Leadership Model for the Administration of Buddhist Schools, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand

Abstract

The research aimed to 1) study and analyze overall leadership for the administration of the Buddhist Schools in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand 2) study Buddhadhamma (Buddha’s teaching), principles and methods for the administration of the Buddhist Schools, and 3) present the Buddhist leadership model for the administration of the Buddhist Schools. The research methodology used for the study blended qualitative methods, supported by quantitative methods. For the qualitative research, data was collected from 15 key informants, purposefully selected, by the In-depth Interview, and Focus Group Discussion with 10 experts on the Buddhist Schools. The data were analyzed by descriptive interpretation. For the quantitative aspect, 217 school teachers were randomly selected from 48 Buddhist Schools in Nakhon Nayok. The research tools used for collecting the data were questionnaires, which were analyzed for frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings were: 1) The opinion of the school teachers in the Buddhist Schools towards the leadership of the school principals, overall, was at High Level. The area with highest level was Leadership on Moral and Ethics, followed by Leadership on Personality, and Leadership on Academics respectively. The lowest level was Leadership on Administration. 2) The opinion of the school teachers in the Buddhist Schools towards the principals’ administrations, overall, was at High Level. The area with highest level on the administration was Physical Environment, followed by the Behavior of Students, Teachers and Administrators, Learning and Teaching, and Promotion of Buddhism respectively. The lowest level on the opinion survey regarding administration was the Activity Programs on Wan Phra (Buddhist Holy Day). 3) The Buddhadhamma (Buddha’s teaching) the school principals should adopt is Papanikadhamma or the ‘three qualities of a successful leader’, which are: (1) Jakkuma or the vision — the wide and far vision — aiming towards sustainable development in the future; (2) Vidhuro or effective working skills, creating a tangible result; (3) Nissayasampanno: open-mindedness, listening to everyone, having supportive interpersonal skills. Research findings will help school administrators to adopt religious principles to integrate into their administrative work and also their personal lives.