Cultural Assimilation Affecting the Cultural Awareness and Obsession of the Youths in Northeastern Thailand’s Rajabhat Universities

Abstract

        The objectives of the research were 1) to study the youths’ cultural assimilation, 2) to examine their cultural awareness and obsession, 3) to analyze cultural assimilation that could affect the cultural awareness and assimilation of the youths, and 4) to seek the guidelines to promote the cultural awareness and prevent a cultural obsession the youths.The samples were 400 undergraduate students from the universities inthe 2021 academic year.The key informants were 10 experts.The research instruments were a questionnaire and a focus group. Statistics used in data analysis were descriptive statistics, linear multiple regression, and content analysis.The research findings were as follows: 1) The youths’ cultural assimilation was found at a low level.2) The youths’ cultural awareness was overall at a high level.3) The youths’ cultural obsession was at a low level. 4) Cultural assimilation that could affect the youths’ cultural awareness included education and experience. These two aspects could jointly predict the outcome by 10.2%.5) Cultural assimilation that affected the cultural obsession was imitation, education, and experience.All these threeaspects could predict the outcome by 61.2%. 6) The guidelines to raise cultural awareness and prevent cultural obsession were the state policies, the roles of the local administrative organizations, educational and religious institutes, communities, families, media, and self-awareness.