THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTICULTURAL ANIMATION STORYBOOK SET USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO PROMOTE THAI LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNERS IN MON PIN EDUCATIONAL QUALITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER, FANG DISTRICT, CHIANG MAI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) develop a multicultural animation storybook set using artificial intelligence for early childhood learners in schools under the Mon Pin Educational Quality Development Center, Fang District, Chiang Mai Province, and 2) compare children’s listening and speaking abilities before and after using the storybook set. The sample comprised 31 Kindergarten 3 children aged 5–6 years (18 boys and 13 girls) at Ban Khob Dong School during the first semester of the 2026 academic year, selected through cluster random sampling using the school as the sampling unit. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. Research instruments included eight AI-developed multicultural animation storybooks, learning experience plans, and a listening and speaking ability assessment. The intervention lasted eight weeks, three days per week, 20 minutes per day, totaling eight hours. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and dependent-samples t-tests. The results showed that 1) the storybook set achieved an efficiency index (E1/E2) of 89.93/96.98, exceeding the 80/80 criterion; 2) listening scores increased from 17.81 to 23.39, a mean difference of 5.58 (t = 22.43, p < .001), statistically significant at the .01 level; and 3) speaking scores increased from 21.29 to 23.16, a mean difference of 1.87 (t = 12.93, p < .001), statistically significant at the .01 level. Overall listening and speaking scores increased from 39.10 to 46.55, a mean difference of 7.45 (t = 35.20, p < .001).

Keywords: Multicultural Animation Storybook Set, Artificial Intelligence, Listening Ability, Speaking Ability, Early Childhood Learners