DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PODCASTS TO ENHANCE THAI NATIONAL HISTORY LEARNING FOR VOCATIONAL CERTIFICATE STUDENTS

Abstract

This study aimed to: 1) design podcasts, 2) develop podcasts, and 3) examine the effects of using podcasts to promote attitudes toward Thai national history among vocational certificate students. The study employed a research and development approach integrated with a quasi-experimental design and was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved the design and development of podcasts. The data sources included documents, the Thai National History course curriculum, concepts related to podcast design, history learning management, and experts. The research instruments consisted of a podcast prototype, a podcast prototype evaluation form, the completed podcasts, and a podcast quality evaluation form. The evaluation forms used a five-point rating scale covering four aspects: content, presentation and format, production quality, and learning promotion. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and content analysis. The instruments had IOC values ranging from 0.67 to 1.00. The podcast prototype was rated at the highest level of quality, and the completed podcasts were also rated at the highest level. Phase 2 examined the effects of using the podcasts. The sample consisted of 62 second-year vocational certificate students at Trang Technical College, selected through cluster random sampling. They were divided into an experimental group of 33 students and a control group of 29 students. The research instrument was a five-point rating scale measuring attitudes toward Thai national history, consisting of 25 items across three aspects: cognition, affect, and behavior. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The findings revealed that the most appropriate podcast format was an expert storytelling podcast, consisting of four episodes, each approximately 10–15 minutes long. The students in the experimental group demonstrated post-learning attitudes at a very good level, which were significantly higher than those of the control group taught through conventional instruction at the .05 level.