Wanna  Banchong. 1994.  Religious and Behavioral Science
Characteristics  of the Southern  Thai Youths from Paendin Dham
Paendin Thong Communities.  Dissertation, M.S. (Behavioral Science)
Behavioral Science Research Institute. 


               The purpose of this study was to investigate status of
community and child-rearing practices as correlates of the Buddhist
characteristics and the behavioral sciences aspects of adolescents. There
were three main objectives. Firstly, to examine the relationship amog status
of community, child-rearing practices and the Buddhist characteristics
Secondly, to examine to relationship among status of community
child-rearing practices and the behavioral sciences variables, Finally, to find
out the relationship between the Buddhist characteristics (beliefs and
practices in Buddhism)  and the behavioral sciences variables (internal
locus of control, appropriate peer relation and aggressive behavior). 
                The sample consisted of four hundred and one students of
Prathom Suksa  six and Muthayom  Suksa three who enrolled in the first
semester of 2536  B.A academic year these students lived in the
communities under gujdance of the Paendin Dhum-Paendin Thong project.
Based on the project' s community  evaluation, half of the subjects were
ramdomly drawn from the high religious communitis, anather half were
from the low religious communities, Both group were matched in gender,
age, family economic level, level of education of father and mother and
type of family. 
                In this correlational field  study, various types of measures and
questionnaires were emploved to collect data. Five groups of variables were
examined 1)  Two aspects of community consisted of community' s quality
and amount of religious participation in the community 2)  Two type of
pereived child-rearing  pratices were composed of the love-oriented practice
and the family' s Buddhist  induction  3)  Two Buddhist characteristics  of
the adolescent were  the Buddhist beliefs and the Buddhist practices 4)
Three behavioral sciences variables were internal locus of  control.
approriate peer relation and aggressive behavior 5) Six bio-social
characteristics and fammily background variables. 
                Most of measured Variables were interval variables.
Analysis of Variance. Multiple Regression Analysis (stepwised) Canonical
Correlation Procedured and Pearson Product-Moment Colelation
Coefficient were performed on data analysis in the total group of
respondents and the sub-groups divided by the bio-social and background
Variables. 
                There were three majer findings as follow: 
               The first, it was found that the adolescents who possessed high
amount of internal lolcus of control, more appropriate peer relations and
less aggressive behavior were females who perceived that they obtained
more love-oriented practice and more of the family' s Buddhist induction as
comparing to males and females of opposite family-oriented perception.
Furthermore, The adolescents who had more amount of the Buddhist
practices and appopiate peer relations were those who perceived more of
the family' s Buddhist induction, participated more in religious activities of
the community and lived in a high religious community as comparing to
their counterparts. These results were significantly evident in the
adolescents whose the fathers had moderate level of education. In addition, 
the adolescents who possessed high amount of the Buddhist beliefs and
practices, high amount  of  internal locus of control more  appropriate peer
relations and less aggressive behavior were those who perceived more
love-oriented,  more of the family' s Buddhist induction or lived in a high
religious community as comparing to their counterparts. These findingns
revealed significatly in the total and various types of subjects. 
                The second, the two types of perceived child-rearing practiced
(the love-oriented and the family' s Buddhist induction) and amount of
religious participation in the community altogether were strong predictor of
amount of each Buddhist characteristics and each  behavioral seience
variables. The three predictors showed highest predictive power of the
Buddhist beliefs in the adolescents from lower family economic level the
predictive value was 46%  highest predictive power of The Buddhist
practices, internal locus  of control, and aggressive behavior in the older
adolescents (the predictive values were 57%, 72% and 46%
correspondingly) and highest predictive power of appropriate relations with
peers in the adolescents from extended femily type. The result of Stepwised
analsis indicated that among the  three pridictive factors. the percived
love-oriented practice played the most prominent role in prediction of al
five criterion variables. The family' s Buddhist induction was the second to.

            The third finding was that the two aspects of the Buddhist
characteristics (beliefs and 
practices in Buddhism) altogether could highly predicted all two aspects of
the behavioral science variables. The highest predictive value was 61 %
obviously evident in the adolescents from extended family type. As
comparison the above relationship between adolescents, from high religious
communities to those from low religious communities, whose biosocial and
family backgrounds were similer, the results showed significantly stronger
prediction of the high religious community group than the low religious
community group in two type of adolescents (the moderate and the low
family economic levels. Unexpectedly, it was discovered the reverse results
in 4 types of adolescents (the younger the older, thase of modrate education
mother and father). 
                Since findings of the study pointed out that love-oriented
practice, the family' s Buddhist induction and the religiousness of the
community were important factors in socialization of adolescents' Buddhist
characteristices. These characteristics turned in to promote some favorable
social characteristics and behaviors in adolescents. It was recommended
that the basic Buddhist triaing should be introduces to adolescents to gether
with love-oriented practice. The extended family structure should be
maintained in rural communities to facilitate religious socialization. 

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