A Needs Assessment Study in Developing Cultural Awareness of Undergraduate Students
Keywords:
needs assessment study, critical media literacy, multicultural, virtual worlds, infographics, cultural awarenessAbstract
This research aims to study the need to develop cultural awareness among undergraduate students in Thailand. The sample group comprised 400 undergraduate students under the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), Ministry of Education, Bangkok, who were recruited by the purposive sampling method. Applied tools used to collect data consisted of a questionnaire which elicited the students’ opinions about critical media literacy, multiculturism, virtual worlds and infographics of undergraduate students, and included a checklist of 45 items, rating scales and open-ended questions. Findings were presented as percentage, mean and standard deviations, and modified Priority Needs Index. The results show the indices needed to develop an instructional model of critical media in multicultural virtual worlds with infographics to enhance cultural awareness among undergraduate students in Thailand. Overall, a comparison of the priority needs index values revealed the average GPA (PNIModified) at a moderate level (PNIModified = 3.17).
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