Factors affecting language efficiency of tour guides in Bangkok areas by using knowledge factor as a mediated factor

Abstract

          The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate communication skills, knowledge, language attitude, and language efficiency of tour guides in Bangkok areas; and 2) to investigate factors affecting the language efficiency of tour guides in Bangkok areas by using a knowledge factor as a mediated factor. Samples in this study were 100 general tour guides in Bangkok areas, servicing tours for Thai and foreign tourists. Also, all of these samples were guaranteed tour guide certificates by the operating office of the Department of Tourism. All of them were randomized by using accidental sampling with the Index of Consistency (IOC) scales at 0.67-1.00 and the Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient scales at 0.744-0.841. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument in this study. The statistics used in this study consisted of percentage, means, standard deviation (SD), and structural equation modeling analyses with a statistical package for the social science (SPSS) program.

          Findings in this study revealed that 1) tour guides in Bangkok areas having their opinions toward factors of communication skills, knowledge, language attitude, and language proficiency had overall averaged at a high level in all factors, ranging at 4.30, 4.23, 4.09, and 3.78 respectively; whereas the standard deviation scales were at 0.539, 0.595, 0.722, and 0.724 respectively.  2) The factors affecting the language efficiency of tour guides in Bangkok areas showed that the knowledge factor correlating with communication skills as a mediated factor had influenced language attitude with the Path Coefficient scales at 0.459. Furthermore, language attitude had affected language proficiency with the Path Coefficient scale at 0.825 as well.