The world is flooded with American media products, especially television programs. This study examined how American television viewing affects Thai college students' perception of Thai traditional culture, and how Thai television viewing affects their perception of it.Two hundred sixty-one Thai college students were given a survey in three communication classes at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand during June/July, 2006. Results were analyzed by means of ANOVA with accompanying Scheffe test. The hypotheses were rejected. Hypothesis one stated American television viewing affects Thai collage students' perception of Thai traditional culture negatively. Hypothesis two stated Thai television viewing affects Thai college students' perception of Thai traditional culture positively. / Department of Journalism

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the factors that students considered important in taking distance learning and attitudes of students toward the technology-based distance learning in Thailand. The three main attitude components that were examined in this study were affective, behavioral, and cognitive. The additional components: usefulness, quality, and interaction of technology used in distance learning in Thailand were also examined in this study.Participants of this study were students at Ramkhamhaeng University in Thailand. The questionnaires were used as survey instruments. The questionnaires were distributed by email and paper. Students could complete the questionnaire either by web or by paper. The questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate students around Thailand by staffs of Ramkhamhaeng University. Valid survey responses were received from 307 students; 148 males and 159 females. Based on the analysis of the qualified data, the sample mean scores were significantly higher than the hypothesized mean scores. Students were considered to have positive attitudes toward affective component, behavioral component, and cognitive component. Students also had positive attitudes towards the usefulness, interaction, and quality of technology used in technology-based distance learning in Thailand.The most important factor that students considered in taking distance learning was their work requirements. By gender, male students considered earning more money or getting promoted as their important factor. Female students considered work requirements as their important factor.Students considered most technologies in this study to be useful. However, some students have not had experience with some technologies that they believed were useful. Therefore, institutes and instructors should encourage students to use technologies that universities have currently employed. Institutes should offer training sessions to both instructors and students, so that they can effectively use these technologies in their teaching and learning. / Department of Computer Science

Typescript. / Bibliography: leaves 364-375. / Microfiche. / xvii, 375 leaves ill

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze computer literacy and general attitudes toward computers of students at Thai public unversities. The comparative study of computer literacy levels and attitudes toward computers among Thai students with various demographic classification was performed followed by the study of relationships between the two variables among the samples. A fifty-eight-item questionnaire was adapted from the computer literacy questionnaire developed by the researchers at the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. The items were designed to assess knowledge and attitudes relative to computers. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 492 students who took at least one computer course from thirteen public universities in Thailand. Statistical tests used to analyze the data included t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson product moment correlations. Based on the research findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Thai university students exhibited a moderate computer literacy level. (2) While a higher proportion of female students enrolled in computer classes, male and female students reported similar computer literacy levels. (3) Graduate students had higher computer literacy levels than did other students from different educational levels. (4) Academic majors and academic performance (GPAs) were also factors affecting computer literacy levels. Education majors displayed higher computer literacy levels than mathematics majors and science majors. (5) Students with higher GPAs had higher levels of computer literacy than the groups with lower GPAs. (6) Computer literacy was not age dependent. (7) Generally, Thai university students showed positive attitudes toward computers. (8) Males and females both showed positive attitudes toward computers. (9) Graduate students exhibited more positive attitudes toward computers than all other groups. (10) The groups of students with lower GPAs displayed lower positive attitudes toward computers. (11) There was a strong positive relationship between students' knowledge and their attitudes toward computers. It is recommended that computer education should be viewed in relation to its contribution to educational process as a whole. It should be relevant to the local environment, work, individuals and. society needs sis well as development of positive attitude toward manual skills. More research is needed in the areas of teacher education, evaluation techniques to assess students' progress in a new teaching context, and ethical values relative to computers.

The intention of this study was to explore the relationships between Thai middle school girls' and boys' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and mathematics achievement, future mathematics coursework intentions, and career interests. Participants in this study were 523 students who were enrolled in The Chiang Mai University Demonstration School during the first semester of the 1999 school year. In order to measure the students' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics, a questionnaire was developed from the Fennema-Sherman Attitudes Scale (Mulhern & Rae, 1998) and Indiana Mathematics Beliefs Scale (Kloosterman & Stage, 1992). Students' mathematics achievement was obtained from their final mathematics grades at the end of the semester. Students' future mathematics coursework intentions questionnaire was developed from Throndike-Christ's (1991) study. Finally, students' career interests questionnaire was rated according to Goldman and Hewitt's (1976) science/math continuum. The findings revealed that Thai middle school students had positive attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. The students had good mathematics achievement and demonstrated a moderate likelihood to take optional future mathematics coursework. Many students were interested in careers related to mathematics and science fields. Focusing on grade level, those students in higher grades expressed lower motivation, confidence in learning mathematics, and mathematics achievement. On the other hand, they showed stronger beliefs about mathematics as a male domain and the usefulness of mathematics and had stronger interests in careers related to mathematics and science fields than students in lower grades. Overall, no gender differences in motivation and confidence in learning mathematics surfaced. However, gender differences favoring boys were found in students' beliefs about mathematics as a male domain, the usefulness of mathematics, the importance of understanding concepts in mathematics, and increasing mathematical ability by effort. Boys also indicated more willingness to take optional mathematics coursework and displayed stronger interests in careers related to mathematics and science fields. The only gender difference favoring girls was mathematics achievement. The regression findings revealed that attitudes and beliefs about mathematics variables were predictive of students' mathematics achievement, future mathematics coursework intentions, and career interests. / Graduation date: 2000

The uses of computer technology in the fields of art and graphic design in Thailand were investigated for the purpose of identifying levels of current computer use from 280 responses to a specifically designed questionnaire among: 1) full-time graphic design educators, 2) art and design students, and 3) graphic design directors in professional business positions. The study instrument consisted of a questionnaire developed by the researcher, reviewed by a panel of seven experts selected by the Department of Creative Arts, Chula-longkorn University. The panel verified content-related evidence to ensure the validity of the instrument. Appropriate statistical procedures were implemented to develop responses to questions of interest. Analysis of the data showed that a majority of educators, students, and design professionals supported the use of computer in their professions and/or coursework, and that majorities of the same groups made regular use of computers. Subject to differences in rank ordering of computer usage among population groups, majorities from each group agreed that publications and graphics constituted the area of greatest use. A majority of the population agreed that computers helped to improve efficiency within the studio environment, and there were only slight differences among the three groups in generalized support of the use of computers within art and design curricula. All groups agreed that educational emphasis should be placed at the level of the baccalaureate degree, subject to the possible integration of computer training at all educational levels. Students reflected the highest percentage of use frequency, followed in order by professionals and educators. Each group reflected its own specific concerns in perceptions of major barriers to the use of computers in graphic design fields: Educators noted the lack of budgetary resources to install and maintain computers; students noted the lack of computer availability for hands-on experience; and design professionals perceived a lack of opportunity to attend training courses. Overall, the results of this study indicated that significant differences existed between groups representing academic fields (i.e., educators and students) and graphic design professionals for all criteria measured. / Graduation date: 1994