Speaker
Description
Mental health problems like depression and sedentary behavior are increasing, especially among university students. This research and development study aimed to create and develop recreational programs to promote student happiness. The research was conducted in three phases. The sample group in the first phase consisted of 400 students from Rajamangala University of Technology, Lower Central Higher Education Network Group, Thailand, and the sample group in 2-3 phases consisted of 19 experts. The research tools used include a questionnaire and in-depth interview guidelines. Phase 1 revealed that the preferred activities among students were, e.g., outdoor/nature activities (mean = 3.13), special activities during festivals (mean = 3.11), and social activities (mean = 3.10). Phase 2 developed a recreational program that included eight activities based on student needs: 1. Separation activity...tell them to identify 2. Self-reflection activity...in the shadows of the past 3. Running activity...don't roll and fall backwards. 4. Volunteer activity for artificial coral conservation 5. Tie-dye activity...tie and dye 6. Karaoke Singing Contest activity 7. Beautiful garden arrangement in glass bottles activity and 8. Tea Tree Ranger parade activity. These programs are offered in three formats: a full-time format (eight weeks, once a week), a condensed format (four weeks, twice a week), and the interest format, which is to choose 1-2 activities according to the sub-components of happiness. A 42-item happiness assessment tool was also developed to fit the context of those students. The findings of Phase 3 were that the recreational program was feasible and suitable for implementation
