Expanding the border of science education through the lens of Buddhist mindfulness.
Yau Yan Wong, Chatree Faikhamta
Cultural Studies of Science Education April 28, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s11422-023-10177-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Hermeneutic phenomenological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | The first author's lived experience as a science education doctoral student in Thailand |
| Topics | Meditation Buddhism |
| Keywords | Mental health Wellbeing Science education Borderland |
| Key points | Argues that the borderland between science and Buddhist mindfulness offers affordances for expanding science education to include mindfulness, emotional wellbeing, and "interbeing," while empiricism, scientism, individualism, materialism, and dualism block deeper integration. Contends that science teachers must cross disciplinary borders to help students cultivate a healthy, balanced, mindful lifestyle. |
Abstract
This is a hermeneutic phenomenological study that describes and interprets Wong's, the first author lived experience in the borderlands of science and Buddhist mindfulness as a science education doctoral student in Thailand. I explore my experiences in learning with multiple mindfulness teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh from Buddhist traditions. and Additionally, I explore the affordances of being in the borderland of science and Buddhism, and how Buddhism can expand the border of science education through the inclusion of important topics, such as mindfulness, emotional wellbeing, and interbeing. This study also examines the roadblocks that are preventing deeper integration of science and mindfulness, including empiricism, scientism, individualism, materialism, and dualism. My standpoint is that to overcome the 21st grand challenges, teachers of science need to have the courage to cross the borders of various disciplines and help students develop essential skills for cultivating a healthy, balanced, and mindful lifestyle.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |