Arts and the Quality of Thammasat University Students’ Lives: A Case Study of Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Applied Arts, and Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication

Abstract

This research aims to study variables in art giving effects to students’ living quality, including relationship and development between art and students’ quality of life. Findings are expected to give suggestions on bringing art as a tool to develop students’ living quality in Thammasat University. Research methodology is quantitative research using questionnaire surveys on art-related faculties that are Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Applied Arts, and Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, with 600 respondents from sampling of undergraduate students from the three faculties in equivalence. According to the findings, art-related activities with proximity to recreation of students’ life such as listening to music, watching television, playing internet, watching movie, and drawing picture are activities which students can use spaces or facilities inside the university. Other activities do not show much frequency, but also give satisfaction in high level. Concluding from the study on roles of art and its effects on quality of life, the findings show that even most students have high satisfaction in living quality and agreement on art as a tool for living quality development, but they have not been engaged with many of art-related activities and criticizing on more active art-related activities from university’s side. Thus, guidelines from this research’s findings for bringing art to develop students’ living quality can be concluded into three main categories that are teaching and learning, learning environment, and institute’s activities. Researchers would like to generate further gratitude to when it may concern on supporting implementation of such guidelines, of which many students and communities within the university will be benefited.