This document explores the way in which courage, as a central virtue, and friendship, as a valued human state, have a significant place within the view of the education of character. Education of character is determined to bridge the gap between moral judgment and moral action. This paper has five sections. First, the need for character education…

This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association as part of a symposium, "A social learning alternative to structural theories for explaining developmental changes in childrens behavior." This presentation examines the moral development of a child in terms of a social learning approach, and discusses…

The author offers interview data from female and male children, adolescents, and adults in support of the notion of having two distinct modes of describing the self in relation to others--separate/objective and connected--as well as two kinds of considerations used by individuals in making moral decisions--justice and care. (Author/SSH)

This report describes a study about teaching ethics and moral reasoning in the K-12 public schools of Connecticut. Two hundred adults and students were questioned in a random survey representing a cross section of communities in the state. The responses validate Gilligan's levels of moral development that shows different emphases of socialization…

Imprecise concepts and vagueness in the field of moral development of children should be counterbalanced by future research by educationalists and psychologists. From a review of the scanty research available in moral development it can be concluded that (1) moral development is more complex than heretofore conceived; (2) individual differences in…

This responsibility education activity book for grades 5-10 offers a set of materials that reflect students' interests and motivation for values education. The book is built around three moral principles: (1) "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Confucius, 513 B.C.); (2) "The end does not justify the means" (Immanuel Kant, "The…

Literature can be used in an elementary school curriculum to provide sound moral models for children. Through the exploration of moral problems and the adoption of the perspectives of others, children may begin to develop and refine their own morality. A male and a female morality may be identified in literature. The male morality--based on the…

Examined ethical concepts in children's stories derived from Swedish, Hungarian, and Chinese cultures. Identified 12 qualitative categories of ethical meaning. Examined deeper, underlying psychological consequences from the standpoint of prevailing notions. (Author)

The nine essays in this book present perspectives on what is needed in character education from kindergarten to college. Two main themes run through the volume. The first is a consensus among the authors that fundamental moral standards must be passed along to the young and that educators at all levels bear the obligation to transmit these core…

Examined teachers' understanding of the moral development of middle level students via prediction of student responses to the behavior of fictitious students in ethical dilemma situations. Found that teachers were able to predict characters which students admired least, but were unable to predict characters the students most admired. (Author)