This storied paper reflects my awakening to the notion of interbeing, a core concept of Engaged Buddhism posed by the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh. My awareness was heightened in writing about a young Vietnamese child, Dylan, with whom I engaged in an early childhood study in Aotearoa New Zealand. Underpinned by Chen's "Asia as…

The purpose of this study is to explore education fever and credentialism in South Korea from the perspective of higher education. To discuss the study logically, three research questions are stated. First, what is the concept of Korean education fever from cultural perspective? Second, what and how has been developed educational credentialism in…

The post-pandemic classroom dealt with not only the mental health struggles of educators and students, but also the technological and virtual learning dependence in a time ridden with misinformation. At this time, it was important to not only consider the purpose and intent of science education as a learning experience, but also pedagogical…

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.…

Schooling is a critical topic in Myanmar's socio-political discourse that involves multiple interests and actors. Different stakeholders deploy schools for various ends, such as the training of workers, cultural subjugation, identity preservation, religious imposition, political propagation and social control. This article identifies the main…

This article presents the findings of a study on the effects of sociocultural adaptation on religious practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and the utilization of the religious dimension to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus. The results stem from a mixed-methods research approach involving quantitative and qualitative data collection…

Bhutan's overarching development paradigm of Gross National Happiness (GNH) promotes a harmonious balance between material and non-material dimensions. But Bhutan's evaluation practice has not yet adopted the principles of GNH, preventing evaluation findings and recommendations from aligning with the priorities of GNH. This article makes the case…

In Thailand, Buddhism has played an important role in terms cultivating morality and ethics for people in the society. Later, it has become an important part of the educational system of the country. This paper has its aims to clarify some backgrounds of Buddhist studies in Thai educational system from the early period to the present day. First,…

Typically understood through a universal-statist framework, modern schooling in contemporary China often contributes to the disenchantment of ethnic students. Based on year-long research in a Tibetan-serving secondary school, we provide additional insight in this discussion. We argue that to treat disenchantment as a fixed state ignores the…

Critical thinking and argumentation skills are crucial for developing responsible citizens and active participants in society. Indeed, reasoning and argumentation are known to be exercised differently in distinctive cultures. Historical, cultural and institutional contexts shape the way people in a society think, communicate and act. In this…

The case of higher educational development in Thailand is intriguing in the sense that the country, with the deep religious root of Buddhism, was never colonized; however, the shadow of Westernization in the higher education system is strongly evident. The functions of Thai higher education have played a crucial role in shaping the country's…

To achieve a successful policy transfer from one country to another, knowledge is required about the framework conditions of the country to which the policy is transferred. An important framework condition to consider is cultural context. Therefore, this paper uses a combination of cultural definitions which consider culture as a driver for both…

Western liberal conceptions of democratic citizenship require the state to be "neutral" by separating the political from the social. However, this is often at odds with the realities of socio-political organization in many former colonized countries. In this paper, I draw on empirical data from photo-elicitation interviews with eight…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relevance between religion and happiness in the aspect of Korean higher education. To review this paper logically, three research questions are addressed. First, is religion able to provide happiness for people? Second, what is the relevance between religion and happiness in the aspect of Korean higher…

Historically speaking, Buddhism has made a deep impact upon the Thai society from as early as the Sukhothai period (1238-1378 C.E.) on. Thais, both men and women, accepted Buddhism as a way of life, which was interwoven with their lives from birth to death. Throughout the Thai countryside Buddhist monasteries have been, and even at present…