A Probe into the Role of Educators in Moral and Ethical Education

Critical Review of Eight Highly-Rated Books on Moral Theology: Finding a Common Ground For an Ethics Education Program

With the continuous development of social economy, science and technology level, the new era has put forward new requirements for talent cultivation. School education bears the important task of cultivating the new man of the age, and the key part of cultivating the new man of the age is moral education. Moral education is the core part of school education, which plays a central role in shaping students' concepts and their growth and success. Secondary school students are in the critical period of the formation of thinking concepts and consciousness, which is also the best period for the development of moral education. Therefore, strengthening moral education in schools and promoting the construction of students' moral education have become the focus of educators' common concern. In the context of the new era, moral education is not only the task of a certain subject, but all subjects need to explore the favourable factors of the subject and play an effective role in moral education. English teaching should also integrate the elements of moral education, enrich the curriculum content, and promote the overall development of students. This paper analyses the connotation and challenges of moral education permeating junior high school English teaching in the context of the new era, and proposes measures for integrating moral education in junior high school English in five aspects, namely, goal establishment, activity design, resource supplementation, students' practice, and evaluation of moral education, with a view to improving students' moral qualities and implementing the fundamental task of establishing morality and educating people.

Erken çocukluk döneminde din ve ahlak eğitimi ile ilgili uygulamalar ülkemizde ve dünyada çeşitli açılardan tartışılmaktadır. Söz konusu tartışmaların odağında hem bu tür bir eğitimin imkânı hem de içeriği yer almaktadır. Farklı ülkelerde uzun yıllardır uygulanmakta olan erken çocukluk dönemi din eğitimi yaklaşımlarının etki alanlarını ve uygulama sonuçlarını ortaya koymanın bu tartışmalara farklı bir bakış açısı kazandırması kaçınılmazdır. Bu bağlamda makalenin amacı dünyada uygulanmakta olan The Good Shepherd, The Godly Play, The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf yaklaşımının ahlak eğitimi ile ilgili boyutunu, gelişim özellikleri, din eğitimi yaklaşımları, öğrenme ortamları, yöntem, materyal, yaş, içerik ve değerlendirme açılarından karşılaştırmaktır. Erken çocuklukta din eğitimi teorilerini kıyaslamayı amaçlayan bu makale doküman incelemesi yöntemiyle hazırlanmıştır. Yaklaşımlar incelendiğinde; tamamının oyun ve eğitsel oyuncakları öğretimin merkezine alarak kişilerarası iletişim, doğa ve toplum bilinci gibi konulara odaklandıkları görülmektedir. Godly Play ve The Good Shepherd yöntemleri belli bir dine ait temel hikaye ve özellikleri aktarmaları bakımından dini öğrenme yaklaşımına uygunken; The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf yaklaşımları ise herhangi bir dini öğretiyi benimsememeleri yönüyle dinden öğrenme yaklaşımına uygun gibi görünmektedir. Godly Play ve The Good Shepherd yöntemlerinde materyal ve yöntemlerin Montessori yaklaşımına uygun olarak belirlendiği görülürken, The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf herhangi bir yaklaşıma bağlılık göstermez.

Reviewed by: Christianity and Moral Identity in Higher Education Gary Railsback, Dean of the School of Education and Diane Wood, Doctoral Student Perry L. Glanzer and Todd C. Ream. Christianity and Moral Identity in Higher Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2009. 288 pp. Cloth: $80.00. ISBN-13: 978-0230612402. In Christianity and Moral Identity in Higher Education, Perry Glanzer (Baylor University) and Todd Ream (Indiana Wesleyan University) explore moral education in American higher education, its demise, current directions, and future possibilities. Writing for students, scholars, and administrators in both secular and Christian colleges and universities, they argue that the demise of the pervasive moral and character education that was central to America's colleges in the colonial period "stems from the failed quest to find a nonsectarian or universal form of humanism as a basis for moral education" (p. 3). They divide their book into four parts. In Part 1, "Moral Education in Contemporary Higher Education," Glanzer and Ream pose a fundamental question, "Do we even agree about what 'moral development' means or what fostering it entails?" The authors offer a framework for understanding contemporary discourse on moral education, tracing the origins, conflict, and dissolution of a common meta-identity and approach to moral education. Glanzer and Ream then review the work of important scholars in cognitive and moral development, acknowledging that contemporary scholars do not agree on either the definition or process of moral development. They conclude Part 1 by exploring how universities might address identity conflicts and the current fractured state of moral education. Glanzer and Ream note that they have not included a nonsectarian humanism approach to moral development, primarily because they do not believe such an approach exists. For them, the American higher education system represents a vast collection of varying perspectives on moral identities, and they suggest that each institution's task is to explore and understand its respective community's moral order. In Part 2, "A More Human Education: Moral Identity and Moral Orientation," Glanzer and Ream challenge our thinking about current issues facing higher education in moral education by posing the following pivotal question: "Should universities or professors move beyond the current limited professional forms of ethics education?" They present several views that urge both avoiding and embracing moral education, before positing that education is not a neutral endeavor. Moral education and forms of ethics education "become transformed when undertaken for specific identities and moral traditions" (p. 98). The authors acknowledge that most universities promote moral ideals beyond what is required for a profession. They do so, however, by attempting to appeal to the broad, diverse human experience. The authors contend that when moral education moves beyond the minimum required of a profession and attempts to address the broader human experience, it results in either a "less than human form of moral education" or in "attempt[s] to promulgate broad agreement about what it means to be a good human" (p. 98). Universities provide an incomplete form of moral education, they explain, when they focus only on isolated roles or facets of human identity, such as "citizen," rather than on the whole of being human. Providing less-than-whole-human moral education is required in a secular culture with legal precedence in the First Amendment and the reality of the world-views held by pluralistic faculty and students. The authors suggest three approaches to promulgating agreement about what it means to be a good human being and how to foster a more human education: "common ground humanism," "secular humanism," and "religious humanism." First, common ground humanism comes from the academic community and from a political process in which the community finds consensus on what makes for human flourishing. Second, secular humanism derives from the humanities and addresses the meaning of life, thus moving beyond the simple focus on human flourishing found in the research and political approaches used in common ground humanism. However, Glanzer and Ream suggest that this approach may be appropriate only for Ivy League institutions and identify five weaknesses, which limit its use to that context. [End Page 347] Third, religious humanism comes from a set of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish universities that continue to approach their academic and...

Otizm; sosyal iletişimde yetersizlikler, duygusal tepkilerin gösterilememesi, tekrarlanan takıntılı davranışlar gibi belirtilerle kendini gösteren bir gelişim bozukluğudur. Otizm belirtileri yaşamın ilk yıllarında kendini göstermektedir. Bu durum otizm teşhisi konulan çocukların eğitimine erken yaşlarda başlanmasına imkân tanıması bakımından avantaj olarak değerlendirilebilir. Tanısı koyulmuş otizmli bireylerin eğitimi gerek özel eğitim okullarında gerekse kaynaştırma yoluyla devam ettirilmektedir. Otizmlilerin, din ve ahlak konusundaki eğitimi ise tartışma konusu olmuştur. Otizmlilerin dini kavram ve olguları anlamlandıramayacağına yönelik çalışmalara karşın olumlu sonuçlara ulaşılmış araştırmalar da mevcuttur. Ahlak ve değerler eğitimi konusunda da benzer zıtlıkları içeren araştırmalara rastlanmaktadır. Ülkemizde otizmlilerde din ve ahlak eğitimine dair bilimsel araştırmalar mevcut olmamakla birlikte 2010 yılında, DKAB derslerinin zorunlu olarak otizmli bireylerin eğitim programlarında yer alması konuyu gündeme taşımıştır. Buradan yola çıkılarak bu araştırmada, otizmlilerde din ve ahlak eğitiminin imkanına dair tartışmalara değinilerek, birbirine zıt görüşler içeren konu, otizmlilerin eğitiminde aileden sonra en etkili bireyler olan öğretmenlerin görüşlerine açılmıştır. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniğiyle yapılan araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Konya ili merkez ilçelerinde (Karatay, Meram, Selçuklu) bulunan özel eğitim okullarında ve bünyesinde otizm sınıfı bulunan ortaokullarda görev yapmakta olan 30 özel eğitim ve bu okullarda derslere giren 6 DKAB öğretmeni oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma sonucunda, çalışmaya katılan öğretmenlerin otizmlilerde din ve ahlak eğitiminin imkanına yönelik farklı görüşlerde oldukları ancak din ve ahlak teması altına giren birtakım konularda otizmlilerin bir eğitime ihtiyacı olduğu noktasında fikir birliğine sahip oldukları görülmüştür. Yapılan çalışmanın literatürdeki tartışmalara, öğretmenlerin görüş ve tecrübelerinin katılması yönüyle katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.

Whether teachers should remain neutral or engage in emotional communication in moral education has become widely discussed in modern education. Moral education is about students' cognitive development and understanding of social norms and personal values. Some scholars argue that teachers' emotional engagement helps stimulate students to think deeply about and internalize moral issues, while others emphasize the importance of neutrality to avoid the imposition of values. However, complete neutrality is difficult to achieve and may undermine the effectiveness of moral education. By combining the views of different scholars and analyzing the roles of neutrality and affective engagement in moral education, this study finds that the teacher's role in moral education lies not only in imparting cognitive principles but also in facilitating meaningful value-based interactions between students and teachers. Teachers should moderately display emotions and values while maintaining rational thinking, thus encouraging students to develop deeper cognitive and emotional engagement. Ultimately, the study concludes that moral education is about teaching moral theories and stimulating authentic reflection and internalization of moral issues through teacher-student interactions to achieve all-around moral growth.

Overview: Religious education plays a pivotal role globally, reflecting diverse perspectives and practices across continents. In Africa, religious education intertwines with cultural heritage, shaping moral frameworks and societal norms. The study was conducted in Lusaka district, the capital city of Zambia. Body of Knowledge: The theoretical and practical insights gained from this study contribute to enhancing understanding of the role of religious education in fostering moral and ethical development, promoting intercultural dialogue, and cultivating inclusive educational environments. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging opportunities for collaboration between schools, families, and communities, stakeholders can work towards creating inclusive educational policies and practices that respect and celebrate religious diversity. Methods: The study employed both the qualitative and quantitative methods and a descriptive survey design that sampled Head teachers, RE teachers, and Pupils of RE. The sample size for this study was 150. Data was obtained from the respondents by means of interviews and questionnaires. This study used descriptive analysis to analyze the data. Tables, graphs and pie-charts were used in combination with the use of software, MS access and MS Excel to analyze data. Results: Religious education plays a significant role in shaping students' moral and ethical values. Despite some skepticism about its relevance in a modern, pluralistic society, the majority of participants including pupils, teachers, and parents viewed religious education positively. They believed it fosters tolerance, empathy, and respect for diverse beliefs. However, there were also concerns about the potential for religious education to become doctrinal rather than educational, emphasizing the need for a balanced and inclusive curriculum that respects all faiths. Recommendation: The study highlighted the importance of training educators to handle religious education in a way that promotes critical thinking and open dialogue, rather than mere indoctrination.

Moral and Character Education in Korea

Any democratic society must concern itself with the socialization of its citizens. This begins in childhood, and schools are critical to this process. The interrelations and roles of educating for character (character education, moral education) and educating for citizenship (citizenship education, civic education) are explored, largely in a North American context. It is argued that citizenship education necessarily entails character and moral formation, but this integration is hindered by negative stereotyping between the two fields. In addition, negative stereotyping between the fields of moral education and character education further complicates attempts at synthesis. Through explorations of each of these domains and their similarities and differences, it is concluded that the role of schools in fostering the development of moral citizens in democratic societies necessitates focus on moral development, broader moral and related character development, teaching of civics and development of citizenship skills and dispositions. Moreover, these outcomes overlap and cut across the fields of moral, character and citizenship education.

The role of religious and moral education in modern education has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. While some argue that religion has no place in education, others maintain that including religious beliefs can positively impact students' moral and spiritual development. This literature review examines current research and perspectives on the issue of incorporating God's values into education and its potential impact on students' moral development, personal fulfillment, and social connectedness. The author suggests that future research could focus on examining the impact of religious and moral education on students' moral reasoning and behavior through longitudinal studies, exploring effective teaching methods for diverse and inclusive classroom settings, and investigating the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating God's values into online learning environments. By equipping students with the tools to make ethical and responsible decisions, religious and moral education can significantly foster a more respectful, compassionate, and sustainable society.

This study examines the influence of Christian religious education programs on students' prayer life, exploring how structured religious instruction shapes their spiritual habits, faith engagement, and long-term prayer commitment. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates qualitative interviews and quantitative survey analysis to assess the frequency, depth, and consistency of students' prayer practices. The findings reveal that students who actively participate in religious education programs demonstrate stronger prayer habits, deeper spiritual reflections, and a heightened sense of divine connection. Furthermore, the study highlights the crucial role of interactive and experiential learning method such as guided prayer sessions, group reflections, and personal faith journaling in reinforcing prayer commitment. Notably, the research challenges previous assumptions that family influence is the primary determinant of prayer habits, demonstrating that school-based religious education can independently foster and sustain students’ spiritual growth, even in less religious family environments. By comparing the results with previous studies, this research confirms the positive impact of religious education on spiritual engagement while offering new insights into overcoming modern challenges, such as distractions from technology and secular influences. The study provides practical implications for educators, religious leaders, and parents, advocating for more dynamic and faith-centered teaching approaches to encourage lifelong prayer habits. The broader impact of this research underscores the need for continued integration of faith-based learning within educational systems to support students’ moral development, emotional well-being, and commitment to a spiritually enriched life. Future studies can explore digital innovations and mentorship programs to further enhance the effectiveness of Christian religious education in shaping students’ prayer life and faith journey.

This research paper examines the role of elementary and secondary school textbooks in fostering moral development within the educational frameworks of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan (BIMP). This study is undertaken to explore the increasing importance of moral education in contemporary curricula, driven by the complexities of the 21st century, shaping pupils’ moral perspectives and their cultural interactions. The study employs Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) to analyze the content of textbooks, focusing on how narratives and descriptive texts convey moral values and principles. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze textbooks’ content. The findings reveal that textbooks serve as instruments for instilling religious, moral, social, and cultural values, thereby shaping students' moral identities and ethical decision-making. The analysis revealed the alignment of educational policies across BIMP countries, emphasizing the integration of religious (Islamic) values and the promotion of character building as a central element to moral education. The study advocates for the incorporation of multireligious and pluralistic perspectives to enhance the relevance of moral education in pupils’ lives in the 21st century. This study calls for further research into the impact of language textbooks and teachers’ pedagogical practices on the moral development of pupils and how these could empower pupils to navigate ethical challenges effectively.

This study aims to examine the role of teachers in transforming the values of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) to enhance students' moral development. The research focuses on: (1) the moral condition of students, (2) the educational values transmitted by teachers, and (3) teacher strategies in shaping students' morality. This research uses a qualitative approach through observation, interviews, and documentation at SMP Islam Al-Madinah Jombang. The findings show that students exhibit varying but generally positive levels of moral development. Teachers act as educators and role models, transmitting values of faith, honesty, responsibility, tolerance, and social care through value-based learning, exemplary behavior, and the habituation of noble character. These findings affirm that the transformation of values by teachers significantly contributes to students’ character building and fosters a religious school culture. This study offers practical contributions to strengthening teachers’ roles in moral education at the junior high school level. Data collection techniques were carried out through direct observation of learning activities at SMP Islam Al-Madinah Jombang.

Islamic Religious Education (PAI) plays a significant role in shaping students' morals by instilling Islamic values, promoting good behavior, and fostering a religious school environment. This study aims to analyze the role of PAI in moral development and identify key factors that support its effectiveness. A qualitative descriptive method was employed using purposive sampling. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, followed by data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing to ensure a comprehensive analysis. Findings indicate that PAI contributes significantly to students’ moral development at SMP Yapip Pacet. Teachers serve not only as educators but also as role models in daily life. The success of moral education is influenced by the integration of classroom learning, school-wide practices, and collaboration between the school and family. The study highlights the importance of reinforcing teachers' roles, employing effective learning strategies, and fostering a supportive school environment. The synergy between education, habitual practices, and parental involvement enhances the internalization of Islamic values in students’ daily lives. PAI is essential in shaping students' character, requiring continuous strengthening through effective teaching, role modeling, and school-family collaboration. Future research should explore innovative approaches to further enhance moral education in different educational settings.

In this work, author is coming to conclusion that our time marks more complicated and faster changes in all aspects of human and social life; that they are evident in moral, as special sphere of social awareness, social and pedagogical practice; that managing this require modern knowledge, skills, social and moral responsibility. Findings, that all competences for 21.century (cognitive, emotional, social and labor-active) contain and moral dimension. Warns that moral crisis is more dangerous than other crisis and that its implications are not yet analyzed. Underline that education is gaining leading role in achieving conception of 'sustainable future'. It shows that talented students have special development needs in moral education< that lack of cognitive unity and moral education is bringing the biggest harm, because, they are giving recruits for future social elite, mainly of knowledge and moral elite. Author reminds us that social and professional goals which will be put before future elite, also include top moral responsibility. He proofs that in moral education of talented students participate several incorporated factors and the role of school is still the most important. School, with all its potentials, and work mainly in teaching process, has huge influence on development of talented students and their moral development.