Abstract:
The objectives of this study encompassed 1) to study concepts and theories to reduce an anxiety in the examination of primary students based on Buddhist psychology; 2) to develop a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan to reduce an anxiety in the examination of primary students; and 3) to study an effect of reducing an anxiety in the examination of primary students after applying a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan to reduce an anxiety in the examination of primary students. The study was a quasi-research in nature, collecting data from documents, an interview of 7 key informants to develop a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan to reduce an anxiety in the examination of primary students, and conducted a trial of a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan with 24 Standard 6 (Pathomsuksa 6), and an anxiety scale was used before and after the experiment. One-way ANOVA was employed to compare the results of the anxiety reduction experiment.
The results of the study were as follows:
1. The Buddhist psychology principles to enhance a reduction of an anxiety in the examination of primary students based on Buddhist psychology encompassed Bala 5 including confidence, effort, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom integrated with social cognitive learning theory consisting of 4 steps of observation learning or modeling, namely, attention, retention, reproduction, motivation. The development approach has four anxiety-reducing factors: learner motivation and attitude factors, teaching method factors, high expectation factors, and negative evaluation factors, and three anxiety-reducing factors: activities leading to meditation, promoting happiness, and understanding the truth.
2. A development of a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan to reduce an anxiety in the examination of primary students comprised 3 steps including introduction, activity and summary encompassing 8 Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plans to reduce an anxiety based on Buddhist psychology with the chanting of Bahum (Jayamangala Gatha, the eight victories and blessing).
3. An effect of a trial of applying a Buddhist Mantras chanting activity plan to reduce an anxiety in the examination of 24 primary students of Standard 6 (Pathomsuksa 6) revealed that the reduction of an anxiety in the examination of primary students was significantly higher than before applying it at the 0.05 level and had a combined effect on an anxiety in the examination with a statically significant difference in mean scores of a trial of anxiety reduction during and after the experiment higher that before the experiment.