A Study of Media Literacy Activities for Monks Based on Buddhist Psychology

Abstract

The objectives of the study consisted of 1) to study the situation of Buddhist monks’ media literacy; 2) to develop a training package of media literacy based on Buddhist Psychology for Buddhist monks; and 3) to study the results of media literacy based on Buddhist Psychology for Buddhist monks. The study was a mixed method research in nature. The researcher presented the study in 4 phases: Phase 1 as qualitative, phase 2 as quantitative, phase 3 as quasi-experimental quantity, and phase 4 as an expansion of the results of the workshop, selecting a sample of 400 respondents in objective 1, a sample of 280 respondents in objective 2, and selecting a sample of 70 respondents in objective 3. The tools for data collection encompassed a behavioral measure of media literacy in knowledge, physical, social, mental, and intellectual aspects, and an interview. Data were analyzed using mean, confirmatory factor analysis of the two groups, One-way analysis of variance, and content analysis.  

The results of the study revealed 1) Most Buddhist monks in the sample had a high level of knowledge about overall media literacy (M=4.01, SD=0.65). 2) a training package of media literacy based on Buddhist Psychology for Buddhist monks bringing about media literacy behaviors in 4 areas including physical, social, mental and intellectual aspects with a total of 11 activities, spending three days and 18 hours by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with seven elements ( = 12.69, df = 7, p = 0.080, GFI =.987, AGFI= 0.949, and RMR = 0.0109), and 3) training results found that after participating in the activity, Buddhist monks’ media literacy scores increased with statistical significance at .05 level and in the expansion period.