Valoración de docentes y estudiantes sobre las propuestas de ESMATE y el plan

As described in chapter 2, an attitude is an opinion towards a specific object (Bohner and Wänke 5). It governs individuals’ behaviours towards those things. In this study, attitudes have been collected via two methods: survey (questionnaire) and interview.

The survey was aimed at groups of potential users, so the participants did not necessarily have knowledge or understanding of archives. The survey can thus be taken to represent general attitudes of people in Thailand whose lives are distant from archival materials. In contrast, the interviews with archivists, users and archives educators captured attitudes of those who are more acquainted with archives. This research uncovered a contrast or clashes in perceptions of archives between these two groups, reflecting a gap that exists among people throughout the country.

4.3.1 Survey

The survey was conducted only in Thailand by sending questionnaires to four groups of participants: teachers, media, staff in private- and public-sector organisations and non-academic archives users (or those interested in using archives for leisure). The respondents included both users and non-users. One of the aims of the survey was to understand general Thai attitudes towards archives and the potential of these groups of people to become archives users in the future, since professional or general-interest archival use is not common in Thailand.

The second part of the survey of all groups was about attitudes towards archives. The questionnaire asked two open-ended questions – firstly, about the respondent’s

opinions regarding archives; and secondly, if the respondent has not used archives, the reasons why not. The fact that the participants were able to give their opinions freely in the questionnaire has helped me to understand their attitudes towards archives without having actively guided their opinions. The first part asks background information of the participants, and the third part asked the participants their

preferences in purposes of using archives and means of using archives which will be reported in chapter 5 (for each group) and 6 (in total).

4.3.1.1 Perceptions and attitudes towards archives from Thai people in general

The data from the survey confirms that most ideas about archives are still vague.

Additionally, those who have clearer ideas about archives tend to associate the

material with traditional Thai thoughts about history and cultural heritage. On this level, opinions collected can be considered partly attitudes and partly only

perceptions, as some participants are likely never to have devoted conscious thought to the word archives. One of the user interviewees commented on this, saying she does not think that attitudes on archives have been formed, since people do not even know what archives are (Towinus). Rather, at this level they should be considered perceptions. In fact, the level of knowledge about archives varies among different groups of people.

The level of perception

People in this group do not understand the meaning of the word “chotmaihet” at all.

Some have come across the word at some point but have only a vague understanding about it. An example of one perception reported on the questionnaire that reflected such a state is, “I feel that they are old. They look hard to understand and sound like they only belong to the government”. Or, “My work is not official. It is not related to the government”. The general perceptions are that archives are old, related to the government, complicated, hard to access and irrelevant to modern professional life.

Many other participants do not understand what archives exactly mean. When I gave the questionnaire to people in person, they tended to ask me about the real definition of archives.

The Level of attitude

People in this group can identify the definition of archives and have their own opinions towards the objects. Some have experience using archives while others do not. The understandings expressed are diverse.

Some participants were able to give opinions on archives, though they still show some misunderstandings. For example, one commented that archives are reliable primary sources (which is not always true). Some expressed conflicting ideas about what archives mean. For example, some answers refer to archives as autobiography, and that they use easier language than public records. This is because the word “archives”, or chotmaihet in Thai, can refer to a few kinds of work: the royal secretary’s diary during Ayutthaya period, a genre of literary work that records travelling experience,

and archives in the modern sense, which are records created in organisations both in public and private sectors. This kind of answer shows that the first meaning of archives remains on their mind, and they are not aware of what kind of archives the NAT provides. This confusion was mentioned by a NAT archivist who does not want to be named that students sometimes want to find chotmaihet (literature) in The National Library but they are sent to the NAT because of the ambiguity of the word.

The lack of clarity inherent in the term is a feature among both users and information practitioners.

Another kind of attitude that was conveyed through the survey is the notion many Thais have regarding cultural heritage. That is, heritage is high culture, sacred and royal. It is there to be preserved (not used). The approach the Thai government uses is to seek to persuade people to see the value of heritage in order to pass it on to the next generations. The answers in this group reflect this view firmly. A few answers from people interested in archival use for leisure come close to following the same pattern.

That is, the idea of archives as heritage for future generations and as national property that should be preserved is clearly strong. Some answers from the questionnaire are, for example, “Archives are very valuable historically. They should be preserved for the future generations”, “Archives contain a body of knowledge that should be preserved for studying in the future,” and, “This is keeping records that are valuable for Thai people and the country for both educational purposes and the future

development of the country”. All of these statements show the strong recognition of historical value of archives and the need to preserve them for their future use in education and governance. However, overall archives are not widely preserved, and this is because of traditional Thai Buddhist ideas of impermanence. If they are kept at all it would be from Thai notions of knowledge and custom transmission.

The last kind of answer illustrates that some participants understand what archives the NAT keeps and provides. This group consists of attitudes derived from the

interviewees and some participants in the survey who are also archives users. As they have had experience in archival use at the NAT, they are able to point out obstacles in using archives as well as provide some suggestions for improvement.

Some participants from the survey identified archives as useful materials but made suggestions for areas where the NAT could help them search and use archives better.

These answers indicate that attitudes towards archives and those towards archival services are two different things, but one can affect the other. In this case, general attitudes towards archives are positive but some people have had difficulties with archival access, which has made them less motivated to use archives.

The survey participants in certain groups were able to list various positive opinions about archives. Teachers were able to enumerate different values clearly. For

example, one participant mentioned that archives reflect the history of the country and its past events, and this is linked to how people must know their own roots. Another mentioned the value of archives in showing what old language was like. These comments, mostly found in the potential non-academic users and teachers, are more generic and show understanding and awareness of archives’ values. In these

statements, potential archives users and users in this group emphasise historical value (both as evidence and information).