSS). The results show that natural disasters are negatively associated with household’s welfare. In particular, households in flood-affected areas and storm-affected areas have 8.8 percent and 8.65 percent lower per capita household income than the households in non-affected areas respectively. Likewise, households in flood-affected areas have 7.54 percent lower per capita household expenditure than households in non-affected areas. Similarly, storms reduce per capita household expenditure by about 4.5 percent.

Creating a digital ecosystem for sustainable development: Insights from Indonesian micro, small and medium enterprises

Dhyah Ayu Retno Widyastuti — 2023-03-15

Indonesia’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are experiencing competitive contention with the development of information and communication technology-based businesses. However, MSMEs play a significant role in most developing countries due to their contributions to economic growth. The COVID-19 lockdown brought the economic constraints, yet it also has had a positive impact, the pandemic has become a catalyst to accelerate digital-based development. The novelty of this study lies in two aspects. First, substantively, is the use of a systems approach, especially the autopoietic concept in reading the development of a digital-based MSME system. Second, in terms of the object of study, the MSME system in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), Indonesia, and the development of digitalization are of course the strengths of this work. In this study, the researchers describe how the MSME system responds to environmental changes. Likewise, the autopoietic concept puts emphasis on self-referential, namely, the development of a system based on his own needs through communication, which will be closely related to the sustainability of the digital-based MSME system. From a systems perspective, the resonance capability of the system in the digital ecosystem will also be detected. The study employed a qualitative approach. Using MSMEs in the DIY as a case study, this article aims to describe these enterprises’ dynamic responses to the growth of digital technology as well as their role in forming a digital ecosystem. An in depth-interview was used to collect data from selected participants from both MSME and government actors. The findings reveal that the sustainability of the MSME system in DIY is determined by the internal systems’ responses to the latest advances in digital technology as well as the ecological quality of the system, especially as related to the resonance of MSMEs’ subsystem. Autopoietic mechanisms are represented through the communication discourses of system-forming elements covered by support from the government, business, and higher education sectors as well as the local community. However, problems are still evident, so the integration and synergy of the digital MSME ecosystem diverse elements are necessary to ensure sustainable development in the future.

Invariance analysis of causal relationship model of self-disclosure in social media of generation Y and Z: A case of collectivism country

Naphat Wuttaphan — 2023-03-15

The objectives of this study were: (1) to study the relationship among all observed variables with a self-disclosure model; (2) to test the structural equation model of generations Y and Z; and (3) to analyze the direct, indirect, and total effects of the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) of self-disclosure, and to test the invariance of the SEM between generations Y and Z during COVID-19 in collectivism within a country. A sample cohort of 804 participants was examined by a 6-scale questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, confirmative factor analysis, correlation coefficient, structural equation modeling, and invariance analysis. The results showed that the model was an acceptable fit with the empirical data by Chi-square = 1712.23, df = 290, p = .00, χ2 /df = 5.90, GFI = 0.85, AGFI = 0.82, RMSEA = 0.07 and SRMR = 0.07. The model of social influence, emotional intelligence, digital intelligence, and selfesteem affecting self-disclosure indicated variance of parameters in the matrix of causal effects between: (1) endogenous latent variables and latent exogenous variables to endogenous latent variables; and (2) variance-covariance of the latent exogenous variable and variance-covariance of error, across generations. The result leads to the recommendation that parents, guardians, organizations, and leaders need to comprehend the generation preferences such as styles, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem, as well as endorse digital intelligence, and group cohesion among these generation cohorts, which will strengthen positive self-disclosure and not falling victim to cybercriminals.

Mediating effects of sufficiency living wage between fair pay and work/ life capabilities among workers in Thailand

Kanu Priya Mohan — 2023-03-15

In a world where income inequalities continue to hamper sustainable development, provision of living wage could promote quality of life for both workers and their families. This research aimed to examine the role of sufficiency living wage (SLW) with the pay fairness reciprocity (PFR), and work/life capabilities among workers in Thailand. Developed through previous research, the emergent concept of SLW shows how Thai workers integrate their need for a living wage within the sufficiency economy philosophy framework. Furthermore, the three factors of SLW, living with self-immunity (LSI), perceived psychological utility (PPU), and moderate consumption (MC), show positive psycho-social significance. This research was designed to empirically test these implications. Questionnaires were
used to collect data from a sample of 391 white- and blue-collar workers in Thailand. Positive significant correlations were found between the three factors of SLW and PFR, and with work/ life capabilities for both whiteand blue-collar workers. The 3 dimensions of SLW were tested for mediation by bootstrapping using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2018). Results showed that LSI, PPU, and MC mediated the relationship between PFR and work capabilities, while only LSI and MC mediated the relationship between PFR and life capabilities. These results indicate the value of SLW in both economic terms and as a psycho-social mechanism that could enhance
the wellbeing of workers through inner satisfaction. Implications of these findings are discussed from both theoretical and applied perspectives for enhancing work/ life capabilities.

Urban community study on design thinking: A case study of product development in Wat Pracharabuedham community 1–4, Dusit District, Bangkok, Thailand

Phusit Phukamchanoad — 2023-03-15

The research explored the problems within Wat Pracharabuedham Community 1–4, the urban communities located in the center of Bangkok, towards the application of design thinking. The primary data were collected by the use of questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. The data were used for dentifying problems, brainstorming, and developing a prototype for practical product development. For more than 100 years, the communities experienced many communal changes as a result of city development. Due to the diversities in the city, various problems emerged. Those who had been neglected in the communities were low-income older people and volunteers living there. More recently, with the collaboration among community members, ‘Phayayor Green Oil’ became a new hope of the community. Phayayor Green Oil is product used for healing the communities’ elderly, but it could be used for generating extra community income as well. The product had been mutually studied and tested by the Bhatphat Career Group, the community leaders, students of Wat Pracharabuedham School, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University students, and officers from the department of community development and welfare of the Dusit District Office. The product not only added value to the communities but also promoted their sustainability.

The legal institutional model of community-based waste management to reinforce multi-stakeholder collaboration in Indonesia

Kadar Pamuji — 2023-03-15

Community participation is a strategic environmental law issue. The policy and legal basis for community participation in waste management in Indonesia are regulated in Law No. 18/2008 on Waste Management and Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. Moreover, the President Decision No. 97/2012 regulated the National Policy and Strategy for the Management of Household Waste and Household-like Waste. However, the problem of household waste remains unsolved. Handling waste responsibility completely given to the community is not a simple policy, especially when associated with a low public awareness level of environmental sanitation. In addition, inadequate research has focused on legal institutions related to the implementation of community-based household waste management. Banyumas Regency has recently established a pattern of community-based waste management. The problem is related to the community’s potentials and challenges in managing the household waste in Kutasari Village and appropriate form of legal institution to accommodate the community in managing the household waste. The results showed that the commitment of Kutasari Village Government in handling waste was reflected in the Environmental Sanitation Working Program by planning the construction of waste recycling bin and waste sorting warehouses, developing integrated waste management, constructing compost production houses, and forming teams/ workers/volunteers to handle the village waste management. This research resulted in two conclusions. The first emphasized the legal status of waste management agency, while the second reinforced the cooperation between waste management elements in the village.

Creative community-based tourism management model in Thai villages around Sukhothai world heritage and associated historic towns

Piyadech Arkarapotiwong — 2023-03-15

Creative community-based tourism (C-CBT) has been introduced in Thailand to promote sustainable tourism and provide a more immersive and personal experience to tourists. Communities around the Sukhothai world heritage site and associated historic towns have participated in the C-CBT strategy so that their villages can be included as a tourist destination. While several communities have been successful in initiating the C-CBT model, some have been struggling. This study aimed to examine the key factors concerning C-CBT management among the potential communities, analyse tourists’ expectations and propose the C-CBT management model. The following three groups were subjected to an in-depth interview: tourists, villagers and entrepreneurs in the communities. The three communities were selected from the 58 communities as the key communities representing three types of C-CBT in the research area: cultural/traditional, rural/village and homestay/farm stay tourism. These representative communities were selected from three clusters of the world heritage site: Si Satchanalai, Sukhothai and Kamphaengphet, north–south, respectively. The C-CBT management model involves three approaches: a short-term plan, an annual plan and a long-term plan spanning one to five years. Research examined three main elements of C-CBT management: creative tourism resources potential, management organization, long-term target. This study suggests strategies to develop the communication skills of the village’s communicators, who can authentically and effectively represent their village to visitors. This person should be trained to be the next local guru, a village facilitator or a community management team leader.

Developing of components and indicators of appropriate carrying capacity of community-based tourism attractions in upper north Thailand

Kewalin Noosut — 2023-03-15

This study aimed to develop components and indicators for assessing the capacity of tourist attractions to be appropriate for community-based tourism attractions in upper north Thailand. Concepts of community-based tourism, concepts of limits of acceptable change (LAC), concepts on indicator development, and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were used as the framework of this. Data were gathered from a group of 20 specialists who were chosen using a specified approach based on the qualifying criteria. They are classified into three groups: government personnel in tourism agencies, experts or academics in community-based tourism planning, and community-based tourism networks in the north. In this study, two types of research tools were used: (1) an interview form; and (2) a questionnaire. Basic statistics and the analytic hierarchy process were used to analyze data for quantitative research.
Finally, content analysis was performed to characterize the findings in the qualitative method of study. For sequencing of the components based on four types of the community-based tourist attraction context, the following were found: (1) eco-community based tourism attraction and agro-community based tourism attraction gave priority on sustainable management of natural resources and environment; (2) cultural and handicraft community based tourism attraction gave priority on society and culture; and (3) health community based tourism attraction gave priority on psychology. The study’s findings could be used by interested entities to establish carrying capacity evaluation criteria for community-based tourism destinations in upper northern Thailand, and create appropriate and sustainable management of community-based tourism attractions.

Satisfaction, revisit and electronic word of mouth intention among medical tourists in Southern Thailand during COVID 19 situation

Darin Rungklin — 2023-03-15

This research is a mixed method research study including both quantitative and qualitative research. The samples were divided into two groups: (1) a quantitative sample group, comprising 255 foreign medical tourists who had used medical services in the southern region of Thailand; and (2) a qualitative sample group, consisting of 30 medical personnel in an infirmary in the southern area. The quantitative data collection used questionnaires as a tool, whereas for the qualitative data collection, semi-structured interviews were used. The quantitative data analysis was performed using the structural equation model analysis process. A qualitative data analysis uses a briefing technique. The results of the study were in the same direction for both qualitative and quantitative research. Satisfaction has a direct influence on the decision to reuse the services of foreign medical tourists and affects the intention to spread the word through electronic media. As for the indirect influence, it was found that the perceived cost itself directly affected the perception of the destination image; while the perception of destination image and perception of service quality also directly affected satisfaction. However, an additional factor found in qualitative research was trust in physicians, and the perception of value directly affected the decision to reuse the services of medical tourists. It also found that food awareness, cultural perception of Thai people also affected the satisfaction of receiving medical services.

A causal relationship model of factors affecting tourist loyalty to sports tourism in Thailand

Korada Mattayakorn — 2023-03-15

Touristy loyalty is one of various aspects of tourism. However, for Thailand, the number of research reports on this aspect is still limited. The research aims to develop and validate a causal relationship model of factors related to sports tourist loyalty in Songkhla Province and its empirical data, and to analyse direct and indirect effects of variables of the model. A target group of 420 Thai and foreign spectators and participants in sports events in Songkhla Province was recruited using purposive sampling and snowball sampling to respond to a questionnaire. The model was validated and analysed with descriptive statistics consisting of frequency, mean, percentage, and standard deviation; confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were also performed. The results
revealed that the causal relationship model of factors affecting tourist loyalty to sports tourism fit well with the empirical data, with χ2 = 155.59, df = 132, p = .07, GFI = .97, AGFI = .94, CFI = 1.00, SRMR = .02, and RMSEA = .02. The variables of the model could describe 91 percent of the variance of tourist loyalty to sports tourism with LST directly affected by PV and OS with the effect sizes 0.08 and 0.88, respectively. Moreover, LST was indirectly affected by CST through PDI and OS with the effect size 0.75, indirectly affected by PDI through PV with the effect size 0.88, indirectly affected by PV through OS with the effect size 0.64, and the effect was at the statistical significance of 0.01.

Radicalism movement in higher education in Indonesia: Students’ understanding and its prevention

Nurman Achmad — 2023-03-15

This study seeks to discover the phenomenon of the radicalism movement in higher education and the students’ understanding of this issue along with the prevention that can be undertaken by universities. This study used a mixed method design. In collecting quantitative data, an online close-ended questionnaire was distributed to 500 students from five well-known universities in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Furthermore, interviews and focus group discussions involving students and lecturers were carried out. The results of this study show that students’ understanding of radicalism is still diverse, so it makes students vulnerable to being exposed to radicalism. In an effort to slow down the radicalism movement, the activeness of the lecturers can open the students’ minds when encountering radical ideology. Then, the universities must periodically seek to spread religious teachings in an open atmosphere and emphasize moderation and decrease the radicalism movement.

Sustainability as cultural value in islamic private higher education

Laily Hidayati — 2023-03-15

The organizational sustainability is achieved when Islamic values are transformed into the corporate culture at IPHE (Islamic Private Higher Education). At the same time, it can reduce asymmetric information between foundations as principals with institute management as an agent. Our paper aims to determine the adverse selection and moral hazard from asymmetric information production in IPHE. Our primary data were conducted by nonparametric scale instruments from 6 IPHEs in East Java and analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. This study indicated that; (1) asymmetric VMMT information between principals and agents resulted in an adverse selection problem, the assumption error the agent has a religious value; thus, it is not difficult to understand VMMT in IPHE based on spiritual matters; and (2) an outcome mechanism was found based on a contract to prevent asymmetric information. Nevertheless, a moral hazard problem was also found, i.e. when an agent as an economic human did an act that was not in the principal’s interests when he did not receive an incentive reward in quality learning. In contrast, they act in the principal’s interests when obtaining incentives of appropriations for research and community services.

“The show must go on”: Lessons learned from English pre-service teachers in an online teaching practicum during Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Dyah Sunggingwati — 2023-03-15

This study explored opportunities, challenges and ways to cope, and lessons learned from an online teaching practicum. Seven pre-service teachers participated in this study after they had completed the online teaching practicum. Using a case study design, the data gathered from a set of questions delivered via WhatsApp and follow-up interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicated that the online teaching practicum provides opportunities for the PSTs for professional growth as their technological, empathy on students’ difficulties, and extracurricular participation improved. The PSTs put effort into ensuring the students engaged in learning. Sharing teaching materials from YouTube and providing PowerPoint, communication using WhatsApp group and personal chats were provided to cope with the difficulty of teaching material delivery. This study implies that teaching practicum programs should be well-planned and well-designed to meet online teaching and learning and to still be able to generate prospective professional teachers. Previously, teaching practicum programs were conducted in a school setting, and recently in an online mode. Therefore, they might possibly be completed in blended learning in the future, which requires Initial Teacher Education (ITE) to anticipate this alternative way of teaching practicum.

“It’s more than the money!” How personal and professional attitudes contribute to aspiring school leaders’ career development

Meechai Orsuwan — 2023-03-15

School principals and perhaps aspiring school administrators are the most misunderstood people in all of education. The general public often believes that these educators leave the classroom for administration because they are burnt out from teaching and/or care about financial rewards or increased salaries (though experienced teachers and assistant principals earn almost equivalent salaries). Arguably, the current research found that aspiring school leaders had profoundly intrinsic rewards for pursuing careers in school administration. More specifically, the research found that self-growth and professional growth had a positive influence on decisions to pursue graduate education, although the effect size of professional growth (β = .34) was higher than that of personal growth (β = .19). In sum, an aspiring future school leader who wants to grow has a desire to learn. With intrinsic motivation, he/she keeps learning and improving because it is the right thing to do and gives them a personal sense of reward. Professional development should be designed to meet the personal and professional needs of educational practitioners.

The radicalization of contemporary educated Indonesian: A case study of university students in Yogyakarta

Ahmad Zainul Hamdi — 2023-03-15

This paper explored the process of radicalization of contemporary educated Indonesian Muslims by focusing on the case of radicalization in one of the oldest and largest university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This study is a qualitative study in which data were collected through interviews, observations, and literature reviews. The key informants of this research were students or alumni who were active or had been in Islamist-exclusive groups or who had been involved, directly or indirectly, in incidents of religious intolerance or violence. This study found that there were three groups that dominated the religious lives of Muslim students of Yogyakarta XXX University: salafis, tarbiyah, and Hizb al-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). The salafi- jihadists group have entered and influenced lecturers and students at the university since the era of the president Soeharto. Meanwhile, the development of the Muslim Brotherhood ideas brought by the preachers of the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council (Dewan Dakwah Islam Indonesia/DDII) since the 80s finally built the tarbiyah movement. Through the Indonesian Muslim Student Action group (Kesatuan Aksi Mahasiswa Muslim Indonesia/KAMMI), tarbiyah group has dominated almost all external campus student organizations. In addition, Muslim students’ interest in Islamic political ideas attracted them to HTI, which offered a global Islamic caliphate as an alternative to the existence of a modern state system that was considered marginalizing Muslims. Systematic recruitment and regeneration, and manipulating the Islamic Assistance Program for Muslim students of the University have succeeded in putting their members at the university student organizations into important position.

Development of learning management model for enhancing scientific citizenship of upper secondary school students

Wipa Arsingsamanan — 2023-03-15

The research objectives were: (1) to develop a learning management model for enhancing scientific citizenship; and (2) to study the results of scientific citizenship after the learning management model implementation. The sample consisted of 53 tenth-grade students who were selected by using purposive sampling. The learning management model was conducted by quantitative research methodology. Two phases were used in the research methodology: The first phase was the development and examination for the quality of the learning management model. The second phase was the implementation of the developed learning management model. The research instrument included: a learning management model, learning management plans, a scientific citizenship test, and a scientific citizenship test scoring rubric. Data results were then statistically analyzed based on the mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The research results indicated that: (1) the developed learning management model consisted of five components: principle, objective, learning instruction, evaluation, and limitation. There were five steps comprising the first phase. Step 1: confronting socioscientific issues, step 2: analyzing stakeholders, step 3: exploring the alternatives of scientific citizenship from various perspectives, step 4: realizing and considering different perspectives, and step 5: expressing participation in society. The results of the assessment for suitability by experts were at the most appropriate level, with a mean of 4.60 and a standard deviation of 0.54.; (2) Students who learned using the learning management model had higher post-test scores than pre-test scores of scientific citizenship and higher than the cut-off score at a significance level of .05.

Guidelines for reforming early childhood teacher production and development systems by applying competencies effecting the early childhood - Based conceptual innovation development

Kiatsuda Srisuk — 2023-03-15

This study aimed to produce guidelines for improving the teaching and concept development of pre-elementary school children. The reformation of the teaching system was approached from two perspectives. First, to study the competency of the teachers by observing behavioral indicators that affect concept development in early childhood. Second, to design an early childhood teacher production and development system that would advance the early childhood teacher’s competencies for 2-years postgraduate teacher. This design approach to transforming early childhood teaching methods looked at regulating the qualifications and admission criteria of trainee teachers and determining the course structure and curriculum of the teacher training programmes. Fifty-two participants were divided into 2 groups. The first group consisted of 40 subjects using the appropriate competencies questionnaire, and the second group consisted of 12 subjects collected by the public hearing record form. The research instruments consisted of a questionnaire and a public hearing record form. Statistical analysis included frequency distribution, percentage, and content analysis. The results showed 17 appropriate behavioral indicators of competency should be applied to the design guidelines for regulating qualifications and admission criteria for early childhood teacher training institutions. Moreover, 90 behavioral indicators should be applied to the design of the teacher training course structure, and 77 behavioral indicators should be applied to the design of the curriculum for developing teacher competencies. When the design results were taken for public hearings, it was found that all three design had the required standards of accuracy and comprehensiveness, and were appropriate for implementation in the classroom.

Life and career skills of student teachers in Thailand: A factor analysis

Chaiyos Paiwithayasiritham — 2023-03-15

Life and career skills are personal abilities comprising adaptability, flexibility, self-directness, leadership, good interpretation, and responsibility. If teachers have well-adapted and suitable life and career skills, they will be able to apply their knowledge and abilities to perform their duties in learning management to achieve the objectives of the curriculum. This study performs an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis of life and career skills. A sample of 550 student teachers in Thailand was obtained using a multi-stage random sampling method. The tool used was a questionnaire on life and career skills, which included 55, 5-level scale questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the exploratory factor analysis of student teacher life and career skills consisted of five components: (1) leadership and teamwork; (2) social skills and cross-cultural learning; (3) well-planning and studiousness; (4) responsibility; and (5) flexibility. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model was consistent with the empirical data. The results can be used to formulate a policy to develop teacher competency, as well as improve the student teacher training course to enable student teachers to develop competencies in accordance with the changing future world.

Where multicultural worldviews begin: Development of Thai university students’ intercultural competence through their life experiences and formal education

Nasatorn Witayarat — 2023-03-15

Prior studies have focused on promoting Thai university students’ intercultural competence with a heavy emphasis on orientation towards Anglophone cultures in language classrooms, neglecting the importance of the cultural knowledge of members of subcultures, and providing a more comprehensive viewpoint from which to develop students’ intercultural competence. However, the potential sources for developing students’ intercultural competence are diverse, and simply focusing on enhancing students’ intercultural competence in the context of formal education may not be sufficient. When seeking to fill a gap in the literature, this qualitative study aims to explore Thai university students’ development of intercultural competence as a result of their reflection and introspection on their life experiences, and their enrolment in an Intercultural Communication course, with an innovative photo-elicitation technique integrated into online interviews. By following an integrative multi-level paradigm model for culture and Intercultural Communication, the findings offer new insights into participants’ significant growth and positive attitudes towards other (sub) cultures, which eventually promote their multicultural mindsets. These incidences can, arguably, be crucial for people from different cultural backgrounds seeking to live together in harmony. Taken together, the study has a range of implications for including non-native English speaker cultures and subcultures in material development and pedagogical practice in intercultural pedagogy in Thailand. The study also offers suggestions for further research into applying the integrated multi-level intercultural model as an alternative lens when cultivating intercultural competence, not only in Thai contexts, but also in other intercultural settings.

Career awareness linkage strategies to support learning career education and STEM education

Nongluck Manowaluilou — 2023-03-15

This study analyzed the attributes and competencies for careers that correspond to STEM education to facilitate career awareness in early childhood and assessed the appropriateness of career awareness and career exploration through career education that supports STEM education. A number of methods were used to assess skills and competencies for early childhood children: Synthesizing existing research, interviews with well-known 12 people who have careers in STEM fields (e.g., psychologists, scientists, entomologists, physicians), and stakeholder analysis, and a career linkage strategy model. The findings indicated that the most important attributes and competencies for overall child development were the ability to recognize one’s own emotions, to form one’s attitude, to build one’s character, to develop one’s personality, and to learn competence that could form one’s identity and be used in a variety of situations. The career linkage strategy model is proposed for connecting each stakeholder to support children’s career learning. It connects schools, family, and other supports that could yield results in career awareness in early childhood children. The career linkage strategy model is a way of promoting the role of society in career learning in early childhood. It found that all sectors were important as they facilitated or affected career awareness in early childhood.

Academic achievement of standardized assessment in English language and arts

Boniesta Zulandha Melani — 2023-03-15

The Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) has been used in Florida to test school children’s proficiency in English Language and Arts (ELA), starting from the third grade. As the first group taking the test, the third graders were examined on their achievement in ELA on the FSA test from 2015 to 2018. Also, this study explores the probability of the results in 2015 to predict ELA achievement in 2018. Using an SPSS based analysis on the publicly available FSA results dataset, the two-factor split-plot ANOVA indicated a variation between students’ annual achievement, with no indication of variation in different areas in Florida. A simple linear regression suggests that the achievement in 2015 can significantly predict the output of similar assessments in 2018, F (1, 65) = 197.867, p < .001. Approximately 75 percent of the variation in the 2018 FSA ELA results was predicted by the 2015 results. This study, however, did not closely analyze skill domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and thus, future studies should look at these areas to recognize patterns, predictors, and long-term effects of FSA in assessing students’ ELA achievement.

Development of a model for early childhood teacher and caregiver preparation and development to enhance desired qualities of young children in Thailand

Sukanya Chaemchoy — 2023-03-15

This qualitative paper aimed to develop a model for early childhood teacher and caregiver [ECTC] preparation and development to enhance the desired qualities of young children. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 60 (30 participants in each interview) including early childhood care and education [ECCE] experts, school administrators at ECCE level, early childhood teachers from both public and private sectors, caregivers, undergraduate students majoring in ECCE, and parents, followed by a focus group interview of 30 purposively selected participants and a public hearing with 35 participants. A four-step content analysis was conducted: (1) familiarizing the data; (2) splitting the text into meaning units and then condensing these meaning units; (3) developing codes; and (4) forming categories and themes (Erlingsson & Brysiewicz, 2017). Results suggested three components of the model: quantitative and qualitative goals, mechanism and relevant agencies, and early childhood education and care [ECCE] program. The quantitative goal was the consistency between the number of graduates and future needs for ECTC, while the qualitative goal was the competencies of ECTC. Mechanisms conducted by the relevant agencies were different according to their roles. Three ECCE programs were established. The findings help improve understanding of early childhood teacher education, particularly in a developing country, and solve the current problems in caregiver and teacher preparation and development

Perceptions of pre-service science teachers toward teaching STEM from suburb University in Thailand

Vipavadee Khwaengmek — 2023-03-15

To improve the quality of education, it is important to understand teachers’ perceptions about STEM teaching. In this study, the goal is to explore the perception of STEM from pre-service science teachers who are studying in suburban areas. All the information from teachers will be primarily needed for preparation to enhance teaching STEM. Data were collected from the five pre-service science teachers as case studies. The pre-service science teachers’ perceptions were captured through group discussion, semi-interview and questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyze open-ended responses from these five case studies. The findings showed that all participants had barely heard about STEM education and had few experiences with teaching STEM. However, they think the STEM teaching approach is very challenging and important. Three prominent themes emerged from the data that showed they had a positive perception as they viewed STEM education as follows: (1) STEM education is a way of teaching to make a classroom exciting and a challenging activity to motivate students; (2) STEM education is integrated with four-disciplines; and (3) STEM education is a science teaching method that leads students to have 21st century skills, especially problem solving skills. A strong perception of STEM is a good starting point for learning and practicing teaching STEM. Moreover, they also have a selflearning capability by searching and studying STEM by themselves through the internet, and through other experiences. We can assume it is not a problem learning STEM in the suburbs because of advances in high-technology nowadays.

Environmental disaster education and communication in Indonesia: A survey among generation Z near Mount Krakatoa

Z. Hidayat — 2023-03-15

This research paper aims to examine several factors that are thought to be correlations in building environmental awareness and preparedness in the face of earthquake, eruption, volcano, and tsunami disasters. The independent variables include formal learning such as school curriculum, intra-school (co-curricular), and extra-school. Online informal variables are learning from social media, learning from games, and learning from a role model such as Greta Thunberg. Meanwhile, sharing environment knowledge is positioned as an intervening variable, and the dependent variable is disaster preparedness. The survey was conducted in twelve sub-district cities around Mount Krakatoa in Indonesia. As many as 238 respondents were taken purposively among junior high school and senior high school students. Data processing in a structural equation model with path analysis shows that all tested independent variables have a significant correlation on sharing knowledge of environmental awareness and affect disaster preparedness. Formal learning does not directly affect disaster preparedness, but extra-school and informal online learning variables significantly affect disaster preparedness. The implications of the results of this study suggest the widespread adoption of topics on environmental care and disaster preparedness in schools and universities for humans and their environmental protection.

Enhancing inclusive practices awareness in early childhood teachers using the process of contemplative practice and design thinking

Sasilak Khayankij — 2023-03-15

Early childhood (EC) teachers need support to deal with the challenges of children in an inclusive classroom due to their feeling of unpreparedness in knowledge, understanding and inclusive practices. While design thinking is a method of enhancing the ability to solve problems creatively, a contemplative approach that focuses on non-prejudice observation and reflection within a supportive learning community will increase their empathy and understanding of inclusive practices. This R&D research has two aims: (1) to establish an instructional process based on contemplative practice and design thinking; and (2) to investigate the impact of using this process with EC teachers, in the hope of enhancing their awareness of inclusive practices. The participants were thirteen ECE graduate students, studying in the second semester of the academic year 2019. The study used a self-assessment form and a semi-structured focus group interview as research tools. Data were analyzed by frequency, mean score, standard deviation, and content analysis. The findings found that: (1) over the course of thirteen weeks, the development process was divided into three phases. Phase 1, self-observation to cultivate mindfulness, attentiveness, and objective observation skills. Phase 2, child study to cultivate empathy with the child. Phase 3, collaborative design thinking to develop activities that accommodate the needs of the child; (2) After implementing the instructional process, participants had a higher mean score of inclusive practices awareness than before, at a significance level of .05. A perspective toward inclusion gained the highest mean score, followed by action and attitudes toward themselves, respectively.

Gender roles in engineering design process activity: A small group exploration through collaborative argumentation

Pramudya Dwi Aristya Putra — 2023-03-15

Gender plays a crucial role in science and engineering education. This study aims to explore gender’s role in an engineering design process (EDP) classroom, particularly in relation to argumentation skills. This qualitative research used a case study and focused on student behavior contributions to argumentation skills, separated by gender. The participants included 12 students (6 male and 6 female) in 8th grade who participated in a collaborative group problem-solving exercise. All activities of students in the EDP classroom were recorded and transcribed to be coded using code-driven argumentation theory (claim, data/evidence, and reasoning). According to the results, the male students were more active in constructing reasoning in argumentation skills than the female students. Additionally, the female students actively claimed scientific phenomena and communicated during the discussion stage.

Analysis of parallel reading literacy instruments: Application of item response theory to statistical parallelism

Yanika Lunrasri — 2023-03-15

This research aimed to: (1) investigate the statistical parallelism of reading literacy instruments at the level of the overall test sets; and (2) examine whether the characteristic curves and information functions as the statistical item response theory (IRT) methods for parallelism yield the comparable scores at the levels of test forms as well as individual items. The population was ninth graders in secondary schools under the Secondary Education Service Area Office 1. Samples were examined in a total of 525 students. The instruments were three parallel multiple-choice test sets designed to elicit reading literacy skills. Each test set consisted of two 20-multiple choice test forms. Parallelism was analyzed with respect to means, standard deviations, reliabilities, item parameter estimates, characteristic curves, and information functions. It was found that there was statistical parallelism among the three test sets in terms of means, standard deviations, reliabilities, and item parameter estimates. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .81, .84, and .83, respectively. The one-way analysis of variance results presented similar mean scores (F = 0.325, p = .723), equal level of discrimination (F = 0.194, p = .824), and equal level of difficulty (F = 0.761, p = .470). Moreover, both characteristic curves and test information functions yielded similar degrees of parallelism at the test form and item-byitem levels. Interesting findings with respect to statistical parallelism are presented and discussed.

Investigation of Thai students’ metacognitive monitoring in biochemistry

Witawas Handee — 2023-03-15

This research aimed to study metacognitive monitoring centered on judgment of learning in Thai undergraduates taking a biochemistry course. The participants’ performances were evaluated based on their predicting ability on the topic recall and content prediction after being presented with visual image clues in biochemistry. The relative accuracy measured by gamma, G, and diagnostic accuracy analyzed by confusion matrices were conducted to explore patterns of metacognitive monitoring and examine the relationship with academic achievement. The outcomes from relative and diagnostic accuracy revealed that most students had overconfidence in both topic recall and content prediction, but the patterns varied from task to task suggesting that students’ metacognitive monitoring was more likely a domain-specific judgment. Finally, the accuracy of students’ prediction was correlated with exam scores at r_s =.624, p < .001, indicating a positive relationship between metacognitive monitoring and learning outcomes. The findings of this study could potentially establish future metacognitive prompt tools suitable for Thai students.

Motivation, self-efficacy, and perceptions: A comparative study of male and female teacher candidates in Indonesia

Ali Mustadi — 2023-03-15

One of the components that plays a role in education is the preparation of good teachers. However, research in various countries shows that not all teacher education is successful. There are some teacher candidates who do not succeed in completing their education, and some of those who have completed their education are not all willing to work as teachers. This study seeks to reveal internal factors in pre-service students at Yogyakarta State University in attending education, which include the aspects of motivation, self-efficacy, and perceptions of being a professional teacher. Different backgrounds such as gender among pre-service students in participating in teacher professional education programs in Indonesia will affect their behavior, especially with regard to motivation, self-efficacy, and perceptions as professional teachers. By using standardized instruments, the researcher measured the Indonesian preservice students’ motivation to be a teacher, self-efficacy, and perceptions to serve as a professional teacher. The results showed that there were significant differences between male and female teacher candidates in terms of their motivation to be a teacher, self-efficacy as a teacher, and perceptions of being a teacher. Female students have higher motivation to be a teacher and selfefficacy as well as better perceptions compared to male students, who have lower motivation and self-efficacy as well as poor perceptions. This research provides benefits as a material for consideration in making policies related to teacher education programs. Furthermore, this research can provide mutual insight in the preparation of teacher education, especially in the personal development of prospective teachers.

Brand storytelling techniques arousing emotional bonds in different customer groups based on cluster analysis

Sirirat Kosakarika — 2023-03-15

This research study on brand storytelling techniques arousing emotional bonds in different customer groups based on Cluster Analysis was conducted to: (1) studythe present brand storytelling techniques arousing emotional bonds; (2) study demographic characteristics applied in market sharing or segmenting consumer groups at present; (3) study behavior patterns of product purchase; and (4) study brand storytelling techniques arousing emotional bonds in each group of consumers. The quantitative data were collected by using 410 questionnaire sets. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, which included frequency, percentage, mean, and Standard Deviation. The inferential statistics included Correlation Analysis, and Cluster Analysis. The results indicated that the purchase of essential, quality and cost-effective goods (minimalist seeker) and standardized, right, reliable, and friendly environmental goods (empowered activist) were associated with the brand storytelling techniques less than other buying behavior patterns. Meanwhile, brand attribute storytelling, brand features storytelling, brand experiences storytelling, and brand relations storytelling deemed the techniques associated with several buying behavior patterns, except buying products relating to the conservative homebody, where the sample would focus on the brand experiences storytelling rather than other storytelling techniques.

Meaning extension of the Korean loan word oppa in the Thai context

Suphachai Tawichai — 2023-03-15

The objective of this study was to examine the meaning extension of a Korean loan word oppa in the Thai context. The data of this study were 107 phrases/sentences from news articles of nine Thai newspapers: Thairath, Daily News, Khaosod, Kom Chad Luek, Post Today, Nawena, Prachachat, Matichon, and Manager Online, distributed from 2017–2021. The analytical frameworks are Tyler and Evans’ (2003) and Evans’ (2019) Principled Polysemy approach. The findings reveal that the meanings of the Korean loan word oppa in the Thai context were distinct from its central meanings in Korean. In Korean, it is used as an address term that a woman uses to call her own elder brother, a male older relative, a male friend, or a male upper classmate, which implies a sense of flirting. Normally, a woman needs to get permission from a man before addressing him, an oppa. However, in the Thai context, the word is used to refer to Korean men, Thai men, and even Thai women of any age who have typical Korean style physical appearances, and the word does not indicate kinship. The different usage of this loan word in the two cultures, consequently, can lead to misunderstandings or conflicts in cross-cultural communication. Thai people should not directly address any Korean men with an oppa because it is considered inappropriate or even rude in Korean culture. Besides, the word extended its meaning to refer to not only human beings, but also to locations and products that are related to Korea or Korean people.

/tan-hǎa/ or lust: A study of conceptual metaphors from a Thai perspective

Wuttinun Kaewjungate — 2023-03-15

The majority of Thai people are Buddhists and the religion serves as a kind of anchor of the Thai mind. Therefore, in daily communication, Buddhist vocabulary is often spoken or used in the teaching of morals. This research aimed to study the conceptual metaphors of “/tan-hǎa/” or “lust” from a Thai perspective and analyze Thai perspectives on lust. The 403 metaphor data were totally collected from the Thai National Corpus (Thai National Corpus [TNC], 2021) and analyzed based on the conceptual metaphor theory. Four conceptual metaphors of “/tan-hǎa/” or “lust”: [LUST IS HUMAN], [LUST IS FIRE], [LUST IS AN OBJECT], and [LUST IS A DEVIL/DEMON] were found. These metaphors reflect the Thai perspective that lust is something that must be eliminated from the human mind because it causes suffering.

The use of self-forms by Thai learners of English

Kittinata Rhekhalilit — 2023-03-15

Self-forms (such as yourself, himself, and myself) in English can fulfill two grammatical functions: reflexives and intensifiers (König & Gast, 2002a, 2002b; Kroeger, 2004; Gast & Siemund, 2006). These self-forms are frequently taught as a critical lesson in formal English classes. However, it has been noticed that despite intensive writing practice, Thai learners of English employ self-forms in ways that native speakers do not. This study aims to compare how Thai learners of English use self-forms in writing activities. The Thai Learner English Corpus findings show that two groups of learners behave differently. Although both intermediate and professional learners are more likely to employ reflexive self-forms than those with intensive functions, the two groups use the intensive form differently. In contrast to professional learners, intermediate earners typically employ intensive self-forms as an oblique argument, frequently following the preposition by. In contrast, professional learners frequently use intensive self-forms in an appositive position adjacent to its nominal antecedent. According to the findings of this study: (1) among the two self-form functions, the reflexive function is more common among Thai English learners; and (2) intermediate-level learners tend to mark the intensive self-form as an instrument due to the co-occurrence with the preposition by as a result of first language interference.