The Educational and Developmental Impacts of Temporary Ordination in a Buddhist Summer Camp in a Rural Temple in Northeastern Thailand

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-904-9_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Non-formal education; Buddhist summer camp; Youth development

Abstract

This qualitative research explored the educational and developmental impacts of temporary ordination on youths and men who participated in a Buddhist summer camp in a temple in northeastern Thailand. Drawing on interviews and participant observation, the study examined the ways in which Buddhist monastic practices influenced both young and adult participants behaviors, values, self-perception, and worldviews. The research engaged with local cultural contexts and Buddhist educational frameworks to understand the transformation observed among novices and monks during the camp. Key findings reveal that most participants joined the camp to do good deeds and make merit for their loved ones although they encountered challenges such as sleeping in a tent with no air conditioning, having no dinner, and sitting on the floor. However, noteworthy impact was that the participants and their families had a chance to reconnect with their traditions and history in the childhood milieu. The young ones could learn and understood a sense of simplicity and interdependence in the community in addition to Buddha’s instructions and practices. After the camp, some young novices remain ordained and continue education in the Buddhist general education school which offers a high-school diploma. These findings show positive effects and values that the government could consider for further implementation.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Phrakru Siripariyatyapirom Suphachot Boonvon
AU  - Arnon Chaisuriya
AU  - Pongsatean Luengalongkot
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/01
TI  - The Educational and Developmental Impacts of Temporary Ordination in a Buddhist Summer Camp in a Rural Temple in Northeastern Thailand
BT  - Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Educational Reform (ICER 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 74
EP  - 82
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-904-9_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-904-9_10
ID  - Boonvon2025
ER  -