Sakesan Tongkhambanjong. (2002). A Study of Buddhism Ethical Structure of Undergraduate:
	Conceptualization, Measurements of Changes and Causal Models of Change. 
	Dissertation, Ph.D. (Applied Behavioral Science Research). Bangkok : Graduate School,
	Srinakharinwirot University. Advisor Committee: 
	Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pachongchit Intasuwan, Dr. Niyada Jittjaras, 
	Assoc. Prof. Dr. Somparn Promta.


	The objectives of this research study were 1) to study validity of Buddhism Ethical Structure among undergraduate students, 2) to study changes in Buddhism Ethical Structure among undergraduate students, 3) to compare characteristics of changes in Buddhism Ethical Structure among undergraduate students when classified by grouping variables and 4) to study patterns of causal relationships in Buddhism Ethical Structure among undergraduate students.  A sample of 1,449 students was drawn from a population of 191,213 first-year and forth-year undergraduate students in private universities during the academic year 2001.  Studies variables were 7 latent variables measured from 24 observed variables -- wisdom (right view and right thought), precepts (right speech, right action and right livelihood), concentration (right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration), child upbringing by parents according to sublime state of mind (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity), teacher's friendliness (endearing, venerable, emulable, consultative, patient listener, profound teaching, and not exhorting to immorality), friend's friendliness (characteristics of true friends and characteristics of false friends) and freedom (freedom in relationship with nature, freedom in relationship with human beings and internal freedom within one's own) -- and profile variables; namely, year of study, membership of religion clubs, field of study and gender.  Research instruments used in this study were 12 sets of newly developed questionnaires with the range of reliability coefficients from 0.7353 to 0.9663.  Data were analysed by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Profile Analysis.  The findings were as follows:
	1. Buddhism Ethical Structural Model was well consistent with empirical data.  The effects of variables within Structural Equation Model were:
		Structural Equation 1: The latent variable on wisdom was most affected by latent variable on friend's friendliness, followed by child upbringing by parents and teacher's friendliness respectively.  The external latent variables accounted for 25.0 percent of the variance in wisdom.
		Structural Equation 2: The latent variable on precepts was most affected by latent variable on wisdom, followed by friend's friendliness, child upbringing by parents and teacher's friendliness respectively.  All of the latent variables accounted for 96.30 percent of the variance in precepts.
		Structural Equation 3: The latent variable on concentration was most affected by latent variable on precepts, followed by wisdom, friend's friendliness, child upbringing by parents and teacher's friendliness respectively.  All of the latent variables accounted for 91.80 percent of the variance in concentration.
		Structural Equation 4: The latent variable on freedom was most affected by latent variable on concentration, followed by precepts, wisdom, friend's friendliness, child upbringing by parents and teacher's friendliness respectively.  All of the latent variables accounted for 48.70 percent of the variance in freedom.
		In the evaluation of consistency of the models, it was found that the range of reliability of latent variables was from 0.437 to 0.909 with the weight of standard components ranging from 0.321 to 0.869 at a significant level 0.001.  Variances in all latent variables were ranging from 21.30 to 59.90 percent.  When measuring models were ranked by reliability coefficients of the latent variables, it was found that the model with highest reliability score was teacher's friendliness, followed by child upbringing by parents, freedom, precepts, wisdom, friend's friendliness and concentration respectively.
	2. The mean scores of three aspects of freedom in first-year and forth-year students were indifferent.  In both groups of students the mean scores of internal freedom and freedom to nature were higher than the freedom to human beings.  In the group of first-year students, the mean scores of most components of Buddhism Ethical Structure were higher than those in forth-year students.  First-year students had higher levels of right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right mindfulness and right concentration than forth-year students.  However, the level of right effort in both groups of students was indifferent. 
	3. The comparison among characteristics of changes in Buddhism Ethical Structure of undergraduate students when classified by grouping variables revealed the following results.
		3.1 The mean score of internal freedom among science students was higher than that of social sciences students.  Freedom to human beings in both groups had the lowest scores comparing to the scores of freedom to nature and internal freedom.  It was also found that science students had higher mean scores of right speech, right mindfulness and right concentration than social science students.  When comparing the scores of right livelihood and right view, those of Social Science students were higher.  Both groups of students had indifferent levels of right thought, right livelihood, and right effort.
		3.2 Students who were former members of religion clubs had lower levels of all three aspects of freedom than students who were present members.   When compared each aspect of freedom, it was found that students who were present members of religion clubs had more internal freedom than non-member students, while non-member students had more freedom to human beings than former members of religion clubs. Former members of religion clubs had less freedom to nature than the other two groups.  In general three groups of students had more internal freedom and freedom to nature than freedom to human beings.  Considering Ethical Structure of these three groups of students, the former members of religion clubs had in average lower mean scores of the eight components in Ethical Structure than present members.  The present members had higher scores of right view, right action and right livelihood than former members and had higher scores of right speech, right livelihood and right mindfulness than non-members of religion clubs.
		3.3 The mean scores of all three aspects of freedom in female students were higher than those in male students.  The levels of internal freedom and freedom to nature in both groups were higher than freedom to human beings.  When considering the eight components of Ethical Structure, it was found that female students had higher levels of right view, right thought, right action, right livelihood, right effort and right concentration than male students.  The mean score of right mindfulness of male students were higher than female students while the mean scores of right speech of both groups were indifferent.
	4. The examination of changes in latent variables within Buddhism Ethical Structural Model revealed that latent variable on friend's friendliness contributed higher effect on wisdom, precepts, concentration and freedom, while latent variable on teacher's friendliness contributed lower effect on wisdom and precepts, but higher effect on freedom.  However, latent variable on child upbringing by parents had lower effect on wisdom, precepts, concentration and freedom.  Latent variable on freedom had higher effect on precepts, concentration and freedom, while latent variable on precepts had lower effect on concentration but higher effect on freedom.  Latent variable on concentration contributed higher effect on freedom.