Author : Thanapan Thanee

Summary : This study examined the demographic, socioeconomic, motivational, perceptual, and attitudinal factors influencing participation in the project on Promotion of Non-Formal Education for Women in Thailand. Specifically, it examined the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the women participants and non-participants and the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors, motivational factors, and perceptions and attitudes to participation in the project. Two hundred and ten women served as respondents of the study; 105 were participants and the other half were non-participants. Data were gathered using a structured interview schedule. The chi-square and t-tests were used to determine the relationships among the variables. The major factors which differentiate those who participated in the project from those who did not participate were motivational factors and perceptions and attitudes. Participants had higher expectations of higher income, service extended, and human relationships from the project than non-participants. Likewise, participants had more favorable attitudes toward basic education, training of vocational skills, and news and information than non-participants. Participants and non-participants did not differ in their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Nearly all of the non-participants knew about the project but only very few of them received any encouragement from village influentials to participate in it. Among the participants, participation was low in the planning phase. Participation in the implementation phase was highest in the vocational skills training activities. The problems encountered and suggestions for improvement centered around not limiting the age of participants to between 12 and 25 years, the timing of the project which should not coincide with the crop growing season, and the need for more income-generating activities in the project. Among the sociodemographic variables, only age and annual family income were found to be related.