Development of an Integrated Creative Community Innovator to develop the Economic Foundations; and Strong Communities: A Case Study of Lipontai Community, Thalang District, Phuket Province.

Abstract

This article aims 1) to assess the need for developing integrated creative community innovators and 2) to propose guidelines for developing integrated creative community innovators. The research design is a mixed-methods research using the concept of needs assessment research as the research framework. The research area is Ban Lipontai Community, Thalang District, Phuket Province. The quantitative sample consists of 375 people using the stratified selection method. There are 12 informants interviewed and 2 focus group discussions. There are 3 research instruments: 1) questionnaires, 2) in-depth interviews, and 3) focus group discussions. Data analysis uses frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and the PNI modified for quantitative research. Content analysis and descriptive writing are used for qualitative research. Data triangulation is conducted.
The research results show that 1) Most of the sample are female, have secondary education/lower, and are self-employed. The PNI modified value is 0.45. The highest is in the area of basic essential skills, followed by the area of personal characteristics and the least is the social role aspect, with a PNI modified value of ≥ 0.50 for 4 items: science application skills, social and cultural part skills, language skills and financial management skills.
2) Guidelines for the development of integrated creative community innovators for Srisunthon Subdistrict Municipality and Ban Lipontai Community to be the main hosts in the development of integrated creative community innovators to develop the grassroots economy and strengthen the Ban Lipontai Community as follows: 1) There should be a meeting within the community to select individuals with sufficient knowledge, abilities, and qualifications to be innovators. 2) Ask for the willingness of the selected individuals. Once selected, find a trainer to develop community innovators. 3) Learn and practice in important issues, such as public speaking presentations, and dare to express yourself to be able to convey. 4) Develop personnel in the center in terms of tourism to meet tourism standards. The knowledge from this research will be useful in developing integrated creative community innovators based on the integration of cooperation with government agencies, private sectors, and various educational institutions.