Buddhamagga

A Study and Analysis of the Meaning and Aims of Education

2025-11-23T10:25:54+07:00

Education serves as a fundamental basis for human development, aiming to explore and apply knowledge to enhance personal growth in alignment with professional, social, and economic contexts. In the postmodern era, education must adapt to rapid technological changes and the characteristics of a borderless information society. This requires the integration of both science and art into a coherent whole. Moreover, education must align with contemporary ideologies, beliefs, freedoms, multicultural values, and the patterns of thought inherent in the postmodern world, enabling learners to navigate and develop meaningfully within modern society.

Analytical Study of Educational Philosophy in Buddhism

2025-09-28T22:30:19+07:00

Education plays a vital role in human and social development, serving as a process through which individuals understand themselves, others, and transmit knowledge to future generations. Western educational philosophy is typically categorized into five major schools—Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Reconstructionism, and Existentialism—each with distinct aims and methods. In contrast, Buddhist education aims at the complete cessation of suffering through the Noble Eightfold Path, which is grounded in seven essential preparatory factors: good friendship (kalyāṇamitta-sampadā), moral discipline (sīla-sampadā), zeal (chanda-sampadā), purposeful benefit (attha-sampadā), right view (diṭṭhi-sampadā), heedfulness (appamāda-sampadā), and wise reflection (yoniso-manasikāra). The findings indicate the following correspondences: Essentialism aligns with kalyāṇamitta-sampadā as guidance derived from trustworthy sources; Perennialism corresponds to sīla-sampadā through disciplined practice grounded in truth; Progressivism relates to chanda-sampadā in its emphasis on adapting to changing contexts, whereas a complete rejection of prior knowledge reflects Reconstructionism. Attha-sampadā parallels Existentialism in its focus on individual meaning and values. Meanwhile, diṭṭhi-sampadā, appamāda-sampadā, and yoniso-manasikāra represent uniquely Buddhist epistemic contributions.

Analytical Study of Educational System: Problems and Development Approaches towards Desired Education

2025-12-05T14:34:48+07:00

This article examines the Thai education system with a focus on existing problems and desirable approaches to educational development. The study analyzes the evolution of Thai educational philosophy, which can be classified into four eras: (1) the Sukhothai period to the early Rattanakosin period, (2) the period of educational reform during the reign of King Rama V, (3) the period prior to the change of the political regime, and (4) the period following the regime change. The fourth era reflects modern educational thought influenced by progressivism, existentialism, and analytical philosophy and can be compared to the fifth wave of educational change associated with globalization and 21st-century education.

The findings indicate that since the regime change, the Thai government has continuously implemented National Education Plans, particularly the 2008 Basic Education Core Curriculum, which emphasizes eight desirable characteristics of learners. Nevertheless, the Thai education system continues to face major challenges in three areas: policy, practitioners, and the educational system itself. These challenges are largely attributable to rapid advances in information technology, which have contributed to unequal access to educational resources and opportunities.

This article proposes two key approaches to addressing these challenges: policy-oriented strategies and collaborative efforts among relevant stakeholders. The contribution of this study lies in presenting a conceptual framework for identifying educational problems and formulating desirable development approaches grounded in the fourth era of Thai educational philosophy and aligned with the context of globalization and 21st-century education.

Developing Emotional Perception Abilities and Kalyanamitta-Dharma Characteristics of Bachelor of Education Students through a Blended-Media Guidance Activity Package

2025-11-23T10:31:49+07:00

The purposes of this research were 1) to compare the emotional perception abilities and Kalyanamitta-Dharma characteristics of students before and after participating in a blended-media guidance activity package, and 2) to compare these outcomes between the experimental and control groups. The sample comprised 39 Bachelor of Education students at Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, including 18 in the experimental group and 21 in the control group, selected through cluster random sampling. The research instruments included 1) a 6-week blended-media guidance activity package using the PRIDE process, 2) an emotional perception ability scale, and 3) a Kalyanamitta-Dharma characteristics scale. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, and t-tests.

The results indicated that 1) students who participated in the blended-media guidance activity package demonstrated statistically significantly higher emotional perception abilities and Kalyanamitta-Dharma characteristics after the intervention compared to before participation at the .05 level, and 2) the experimental group achieved statistically significantly higher scores than the control group at the .05 level.

Book Review: Teacher Management and Professional Development

2025-11-23T10:37:41+07:00

This book review aims to enhance academic understanding and serve as an assignment for the course “Quality Assurance and Educational Philosophy.” It examines the book Teacher Management and Professional Development, which is organized into three parts comprising twelve key topics. Part 1 focuses on teacher allocation and management, including teacher resignations, shortages of qualified teachers, maximizing the effectiveness of the current teaching workforce, short-term staffing issues, regional and institutional imbalances in teacher distribution, and aligning institutional needs with individual teacher preferences and characteristics. Part 2 discusses teacher motivation, evaluation, and professional development, covering management structures, task delegation, the teaching profession, and merit-based assessment. Part 3 presents concluding considerations for policymakers and educational managers. The review synthesizes these issues to highlight challenges and potential directions for improving teacher quality and strengthening the educational system.