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The Contribution of Development Communication in Na So Community's Empowerment
Abstract:
This study was conducted at the Na So Sub-district, Kud Chum District, Yesothon Province. The objectives were to study the general demographic information, existing development communication factors, existing development communication between the Na So community and the main local relevant agencies; and sum up and propose lessons learned about development communication factors used in empowering the community.
The population was 787 farm families who were members of the Na So Farmers’ Group and local relevant agencies. Purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling methods were applied. Five villages from the Na So Community were selected as sample areas (Sok Khum Poon, Tha Lad, Pa Wai, Santi Sook, and Na So). The respondents were 105 general villagers, eight opinion leaders, eight villagers representatives, and three representatives from the relevant agencies, which contribute to the empowerment of the Na So community (one each from Na So Farmers’ Group, Kud Chum District Agricultural Extension, and Earth Net Foundation [ENF]). Data were collected from 2002 to 2003 using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Closed- and open-ended questionnaires were used for in-depth interviews and group discussions. Photos were taken and video recording was done to observe all activities in the community. Collected data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages, combined with content analysis to sum up the information.
The critical findings were:
1. Most of the respondents (93%) preferred watching TV to listening to radio (53%), reading books and other printed documents (53%), and reading newspaper (34%). Eight-eight percent of them were exposed to TV everyday. Favorite TV programs were evening news, dramas, and movies.
2. Ninety-five percent of the respondents always pay close attention to listening to the Village Broadcasting Tower.
3. The villagers in the Na So community executed interpersonal communication in three ways: daily conversations among themselves at their neighbors’ houses, own homes, village center, or the village shop; attendance in village-level meetings; and communication with the organizations’ staff (Na So Farmers’ Group, government organizations [GOs], and ENF) working in different frequency levels. 4. Respondents met and talked with the extension staff of Na So Farmers’ Group more frequently than the GOs’ staff. They hardly met and talked with the ENF staff, the only one working in the community.
5. Most of the respondents preferred to meet and talk with the staff of the sources at least once a month.
6. After receiving development communication, majority (83.9%) always perform different actions.
7. About 19 percent of the respondents were passive as they did nothing.
8. The receivers mostly adopted the retransferred message from the Na So Farmers’ Group and practiced it in the form of various continuous activities.
9. Development communication components could effectively make contribution to the Na So community’s empowerment in socioeconomic aspects.
10. The overall process of development communication in the Na So community mainly employed the two-step flow communication--interpersonal communication in a face-to-face and two-way process setting.
11. The staff of the sources and/or opinion leaders should enhance the clarity of the message.
12. The people in the Na So community were confronted with two critical constraints--time management and influence of TV to the receivers. The above mentioned critical findings could be used as guidelines for other communities, which are in a similar context with the Na So community to determine appropriate components of development communication for empowering the communities.
