Agricultural Tourism Activity Set Based on the 4MAT Teaching Model to Promote Executive Function in Young Children

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to develop an agricultural tourism activity set based on the 4MAT teaching model to promote executive function in young children. Samples were selected using purposive sampling, consisted of 40 young children aged 4–6 years from kindergarten under office of the permanent secretary (OPS), academic year 2023. The research tools include: 1) interviews conducted with 2 groups of informants, the staff working in agricultural tourism sites and early childhood teachers working in the school, 2) an agricultural tourism activity set based on the 4MAT teaching model consisted of an activity set manual, learning materials, and a participation assessment form, and 3) a behavioral assessment tool for measuring executive function in young children. The statistics used for data analysis included mean, standard deviation, and relative developmental scoring. The findings indicated that: 1) the patterns of agricultural tourism activities for young children emphasized on guided tours and demonstrations, providing learning experiences about agricultural lifestyles and introducing the concept of the sufficiency economy through a single-session activity, 2) the agricultural tourism activity set based on the 4MAT was rated as highly appropriate (M = 4.5), and 3) after participating in activities using the agricultural tourism activity set based on the 4MAT teaching model, young children had a higher mean score than before showed an improvement of executive function score (M = 29.12, SD = 9.94).