SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REFLECTIONS PRESENT IN SHORT STORIE IN NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY BOOKS

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the social and cultural reflections that are present in short stories in the National Children’s Day books. The data was collected from short stories in the National Children’s Day books from the years 1961 to 2020, consisting of 56 volumes, for the total of 213 short stories. The samples were selected through the purposive sampling method, and the data was analyzed by using descriptive analysis. The results of the research indicated that the social reflections that existed in the short stories in the National Children’s Day books were connected to five social institutions as follows: Family institution; Political institution; Economic institution; Educational institution; Religion institution. The findings also indicated social problems in the short stories. As for the family institution, the social reflections were found in the following four aspects: The functions of family institution; The types of families; The shift of the social structure from an agricultural society to an industrialized society and the change in the roles of family members; The crisis in the family. Regarding the pollical institution, there were two aspects of social reflections found, as follows: The main features of democracy; The political problems. With regard to the economic institution, the social reflections were found in the following three aspects: The economic activities; The adherence to the Philosophy of Sufficient Economy; The economic problems. In the educational institution, there were the following four aspects of social reflections found: The functions of the educational institution; The roles of teachers; The roles of government; The education problems. With respect to the religion institution, the social reflections were found in the following four aspects, as follows: Beliefs; Rituals; Religious practices; Symbols. Regarding social problems, there were the following five aspects of social problems found: Poverty; Vice; Drugs; Deteriorating natural resources; Child labor. Concerning the cultural reflections found in the short stories in the National Children’s Day books, the reflections were found in the following two cultures: Material culture; Non-material culture. In the material culture, the reflections were present in the following 8 aspects: Foods; Tool inventions; Livestock farming; Road construction; Home building; Music; Thai traditional plays; Technology. As for the non-material culture, the reflections were found in 2 aspects as follows: Beliefs; Values. With respect to beliefs, there were religious reflections found in the following three aspects: You reap what you sow; The law of Karma; The consequences of committing sins and making merit. Concerning values, the reflection of the 12 core values were found, such as 1. A love of three tenets of the nation: the nation, religion, and the monarchy and 2. Honesty, sacrifice, patience.