ABSTRACT

                  The main objective of this thesis were: 1) to study gratefulness in Theravada Buddhism, 2) to study the behaviors of the Nongchang secondary school students, Khaothung sub-district, Thawatburi district, Roi-et province, regarding gratefulness toward their parents, and 3) to study the process in fostering gratefulness of Nongchang secondary school students, Khaothung sub-district, Thawatburi district, Roi-et province. The sample in this study was purposive sampling which were: 5 teachers, 15 students, and 5 parents of the students, 25 in total.

                        The result of the study found that

                        According to Theravada Buddhism, gratefulness was the basic ethic principle of the human being. There were two kinds of gratefulness: expounding the goodness of those who support ones, and requiting their support. The first one referred to expressing the goodness of those who had supported ones or being a good man; while, the last one referred to giving materials to those who supported ones. The disadvantage of lacking gratefulness was losing frame, and great ruin. The supportive Buddhist principles that enhancing the gratefulness were: the virtues for social sodality (Savgahavatthu), the sublime states of mind (Brahmavihara), uses of possessions (Bhoga-adiya), reverence (Garava), virtue for fraternal living (Saraniyadhamma) , six directions (Disa)and so on.

                        Regarding the behavior of gratefulness preformed by the Ban-Nongchang secondary school students, Khaothung sub-district, Thawatburi district, Roi-et province, toward their parents, the result of the study found that 1) to take care and support the parents, the students prepared foods for their parents, cleaned the house and engaged in all possible duties for their parents, looked after the parents when they were silk. 2) To do their works for them, the students took the responsibilities for the possible housing works for their parents such as cooking, cleaning the house, washed the disks, prepared drinking water, and stood as the their parents behalf when they were to other places. 3) To keep up the honour and the tradition of one family, the students sincerely played respected to their parents and behaved in the proper ways, be content, and worked hard for the studies. 4) To make oneself worthy of ones heritage, the students spoke pleasant word to their parents and gave them presents in appropriate occasion like New Year, Mother Day, and in Songkran Festival. 5) Making offerings, dedicating merit to the parents after their death,  the students requested their parents to go to the temple and made offering to the Buddhist monks in order to transfer merit to the departs.

                        Last but not at the least, the methods to forester gratefulness toward the parents, according to this study, could be summary thus family, educational institution, and Buddhist institution should educate the moral principle to the young generations by means of organizing ethical training camps, meditation retreat, including all creative activities that aimed at promoting the gratefulness, its significance and the advantages of implementing gratefulness toward their parents.