CULTIVATION OF MORALITY, ETHICS AND CIVILITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CHILDREN ACCORDING TO DESIRABLE THAI ATTRIBUTES

Abstract

Background and Objective: This research aims to study the results of cultivating morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes. The researcher conducted this research with two phases of research: 1) Studying desirable Thai attributes and      2) Studying the results of activities to cultivate morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes. The target group in the study was qualified persons, namely five teachers, three parents of early childhood children, and two primary school teachers, obtained from the purposive sampling method, a total of 10 persons. Boys and girls aged 3 - 6 who study kindergarten 1 - 3 in the city's prominent schools, namely Manee Anusorn School and Watcharapol Kindergarten, were selected from a purposive sampling method of 65 students.

Methodology: The researcher conducted this research with mixed methods. The instruments are questionnaires and manuals for cultivating morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes.

Main Results: The results of the study of cultivating morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes were summarized as follows: 1) The results of the study of desirable Thai attributes according to Buddhist doctrines consist of three aspects: Physicality, Speech, and Mentality; 2) The results of the activities cultivating morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to the desirable Thai attributes of Thai people from observing the moral, ethical, and civility of early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes. Before and after the activities, there are three aspects of Thai people's desirable attributes according to Buddhist doctrine: Physicality, Speech, and Mentality. Desirable physicality attributes include doing the right things and behaving with civil physicality. Desirable speech attributes include saying the right words, do not lie, and deceive. Desirable civil mentality attributes include thinking the right way. And after organizing activities to cultivate morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes, early childhood children have higher behavior scores according to desirable Thai attributes than before the activity. They can be sorted as follows: Speech, Mentality, and Physicality aspects have an average difference score of 4.89, 4.02, and 3.00, respectively. Comparison of behavioral scores on morality, ethics, and civility scores of early childhood children based on desirable Thai attributes before and after the overall activity was found that after organizing activities to cultivate morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes, early childhood children behave according to desirable Thai attributes higher than before the activities with an average difference of 3.97 points, the activities cultivates in the morality, ethics, and civility of early childhood children based on desirable Thai attributes, encouraging early childhood children to have higher behavioral scores than before the activities.

Involvement to Buddhadhamma: There are three desirable attributes of Thai people concerning Buddhist doctrine: Physicality attributes, Speech attributes, and Mentality attributes.

Conclusions: This research concludes that this study cultivates morality, ethics, and civility in early childhood children according to desirable Thai attributes concerning Buddhist doctrines that are used as a framework for organizing activities for early childhood. After the activity, it was found that organizing activities using teaching units and lesson plans that integrate Buddhist teachings resulted in early childhood children having good physicality, speech, and mentality attributes with an average difference of 3.97 points. Early childhood children speak modestly with manner, which is a desirable speech expression. Additionally, early childhood children express love and goodwill towards their peers in the classroom, which is a desirable mentality expression, etc.