Guidelines for Improving Learning of Thai Literature Values through Multimedia

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate problems of learning Thai literature and to propose guidelines for improving learning Thai literature through multimedia. Methods of a survey research were applied to find out problems of teaching Thai literature by interviewing 180 students of the secondary level and of university, majoring in Thai. Group discussions of scholar were held in order to give guidelines for designing learning Thai literature through multimedia. The research found that students did not dislike contents of Thai literature but felt bored of teachers’ teaching styles focusing on reading comprehension and memorizing vocabulary without relating the stories to learners’ daily life. In order to solve the problems, the focus of teaching should be on improving learners’ skills of thinking, asking questions, creating games or activities, performing role-plays, solving problems of characters, relating stories in the past to nowadays lives, and analyzing stories and values in the studied literature. Six classical Thai literature were selected for making multimedia, which were Niras Phukhaotong; Pra Apaimanee; Lilit Talaengpai; Muttanapatha; Khunchang Khunphan; and Samkok. The multimedia suggested to be created were: drawings of characters; video making; electronic games; animated cartoons; moving pictures; graphic pictures; adding parts of films, stage dramas, or television dramas in the teaching media; audio recording; conversations; and reading proses of the poetry. Factors making the created multimedia efficient were the focus on storyboard and the content of the six literature. Also, the careful reviews and suggestions made the completed media very effective, which motivated learners to be aware of aesthetic, social, and moral values of the six literature.