The Development of Democratic Citizenship among Personnel of Local Administrative Organizations in Sangkha District, Surin Province

Abstract

This thesis aimed to : 1) examine the level of democratic citizenship development among personnel of local administrative organizations in Sangkha District, Surin Province; 2) compare the level of democratic citizenship development among such personnel according to personal factors; and 3) propose guidelines for enhancing democratic citizenship development among personnel of local administrative organizations in Sangkha District, Surin Province. This study employed a mixed-methods research design. The quantitative component utilized a questionnaire to collect data from 201 personnel, determined using Yamane’s formula and selected through multistage sampling. The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.962. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The qualitative component involved in-depth interviews with seven key informants selected through purposive sampling, including the District Local Administrator of Sangkha, the Mayor of Sangkha Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Municipal Clerk of Sangkha Subdistrict Municipality, the Clerk of Thapthan Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Heads of the Office of the Clerk of Dom and Sakat Subdistrict Administrative Organizations, and the Director of the Finance Division of Phra Kaeo Subdistrict Administrative Organization. Content analysis with contextual interpretation was employed for qualitative data analysis. The research findings revealed that

1. Overall, the level of democratic citizenship development was at a high level (Mean=4.05, S.D.=0.384), The highest mean score was found in the dimension of civic ethics and morality (Mean=4.63, S.D.=0.437), followed by citizenship characteristics (Mean=4.08, S.D.=0.513), learning and self-development for democracy (Mean=3.93, S.D.=0.565), media and communication influence (Mean=3.84, S.D.=0.534), and political and social participation (Mean=3.76, S.D.=0.489), respectively.

2. Comparisons of opinions among personnel of local administrative organizations in Sangkha District classified by personal factors indicated that gender, educational level, work experience, position type, and average monthly income showed statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level. However, no significant differences were found among personnel classified by age, leading to the rejection of the proposed hypothesis.

3. Guidelines for enhancing democratic citizenship development included: (1) local administrative organizations organizing training programs and learning exchange forums to enhance personnel’s understanding of rights, duties, and democratic values; (2) local administrators providing opportunities for personnel at all levels to participate in decision-making and share responsibility in organizational policies or projects; (3) developing public communication networks and online platforms to disseminate accurate, transparent, and verifiable information; (4) promoting local leaders as role models of democratic citizenship characterized by integrity, transparency, and commitment to the public interest, leading to quality and sustainable local governance; and (5) supporting continuous capacity development through training, study visits, and knowledge exchange with organizations successful in local democratic governance, in order to inspire personnel and appropriately adapt best practices to their organizational contexts.