Mutelu Behavior and Career Advancement of Military Personnel : A Case Study of a Military Camp in Lopburi Province
Abstract
This quantitative research aimed to investigate the superstitious behaviors ("Moo-Tae-Loo") of military personnel at a military camp in Lopburi Province, as well as to study their career advancement within the same camp. Furthermore, it sought to examine the relationship between superstitious behaviors and career growth among these military personnel. The population for this study comprised 420 military officers serving at a military camp in Lopburi Province. The sample size was calculated using Krejcie & Morgan's method, and stratified proportional sampling was employed, dividing the sample into two strata: 110 conscripted soldiers and 90 non-commissioned officer students. Subsequently, simple random sampling was used to obtain a final sample of 200 individuals. Data were collected using questionnaires developed by the researcher, which included sections on personal background information, superstitious behaviors, and career advancement in the military. The content validity index for these sections was .90 and .82, respectively, and the reliability coefficients were .92 and .89, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis.
The findings revealed that the respondents' superstitious behaviors were at a moderate level ( x̄ = 3.10, S.D. = 0.04), encompassing superstitious practices for family happiness ( x̄ = 4.05, S.D. = 0.08) and career-related matters ( x̄ = 3.76, S.D. = 0.08). Meanwhile, the respondents' career advancement in the military was at a high level ( x̄ = 3.64, S.D. = 0.03), which included the perception that career promotion requires patience and effort ( x̄ = 4.24, S.D. = 0.05) and that higher career positions in the military contribute to family happiness ( x̄ = 4.23, S.D. = 0.07). Pearson's correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant positive relationships between age, education level, origin, close friends, monthly income, exercise, reading, and superstitious behaviors and career advancement in the military. Conversely, statistically significant negative relationships were found between gender, religion, marital status, family characteristics, and number of family members and career advancement among military personnel at the military camp in Lopburi Province. Multiple regression analysis showed that superstitious behaviors had the strongest positive influence on career advancement (β = .298, p<.001), followed by exercise (β = .083, p<.001) and reading (β = .061, p<.001).
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