A STUDY OF THE CURRENT CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS IN DRIVING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to study the current conditions and problems in the work of community developers at the Community Development Department (CDD), Ministry of Interior. Data were collected from 22 community developers across 11 districts in Chachoengsao Province, selected through purposive sampling proportional to each area. All participants had at least five years of work experience. An in-depth interview form consisting of 6 sections and 22 questions was developed based on a literature review and validated for content accuracy by experts. Triangulation was applied to enhance the credibility of the findings. The data were analyzed and presented through descriptive analysis. The research findings revealed two main aspects. First, regarding current working conditions, community developers are required to take on numerous responsibilities, including community development administration, support, assistance, consultation, promotion of learning processes and community participation, as well as coordination and collaboration with other agencies. Second, problems in the work of community developers can be categorized into three main groups: 1) Policy-related issues, especially the top-down approach to policy implementation; 2) Resource-related issues, including insufficient personnel, limited budget, and lack of technological tools; and 3) Career-related issues, particularly the unclear career progression. The recommendations for the Community Development Department are that the department should  manage the workload appropriately; increasing the number of personnel and distributing responsibilities more effectively; shifting from a top-down to a bottom-up approach through participatory processes; ensuring sufficient allocation of resources, including technology and tools; adjusting compensation to align with workloads and the cost of living; and developing a clear and systematic career path for community development professionals.