59-05-032 Proceeding

347 Proceedings of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Congress EFFECTS OF ART ACTIVITIES UPON GRADE-I STUDENTS’ HAPPINESS Sutinee Khamrak, Lertsiri Bovornkitti, Montrira Jarupeng Abstract : Six sample groups of grade-I students from Anuban Tahanbok Lop Buri School in Lop Buri Province, Thailand were subjects of this research aiming at 1) studying their happiness, and 2) comparing their happiness before and after art activity performances. Subjects for studies were selected using the Happiness Index Assessment and included those yielding the scores below 25 percent and having consents to join the program. Themethodology followed the Experimental ResearchDesign, with the uses of observation forms, questionnaires and art activities intervention.The data collectedwere analyzed statistically. The instruments were : 1) Six sessions of art activities based on primary education grade-I art course, 2) The Diner happiness Evaluation form and The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), 3) Observation on the subjects’ behaviors during art activities courses, and 4) An open-ended interviewquestionnaires based on outcrywords of happiness andwords provided in the evaluation form.Thedatawas analyzed statisticallyusing the student t-test for dependent samples bypercentage, mean +/- S.D. to express the effects of happiness before and after art activities performances. The findings were that the grade-I students expressed the overall happiness at good level after the art activities intervention. All 12 questions revealed levels of happiness higher than the levels measured prior to the art activities intervention. Statistical analyses of results confirmed significant increase of happiness at the levels .05 or over 95 percent. Conclusions: Art activities have significant impact upongrade-I students.The questionnaires obtained disclosed good levels of happiness. Keywords : art activities, happiness, grade-I students Introduction The world today is not an easy place to live due to the rapid change of societies that emphasized onmaterials andmonetary value. Most obvious is that everyone needs good education for them to have bright future, but the popular question in this regard would be whether our education has developed competent person or just aims at awarding the person with jobs opportunities. Right education shouldmake a person to grow up and developed as a whole person competent with life and social skills bearing standard moral quality in order to be a quality person of that society in which he or she is belong. Thus, educators and parents should conceive the idea that besides for the children to have good education, they should also been developed humanly. Today, most children have become overstressed with studying competitions and parents’ high expectations from them. Many of them are not happy souls at all, the question is that how can we as adults pay attention to their needs and raise them in most understanding ways. Because if we