The Development of a Coconut Shell Product Prototype Based on Spiritual Beliefs for Cultural Value Enhancement: A Case of Samut Sakhon Province
Keywords:
Coconut shell, spiritual beliefs, product design, sacred grains, creative economy, cultural value, Samut Sakhon ProvinceAbstract
This research aimed to (1) study the spiritual beliefs and associated symbols that can be applied to the design of coconut shell products in the context of Samut Sakhon communities; (2) develop a prototype product set processed from coconut shells that reflect spiritual beliefs; and (3) assess the appropriateness of the prototype in promoting cultural value in the creative economy within the community. The study used research and development (R&D) methodology, comprising (i) a review of relevant theories and literature, (ii) field surveys, and (iii) interviews with community leaders to gather in-depth information on spiritual beliefs associated with coconut shells. Three main research instruments were used: (i) a semi-structured interview form for data collection on spiritual beliefs from community leaders and local wisdom holders; (ii) a design record form to document the development process of the prototype; and (iii) a product evaluation form on the developed prototype’s cultural value in the creative economy, using a 5-point Likert scale. All instruments were validated by three product development experts, with Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) scores ranging from 0.67 to 1.00 for the interview form and from 0.80 to 1.00 for the product evaluation form. Reliability testing was conducted with a pilot group of 15 participants, yielding a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.89, indicating high reliability and suitability for research purposes. The research findings were: (i) grains and natural-material containers play a significant role in spiritual belief rituals and can be meaningfully integrated into product design; (ii) the developed prototype--a Sacred Grain Worship Set--featuring coconut shell containers adorned with symbolic spiritual motifs; and (iii) the developed prototype product was evaluated by 55 participants including experts and community members, as aesthetically pleasing, aligned with spiritual beliefs, and strongly reflective of local identity. The evaluation results indicated the prototypes as highly appropriate, and the aspects related to spiritual beliefs and cultural values as statistically significant at the 0.05 level. The obtained results of this R&D study point to a good potential in local product development based on spiritual beliefs in supporting the creative economy of the communities concerned.
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