A development the Mindfulness Course for Open Learning the Elderly in the Eastern Region

Abstract

The purpose of this research was threefold: (1) to investigate the needs for developing a Mindfulness course for Open Learning for elderly learners in the Eastern Region of Thailand, (2) to design and develop the course, and (3) to implement and evaluate its effectiveness. The study was organized into three phases. Phase 1, Needs Assessment, involved 400 elderly participants and 15 experts. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Phase 2, Course Development, engaged seven experts to evaluate the course's quality and suitability. Phase 3, Course Implementation and Evaluation, was conducted with 40 elderly participants utilizing the developed online course and a satisfaction survey. The statistical methods employed in data analysis included descriptive statistics, needs assessment, efficiency evaluation based on E1/E2 criteria, and dependent samples t-test at a significance level of 0.05

The findings indicated that: 1) The highest level of need concerned formats and methods of mindfulness practice (PNImodified = 0.39), followed by applications of mindfulness in daily life (PNImodified = 0.36), fundamental practice (PNImodified =0.27), and basic knowledge (PNImodified = 0.19) 2)The results of developing the Mindfulness course for open learning among older adults in the Eastern region revealed that experts evaluated the course quality at a high level (= 4.47, S.D. = 0.50). The efficiency rating for E1/E2 was 81.86/82.98, which met the established 80/80 criteria, indicating that the Mindfulness course demonstrated effectiveness. Furthermore, post-test learning achievement scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores (= 7.67, S.D. = 0.79) at the 0.05 statistical significance level, indicating that participating older adults demonstrated clear development in their knowledge and understanding of mindfulness. 3) Elderly learners reported a high level of satisfaction with the BUU MOOCs online lessons, with an overall mean score of =3.88 and a standard deviation of 0.76. In terms of specific dimensions, the perceived benefits of online learning had the highest mean score ( =3.97, S.D. = 0.74), followed by the design and presentation of the online lessons (=3.93, S.D. = 0.74). These findings indicate that the BUU MOOCs online lessons effectively support teaching and learning in the digital era.