People's participation in the Village Learning Center Development Project of Lampang Province, Thailand
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Date
1987
Authors
Manida Tiamkao
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Abstract
The study was conducted primarily to determine the extent of people's participation in the Village Learning Center Development Project (VLCDP) in Lampang Province, upper northern part of Thailand. It also sought to find out the respondents' characteristics which were associated with clientele participation in the project. It was confined to 166 project participant-respondents from Songkwal Nue VLCDP, Kohka District and Taong Ngam VLCDP, Sermgam District.
It was found out that the participants to the VLCDP of Lampang Province, Thailand were generally married,with mean age of 34 years old, have reached only yp to the elementary grades, belonged to at least one social group, had an annual family income of less than 10,000 Bahts and resided less than 200 meters away from the Center.
The mass media utilized in the project were the print, television, and video. The radio was not used. In terms of relevance, the printed media and television were rated "not much" while the video was rated "a little.".
The change agent most consulted was the village headman who was consulted on problems related to planning for development and management of the VLCDP. As a whole, the participants rated the change agent to be very helpful to the VLCDP.
The newspapers and magazines were read occasionally while textbooks and comics were rarely read. Dramas, news, vocational and musical programs were occasionally watched in television while video programs were rarely watched.
Voluntary workers rarely contributed cash and books and never contributed lumber nor furniture; majority rarely performed jobs like landscaping, interior decoration and restoration of books in the VLCDP.
Sex, age, marital status, respondents' children in school nearby VLCDP, membership in social groups and distance of residence from the VLCDP were related to the use of at least one form of printed media. Sex, age, marital status, respondents' children in school nearby VLCDP, educational attainment and membership in social groups were related to forms of participation through the television. In the case of video programs, respondents' age, marital status, respondents' children in school nearby VLCDP, membership in social groups and family income level were related to participation in watching video programs.
Communication factors were found to be related to reading of magazines and vocational programs in the video. Change agent contacts were related only to participation in terms of magazine and textbook reading.