THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORALITY AND ETHICS FOR STUDENTS OF MAHAMAKUT BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY ISAAN CAMPUS ON AN EDUCATIONAL TRIP TO INDIA

Abstract

This research aims to 1) examine the level of ethics among students at Mahamakut Buddhist University, Isan Campus; 2) compare the level of ethics among students before and after participating in a study trip to India; and 3) investigate the satisfaction level of students regarding the ethics development program. The research population consisted of 30 doctoral students from the 1st to 4th cohorts who enrolled in the Mindfulness Practice course in the second semester of the academic year 2023. The research instrument was a questionnaire on students' ethics. The questionnaire had a reliability coefficient of 0.872. The statistical analysis involved frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

Research findings indicate that the majority of students are laypeople, comprising 63.33%, while the remaining 36.67% are ordained. In terms of age, 50% of the students are 51 years old or above. Regarding academic year/cohort, 46.67% are first-year students, followed by 26.67% in their second year. The remaining 13.33% are third-year and fourth-year students. Overall, the level of ethics and morals among Mahidol University Isan Campus students during their study trip to India was high ((m=3.83, s=0.80), Honesty was the most prominent ethical quality (m=4.23, s=0.86), followed by selflessness (m=4.10, s= 0.80), and responsibility was the lowest (m=3.50, s=0.90). A statistically significant difference was found at the .05 level when comparing the students' ethical levels before and after the development program. Furthermore, student satisfaction with the ethics development program was high. The most satisfying activity was praying/chanting (m=4.47, s=0.68), followed by meditation (m=4.30, s =0.92), and the least satisfying was visiting sacred sites (m=4.03, s=0.81).