Communicating the Identity of Chiang Rai Ethnic Food through Board Games

Abstract

This study aims to 1) investigate the ethnic food identity of Chiang Rai 2) design and develop a board game that communicates the ethnic food identity of Chiang Rai 3) explore the satisfaction levels of the younger generation towards the ethnic food board game and 4)compare the knowledge and understanding of the younger generation regarding ethnic food in Chiang Rai before and after playing the board game. This research employs a mixed-methods approach. The target participants were university students and working-age individuals aged between 19-25 years in Chiang Rai Province who are interested in board games. A convenience sampling method, a sample of 30 people was selected. The research instruments consisted of 1) an interview guide for key informants on ethnic food identity 2) a pre-and post-

test questionnaire measuring knowledge and understanding of ethnic food and 3) a satisfaction survey with data analyzed using statistical software to calculate percentages, means, and standard deviations. The research findings revealed that the ethnic food identity of Chiang Rai is flexible and adaptable to changing contexts. In terms of the board game development, the overall satisfaction of participants scored an average of 4.20 indicating a high level of satisfaction. Additionally, The comparison of the participants’ pre-test and post-test scores revealed mean values of 6.87 and 7.57, respectively. A Paired t-test analysis indicated a statistically significant improvement in the post-test scores compared to the pre-test scores at the 0.01 level of significance (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the “Ethnic Chef” board game effectively enhanced participants’ knowledge and understanding of ethnic cuisine.