A Development Activities in Upright School Project of Toongloy School, Omkoi District, Chiangmai Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to examine problems of organizing upright school project activities and to develop a guideline for organizing the activities at Ban Tung Loi School, Om Koi District, Chiang Mai Province. The quality research methods were used and the research instruments consisted of a structured interview and a focus group discussion from 35 key informants. The content analysis was utilized to analyze the data and the results were presented descriptively. The research findings are as follows.

1. The problems in conducting the upright school project activities were as follows. Firstly, the students did not have skills in differentiating benefits and harms of honest and dishonest behaviors. They did not have individuals as good role models and were unable to explain goodness of individuals who were good role models. Secondly, the students did not pay serious attention to regulations and agreements of the school and community. Thirdly, the students copied homework or assignments. Fourthly, the students put personal interests ahead of public ones and did not use resources thriftily. Finally, the students were not willing to help others and did not participate in or encourage others to behave like good members of the school and community.


2. The guideline for developing the activities based on the interview and the focus group discussion consisted of the cultivation of five aspects. They were divided into the following sub-activities. Firstly, the thinking process skills consisted of an analysis of case studies of goodness, a search to glorify honest individuals, raising awareness on danger of corruption, a campaign against corruption, promotion of thinking skills after the flag raising ceremony, and an ethic training camp for youths. Secondly, discipline was composed of area cleaning activities, meeting spiritual monk teachers, checking attendance during the flag raising ceremony, appointment of representatives to examine area cleanliness, queuing during lunch time, and participation in the sports day. Thirdly, honesty consisted of meeting spiritual monk teachers, checking attendance during the flag raising ceremony, appointment of representatives to examine area cleanliness, promotion of honesty during the flag raising ceremony, honest school song broadcast, a pledge for honest school in the morning, and a campaign against corruption. Fourthly, self-sufficiency was composed of creating learning resources in school, a highland occupation project, agriculture for school lunch, farm product processing, and a campaign to use resources thriftily. Finally, public mind was composed of meeting spiritual monk teachers, helping peers to become literate, participation in area cleaning, participation in the merit-making ceremony on the Buddhist Lent Day, and activities for community services.