Enhancing the Capacity of Community Innovators in Wildfire and Haze Management Through the Participation of Educational Leaders in Mueang District, Mae Hong Son Province
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Abstract
This research article aims to: 1) develop village-level management plans for the prevention and mitigation of wildfires and haze, and 2) develop the capacity of community innovators and compare their capacity before and after the capacity development program in wildfire and haze prevention and mitigation management through the participation of educational leaders in Mueang District, Mae Hong Son Province. The study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) as its methodology, with the concepts of community-based wildfire and haze management, community innovators, and educational leader participation serving as the research framework. The sample group consisted of 60 school administrators, educational personnel, local leaders, and community representatives selected through purposive sampling, and 30 community innovators selected through simple random sampling across six sub-districts. Four research instruments were used: 1) a community data survey, 2) an in-depth interview form, 3) focus group discussion guidelines, and 4) a community innovator capacity assessment form. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and a dependent t-test for mean comparison, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The research findings revealed that: 1) the development of village-level management plans for the prevention and mitigation of wildfires and haze, resulted in a community database displaying risk point data, topographical characteristics, social capital, and cooperative networks in an accessible community mapping format, and 2) overall community innovator capacity increased significantly at the 0.01 statistical level across all dimensions, with technology application skills for decision-making showing the most significant improvement (t = 15.634, p < .001).
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