Informal Education Model to Promote Health Literacy for Children and Youth of Thailand Youth Institute

Abstract

       The objectives of this research are: 1) to study the context of the youth and children, along with the conditions of organizing informal education to promote health literacy for children and youth at the Thailand Youth Institute; and 2) to develop the model for informal education that promote the health literacy for the youth and children at the Thailand Youth Institute. This research employed descriptive research methods. Dividing the methods into processes, the first step focused on studying the context of the subjects and the conditions for organizing informal education. As such, 380 youth and children who had continuously participated in health literacy promotion activities with the Thailand Youth Institute from 2021 to 2023 were the primary subjects and informants. A stratified sampling technique was used to collect information from those youth and children. Further, 5 executives of the Thailand Youth Institute were included as subjects too by using a purposive sampling method. For adults, specific selection techniques were used. Data collection instruments included questionnaires and interview form. The target group for this study included not only youth and children, but also 14 experts and stakeholders. A purposive sampling method was used to select the target group. Focus group discussions and recordings were employed as research tools. Data analysis will utilize statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, along with data classification.

       This study investigated health literacy education and found that 1) in the youth and children context, learners showed very high interest in all aspects of the health literacy content. Most learning styles are at a high level. And the media and facilities in all aspects are at a high level. In terms of informal learning conditions, it was found that there are various methods of organizing and using media. Organizing an environment that promotes imagination and social image. Applying learning resources from other organizations to use. Learning activities reach a large number of children and youth. The problems found cover both internal and external factors. 2) Moreover, it was also found that the informal education model to promote health literacy for children and youth of Thailand Youth Institute consists of 6 components: concept of informal learning, objectives, content, learning activities, learning resources, and evaluation.