ENHANCING STUDENTS' THAI MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIORAL SKILLS THROUGH EMPOWERMENT EVALUATION APPROACHES IN THAI MUSIC TRAINING PROGRAM

Abstract

This research aims to (1) develop a Thai music training program grounded in empowerment evaluation approaches, while also (2) examining the Thai music performance skills of students who undergo training with this program. Additionally, the study (3) investigates the behavioral skills of students before and after the training intervention. The findings revealed that: 1. The developed Thai music training program was structured around six essential components: 1) core concept of the program, 2) basic principles of the program, 3) objectives of the program, 4) role of the teacher in activity implementation, 5) content of activities in the Thai music training program, 6) process of organizing activities in the Thai music training program. An evaluation of the program's quality revealed a high overall rating ( = 4.21, SD = 0.73), with particularly strong scores in usability ( = 4.52, SD = 0.65) and accuracy ( = 4.50, SD = 0.69). These findings indicated the program's effectiveness in providing a structured and engaging learning experience for students. 2. Regarding Thai music performance skills, students achieved an average score of 91.60 out of a possible 162 points, translating to 81.79%. The individual scores ranged from a high of 105 points (93.75%) to a low of 75 points (66.96%). Notably, the highest average score among the activities was in "Hand Technique Practice," with a mean of 18.50. 3. The study further explored the behavioral skills of students before and after their participation in the Thai music training program, which was informed by empowerment evaluation approaches. Results demonstrated a significant improvement in average behavioral skills, increasing from a pre-training level ( = 4.16, SD = 0.72) to a notably higher post-training level ( = 4.51, SD = 0.60).