Development of Learning Model to Enhance the Elderly’s Digital Competencies of Media and Information

Abstract

Abstract

       The purposes of this study were to (1) synthesize the digital competencies of media and information for the elderly, (2) develop a learning model to enhance their digital competencies, and (3) investigate the results of the developed learning model as experienced by the elderly participants.  The voluntary participants were 30 residents of Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand.  The results indicated that the digital competencies of the elderly consisted of main purposes and major roles in which there were 4 functions of 9 competency units and 18 sub-units of the identified competencies. The developed learning model to enhance the digital competencies of the elderly contained 5 elements: (i) the defining of competency indicators, (ii) contents, (iii) teaching method, (iv) instructional media, and (v) evaluation.  There were 9 learning modules developed by the researchers using the development method of competency-based training curriculum.  The efficiencies of the developed learning modules were 83.33/82.56, computed by using the KW # 2 method of efficiency validation.  For the evaluation result of the developed learning model indicated that 25 of 30 persons passed the training criteria.  The obtained chi-square statistic revealed no significant difference between the number of pass persons and that of the non-pass persons at the .05 level.  The developed learning model could be confidently recommended to enhance the digital competencies of media and information for the elderly in similar contexts.

 Keywords: Learning model, media and information digital competency, elderly competency-based curriculum