Social Studies Teacher Educators' Perceptions of Character Education

Abstract

The increasing popularity of character education, coupled with state mandates and recommendations from national organizations, have heightened the perceived importance of preparing teachers for their role in the character development of students. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of social studies teacher educators regarding common themes of contemporary character education, the scope of character education, and the importance of the inclusion of character education issues in a curriculum/methods course. The sample consisted of 298 members of the National Council for the Social Studies who indicated involvement in either elementary or secondary teacher preparation on their membership form. The data were collected by mailing a questionnaire to ail subjects and conducting follow-up telephone interviews with approximately ten percent of the respondents. The findings suggest support among social studies teacher educators for the themes of contemporary character education, for a broadly conceived scope for character education that includes social studies goals, and for including character education as a topic in a curriculum/methods course.