Narrative approach to moral education: A case of Thailand

In Thailand, according to, for instance, the National Education Act 1999, the National Plan of Education, Religion, Arts and Culture (2002–2013), and the Core Curriculum of Basic Education 2008, moral education is given an important role not only in human development but also in citizenship building and solution of socio-political problems. Thailand has its unique Buddhist-laden definition of moral education whose approach is a mixture of religious education and character development partly spelt out in Kohlbergian terms of moral reasoning. In an effort to find an alternative, the influential narrative approach is studied and narrative methods reviewed. The method that can accommodate the Thai moral education, and solve some of its predicaments, is recommended. As a whole, this study portrays an interaction between Western theories and local practice.