§Ò¹ÇԨѠ: Chaijaroen, Sumalee. (2540).THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEARNERS’ PRECONCEPTIONS AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS OF LEARNING Journal: Journal of the National Research Council of Thailand Vol. 29 (1), 2540.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEARNERS’ PRECONCEPTIONS AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS OF LEARNING
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   APSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the learner’s preconceptions (difficulty, preference, learning expectancy and curiosity) toward five media activities (watching television, using computer, reading activity, writing activity and teacher’s lecture) and the social environments of learning (values, attitudes and orientations toward media). The sample group consisted of 222 of fifth-grade and 213 of ninth-grade learners of the Demonstration School, Khon Kaen University, in the first semester of the academic year, 1996. The research tools employed were 5 instructional media activities for grades 5 and 9, preconception questionnaire, values, attitudes and orientations toward media questionnaire, interview questionnaire, and achievement test for grades 5 and 9.
The result revealed that the correlation between four dimensions of preconceptions were significantly correlated with each other. It was perceived that although media activity was difficult it was preferred, but they expected to learn more, and felt curious to learn from it. It was found that there was no significant correlation between achievement scores and two dimensions of the learners’ preconceptions on preference and curiosity. The dimension of difficulty significantly correlated with the achievement scores of the fifth-grade learners by using computer and watching television in actual classroom activities. And the dimension of learning expectancy significantly correlated with the achievement scores by the teacher’s lecture. As for ninth-grade learners, it was found that only in the activity of reading did difficulty significantly correlate with the learners’ achievement scores. Concerning the learners’ values, attitudes, and orientations toward media, it was found that there was no significant correlation between them and the achievement scores of the learners. The relationship between preconceptions and values, attitudes and orientations toward media, it was found that only the dimension of curiosity significantly correlated with orientations toward media of the fifth-grade learners by using computer.
Based on the above mentioned results, it was remarkable that the learners perceived the teacher’s lecture as the most difficult, but they preferred it, and expected to learn more and were also curious to learn. According to this result it suggests that it is because Thai school culture emphasizes the teacher’s lecture and utilize it as the main activity in the learning and teaching process. In addition, the present situation of educational technology in Thailand, particularly, the circumstances, needs, and problems on the utilization of instructional media, are considered as the essential factors which have the relationship with preconceptions, values, attitudes and orientations toward media of the learners.