COMPARISON SOFT SKILLS OF VILLAGE HEALTH VOLUNTEERS LEADERS IN CHACHOENGSAO PROVINCE

Abstract

     Soft skills are an essential element enabling leaders to effectively address challenges and create environments conducive to positive change. This study employs a descriptive research design to explore and compare the soft skills of village health volunteer leaders in Chachoengsao Province classified by their demographic characteristics in Chachoengsao Province. The study population comprises 1,080 village health volunteer leaders at the village, sub-district, district, and provincial levels. The sample size, determined using Krejcie and Morgan’s formula, includes 284 participants. Data were collected via a questionnaire with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.98. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics and inferential tests to compare soft skills across demographic characteristics, using the independent t-test and One-Way ANOVA, with statistical significance set at the 0.05 level.

          The result that, overall, soft skills among these leaders were rated highly ( =4.18, SD=0.55). At the dimension level, all skills were highly rated, with the highest mean for communication and persuasion ( =4.21, SD=0.58), followed by teamwork ( =4.20, SD=0.57). The lowest-rated skill was creativity ( =4.12, SD=0.56). Statistically significant differences in soft skills were found based on educational attainment (F=3.086, p<.05), while other demographics such as age, marital status, monthly income, general volunteer experience, and leadership experience did not yield significant differences in soft skill levels.

          Thus, a broader set of soft skills, incorporating competencies like problem-solving, flexibility, and leadership, could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of these skills on operational efficiency in health promotion and community health care delivery