Development of the Learning of Five Precepts of Hearing-Impaired Children (HIC) at Setsathian School under the Royal Patronage with Innovation of Gestalt Buddhist Dramatic Art*

Abstract

The research aimed to study the teaching management of the Five Precepts among Hearing-Impaired Children (HIC) at Setsathian School under the Royal Patronage, to create and experiment with Innovation of Gestalt Buddhist Dramatic Art for developing their learning of Five Precepts, and to evaluate the results for building a knowledge set and publishing an article for the public. The study groups included: 1. Key informants: 20 persons randomly selected from the population, consisting of HIC upper secondary students (9), administrator-teachers (6), staff (2), and parents (3). 2. Sample groups: HIC upper secondary students randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, 15 persons each. Both groups were required to take a Five Precepts achievement test before, after, and one month after the experiment. The experiment was conducted five times, for two hours, with three steps. The research found that the Buddhist Gestalt drama innovation was effective in developing the learning of the Five Precepts among HICs. The experimental group’s mean score after the experiment (18.7) was higher than before (12.5) and at follow-up (15.8), and also significantly higher than the control group both after the experiment (18.7 vs. 11.8) and at follow-up (15.8 vs. 11.5), with statistical significance (p<0.001). Moreover, HICs were satisfied with the innovation, as it enabled them to clearly understand the Five Precepts, reflect inwardly, apply them to solve and prevent real-life problems, and gain a deeper understanding of their own and others’ emotions. The findings were synthesized into a knowledge set and an article.