IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN THROUGH CREATIVE VISUAL ARTS ACTIVITIES OF THE SCHOOLS UNDER THE SPECIAL EDUCATION BUREAU, CHIANG MAI

Abstract

This research aimed 1) to study context and background information of life of underprivileged children 2) to compare the behaviors of underprivileged children before and after attending creative visual arts activities 3) to examine the satisfaction of underprivileged children, using mixed research model. The sample in this research consisted of 20 students studying in Prathomsuksa 4-6 (Grade 4-6). They were selected by using purposive sampling method. The research instruments were the creative visual art activity set, an interview form, a behavioral observation form, a behavior assessment form, and a satisfaction assessment form. The qualitative data were analyzed based on content analysis, whereas the quantitative data were statistically analyzed for percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings were shown as follows. 1) According to the children's context and background information, it was found that the majority of participants were male. Most children were 10 years old. The majority of children weigh 31-40 kg, and they were 101-150 cm tall the most. Most of them were domiciled in Chiang Mai, and were Buddhist. All of them lived in school, and no one had any disability. They are in good physical health condition. They are cheerful, bright, kind, diligent and public-minded. They get along well with society and with friends in the group. They are creative and able to adapt to various environments in school as well. 2) When comparing the behaviors of underprivileged children before and after attending creative visual arts activities, it was found that the primary behaviors of underprivileged children increased in all aspects at a high level. The mental aspect changed the most. The children spend their free time usefully, such as reading books, exercising, chatting, exchanging with friends, and working with others 3) Concerning the satisfaction of underprivileged children towards overall activities, it was found that participants had the highest level of overall satisfaction.