Development of a Recognizing Digital Skills Model to Promote Community Business Learning and Creative Tourism in the Mekong Riverside Area, Nakhon Phanom Municipality, Thailand

Abstract

Digital literacy and skills development have become essential for life and work in the 21st century. UNESCO’s Learning City concept emphasizes creating environments conducive to lifelong learning for all in a community, this study recognizes the importance of digital skills development as a key future skill that needs to be promoted immediately and continuously to enhance the competitiveness and sustainable development of communities in the digital age. The objectives are as follows: 1) Development of a recognizing digital skills Model, 2) evaluate the appropriateness of the developed model, and 3) Investigate the outcomes of recognizing digital skills Model for community business entrepreneurs and creative tourism in the Muang Nakhon Phanom area along the Mekong River. The research methodology consisted of 3 phases: 1) model synthesis through document analysis, 2) model appropriateness assessment by 9 experts, and 3) model application to develop digital skills. The target group consisted of 258 small entrepreneurs from 8 communities in the Mekong River Area, Nakhon Phanom Municipality, selected by purposive sampling. The research instruments were a document synthesis form, a model appropriateness form, and a digital skills assessment form. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The results found that the digital skills perception model consisted of 4 components: 1) environmental inputs 2) sensory inputs, 3) specialized experience for interpretation, and 4) construing sensory information. Experts assessed the developed model as highly appropriate, and the post-learning digital skills assessment found that 80.58% of the participants scored from basic to advanced levels.

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Author Information
Suwisa Jarutkamolpong, Nakhon Phanom University, Thailand
Kantapop Buathong, Nakhon Phanom University, Thailand
Parama Khangmuang, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Athirhat NunKuntee, Nakhon Phanom University, Thailand
Kanlaya Mikhama, Nakhon Phanom University, Thailand