Teaching character; cultivating virtue perception and virtue reasoning through the curriculum

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the increased interest in character education across the world, educators are seeking guidance for their practice. This paper seeks to add to the evidence base about if and how character can be taught by discussing the results of a pilot evaluation (n=527) of a curriculum intervention designed to enhance two components of character: virtue perception and virtue reasoning. After the intervention, the participants had improved virtue perception and reasoning scores compared to the control group. Further, female students scored higher in the pilot than their male counterparts. The results demonstrate how educating these components of character might be possible, providing evidence for a debate that goes back to Aristotle and today is keenly debated in academic, policy and practice circles. The findings are significant as they provide evidence as to how character might be taught through and within the programmes of study of existing curriculum subjects.