BUDDHADHAMMA APPLICATION FOR PROMOTING THE POTENTIAL ENHANCEMENT OF THAI NATIONAL TEAM ATHLETES OF SPORTS AUTHORITY OF THAILAND

Abstract

Objectives of this research article were: 1. to study the development of the potential of Thai national athletes under the Sports Authority of Thailand, 2. to examine the factors influencing the development of their potential, and 3. to propose the application of Buddhist principles to enhance the development of Thai national athletes’ potential. A mixed-methods approach was employed. The quantitative research involved 134 Thai national athletes as the sample group. Data were collected using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed through frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The qualitative research involved key informants, including executives of the Sports Authority of Thailand and Thai national athletes. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 informants and a focus group discussion with 10 participants, using a structured interview guide. Content analysis was applied.

The research findings revealed that: 1. the overall development of the potential of Thai national athletes was at a high level across all aspects; 2. the promoting factors significantly influenced all aspects of the athletes’ potential at the 0. 01 level and could predict the variance by 62. 8%, Additionally, the Five Bala significantly influenced the development at the 0. 01 level and could predict 79.5% of the variance; 3. the application of Buddhist principles to promote the potential development included the following: in terms of knowledge, athletes learned from experts’ experiences; in terms of skills, athletes were trained with a focus on improving weaknesses; in terms of attitude, athletes listened to their teammates’ opinions; in terms of personality, athletes possessed appropriate communication and expression skills; and in terms of motivation, athletes believed that they could achieve their goals through persistent effort.