Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to study the kind of cartoons that governmental elementary school pupils liked most, their viewpoints towards the comic magazines especially in their format, price, cartoons, columns, use of language and advantages, including their relationship of sex and grade level between children's pleasure of comic cartoons in all aspects mentioned. The results would be used as facts and data for those who dealed with the producing of comic magazines in order to improve and bring them about to fulfill children's pleasure. In addition, the results would also stimulate parents and librarians to take more care in their children's reading or suggest the worthy reading so that they would be established with morality and useful knowledge since their childhood. The researcher used the method of random in choosing the research population. It consisted of pratom 3 and pratom 6 pupils of both sexes from 5 governmental elementary schools in Bangkok. They were the Sam Sen Kindergarten School, the Piboon- Oopatum School, Wat Maha-Busaya School, Wat Plab-Pla-Chai School and Wat. Nang School. The nine comic magazines studied here were those which have the exact date of release i.e, monthly or semi-monthly. In the magazines, contexts are of varieties but the main purpose is for entertainment. The nine magazines; were Cartoon Mahasanook, Chaiyapruek Cartoon, Tookkata, Baby, Poen Cartoon, Poenruk, Yaowachon, Rukyim and Noocha, All these were callected for this research during June-December า982. They were left for 1 week at each school and in the second week the pupils were to answer the questionnaires. The results of this research were as followed. 1. The kind of cartoons that elementary school pupils of 69.3% liked most was humorous cartoons. 2. The viewpoints of pupils towards comic magazines were as followed. 2.1 For the format, more than 50% of pupils thought that six comic magazines have the appropriate size of 10.5"x 8.0". They were Cartoon Mahasanook, Tookkata, Baby, Yaowachon, Rukyim and Noocha. 2.2 For the price, pupil of more than 60% agreed that the same six magazines have the reasonable price of 5 baht. 2.3 For the cartoons, pupils of more than 50% voted for Noocha having the most beautiful cartoon whereas Rukyim had the ugliest. Most of them also preferred coloured cartoons to black and white. 73% of pupils were enjoyed by humorous cartoons in Cartoon Mahasanook as same as its cover-page, 64,3% liked it. 2.4 For the columns, pupils of less than 30% read all through the magazines. Most of them read the part they preferred. Seven comic magazines most pupils considered having the suitable numbers of columns (18-20 columns) were Cartoon Mahasanook. Chaiyapruek Cartoon, Tookkata, Baby, Poen Cartoon, Rukyim Sind Noocha. The column that more than 50% of pupils preferred having been much printed was the humorous cartoons in Cartoon Mahasanook, Baby, Rukyim and Noocha. There were almost 60% of pupils liked playing games in Cartoon Mahasanook, Tookkata, Baby and Noocha. As in the contacting personally with the cartoonists, it was found that less than 20% of pupils did and 50% confessed that they thought to but never did. When finished reading, 60% of pupils were pleased with Cartoon Mahasanook. At the same time, more than 60% agreed that four magazines i.e. Cartoon Mahasanook, Chaiyapruek Cartoon, Baby and Noocha were at their best in producing. 2.5 For the advantages, 49% of pupils which was the highest percentage gave their opinion that Chaiyapruek Cartoon offered the most profits. 2.6 For the use of language, 70% of pupils considered that Cartoon Mahasanook used the most understanding language.Though, there were 43% - 57% of pupils thought that every comic magazines used a little bit of rude words. The one that was considered using the most polite words was Poen Cartoon. 2.7 The comic magazines that most of pupils (1956 or 57. pupils) liked most was Chaiyapruek Cartoon. The reason that pupils liked reading comic magazines was that they contained humorous cartoons which gave much pleasure and easy understanding. 2.8 For the improvement, the children agreed that cartoons should be improved in their drawing in the first place and numbers of columns in the second. 3. There was no relationship of sex and grade level between children's pleasure of comic magazines in format, price, cartoons, columns, use of language and advantages.