Hunsa Laohasareekul.  1994.  Correlates of Buddhist and Behavioral Science Characteristics of Adolescents in
Sunday  School.  Dissertation, M.S. (Behavaioral Science)  Behavioral Science Research Institute. 


           The study aimed at investigating of the antecedents of the Buddhist and behavioral science characteristics
of adolescent students who had attended and never attended Sundary schools. There were three main objectives. Firstly,
to examine the relationship among religious participation experiences at schools, child-rearing perception, bio-social and
family backgrounds and the Buddhist characteristics. Secondly, to examine the relationship among religious participation
experiences at schools, child-rearing perception, bio-social and family backgrounds and the behavioral science aspects,
Finally, to investigate the relationship between the Buddhist characteristics and the behavioral science aspects. 
           The sample consisted of two hundreds and eighty-five students of Muthayomsuksa one, two, and three who
enrolled in the 2535  B.C. academic year. There were one hundred and forty-five of the total subjects who had attended
the Buddhist Sunday schools. The rest were their friends of the same classes and school who never attended. Both groups
were matched in gender, age, family economic level, level of parents' education, and family status (intact or at-risk family
status). 
            In this field study, the data were gathered by questionaires. There were 5  groups of variables being assessed. The
first group of variables consisted of two aspects of religious participation experiences (attendence a Sunday school and
benefit of the Buddhist participation 
at school). The second group consisted of two patterns of child-rearing practices (love-oriented and the Buddhist
child-rearing practice). The third group was two aspects of Buddhist  characteristics (the Buddist beliefs and the Buddhist
practices). The fourth group contents two variables of behavioral science (psychological well-beings and appropriated
peer relation). The last group of variables were six bio-social and family backgrounds. Most of variables were interval
variables. Analysis of Variance, Stepwised Multiple Regression, Canonical Correlation Coefficients, and the Pearson
Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients were performed on data analysis in the total group of respondents and the
sub-groups divided by bio-social and family background variables. 
                The were four major findings as fellows : 
               The first, it was found that the adolescents who had attended Sunday schools possessed higher psychological
and behavioral characteristics than those who never attended. These findings were obvious in the following groups of
adolescents : a) those who possessed high on the Buddhist beliefs were the group with lower level of parents' education
and the group in higher family economic-level but at-risk family status, b) those who possessed high on psychological
well-beings were the females with higher level of the mother' s education; and 
c) those who performed more of the Buddhist practices were mainly the older females. 
                The second finding was that the adolescents who possessed high on both the Buddhist beliefs and appropriated
peer relation were those of lower level of parents' education, who preceived more love-oriented practices and gained more
benifit of the Buddhist participation at school. Further more, it was founded that the adolescents who possessed high on
both the Buddhist beliefs and the Buddhist practices were those who percieved more of the family' s Buddhist
child-rearing practices. 
                The third finding was that two aspects of religious participation experiences (attendence a Sunday school and
benefit of the Buddhist participation at school) and two types of child-rearing practices (love-oriented and the Buddhist
child-rearing)  altogether were strong predictors of the buddhist practices,  psychological well-beings, and appropriated
peer relation, but were moderate predictors of the Buddhist beliefs. The four predictors showed highest predictive power
of the Buddhist beliefs and practices in the Muthayom Suksa 3 group, (the predictive value was 25% and 41% 
correspondingly), highest predictive power of  psychological well-beings in higher family economic-level group (the
predictive value was  53% ),  and highest pridictive power of appropriated peer relation in higher level of the father' s
education. The results of Stepwised analysis indicated that among the  four predictive factors, benifit of  the Buddhist
partcipation at school and the Buddhist child-rearing practice were prominent predictive factors of the four criterion
variables. 
               The fourth finding was that the two aspects of the Buddhist characteristics (beliefs and practices in Buddhism)
altogether could highly pridicted all two aspects of behavioral science variables. The highest predictive value was 40%
obviously evident in the adolescents who attended Sunday schools. As comparison the above relationship between
adolescents who attended and never attended Sunday schools whose bio-social and family backgrounds were similar, the
results showed significantly stronger prediction of the attended group than the non-attended group in five types of
adolescents (the older, those of atrisk family status, those of lower level of the father' s and the mother's education and the
Muthayom Suksa 2 students). 
                Since findings of the study revealed that religious participation experiences at school and child-rearing
perception were important factors relating to socialization of the Buddist and favorable behavioral science characteristics
in various groups of adolescents. It was recommended that the Buddhist  participation at  school, the Buddhist
child-rearing practice and love-orientd practice at home were enhanced among adolescents especially the adolescents with
lower education parents and those of at-risk family status (which included broken home and stressful intact-family types).
Teachers and older relatives could be likewise good supporters 
in at-risk family condition. The Buddhist Sunday school seemed to be another important socialization agent to promote
favorable psychological and begavioral asprects of adolescents. 

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