Development of Thai Language Teaching Skills Integrated with Buddhist Principles for Lecturers of the Faculty of Education, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

Abstract

This study aimed to 1. investigate the Thai language teaching skills of lecturers in the Faculty of Education, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, 2. develop guidelines for integrating Buddhist principles into the enhancement of Thai language teaching skills, and 3. evaluate the outcomes of these guidelines. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires from 25 purposively selected participants and analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 27 key informants and focus group discussions with 10 participants, and analyzed using content analysis.

The findings revealed that 1. the Thai language teaching skills of the lecturers were at a high level across instructors, students, subject content, and teaching materials. Lecturers demonstrated deep knowledge of Thai, employed diverse teaching activities and media, provided comprehensive assessment, and continuously developed themselves. Students showed positive attitudes and effectively enhanced their Thai language skills. The overall evaluation yielded a mean of 4.08 and a standard deviation of 0.84. 2. The guidelines for integrating Buddhist principles were developed based on the Four Foundations of Reflection (Paṭisaṅkhā), comprising four skill-development activities: Atta Paṭisaṅkhā (self-reflection), Dhamma Paṭisaṅkhā (moral reasoning), Nirutti Paṭisaṅkhā (language analysis), and Pañña Paṭisaṅkhā (wisdom application). 3. Evaluation of the guidelines indicated that they were appropriate, feasible, and beneficial for enhancing Thai language teaching skills among the lecturers after integrating Buddhist principles.