SIGN LANGUAGE, DHAMMA LANGUAGE: INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING BUDDHISM TO HEARING-IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Hearing-impaired individuals are vulnerable persons in society.
Their vulnerability is closely linked to inequality and empowers hearing-impaired individuals to be immune to problems and obstacles. It includes Buddhist principles that help prevent and solve life problems efficiently. Hence, the researchers' group realizes the importance of folktales for soothing the human mind and disciplining the morality of humans. The folktales tactfully comprise the teaching of behavioral guidelines that are the basis of socializing. Therefore, the researchers are interested in studying the elements of innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals by creating innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals, determining the efficiency of innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals, and learning lessons. It is a set of knowledge to develop the potential of hearing-impaired individuals through innovations in teaching Buddhism by using multimedia, which is an animated cartoon with a sign language interpreter narrating the pictures.

Methodology: This research used mixed methods by studying information in documents. It includes concepts, theories, and related research. The researchers used the information as guidelines for creating research tools to use in data collection for analyzing and creating innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals.

Main Results: The innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals were the inventions for creating new methods in teaching Buddhism that could have developed the learning quality for learners and the learning management for teachers to be more efficient.
They took into account things perceivable by sight, the media consisting of sound and images, and digital media. The efficiency of the innovations in teaching Buddhism to hearing-impaired individuals through three aspects, which included content, digital media, design, or learning process, was found to have the mean values at the highest level.

Involvement to Buddhadhamma: The Buddhist principles that were innovative teaching methods for hearing-impaired individuals consisted of earnestness (Appamāda), three kinds of desires (Taṇhā), the five aggregates (Pañca-khandha), the advice on how to investigate a doctrine (Kālāmasutta), the four sublime states of mind (Brahmavihāra Dhamma), and the four paths of accomplishment (Iddhipāda). This research applied the principles of Buddhism with modern science in the field of the development of wisdom and morality by integrating them with the teaching methods for hearing-impaired students. There were groups of persons with disabilities who were interested in learning more about Buddhist principles through the creative media for hearing-impaired individuals. The innovations would have led to the development of life and intelligence to be prosperous, strengthening mental health to create social immunity amidst social conditions of increased fragility.

Conclusions: The innovations in teaching Buddhism within this study was regarded as a new body of knowledge. It took the northern folktales that appeared in ancient scriptures as a Buddhist creative media for teaching Buddhism. The purpose was to provide another channel of learning the Buddhist principles for hearing-impaired individuals. This creative media could have been applied to learning management in the subject field of Buddhism and local culture among educational institutions in order to physically and mentally immunize hearing-impaired individuals. In addition, it was also consistent with the mission of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, which indicated that the university managed Buddhist education integrated with modern science to create Buddhist innovation for developing the mind and society.