The present study consisted of three main objectives, namely, 1) to investigate levels of participation in community development of people in community development in Khun Han District, Si Sa Ket Province, 2) to compare levels of participation in community development based on demographic characteristics and knowledge of community development of people in Khun Han District, Si Sa Ket Province, and 3) to explore problems and obstacles in people’s participation in community development in Khun Han District, Si Sa Ket Province.
The study used a mixed method research. As for the quantitative research methodology, survey research was conducted with the sample consisting of 360 people out of the total of 6,221 people aged living in a community in nine villages in Pho Wong Sub-district (Villages1, 3, and 5), Phrai Sub-district (Villages 1, 2, and 8), and Phu Fai Sub-district (Villages 4, 5, and 7). The subjects were recruited by means of simple random sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data which were then analyzed with a computer program in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Scheffe’s post hoc comparison. As regards the qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine key informants, and data were analyzed using content analysis.
The study findings revealed that:
1. With regard to levels of participation in community development of people in community development in Khun Han District, Si Sa Ket Province, the overall participation was at a moderate level. When considering each aspect, it was found that the factors such as the decision-making, the planning and the reception of benefits were ranked at moderate level, while the evaluation was at a low level.
2. Hypotheses testing showed that the subjects who were different in terms of gender, age, educational background, occupation, and monthly income had different levels of participation in community development. When considering demographic characteristics of the subjects including gender, age, educational background, occupation, and monthly income, it was found the levels of participation in community development as categorized according to gender, age, and educational background were not statistically significantly different at the 0.05 level. Therefore, the hypothesis was rejected. However, when categorizing the subjects based on age, occupation, and monthly income, it was found that there were statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level, so the hypothesis was accepted.
3. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that local administration organizations should consider the problems and needs of the people and solve the problems as they need. Moreover, administrators at all levels of the local administration organizations should participate in community development to become role models for community development. Finally, the local administration organizations should give the people the opportunity to express their opinions toward community development to ensure benefits for all community members and to evaluate the projects after it is completed.
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