States of Learning Experience for the Preschool Children Using Thai as Second Language and Tendency of Bilingual Multimedia Development: Case Study of Narathiwat Province

Abstract

The three southern border provinces of Thailand have cultural identity different from other parts. Eighty three percent of people in this area use the Pattani Malay language in their everyday life. However, the official language used in schools is the Thai language. As a result, those children will face difficulty with learning content taught in school because their poor ability in using the Thai language. It was found that children’s learning achievement is below the Thai standard level and, most importantly; it is the lowest score in the country. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to study the states of learning experiences for the preschool children using Thai as second language in Narathiwat province and the tendency of bilingual multimedia development. The research instrument was the rating scale questionnaire of a state of learning experience and tendency of bilingual multimedia development. The total of sample groups were 162 divided to 43 of academic administrators and 119 early childhood teachers. The results found that there were 3 major problems in state of learning experience for the preschool children using Thai as second language in 3 Narathiwat primary educational service areas which are 1) the most of students do not have Thai language skill, 2) the insufficiency of teachers in early childhood education, and 3) the shortage of bilingual media in schools. The tendency of bilingual multimedia development should use the accurately Thai and Malayu languages, and considered to child centered learning. Furthermore, should be in accordance with the early childhood education curriculum B.E. 2546.