A Model for Enhancing Communication Technology Competency among Village Health Volunteers

Abstract

This research and development initiative aimed to develop and evaluate a model designed for augmenting communication technology competency among village health volunteers. The study encompassed three phases: 1) examination of the operational context of village health volunteers in communication technology, 2) development and pilot testing of the model, and 3) evaluation of the model's impact on village health volunteers in the Nongbua subdistrict of Atsamart district, Roi Et province. Thirty-eight participants in the experimental group and 38 participants in the control group were selected through quota sampling. The research instrument comprised a communication technology competency assessment form with a reliability value of 0.94. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis, and differences in communication technology competency levels between the experimental and control groups were examined using an independent t-test.

The research revealed that the model for enhancing communication technology competency comprised three activities: 1) Enhancement and Training of village health volunteers, 2) Social Support, and 3) Provision of a Manual for Application Usage. Following the model's implementation, the experimental group (M = 4.27, SD = 0.45) exhibited a higher competency level than the control group (M = 4.02, SD = 0.51) with statistical significance at the 0.05 level. Moreover, the competency was higher than before the experiment (M = 3.44, SD = 0.51) with statistical significance at the 0.01 level. In summary, the communication technology competency application proves to be suitable for enhancing competence among village health volunteer.