The purpose of this study is to investigate how schools integrate character education into their curriculum and culture to promote holistic student development and ethical values in the 21st century. Additionally, it aims to explore the impact of collaboration among stakeholders on the implementation of character education programs and students'…

Although an ample amount of research on college students' moral reasoning exists, little has been written about the degree to which participation in community service and alternative break programs results in growth of moral reasoning. This study investigated the extent to which participation in alternative break programs resulted in the…

Researchers have been studying the conditions that matter in supporting the successful transition and persistence of students to the collegiate environment for more than three decades (Astin, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt & Associates, 2005; Upcraft, Gardner & Associates, 1989). As first suggested by Sanford (1962,…

The goals of higher education often entail the development of students' character. Rarely, however, are these character development goals connected to the unique design and delivery of distance education programs. Additionally, the research literature that explores the character development aspects of distance education is sparse. Thus the purpose…

Urban high-school students' low average level of academic achievement is a national problem. A lack of academic progress is a factor that contributes to students failing to graduate. In response to these urban high school student problems, a growing number of urban charter high schools have opened as an alternative to the traditional public high…

The main research question of this study was: How do student life offices at four diverse Catholic colleges and universities create an environment that is expressive of a Catholic way of life? This research question was operationalized by two research sub questions: How do senior student affairs officers, mid-level student affairs officers, and…

This document presents articles from the 1993 Institute on College Student Values, an annual seminar sponsored by the Florida State University Division of Student Affairs to provide a forum for discussion of research, educational strategies, and current developments related to the ethical development of students during the college years. The 1993…

Examines the constructs that define moral development and the effect that college has on both moral development and the subsequent development of such attitudes as tolerance. Presents implications for institutional practice, especially with regard to the influence of college environment and the role of higher education in developing students.…

Discusses the legal basis for teaching morality in public education and provides ten suggestions for educators. (Editor/RK)

A student of the 1950s reflects on how moral issues were ignored in both the college curriculum and campus activities, and reviews research on moral development. Milestones in research on moral development since then are reviewed and applied to circumstances of individual colleges to encourage the creation of opportunities for student moral…

A study measured 206 students' levels of moral reasoning across 4 years of medical education at a particular university. Results indicate an increase in moral reasoning skills over that period and higher levels of reasoning for women than for men in each year. Potential for even greater progress is seen. (MSE)

Investigates the nature of social beliefs and commitments during the college years in relation to developmental orientations as measured by the Dakota Inventory of Student Orientations. Results support Creative-Reflective scale scores as predictive of commitment to the more humanitarian issues such as race and women's rights, whereas…

Examined moral reasoning and identity development of Greek and non-Greek men and women. Controlling for entering first-year levels, Greek men scored lower in Confidence component of identity development than did Greek women and non-Greeks. Covarying for entering first-year students' moral reasoning scores, sophomore non-Greek women scored higher…

Perry's theory of intellectual and ethical development of college students is briefly reviewed. This theory was based on work with Harvard University students, and addresses dualism, multiplicity, and relativism. In the first stage, a student sees the world in right-wrong, black-white terms, with no room in the thinking process for conditional or…

In response to the belief that the number one problem facing students today is their character and value system, school officials in Georgia's Carrollton City Schools District wished to implement a character education program. They were concerned, however, whether the program would be appropriate for all grade levels, and so they developed an…