ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL DISTANCES OF STUDENTS AT FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, NAKHON RATCHASIMA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY STUDENT IN ONLINE EXAMINATION DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS WITH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

Abstract

This research aims to study the spatial distribution and analyze of social distancing in online examinations of the students majoring in Business Computer and Accounting, Faculty of Management Science, Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University during the Covid-19 crisis. The information about addresses of 170 students was analyzed. With the mixed method research, qualitative information about the students’ addresses was transformed into quantitative data so that the spatial data were analyzed with the GIS program and the descriptive statistics were analyzed with a statistical program. The results of the study revealed that 1) the methods for creating spatial databases from students’ addresses, filled in Google forms and analyzed in Google Sheets with the location deviation of 5.8 %, to map on Google maps, were able to correctly locate the location at the rate of 94.2 %; 2) the data analyzed using the Nearest Neighbor Index, with the QGIS program, showed that it was clustered in distribution pattern (R_n = 0.55), and the map showed that the place where the students took the exam was very dense near the university area; 3) the pair with the shortest and longest social distance was 0.00 and  236,541.5 meters, respectively. When grouping the shortest social distances into ranges (500 meters per range), it showed that 50.0% of them were in the at the shortest social distance of more than 2,500 meters, followed by that within 500 meters (16.5 %).