Moral Education Programs Research Articles

Moral education in a post‐conflict context: the case of Burundi

Burundi, like the rest of the Great Lakes region, has been shaken by widespread inter‐communal divisions and violent conflict. It is commonly believed that the troubled history of Burundian society has been due to the lack of a consistent moral dimension in school curricula. It is this obvious gap that the Catholic Church, through its Moral Education Programme initiated in 2005, sought to address. The new curriculum, implemented gradually in Burundian schools, takes inspiration from traditional human values. The programme is community‐ and situation‐based and places emphasis on an active‐participatory approach, in which learners try to appropriate and apply in their daily lives the moral precepts they learn in the classroom. In a post‐conflict context, it is incumbent upon parents, teachers and the churches (preferably in partnership) to erect the pillars of peace by teaching moral values to the younger generation which will prevent future conflict.

Levels of moralisation: a new conception of moral sensitivity

Moral sensitivity has generally been interpreted in a normative sense, as the ability to notice moral features present in a situation. This paper outlines an alternative, descriptive conception of moral sensitivity: the levels of moralisation model. This model describes four qualitatively distinct levels at which a preference can be held: no moralisation; moralisation for the self; moralisation for others; and public expression of moralisation. Empirical research supporting the existence of these levels as well as processes that move a preference across the levels are discussed. In addition, the practical utility of the model is demonstrated with regard to moral education and conflict resolution programs.

Measurement invariance in a measure of prosocial moral reasoning to use with adolescents from the USA and Brazil

Scholars have noted the need to examine the psychometric properties of measures that can be used in evaluating moral education programs. The present study was designed to examine the best‐fitting factor model of a commonly‐used measure of prosocial moral reasoning (PROM) across samples from Brazil and the USA, gender and adolescent age groups. The samples consisted of 619 college students (M age = 20.59 years, SD = 4.08; 41% men, 59% women) and 239 middle and high school students (M age = 14.02 years, SD = 3.04; 45% boys, 55% girls) from the USA. There were 114 college students (M age = 21.81, SD = 4.33; 35% men, 65% women) and 136 middle and high school students (M age = 14.93 years, SD = 1.55; 42% boys, 58% girls) from Brazil. A series of (multigroup) confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the best fitting factor structure of the PROM and the invariance of this factor structure across culture, gender and age groups. Evidence for measurement invariance was found such that a four‐factor model was a slightly better fitting model than the five‐factor model across all groups. Discussion focuses on theoretical and methodological implications of the findings.

Schools as promoters of moral judgment: the essential role of teachers’ encouragement of critical thinking

The assumption that high level functioning is characterized by a great deal of autonomy is central to some major theories of moral development [Kohlberg (in T. Lickona (ed.) Moral development and behavior: Theory, research and social issues, 1976); Piaget (The moral judgment of the child, 1932)] and to the self-determination theory of motivation [Ryan and Deci (The American Psychologist, 55, 68–78, 2000)]. Based on these theories, we hypothesized that students’ perceptions of their teachers as autonomy supportive, mainly in the form of encouragement of critical thinking, and perhaps also choice, would be positively associated with students’ advanced moral judgment. Data collected from 12th grade students in two regular schools and two democratic schools supported this hypothesis. Results also showed that being a student in a democratic school (as opposed to a regular one) was associated with autonomous moral judgment, and that this association was mediated by students’ perceptions of teachers as encouraging criticism, but not choice. A possible implication is that programs of moral education should explicitly promote teachers’ inclination to encourage critical thinking in their students.

Moral Education and Cosmopolitanism

The central problem of citizenship and political culture in the `postnational constellation' is the cultivation and institutionalization of cosmopolitanism as a political identity. The cultivation of citizenship in the postnational constellation echoes the problem Durkheim confronted at the turn of the twentieth century, when he faced the task of developing a systematic programme of moral education as a basis for social solidarity in a secular national French republic; a programme that would perform the same functions of social integration previously organized in terms of a religious discourse. While nationalism provided a discourse of political identification throughout the twentieth century, critical theory and psychoanalysis (for example, the Frankfurt School's studies in prejudice and the authoritarian personality) have shown how nationalism has now become a problematic basis for political identification and citizenship. This article explores Habermas's and Beck's present problem through an examination of Kant and Durkheim. It suggests that an appropriate pedagogical model of cosmopolitanism, one that combines elements of transcendental and situated reason, may be found in Joyce's representation of Leopold Bloom; a pedagogical representation wherein transcendental ideals grounded in universal reason are combined with various discursive and communicative encounters with the Other, in cosmopolitanizing experiences of the workplace and organizational life, international travel and migration, and urban neighbourhoods and milieus.

The reactions of Bahir Dar University students to moral dilemmas related to corruction: implications for moral education programmes

This study aimed at examining moral reasoning related to corruption. Data were obtained from 350 purposively selected Bahir Dar University students (175 males and 175 females) using moral reasoning questionnaire. Using Kohlberg's theory of moral development and Gilligan's moral orientation model, the moral reasoning questionnaire was scored for moral stage and moral orientation. Results in multiple-regression analysis indicated that the old age group (22-26 yeas) had significantly higher stage of moral reasoning than the young age group (18-21 years) when responding to moral dilemmas about issues of corruption. But, there was no significant age group difference with respect to moral orientation. Furthermore, there was no gender difference in stage of moral reasoning and moral orientation. The importance of the results, particularly the educational implications, for understanding the role of psychological intervention programmes and commitments in combating corruption are discussed. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research Vol. 27 (2) 2005: pp. 49-79

Moral education's modest agenda

When schools react to contemporary events and focus on complex moral problems they commonly fail to make basic distinctions between the morally serious and trivial, the moral and the non-moral, and problems and dilemmas. We need to teach the distinction between moral and other values, and between what is intrinsically good, what is right in practice and what is justifiable. Moral theory seeks to delineate an ideal situation. Different circumstances give rise to different particular practices; but the principles of freedom, fairness, respect for persons, truth and felicity constitute a widely recognized view of the essence of morality. These principles, and the nature of education itself, are often ignored in programs of moral education, which should proceed by providing an understanding of the nature and limits of the moral sphere.

Early adolescents' reflections on social justice: Facing History and Ourselves in practice and assessment

This article describes Facing History and Ourselves, an international moral, character and civic education program, and introduces an assessment instrument used to explore young people’s perspectives on their and others’ choices in relation to social exclusion and teasing among peers. The instrument, developed collaboratively by educational researchers and practitioners, is based on a theory of psychosocial development and core themes and practices of the program. The assessment elicits students’ responses to a true story about a girl who had been ostracized by peers and is then invited to join them in teasing another girl. A rubric is introduced for analyzing perspectives on the girls’ choices as a bystander to teasing.

“From Moral Aristocracy to Christian Social Democracy”: The Transformation of Character Education in the Hi-Y, 1910–1940

In the early twentieth century, many American educators pinned their hopes for a revitalized nation on the character education of “youth,” especially adolescent boys. Although the emphasis on student morality was far from novel—nineteenth-century common and secondary schools operated as bastions of Protestant republican virtue—new perceptions of moral decay, institutional failure, and general cultural anomie prompted a marked increase in urgency. Among the many agencies confronting this impending moral crisis, the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) had perhaps the most comprehensive program of regeneration for American youth, encompassing a carefully articulated system extending from boyhood to collegiate and employed young men. Despite this expansive role, historians have produced only cursory glimpses of this organization, neglecting in particular the YMCA's work in developing an extracurricular program of moral education in public high schools.

Evaluating the Effects of a Brief Program for Moral Education in a County Jail

Inmate treatment programs are designed to rehabilitate individuals who are incarcerated and give them the chance for a crime-free life. Previous research shows support for inmate treatment programs and support for moral education programs that have been implemented mostly in school settings. This particular study investigated a moral education program designed for use with individuals who are incarcerated that focuses on teaching aspects of character and practice of these traits. Results supported the hypothesis in that individuals who completed this program showed significant improvements in their sociomoral reasoning when compared to individuals who did not complete the program. The program also received favorable evaluations from all participants.

Current Problems Of Moral Research AndEducation In The IT Environment

Prevention of computer crime includes two types of action: first, enhancement of computer security, and second, moral education adjusted to the IT environments. The latter is the main theme of the paper. Research on moral conduct in the IT environment is currently being carried out under the heading of cyberethics. New trends in cyberethics are discussed, aimed at reducing harmful effects of adolescents’ uncontrollable misuse of computers and the Internet. One of the reasons of this misuse is inability of younger generations to transfer rules of moral conduct to the new (virtual) environments. To reduce the number of newcomers to hackers/carders/crackers/phreakers’ communities, world-wide educational courses for adolescents are urgently needed. The objective of these educational programs need to be the development of flexible decision making in moral situations, including those inherent of the IT environments. The programs and training sessions need to be internationally approved and realized, since computer crime is trans-national. It is proposed that the theoretical background of this educational program might be the Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development, which was worked out within the field of developmental psychology. Fieldwork research is needed, aimed at finding out the specifics of moral views of computer-savvy adolescents in different countries, and at working out programs of moral education which would fit the new environments.

Aspectos cognitivos del constructivismo del aprendizaje moral: psicología moral y ética discursiva

En el presente artículo se dan a conocer algunos supuestos a partir de los cuales la ética discursiva-Habermas- y la lógica del desarrollo moral-Kohlberg- asumen el carácter cognitivo del enfoque constructivista del aprendizaje moral. En este aprendizaje constructivo de la moral se reconoce la idea de una lógica del desarrollo moral en la cual los individuos avanzan de una etapa inferior a la otra superior. De esta manera aquellos individuos que han alcanzado un nivel más avanzado están en la capacidad de explicar por qué los juicios en esta etapa son más apropiados que en las etapas inferiores. Estos supuestos han contribuido en el desarrollo de programas de educación moral.

Teaching morality in schools in Utah's Religion-based society

More and more school districts in the United States are enacting morality or character education into their schools' curricula to address what they see as their students' declining moral behaviour. Utah, a state that was a homogeneous religion-based culture for 100 years, has not been immune to this need. However, the contrast between the programs being used in the now-diversifying and undiversified areas of Utah reveals what can create the sense of need to which Utah is responding. This article examines the moral environment in three school districts in Utah--one highly diversified, one in the process of diversifying and one as-yet undiversified. It reviews the various moral and character education programmes being used in these three environments and compares and contrasts their methods in terms of literature, textbooks and activities. The article concludes with an evaluation of these programmes' relative effectiveness in their specific environments.

Qu'est-ce que l'ironie socratique?

'Socratic irony' is often understood in modern scholarship, for instance by Gregory Vlastos, as having a rather favourable sense. It is understood as implying something different from what one says (a sense later defined by Quintilian) and doing so part of a programme of moral education that consisted in challenging the intellectual powers of his interlocutors. However, this sense of eironeia is not found in Plato or in Aristotle in the texts where he discusses Socratic irony. The term 'irony' occurs in those texts in a consistently negative sense, associated with contemptuous or arrogant treatment of others (for instance in the Republic or Symposium). In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, 'Socratic irony' may appear to have a more favourable sense ; but close attention to the relevant passages, taken in the context of Aristotle’s ethical framework, shows that it signifies a kind of wilful disdain of convention, and is no more favourably understood than the other extreme of alazoneia. If we go back to the Platonic uses of the term, for instance, Thrasymachus in Republic 337a or Callicles in Gorgias 489e, we find again a negative connotation. Here, the relevant sense is that of evading one’s share in the discussion by pretending to have no answer to the questions one poses. In fact, 'evasion' is, probably, what eironeia, means, understood as a deliberate tactic to get the better of one’s opponents. The more favourable sense of 'Socratic irony' is, thus, a modern invention, partly based on the more positive usage of the term in Latin, in Cicero and Quintilian.

Human Rights as a Moral Issue: Lessons for moral educators from human rights work

Recent history has seen an increasing trend toward “crossing over” between contexts and cultures. As individuals and groups learn more about each other, opportunities arise to create stronger resources for respecting and protecting human rights. One such possible “crossing over” is between the field of moral education and the ideals and techniques of human rights work. While moral education and human rights work share many ideas and methods, areas of difference provide points to strengthen moral education. The foundation of human rights work is the international documents and laws of human rights that aim to protect rights that are considered universal across contexts. Human rights work, however, also attempts to recognise personal histories and how the application of rights may differ across contexts. Human rights activities in Latin America provide examples of how human rights work can create contexts that respect the universals of human rights. A discussion of violations against women and children in the United States provides two contexts for considering how the lessons of human rights work in Latin America can be applied in the US. Suggestions as to how to include lessons from human rights work in moral education programmes are provided.

G. Hegelio etikos ypatybės ir ugdymo klausimas

Straipsnyje nagrinėjami G. Hegelio etikos keturi svarbiausi aspektai, naudingi dorovinio auklėjimo programai, analizuojama individualių ir visuotinių interesų suderinamumo interpretacija, parodomos jos negatyvios ir pozityvios pusės. Pirmasis aspektas yra aktyvaus veiklumo, artimo realiam gyvenimui, sąmoningos poelgių motyvacijos veiksnys. G. Hegelis pabrėžia veiklumą, o ne vien abstraktų privalėjimą ar užsidarymą vien individualiame pasaulyje. Antrasis aspektas yra nesuderinamų dorovės principų nagrinėjimas. Trečioji aktuali G. Hegelio etikos ypatybė yra dorovinio ugdymo priemonių aspektas. Jis aptaria nepagrįstą ir nevaisingą moralizavimą, dorovės kritiką deramos (išgalvotos, realiai neegzistuojančios) dorovės požiūriu. Ketvirtasis aspektas – auklėjimo autoritarinė nuostata: žmogus yra išugdomas tik griežtai disciplinuojant jo polinkius ir poreikius. Tai gali būti paaiškinta G. Hegelio sistemos totalitariškumu. Atsižvelgiant į šiuolaikinę subjekto sampratą, G. Hegelio visuotinybės principo sureikšminimas vertintinas ne kaip silpnybė, o kaip bešališkas konstatavimas – tai neturėtų sumenkinti jo etikos aspektų vertingumo šiuolaikiniam piliečiui ugdyti.

“Intermediate” Concepts and the Connection to Moral Education

This paper provides a brief overview of Rest's (1983) conception of the important processes that contribute to effective moral decision making, summarizes efforts to design and assess moral education programs based on Rest's Four-Component Model, and describes new directions in the assessment of moral judgment development that are specifically directed toward professional ethics education. Based on preliminary studies, we recommend that, in addition to measuring each of the processes in Rest's model, educators design profession-specific measures of moral concepts that better reflect the content of professional ethics education. Labeled intermediate concepts measures, these assessments attend to concepts that are more specific than the abstract moral schemas tested by Kohlbergian measures of moral judgment and more general than concrete codes of professional ethics.

Civics and Moral Education in Singapore: lessons for citizenship education?

Civics and Moral Educationwas implemented as a new moral education programme in Singapore schools in 1992. This paper argues that the underlying theme is that of citizenship training and that new measures are under way to strengthen the capacity of the school system to transmit national values for economic and political socialisation. The motives and motivation for retaining a formal moral education programme have remained strong. A discussion of the structure and content of key modules in Civics and Moral Education shows how curriculum writers have attempted to integrate separate strands of civics and moral education from earlier programmes and present them in a less divisive manner. The paper also assesses the impact of the written civics and moral education programme on teachers and pupils, and the way in which strategies have been used by curriculum agencies to overcome possible obstacles at the curriculum implementation phase.

Should Schools Promote Toleration?

It is often taken for granted by educationalists that toleration is a good thing; indeed, it is often taken for granted that toleration is a value which should be promoted in schools. It is thought to be especially valuable in a multicultural society such as modern Britain. But is this so, and why? In this paper we show that the issue of whether toleration should be promoted as a virtue in schools is controversial and its value needs careful consideration in the light of certain paradoxes. We conclude that while schools should, indeed, promote toleration, it is a necessary but insufficient part of what should be a wider programme of moral education.

Receiving Forgiveness as Moral Education: a theoretical analysis and initial empirical investigation

The importance of forgiveness is being recognised increasingly in psychological and educational circles. However, most work to date has focused on the experience of offering forgiveness to another. This article represents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the much‐neglected experience of accepting another's forgiveness. Most previous theorising suggests the outcomes of receiving forgiveness are positive, but research in related areas implies that this might not always be the case. Quantitative and qualitative data in this article suggest that the effects of accepting another's forgiveness are usually positive. These effects are explored from psychological, social and moral vantage points, and recommendations for moral education programmes are offered.